Northern Aurora

I have just been quickly skimming the live thread by Jim_Iain but, if my memory is correct, believe Jim has posted a photo of the Solstice pickleball court. We spent two weeks on the Solstice in June and then returned for another B2B set in September. For those who are curious about the ship Jim is posting a number photos.

We cancelled a cruise in 2017 when my mother was seriously ill. I also suggest calling the insurance company and your TA. It was a real pain as we had to cancel four days (so after making final payment) before flying to Buenos Aires. Getting the paperwork from one of her physicians was a real pain. About two years later we again had to cancel after making final payment, and transferred the funds to future cruise. That was a much easier process.

Jim: We have been to Cabo on 8 to 10 port calls, most recently in September 2022, and even when the we are the only ship we tender. I have never seen a cruise ship docked at Cabo and don't know where they would dock. If something has changed in the past two months, please post a photo of a docked cruise ship. And I also don't think there is a "preferred" tender location.

We have only dined in LPC once when we had a significant amount of non-refundable OBC to use. While some folks love it I find the experience rather contrived. Everyone is seated, the lights dim, the video starts as people stare down at their respective plates. Lights brighten, that particular course is served. But I also will say that my husband found the video more amusing than I had anticipated. Even with our Zenith specialty restaurant discount it was a "once and done" experience for us. We book suites, and while there are nights when Luminae doesn't appeal as much, but there are other specialty restaurants we book before LPC.

Coral is correct -- the Harbor 360 was originally a Holiday Inn Express. We stayed there once when it still was a HIE and several times since it became the Harbor 360. The building was purchased by the owners of Major Marine, and now folks check-in for their Major Marine excursions at the Harbor 360. This ownership is the reason for the packages offered which include hotel stay and Major Marine excursions. The Windsong really is out of Seward. It is located on the road to Exit Glacier. Even though they run a shuttle (or at least did pre-covid) this is a place to stay if you have a vehicle. And anyone booking the Windsong without a vehicle needs to confirm that the hotel still offers a shuttle. Alaska in general is experiencing a severe labor shortage, and folks who have commercial driver's licenses are in short supply.

I suggest googling the Juneau Audubon Society. In the past their website has had extensive downloadable bird lists for a number of SE Alaska communities.

How "rough" the seas are is subjective topic. We have done whale watching out of Juneau and personally didn't find it to be particularly "rough." That being said, we have crossed Cape Horn three times and have been to Antarctica. Neither my husband nor I had any issues with seasickness.

We like the Harbor 360 Hotel for lodging. I don't know what the "best" way to transfer to Seward from Anchorage means -- the cheapest? The most scenic? But there is no commercial air service between Anchorage and Seward. The options are by Alaska Rail Road or by highway. There are motor coach options. The cost of a one-way car rental may be surprisingly expensive.

Understand that my husband and I reached the Zenith level of the Captain's Club in 2016. Through the years the "process" has changed. In 2016 only the folks being recognized as new Zenith members were on the bridge. In our case there were several other Zenith's onboard, which we knew, but they were not included. And we were not asked if we wanted to invite them. Nor did the Captain's Club ask them either. We did, however, have a lovely private dinner with Captain Kate. Somewhere around 2018 or so the new Zeniths were either asked if they wanted to invite others, or simply (and I suspect this was the "new" standard) the Captain's Club host/hostess invited all of the Zenith's onboard, whether the newbie knew them or not. We have attended a number of bridge "ceremonies" where we didn't know the folks at all. There is/was a facebook group hosted by a Zenith who now has been banned. I never bothered to "friend" the organizer, but he and his wife certainly know who my husband and I are. We have met them. Becoming a "Zenith" was never a goal for us. It just happened. There are now so many Zeniths it is becoming, on some ships, rather unmanageable for the Captain's Club host/hostess, and I suspect Zenith's have, as mentioned by Jim, lost their sparkle, particularly to management as some have quite the ego.

We were in Juneau twice last summer on port calls, and the color of the bus is still blue. Actually, the buses have been blue in color or a number of years. If they ever change color it will confuse the heck out of folks.

Since the resumption of cruising after the global suspension the Zenith initiations/recognitions that I have been aware of have not happened (at least on the ships we have been on) on the bridge, but instead at Blu. And the other Zeniths on the cruise have not been invited. There seems to have been some concern about having non-crew members on the bridge and potentially exposing the bridge staff to Covid-19. But this may be changing as in September (on the Solstice) we did a behind the scenes tour and one of the stops was the bridge. However, on the second leg of that September b2b there were new Zeniths who had their initiation/recognition, and none of the other Zeniths (there were ten others) were invited. We were B2B on the Solstice in June, and there was no Zenith gathering on either leg. We were again B2B on the Solstice in September; while the first leg had a Zenith cocktail gathering in Cellar Masters (no lunch at all), there was neither a cocktail gathering nor lunch on the second leg at all. While I am aware that some ships have had Zenith lunches the Solstice did not. I will be interested if one is held on either one of your legs.

