Northern Aurora

The ARR tracks are the same whether folks book Gold Star or Adventure -- the cars are different, but the tracks are the same. The scenery is the same, just the cars are different. We live in Fairbanks, Alaska, and when we see passenger trains the cars are often a mixture of domed and "regular' cars. The one (and most likely only time) we have ever driven to a cruise port was when we drove down to Seward to board the Millennium for a B2B Seward to Vancouver and back. At the end of that B2B I remember finishing breakfast in Luminae and watching the ARR chartered train leave from the Seward cruise terminal for the Anchorage airport. It seems to me that the cars were all the "regular" (not domed) cars, but I am not positive. The ARR passenger service is surprisingly expensive. It is essentially a freight carrier. The cost to fly from Fairbanks to Anchorage, even in first class, is much cheaper than spending the day to take the train down. The flight is about 50 minutes, but the train is the entire day.

I am curious as to what suite level our OP has booked. Sky Suites and Celebrity Suites don't include specialty dining but higher level suites do.

Pre-pandemic we did a B2B Alaska cruises out of Seward, but we drove down in one of our vehicles. I've never taken the Celebrity chartered train. But if there is only one price for the Celebrity chartered train that would suggest one level of service.

It is unusual. I've "goggled" the Yokohama cruise terminal schedule, and more than one site, even though you click the "english" option, have the information in Japanese only.

I will write your question down in my trip notebook. Prompt me if I forget. On our March 28th embarkation it appears we will be at the Daikoka Pier instead of the Osanbashi Pier which the Millennium used when we were B2B in 2018. It appears that the Daikoka pier is a "one off" for that March embarkation.

@dleahy4444: We are not to mention travel agencies here, but I just checked one which lists all available staterooms. When I do a mock booking for three the sailing is essentially sold out. I get the same results when I change the mock booking for two.

An option on a rainy day is the Vancouver Art Gallery. Check their website as they have periodically hosted some very special exhibits. Over a decade ago, when the Rijksmusuem in Amsterdam was being remodeled, the Vancouver Art Gallery hosted an incredibly impressive exhibit from the Rijksmuseum for several months -- they were the only art museum in North America to host that exhibit.

@Nixieh: The bartenders can concoct a number of no alcohol "mocktails" for you. Some will be listed in the bar menus, and some a bartender can create. My particular favorite is the Minted Lemonade -- sweet sour flavor with bruised mint leaves.

Luminae doesn't take reservations.

I suspect there is some confusion between Celebrity's Beyond the Podium speakers and their naturalists. There are a number of naturalists who seem to be permanent with Celebrity. For example, I just looked up the spelling of Milos Radakovich's name, and according to his website he has been a naturalist with Celebrity since 2005. We have had him on South American, Pacific Coastal, Alaska and South Pacific sailings. The first time we met Celia Garland was on a South American series of cruises; we were in SA on a B2B in 2018 and a B2B2B in 2019, and quite frankly, I don't remember which series was the one on which we met her but she had already done an Alaska season and continues to be a Celebrity naturalist in both Alaska and SA. There was a very tall Canadian naturalist who had worked at the Vancouver, B.C. Aquarium before working for Celebrity, we had him several times on various itineraries. And I can visualize others as well. But the Beyond the Podium speakers do seem to be recruited via a speaker's bureau.

Every night there will a show in the theater. Times are generally at 7 and 9 PM, but periodically they will be at 7:30 and 9:30 PM. We were on a B2B2B last fall, and the theater shows were at 7 and 9 PM for the first two legs before shifting to 7:30 and 9:30 for the final leg. These shows will be a combination of production shows from the Celebrity production team and guest "headliners." Only on evening chic nights will there be some reserved seating for Suite and Zenith passengers. In addition to the shows in the theater there will other musical acts performing nightly around the ship in various venues. What do you mean by "special" dinner nights?

