Northern Aurora

The single road into DNP has been closed at Pretty Rocks (mile 43) for several years now. That means that the Polychrome Overlook (mile 46 -- spectacular scenery), Toklat River Rest Area (mile 53 -- excellent bear viewing), Stony Hill Overlook (mile 62 -- excellent photo op of the mountain if it is visible), and Eielson Visitor Center (mile 66 -- a very different visitor center than the one at the park entrance and has interesting programs, such as ranger led hikes) are not available until the bridge over the problematic area is completed. The area past Pretty Rocks is my favorite area of DNP. All of the cruise lines are continuing to sell their DNP cruise tours, and it is interesting how many folks buy them only to read the Alaska Cruise Critic forum where they learn about the road closure.

@KC Cruiser 54: Last summer, if my memory is correct, a poster did a live thread from a Celebrity Alaska land tour. If you can locate that thread you will find it very informative. And I hope you understand that the single road into Denali National Park is closed at mile 43 due to the road sloughing off a mountain side. The road was constructed on ice rich land which is now melting. The NPS has a remediation plan in place and a bridge is being constructed over the area. But the remediation will not be complete until 2026 (at best). You will find more information on the DNP service website.

@Octavias: Even though we live in Alaska we have done a dozen or so Alaska itineraries. When in Alaska waters every Celebrity ship we have been on has had a naturalist onboard. In addition to presentations in the theater on topics such as whales or bears, the naturalist provides narration during visits to glaciers. Do not expect announcements from the bridge when whales are spotted in the distance. On both S- and M-class ships during the day they frequently have been in the Sky Lounge set up with spotting scopes and so forth so that passengers can approach them with questions or comments. Last fall we spent 40 nights on the Edge. During a Zenith luncheon I had a conversation with one of the stripes as to where on the Edge they can provide such a venue. I hope you report back on Cruise Critic as to your opinions as to how suitable this ship is for an Alaska itinerary.

On both the Millennium and Infinity we have stayed in staterooms 6131 and 6132 (both times B2Bs). We have also stayed in 6129 on the Infinity. While we could hear very minor elevator bells we didn't find it to be an issue at all. Not an issue and we have 6132 booked on a B2B cruise this spring.

Last fall we spent 40 nights on the Edge from Italy to Australia (yes -- we went through the Suez Canal). We were traveling through warm climates, and I didn't find the indoor spaces to be over air-conditioned.

Have you considered contacting the Sitka Chamber of Commerce/Visitor's Bureau (use goggle to find a website) to make sure that the company is still in business? Since this is now late February you would think that the company would be busy scheduling bookings for early cruises.

We are Zenith, and frequently (not always) receive a nice bottle of wine from the Hotel Director or Captain's Club host/hostess (sometimes both of them) A personalized note of welcoming our return is included.

I wonder if our OP is planning a trip in June 2024? If so I hope they have reservations in place, and if they do have reservations in place for their land trip they may not be able to change. The Explore Fairbanks CEO was the guest speaker at the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce luncheon about two weeks ago. I didn't attend the meeting but my understanding from the article published in our local newspaper is that bookings are very strong and Explore Fairbanks is anticipating an excellent summer tourist season. The single road into Denali National Park is closed at mile 43 due to sloughing land. Activities in the front part of the park would include a visit to the NPS sled dog kennels and visiting the visitor's center. Mountain Vista is a lovely walk/hike and I do enjoy the area around Teklanika. But my favorite part of Denali is past mile 43. Areas such as the Polychrome Overlook (mile 46), Toklat River Rest Area (mile 53), Stony Hill Overlook (mile 62) and the Eielson Visitor's Center (mile 66). An alternative direction would be to visit Wrangell -- St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Or stay on the Kenai Peninsula to spend time around Seward before heading to Homer.

Are you planning on a private or HA transfer service? Holland should be able to tell you the earliest flight you can book. With a noon flight you will need to be at the Anchorage airport by 10 AM. The Anchorage airport can be very busy on days cruise ships dock and especially so if there is a ship both at Whittier and another one at Seward.

While we also love the Pan Pacific (which is essentially on top of Canada Place so the bellmen will pick up your luggage from your hotel room and deliver to the porters), the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel is also a great idea. Another property to consider the the Auberge which is about 1.5 blocks from Canada Place.