While I don't remember seeing a sea otter in Haines, we've spotted them in outside of Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka. Seward seems to be a particularly good area for spotting them.

I agree -- it is a discount, not OBC. And there is a minimal number of nights. We once did a "Taste of Modern Luxury" cruise out of Southhampton on third leg of what was technically a B2B2B2B cruse, and that "taster" broke the discount series. No discount on the final leg.

A few random comments --- There is a casual restaurant at the top of the Mt. Roberts Tram. Throughout the years the National Park Service has acquired more and more of the old historic Skagway buildings. Some have historical displays while others are small museums. Many folks find it pleasant to wander through the collection. And just in case wifey is a quilter, there is an excellent quilt shop in Skagway too. The Skagway Brewing Company is a pleasant stop for lunch, but quite frankly I thought the meal wasn't as good last June as it has been in the past. But, according to my husband, the beer is still great. Also, according to the husband (I can't stand beer), the beer is actually better at the Klondike Brewing Company, but they don't serve food as of yet. We chatted with the KBC owner last summer and he is hoping to add some food options in the future but heaven only knows when and if that will happen. In ISP consider the gondola up to the top of the mountain.

I have been to Sitka both on business (joint Alaska Historical Society/Museums Alaska conferences) and as a port call. During salmon spawning times that stream does indeed have salmon running. The smell of the dying salmon is "interesting." And some of the trails will be closed due to bear activity.

Possibly we will meet while on board. We are the Zenith's from Alaska. We were the first folks who live in Alaska to become Zenith's and, as far as I know, are still the only. I have yet to post on the Cruise Critic roll calls for these cruises. There will be some new ports for us, but the bulk will be repeats. Take care, Gerry (and her husband Charles)

"Something else" is not going on. The cocktail gathering for those elite and higher in the Captain's Club has never happened on embarkation day.

Since our loyalty tier includes a Premium beverage package I don't pay much attention to the info delivered to the staterooms. But the Elite and higher cocktail gathering has never happened on embarkation day.

We were actually on the Solstice in March, 2020, on what would have been a B2B2B2B, and left the ship the day that Australian Border Force closed the border. We have been on Celebrity ships, on only B2Bs, since the resumption of sailing. Celebrity has conducted covid tests, at their expense, on consecutive sailings when tests have been required. I expect that policy is fleet wide and not itinerary specific. Will you be on the Eclipse? We plan to board on March 10, 2023 for a B2B2B2B.

I agree with Linda. One time at a B2B meeting we were adamantly told we had to report to Guest Relations to confirm what credit card we were using for the next leg. My husband was met with a blank stare and was told they had the credit card number.

My husband is an avid birder and we have flown to Nome to bird. We were there in early June and that year the road to Teller had just opened; we had rented a four wheel drive pick up and we needed it to get through some rough spots. The Kougarok Road wan't even open to Pilgrim Springs and the road to Council was also not fully open either. But the birding was spectacular.

I wonder of our OP has "googled" the website for the Haines convention and visitor's center. I suspect they have a guide for Haines. And I wonder about the statement "especially since the odds of seeing wildlife are low at this time of year." What type of wildlife are you interested in viewing? I live in the Interior of Alaska and by early May our bears are out of hibernation. There may be a few hesitant to leave their den, but the bulk will be out for sure. Regarding Sitka, the small boat excursions are lovely and are so different from a large cruise ship experience. But given the concerns about seasickness I understand your concerns. My sense is that most folks don't find the Raptor Center and Fortress of the Bear to be overly "touristy," Another consideration is to walk from the Harrigan Centennial Center along the waterfront to the Sitka National Historical Park (the local often refer to it as "totem pole park"). There is a nice interpretive center but the feature is the collection of totems distributed along a trail complex.

I am really late to this discussion, but just several comments from someone who actually lives in Alaska. Given the issue of potential seasickness definitely depart from Vancouver. We have been on over 60 cruises, and several times on Pacific Coastal cruises the seas have been rough north of SanFrancisco. We have been to Antarctica, crossed Cape Horn three times, been in the North Atlantic in the remnants of a nor'easter and definitely have experienced worst seas north of San Francisco than we experienced in those situations. You will be traveling during a very popular time with higher prices. Your budget for the cruise portion of this trip may determine which cruise line. All of the ports have a variety of excursion options. I expect all of ;your family will find something appealing to their interests.

Lately our CC points have been awarded to our accounts in five to seven days.

Your succinct letter abut the turnaround day process will tell you where to be and when to be there. Sometimes B2B passengers have had to go into the cruise terminal to complete the process, but more recently folks step off onto an outer deck to "ring-y dingy out" and then back on with their new sea pass cards. And on the Solstice in September the entire process was done in the Sky Lounge.