Northern Aurora

It depends on the definition of "expensive." But it was on the higher price range of excursions. And it had to be booked immediately -- no waiting or all slots were gone. We were close enough to Dawes that when large ice chunks calved and created a wake the Allen Marine vessel was impacted as we had a roll. There was a good naturalist on the Allen Marine vessel, and food options (which was important as we left the Solstice to board the vessel about 7 AM). And the divergence in Fords Terror was spectacular with the vessel approaching waterfalls and so forth.

Just a few comments from someone who actually lives in Alaska -- I agree with the advice in post #27. It just doesn't make sense to me to fly to Juneau for several days to go to Glacier Bay and then fly to Anchorage (there is no commercial air service to Denali). If you want to go to Denali then fly to Anchorage, spend several days, and then take a cruise which includes Glacier Bay. But I wonder if our OP realizes that the single road into Denali National Park is closed by the Pretty Rocks rock slide issue. That means that folks can't reach the Polychrome Overlook (mile 46), Toklat River rest stop (mile 53), Stony Hill Overlook (mile 62) or the Eielson Visitor's Center (mile 66). It was closed in August 2021, and just this last January the National Park Service announced that the contract to bridge the problem area was signed. If all goes well they hope to have the road opened in 2025. I've always thought that folks who don't go into the DNP as far as Eielson Visitor's Center short change themselves. An alternative to Denali which isn't discussed as much as it deserves is the Wrangel -- St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Consider it.

For years Alaska did not have either Uber or Lyft as they violated one of our Wage and Hour regulations. Approximately 6 years ago (during the Governor Gary Walker administration) there was a change in the law. The issue you will have is that Sitka is sufficiently small in population there may not be someone driving when you need the service.

Actually, Celebrity does offer small boat excursions close to glacier faces. We did one on the Solstice last June in which we left the ship at sea, boarded a two level Allen Marine vessel (not a ship tender) and were able to get very close to the face of Dawes Glacier. The Solstice was stopped much farther out. The Allen Marine vessel then diverted into Fords Terror. We returned to Juneau shortly after the Solstice docked in Juneau. These excursions often sell out very quickly so folks have to book immediately. Celebrity will have a naturalist on board for their Alaska sailings. They are very helpful in spotting wildlife and will also present lectures. The Celebrity Alaska itineraries have a slightly different demographic than typical Celebrity itineraries. Many more multi-generational families and a fair number of teens.

@LEESRE: Unless there is a very small number of B2B passengers there should be a B2B meeting where Celebrity staff explains the process and answers any questions. You will also be provided with a succinct instruction letter outlining the process. You don't mention what stateroom category have booked, but B2B passengers are invited to the Concierge embarkation luncheon in the MDR.

Fortress of the Bear has mixed reviews, but I wonder if the kiddos would enjoy it. The stream running through the Sitka National Historical Park (the locals refer to it as the totem pole park) is a salmon spawning stream. It is easily walkable from the Harrigan Centennial Center. The HCC is the drop off point for the shuttle buses from the Sitka cruise terminal

Please understand that ports like Haines and ISP are very different from a port like Skagway. Not only do I live in Alaska I also remember what the community of Skagway was like before they were "found" by the cruise industry. And I actually know why the cruise industry moved into Skagway. Ports such as ISP and Haines don't host as many cruise ship passengers or cruise ships as Skagway, Ketchikan or Juneau. They are not "fully booked."

I am aware of several ships which diverted from Skagway after the June 2022 rock slide. They diverted to ISP, Haines and Sitka. But which ships added sea days to their itinerary?

There is simply so misinformation with the speculation on this thread I don't know where to begin. First, there are more than one dock in Skagway. Only one berth is impacted by the rock slide. So I just don't understand the comment that Carnival has "the lease for the Skagway dock for another year." ISP was developed by Huna Totem. Please google the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act for some sort of understanding of our Alaskan native claims corporations. And NCL "gave their Juneau dock to the same Corp for improved development." This may be a surprise to the municipality of Juneau. Particularly a surprise for the Juneau Port Authority. The dock at Sitka is not owned by Royal Caribbean. The McCraw family, who live in Sitka, are the majority owners. RC has a minority ownership position.

My husband tested positive on the Eclipse in April, 2022. This was the "infamous" barnacle cruise. We had tested negative in Vancouver (a Canadian requirement) before boarding in Vancouver to Honolulu. But when he came down with what seemed cold we used a home test and he tested positive. Called medical and he indeed, based on a PCR test, was positive. I stayed in our suite and was tested daily. I had the opportunity to meet every butler on the Eclipse since I was tested daily with the butlers and never did test positive. I apparently wasn't as supportive as your spouse as I remained in our suite and he was moved to an ocean view stateroom on deck 3. However, I didn't roam much through the ship, remaining in a corner in Michael's Club, dining quickly in the Ocean View and ordering room service. We were in a suite and are also Zenith members of the Captain's Club. So we already had premium wi-fi. We were also treated very well. The Suite Manager remembered us from 2016 when he was a waiter in Luminae. The Luminae maitre'd and all the staff treated us very well. He was called several times each day to ask bout his food preferences. We would have been allowed to remain after the first leg of what would have been a B2B but elected to depart in Honolulu to continue his quarantine, spent a few more days in Honolulu and the fly for home. While it would have been nice if he hadn't contracted covid (we were fully vaccinated and boosted) we were treated very well.

