Northern Aurora

@janecambridge: So what are you doing? Are you staying in Seward before or after a cruise? Despite the fact that we fly virtually everywhere in this state the one place you can not fly a commercial airplane to is Seward. There is no commercial air service between Anchorage and Seward. Your options are either Alaska Rail Road or road.

Our OP could also rent a car and drive to Anchorage, but they won't be happy with the one-way drop off charge.

Thanks to @garyl62 for my comments. I am not sure they provide much insight but I certainly have my opinions as my husband frequently tells me! In any event, regarding Talkeetna: Since the Princess McKinley View Lodge was built it seems to me that Talkeetna has become much more touristy. The PMVL is about a 45 minute drive away but it has had significant impact on the community. Some tourists describe it as the "quintessential" small Alaska community but I see it as the "quintessential" tourist trap. That being said it is a nice community for flight seeing over Denali. And consider a river trip. MaHay's Jet Boat Adventures overs several options, has been in business a number of years and is highly reputable; you can book directly with them. The single road into Denali National Park was closed in August 2021 at the Pretty Rocks area due to unstable ice rich land melting. I have always thought that folks who don't go into Denali as far as Eielson Visitor's Center (mile 66) cheat themselves. Only recently (about ten days ago) did the National Park Service issue a press release stating that they have signed a contract with a company to start the bridging repair. The NPS hopes that the full length of the single road will be open in 2025. Given supply chain issues and the fact that the road past Pretty Rocks has not been maintained since August 2021 (the park maintenance camp is near the park entrance) that date may be optimistic. So one night in Denali may be all folk now need. Homer is one of my favorite places. It is a funky arty place but I am not sure I cold tolerate the dampness of their winters. There are flight seeing opportunities to Katmai National Park & Preserve where the famous Brooks Falls bears are located. Some companies don't actually land in Katmai but just outside the park boundaries to circumvent some regulations. Another option to research in Homer is the private fast ferry from Homer to Seldovia. And for those with more limited time there is the Pratt Museum. Just a few random thoughts.

Well -- With the exception of an upcoming B2B2B2B which is past final payment date (I never check cruise fares on cruises past final payment) I checked our upcoming cruises. We have a B2B2B in the fall of 2023 which is from Civitavecchia to Sydney. All segments significantly higher in price than what we booked. The B2B Asia pair in the spring of 2024 also significantly higher. The North America to Iceland B2B in August of 2024 is also significantly higher.

Several options. Celebrity will charter an early morning train from the Seward cruise terminal directly to the Anchorage Airport. This charter is booked directly through the cruise line. There will be evening train service purchased from the Alaska Railroad. This leaves the Seward ARR station and travels directly to the ARR downtown Anchorage rail station. If you "google" something along the lines of motor coach service between Seward and Anchorage you will find names of motor coach services. If you use the search function on this forum you should be able to locate several discussion threads on this subject.

After posting earlier today I realized I had just mentioned Temsco. But Coastal Helicopters our of Juneau also does tour, including a 3.5 hour tour which includes a sled dog experience (if my memory is correct). These helicopter tours can be booked directly with the vendors. The websites for both companies have good descriptions of their respective tours.

We also have seen it on Celebrity ships while in Australian waters. I just can't get over eating a national iconic symbol, but according to Australian citizens either they like it or can't stand it. I have also been told it is somewhat difficult to cook as it can be easy to overcook (or is it easy to undercook?) and then the texture changes.

Without looking at our cruise history my memory is that we have done five or six prior cruises in Australian/New Zealand and South Pacific waters. While I don't recall crocodile we certainly have had kangaroo not the menus. We board the Eclipse on March 10th for a B2B2B2B in Suites so certainly am enjoying this thread.

How did you book this cruise? If you booked through a travel agent then that person is who will answer your questions. If you booked either through a Celebrity vacation planner or through the Celebrity website then call the Celebrity booking phone number.

I responded to @Alex618 on the Celebrity board as well, but nice jeans will be acceptable. On the "chic" nights there will be some women wearing cocktail dresses and men wearing suit jackets but they will not be the majority. Folks will be nicely dressed but definitely more casually dressed than on other itineraries, with the exception being an Antarctica itinerary where folks are also very casually dressed.

