What hotel in Fairbanks and Fairbanks suggestions

Does anyone know which hotel Celebrity uses for the pre tour? We are going to get to Fairbanks a couple days earlier. Any suggestions on what to do in Fairbanks.

Thanks

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Like all the cruiselines, Celebrity uses a couple of different hotels. You'll find out closer to departure.

In the past I've seen Sophie's Station and the Wedgewood used by Celebrity. There are probably others.

If you fly in early, find something near the airport so it's an easy transfer.

As for what to do, what's included in your cruisetour? Most often it's the Riverboat and Gold Dredge.

Fairbanks is a sprawling city so I'd suggest renting a car in order to maximize your time. Lots to see and do. ie visit the Pipeline Exhibit, Morris Thompson Culture Center is very interesting and has a great photo opp under the antler arch, Fountainhead Car Museum is incredible, UofA Museum of the North (and gardens after mid July), drive out to Chena Hot Springs , visit a reindeer ranch, take a scenic flight.

Do a little research to discover all the options ..... check out an alaska travel book from your library. Look at the town web site, look at their visitor guide https://www.explorefairbanks.com/things-to-do/activities-attractions-and-tours/

https://issuu.com/insidealaska/docs/2018_20fairbanks_20visitors_20guide?e=1091087/55437785

Does anyone know which hotel Celebrity uses for the pre tour? We are going to get to Fairbanks a couple days earlier. Any suggestions on what to do in Fairbanks.

Thanks

This might be more than you're wanting to do while at Fairbanks: Drive the Dalton Highway. This past June we spent a couple nights in Fairbanks and used the full day to cross the Arctic Circle and drive on up to Coldfoot and back. AWESOME!!! We did a giant circle road trip around Alaska (starting and ending in Anchorage) and this was, by far, our favorite day.

Your average car rental company won't let you drive their vehicles up the Dalton (you probably even agree to that in the fine print of the rental agreement) but you can get something specifically equipped to drive the Dalton in Fairbanks. We had a Ford Escape all-wheel-drive (rolling on what looked like truck tires instead of car tires) from Arctic Outfitters (right on the back side of the Fairbanks airport) that came with two spare tires, a big toolbox full of things you might need if you break down, a nicely equipped first aid kit and a CB radio so you can talk (or just listen) to the truckers if necessary.

The road wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. I live in rural SE Oklahoma where we have roads that are in much worse condition that what we experienced - they just aren't as long or as far from civilization... We didn't have a problem with the actual drive. There are paved sections on the road (sometimes many miles long) but they were more of a concern to us than the gravel. Frost heaves. The pavement is smooth but you won't see a frost heave until you're right on top of it - we nearly hit our heads on the ceiling a few times. The gravel is well maintained (graded) and they keep it watered to keep the dust down. It is a good idea to give the trucks plenty of room since they are working and not site-seeing. The car rental agent was overly cautious with the road warnings but I imagine there are a lot of people who have never really driven on gravel or in the country.

We left Fairbanks around 8:00 AM. We crossed the Yukon River around noon. The Yukon Camp store has gasoline so we stopped off our tank and continued on. Just a few more miles on up the road is The Hot Spot Cafe. EXCELLENT! Mostly burgers and sandwiches. The ladies working there were a hoot so we had a great lunch. That stop is roughly half-way to Coldfoot. It's another 60 miles to the Arctic Circle sign.

We made it to Coldfoot around 4:00 PM. We topped the gas tank off again while there. (Gas was somewhere around $5.50 per gallon...but the Escape was fairly stingy....) At Coldfoot there is the Arctic Interagency Visitor Center; basically a small musuem and information center. Very nice and a great place to take a break - restrooms. We were heading back south around 6:00-6:30 PM.

All along the way are various picnic areas and scenic overlooks. You'll pass two or three of the Alaska Pipeline pump stations too. The scenery ranges from very sparse to very wooded and scenic, flatland and mountains - I had imagined there wasn't really much to see but I was very wrong. The drive sounds grueling but we found it very enjoyable - we stopped more times than I can remember for pictures or to investigate things. Here are a few shots from our day:

About 120-130 miles from Fairbanks:

A Mushroom & Swiss Burger at The Hot Spot Cafe (VERY GOOD!!! Cooked on a charcoal grill!):

The Arctic Circle Sign:

Grayling Lake, almost to Coldfoot:

Gassing up at Yukon Camp; our ride never bobbled:

What you go there for:

We felt our drive up the Dalton was truly an adventure. It was definitely a fantastic day. The ladies at The Hot Spot encouraged us to at least get on across Atigun Pass for the scenery but we simply hadn't budgeted enough time. The next time we are going all the way to Prudhoe Bay - a day up there, a full day there and a third day back.

We made it back to Fairbanks somewhere around midnight, though it was light enough to not need the headlights... This trip might not be for everyone but we thought it was awesome!

P.S.

We stayed at the Bear Lodge at the Wedgewood Resort in Fairbanks. A nice place - the most "Lower 48" of the places we stayed on the trip. The rooms were large and comfortable but their WiFi kind of sucked...

zino: We are Zenith level members of Celebrity's Captain Club loyalty program, so we spend a number of days on X ships though the year. And as someone who lives in Alaska we hear a lot about other passengers' trips to our state.

It is my understanding that Celebrity has used Pike's Waterfront, Sophie Station and the Bear Lodge (part of the Wedgwood complex) the past few years. Both Sophie Station and Bear Lodge are Fountainhead Development properties. I have never been inside a room at the Bear Lodge, but have been inside a room at the Sophie Station. The Sophie Station room was a suite somewhat comparable to an Embassy Suite.

But we have cruising friends who have told us that they stayed at the Bridgewater Hotel a number of years ago while on a Celebrity land tour. That surprised me as I have always assumed that the Bridgewater, which is part of the Fountainhead Development family of hotels, is their hotel on the lower end of their quality spectrum.

I really wouldn't describe Fairbanks as sprawling, but we are somewhat spread out. Depending on what you want to see pre-tour you may or may not need to rent a car. For example, for a number of years Fountainhead Development has offered a shuttle/tram service which loops around Fairbanks on a planned route. And I have talked to several tourists who stayed downtown in B&Bs and just used our bus service. So you may find it important to first determine what you want to see (use the explorefairbanks website) before renting a vehicle. Also, what your cruise tour includes may also be of importance in your decision regarding car rental.