While you won't have any issues with dropping off your luggage at the luggage drop below Canada Place do be aware of how many ships will be embarking that day. The lines to get through immigration can be long.

Goggle the website for the University of Alaska Geophysical Institute. Excellent aurora forecast/

Just goggle the name of the town, which is Klawock. The community offers fishing charters, sightseeing tours and so forth. It is off the "beaten path" and folks may find it charming with its lack of stores like Diamond's International and so forth.

I suspect you will have no issues boarding the ship at 5 PM. We had an embarkation in Seward several years ago. While it was on a different cruise line the porters were waiting for luggage delivery by 11 AM. Walked into the cruise terminal where there were several staff (looking bored). Did our formalities and then walked onto the ship. We were on that ship by 11:30 AM.

Through the years we have done a number of turnaround days in Sydney, most recently being a B2B2B2B with all turnarounds in Sydney. Australian Border Force regulations mandate that all B2B passengers must physically be off the ship so the process is not done on an outer deck. Your succinct instruction letter, which will be delivered a day or so before the actual turnaround day, will outline the process and contain a transit pass. That transit pass allows folks to simply walk past much of the lines, but once you are back on board the ship you will not be allowed to leave again.

And to also expand slightly, when you pick up your Seapass cards from the mail slot outside your stateroom door there will be a magnetic sign on the door if the stateroom attendant hasn't finished preparing the room. I don't remember the exact wording but it is something like "perfection in progress."

In March 2023 we were on the Eclipse for a B2B2B2B series all in and out of Sydney. All 4 legs were in Suites. I did not see any dedicated check-in area for the Retreat. But it wasn't chaos either.

I really don't know if Retreat guests have priority for luggage delivery. Since the resumption of cruising we the latest I remember receiving luggage was about 3 PM. Years ago (2009?) one of our bags wasn't delivered until after dinner, but the cruise line luggage tag had been torn off.

Do you have a specific question? We have embarked in Sydney several times with the most recent being March, 2023. Celebrity uses the Overseas Passenger Terminal. I have always found embarkation and disembarkation in Sydney to be well organized. When we embarked in March we had an early boarding time (we were in a Suite and are also Zenith members of the Captain's Club). After dropping off the luggage we essentially just walked through, cleared Immigration and boarded the ship. I don't remember any special area with beverages and so forth for Retreat guests.

If you are weather cancelled in Juneau the Alaska State Museum is an easy walk. The Sealaska Heritage Institute is even closer.

Another DIY option in Ketchikan is the Tongass Historical Museum. This museum and the Totem Heritage Center are operated by the City of Ketchikan, and have small admission fees. The SE Alaska Discovery Center accepts a number of different park passes. Check their website for the list as you may have one, so would have free admission. While we also enjoy the George Inlet Lodge dungeness crab, we generally dine at Annabelle's Keg & Chowder House. Located right downtown in the old Gilmore Hotel.

Generally the hours for seating for breakfast in the MDR, Blu and Luminae end at 8 AM on disembarkation day. The stateroom attendants have very busy days and want folks to clear out of the staterooms at 8 AM. Depending on the disembarkation port disembarking passengers will need to leave the ship somewhere around 9:30 AM. The final call will be very clear.

And again -- many of the AMH stops are very brief. Friends boarded a AMH ferry on Saturday in Haines. While they will stop in Sitka for four hours many of the ferry stops are just long enough to offload and load before they are other way to the next stop.

The Celebrity Edge would also make the friend happy -- this ship is definitely not your grandparent's cruise ship. At least in 2024 it will be based out of Seattle so doesn't have the best itinerary, but will have naturalists on board, trivia, an excellent gym, spa and so forth.

To expand slightly on the Alaska Marine Highway -- in 2016 we flew to Kodiak for a few days before boarding the AMH ferry the Tustamena. We were on the "Trusty Tusty" for several days before reaching Unalaska/Dutch Harbor. Living in the interior of Alaska we rarely use the AMH system, but that trip put us on the AMH e-mail list. When we started to receive those e-mail updates we quickly realized how many times the ferry schedules are altered. Sometimes slightly altered, but other times significantly changed. Storms cause problems during the winter, but even during the summer months it was surprising how often the routes and times are changed. Folks would need to be extremely flexible in their plans to use the ferries.