Even though we live in Alaska we did Alaska itineraries since an Alaska cruise gives us an excuse to visit a very different part of our very large state. Dress on an Alaska itinerary, as far as I can tell on any cruise line, is definitely more casual. But I generally wear slacks in the evening. Only so many nights I can tolerate wearing jeans. And on the "chic" nights there may be some women wearing cocktail dresses and men with suit jackets they will be the minority.

I am curious if the higher priced four hour experience includes a dog mushing experience? Temsco, an Alaskan helicopter firm, offers excursions out of both Skagway and Juneau. Our OP may want to check their website.

We spent 14 nights on the Solstice in June and 15 nights in September. The decor is dated but the ship is in good repair and clean. Very happy and positive crew. The Solstice will not go into dry dock before March 2023.

We have been to Catalina several times most recently on a Solstice port call last September. Tickets to the Casino were sold out on the Casino website but about two to three weeks before the port call tickets suddenly appeared on the Solstice shore excursions for our cruise! And the Casino tour tickets purchased through Celebrity were essentially the same amount as if we had purchased through the Casino website! We did the tour and were very pleased, but we enjoy touring historic properties. Incredible building with an incredible guide.

@katmigordon: You most likely have the premium beverage package, premium wi-fi, pre-paid gratuities and the non-refundable onboard credit. Unless you are on a Blue Chip comped cruise (the Celebrity casino program), you most likely have the full Retreat (think Suite) perks. You will not need to use the OBC toward any of those perks (beverage package, wi-fi, or pre-paid gratuities). If you booked through a travel agent they can confirm your perks. If you booked with Celebrity direct then a Celebrity agent can confirm your package details.

Another Alaskan here -- only one set of train tracks for the White Pass & Yukon Railroad. Some of the excursion names denote how far the train will venture away from Skagway.

Welcome to Cruise Critic. I am assuming that your upcoming Alaska cruise is on a Celebrity ship. The days of scenic cruising will be in areas where shore will be visible from the ship. Depending on your specific itinerary views will be on both sides of the ship. There will be activities on board, including trivia and so forth. Celebrity Alaska itineraries have a naturalist on board who will have presentations listed in the Celebrity Today (planner). Topics will include sea birds, whales, bears and other topics. Restaurants will be open.

And thank you for the voice of reason. We plan to board the Eclipse in March for a B2B2B2B, and I will form my own opinion then.

At times on a typed forum it is hard to tell if someone is joking. If you aren't joking, then of course not -- you don't need to pack a pillow. Any stateroom level can request different pillows and the ship is stocked with a variety. And if you aren't satisfied with the bed fitness/softness also tell the stateroom attendant. They have a number of "tricks of the trade" to make the bed firmer and can add different "toppers" to make them softer. One of the last things a ship hotel director would want to hear is that someone told their friends/neighbors that they had a hard time sleeping on their vacation.

There will definitely be entertainment in the theater. The two evening shows are at 7 PM with a repeat at 9 PM.

The Millennium was the first M-class while the Silhouette is a S-class ship. The Millennium is smaller. Although the first of the M-class ships she has been "revolutionized" and looks beautiful. We spent two weeks on the Millie in September 2021 where we met a couple who were on their first Celebrity cruise. When I mentioned that the Millie was the oldest ship currently in the Celebrity fleet the guy was visibly surprised and impressed. You would never know it.

And I should have been more clear in my post. We were not on the Eclipse when we "did" Antarctica in 2015, but we were on a B2B2B series in South America in 2019. The Eclipse just swamps communities like Ushuaia.

And in Seattle the Port of Seattle offers the service.

@cccole: I am rather late to this discussion but just wanted to comment that we have been to Antarctica and have been on the Eclipse several times (we will be boarding her again in March for B2B2B2B series). So many of the South American ports are small and rather industrial. The Eclipse is, in my opinion, too large for these ports and towns. The Eclipse just overwhelms them.

I've always thought that the Cellar Masters on the M-class ships are a more versatile design than the cave-like Cellar Masters on the S-class ships. So nice to have an acoustic duo or strings along that wall in Cellar Masters on the M-class ships. And I much prefer the Rendezvous (M-class) over the Ensemble Lounge (S-class) with the dedicated dance floor, bar in the back and nice area for a party band.