Actually, when my husband was in covid-19 quarantine on the Eclipse he was on deck 3 along with the other quarantined passengers, and none of them had sea pass cards for those rooms. Now that some covid positive folks are being allowed to remain in their stateroom I wonder if sea pass cards are confiscated?

Goldbelt is the name of the native corporation which owns the Mt. Roberts Tram. For more history regarding the history of our native corporations google the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. ANCSA also explains the lack of reservations (Metlakatla is a reservation and Venetie at times has claimed reservation status but isn't official). While we enjoy the tram we don't go every time we are in Juneau. The hiking trails at the top are lovely, as are the views on a lovely day. I have always found the tram stable and there is some bench seating along the sides of the cars. And we never pre-purchase tickets as even if the ticket line looks long it moves very quickly.

We have stayed several times at the Pan Pacific, and the convenience of having a bellman show up at your hotel room and take your checked luggage to the porters is very convenient indeed. The last time we stayed there was in May, 2022. We have stayed several times at the Auberge several times and also like it. We spent several days there in 2018 and since then it has been totally remodeled. We stayed there for several days in September, 2022. The price of a one bedroom suite was equivalent to a standard room at the Pan Pacific. Walking from the Auberge to Canada Place is very easy. From the front door turn left for a very short walk and then it is down a slight hill for one block to the intersection across from Canada Place. From there is down into the parking garage to the luggage drop off. We also like the Sutton Place in Vancouver. While it isn't too far from Canada Place folks staying there most likely will take taxis to the cruise terminal. We certainly did.

As an Alaskan who lives in Fairbanks where a number of the cruise tours either start or end, and as someone who generally travels to Denali National Park at least once a summer (we haven't since the single park road was closed in August, 2021 and won't again until the road opens to Eielson Visitor's Center), I doubt that is true. I haven't observed folks on escorted tours having some sort of priority regarding restaurant seating.

If tours such as flight seeing are a high priority then they need to be booked prior to arrival. More unusual tours can possibly be booked on the pier, but don't count on it. For example, at the booths in Juneau vendors will be offering shuttles to Mendenhall Glacier, some whale watching and so forth.

If Celebrity offers an early morning train transfer in Seward that early morning train is a special charter and ends at the Anchorage airport. The "regular" Alaska Railroad run departs Seward in the early evening and ends at the ARR downtown station (with no stop at the Anchorage airport).

Are you asking about flights between Fairbanks and Anchorage? Alaska Airlines offers several flight each day. It is (obvious to those who live in Alaska) a non-stop and takes about 45 to 50 minutes.

I wonder if either poster has been to Skagway. We live in Alaska and have been there multiple times. We have both driven our own vehicles into Skagway and stopped on cruise ship port call. We were in Skagway twice last summer -- once a few days before the slide and the second time a few days after the slide. After the slide the ships which had issues were those scheduled to dock at the forward Railroad Dock berth. Those at the rear of the dock tendered. It was a very quick tender ride to the Skagway small boat harbor. Ships at the other docks were not impacted. While I can only report on my own experience through the years I haven't found serious issues with the Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska schedule.

@latebuyer: Only you can determine what you want to see and do in Alaska. Once you have done some research you will know whether you want to start (or end) your cruise tour in Fairbanks or Anchorage. And you will need to do some comparison shopping regarding airfare costs. All Alaska communities have visitor and convention bureaus. Just goggle something like "visitor bureau for Juneau" and you will find the particular website. Many have downloadable visitor guides. And I agree with @AKStafford -- there is nothing offered on a cruiseline sponsored land tour which can't be booked privately.

@Banana15: In your first post you asked if you would be picked up from the Fairbanks airport, and you have now answered your own question because you know there is a transfer once you arrive. But if you miss a flight or another travel issue happens the cruise line information kiosks at the airport will tell you which hotel to contact (ie. Tour 1B calls such and such hotel to arrange pick up). Once you know your Fairbanks hotel I can suggest near-by dining options. Possibly someone else can comment but my suspicion is that the excursions on your free days are ones you purchase.

If you check the Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska website as referenced above you will find that there are a number of days in which Skagway will host four ships during the 2023 season.

Just a quick comment -- historically May is one of the driest months in SE Alaska. But our weather is becoming so strange who knows if that will remain so.

@Banana15: What was your understanding of what you booked at the time of booking? While there may have been some land tours in the past which did not include lodging I haven't heard of one. Every review I've ever read of an Alaska land tour mentioned that the hotels were included. Unless you have booked something very unusual Celebrity will select and book the hotels. I suspect I know which two they will use in Fairbanks (based on what they used in the past) and suspect they will use the Denali Park Village in Denali. At the Fairbanks airport there will be staff with signs (such as "Celebrity" with the X logo) near the baggage claim area greeting flights. There will also be kiosks for each cruise line with information there for folks who missed flights or had very delayed flights. There will be information at the kiosks with where to go and phone numbers to have the hotel van pick you up.

In October we also just essentially waved our passports and walked off. But we were at the "regular" cruise terminal and not the dock in the hinterlands. .

Juneau: The Hanger on the Wharf. My husband has had excellent fish tacos there. While Tracey's Crab Shack is much loved by tourists I've always thought it was over rated. Sitka: An acquaintance is from Sitka and visits family there. According to him my favorite Sitka restaurant was a victim of covid. Ketchikan: We make it a point to visit Annabelles at this port. Just recognize that the menu will be heavy on seafood.