@AKJonesy: When I was in Kodiak on business I rented a car at the airport to use for the several days I was there. In 2016 when my husband and I were in Kodiak for a few days prior to picking up the Tustamena to head out to Unalaska we rented a car for the day to re-visit Ft. Abercrombie. At that time one of the rental companies would deliver a car at a downtown gift store where we picked it up and then returned the keys to the gift store at the end of the day. I don't remember the name of the rental car company.

We spent 40 nights on a Sunset Sky Suite last fall on the Edge. Two loungers, two chairs and a round table.

We received an e-mail on February 14th for our March 28 sailing on the Millennium. We are in an Aqua Sky Suite. We are also Zenith level Captain's Club members.

I have been to Kodiak both on business and prior to taking a Alaska state ferry out to Unalaska/Dutch Harbor. Kodiak is known for its bears. When we spent several days there in 2016 prior to boarding the ferry a cruise ship was at the ferry dock which at that time was slightly out of town. A school bus was used to shuttle ship passengers downtown, but many people walked. Downtown has the Kodiak History Museum (Baranov Museum) and the Alutiiq Museum. Ft. Abercrombie, with its WW II defenses, is out of town. After disembarking from the state ferry we spent several days in Unalaska/Dutch Harbor birding. If your ship will use the state ferry berth you will be closer to the community. When we were there we again had a small cruise ship stopping for a day. It used the ferry berth. A shuttle was running (again a school bus) dropping passengers at the Grand Aleutian Hotel and the World War II museum. This shuttle did not take folks up to the remains of Ft. Schwatka which is at the top of a mountain with incredible views. The Museum of the Aleutians was not open when we were there so I have no idea if the shuttle would have stopped there, but I suspect they would have. Both communities have interesting WW II history. And both can have nasty weather. On a clear day Dutch Harbor/Unalaska is spectacular, but when it isn't clear expect nasty conditions.

Is the independent tour operator you located Salmon Berry Tours?

This is a reference to the South East Alaska Discovery Center which is operated by the US Forest Service. They offer a Tongass Junior Ranger program. Minimal entrance fee but check their website as they accept a number of park passes which provide free entrance. For those interested in museums the city of Ketchikan operates two -- the Tongass Historical Museum and the Totem Heritage Center. Both have entrance fees, but minimal in amount. Nice options for a rainy day in Ketchikan.

Given the number of flight crews who stay at the Captain Cook I wouldn't be surprised if they offer 24 hour room service.

Suite passengers and Zenith Captain's Club (loyalty level) board when they desire.

Also bear viewing opportunities.

While it is an easy drive the drop off fees for a one way rental vehicle is breathtaking. The road and train run parallel from Anchorage to basically Portage. There the train route diverges into a different valley. The road and train again run parallel from Moose Pass into Seward. While opinions regarding scenery are subjective many people feel that the train route is more scenic.

The Celebrity offering is chartered train service departing from the Anchorage airport. The same tracks but the cruise ship chartered trains end at the Seward cruise terminal. These chartered trains must be purchased through the cruise line. The early morning train service purchased directly from the Alaska Railroad departs Anchorage from the downtown rail station and ends at the Seward train depot. The Seward train station isn't very far from the cruise terminal.

Oliver: I also re-read your travel reports regarding Japan. We spent a month there in 2018 and will be returning for B2B cruises. I suspect we may be on the same cruise as @MandL. But I have a quick question -- have you been to Nara? Both of our cruises overnight in Osaka and we are considering going to Nara for the day.

I just looked at the hours for Snow City Cafe, and they don't open in time for our OP. But I wonder if they could purchase something from Snow City the afternoon before?

I am wondering if your flights are on time (and these days that is a big "if") and your party all arrive at 4 PM will you be ready for the transfer to Seward. Or will you be too tired to enjoy it? While I prefer Seward over Anchorage in this case you may want to consider booking a hotel near the airport, go to bed early, and take an early transfer to Seward.