Questions for experienced Alaska cruisers

[cruise kitty]

Hi, I'm hoping someone with Alaska cruise experience can help me out here.

 

I have my parents booked for the September 5th Solstice cruise & I'm trying to compile a little "cheat sheet" for them, normally I would not have waited so long to do this, but literally two weeks after I booked, Mom was diagnosed with cancer, she's doing great, has an "all clear to travel" from the Dr., but after months of surgery & radiation, she's pretty well wiped out. :)

 

I've read some of the recent & very helpful threads with reviews & have printed out lots of different daily itineraries for them depending on how they are feeling each day, but I have still have some questions please :)

 

1. They have the classic alcohol pkg, (but they don't drink :D ) I understand that during the scenic cruising blankets will be available for them, & that waiters will have trays of hot chocolate, is the hot chocolate included in the fare, & if not, will the classic pkg. cover it? I don't want to advise them to "enjoy the cocoa" if it turns out to be $9 each as one reviewer stated.

 

2. Formal nights (sorry, sorry, mea culpa :) ) Mom is really worried about these, they will probably eat in Specialty on those nights, but they don't want to stand out, Dad will wear sports coat, but what do ladies wear on formal nights in Alaska? I've only done long Med type cruises, so I'm no help here... I told her that some silky black pants & a sparkly top from Chicos would fit right in, am I correct here?

 

Being that it's Alaska, how casual is the Bistro on 5 in the evening? they have some late departures, & I'm thinking some days they might want to just go straight there to eat.

 

3. Cruise ship excursions, I'm not normally a fan, but for my parents I think it would be best, do they all sell out, or will some be available on the ship? If they pre book a few, & she does not feel up to going, can they cancel on the ship, or are they out of luck?

 

Thanks for any help :)

Edited July 29, 2014 by cruise kitty

[rebeccalouiseagain]

First- hurray for Mom! Glad she is feeling well and she will love Alaska. It's a relaxing place to visit.

 

Can't speak to the hot chocolate or blankets. I didn't imbibe in this. We watched most of the scenery from indoors or on our balcony. Bring medium weight jackets hats and gloves as opposed to puffy down jackets (that we never wore and took up space in the luggage).

 

Yes- Chico's will be fine. In the specialty restaurants you are not required to ever wear a jacket. In the MDR on formal nights you are required to wear a jacket and many people will be in tuxedos and gowns. If you don't want to dress up on formal nights- it's best not to hang out on deck 4 and 5 in casual clothes though. You should respect the elegance of formal night and attempt to wear cocktail attire- nicer clothes at least. Men should wear long sleeved button down shirts and nice slacks on formal nights even if they aren't eating in the MDR. Otherwise you do get dirty looks. Bistro is casual and Murano and Tuscan Grill men can wear polo shirts or button down shirts and fit right in at night. Women shouldn't wear flip flops unless they are dressy type ones- not the plastic cheap looking ones.

 

I you are like me and never bring dress clothes on cruises anymore- I tend to eat in the buffet on formal nights and not flaunt my undressiness. Cruising is old hat to me and I'm over the whole MDR thing.

 

If your parents have definite must sees- then book tours now. If you want to go with the flow.. you can wait.

Edited July 29, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[cruise kitty]

First- hurray for Mom! Glad she is feeling well and she will love Alaska. It's a relaxing place to visit.

 

Hi, & thanks, yes, they don't want to go to the MDR on formal night, but they don't want to stick out around the rest of the ship, I'll let her know some blingy Chico's & sports coat for Dad will be fine everywhere but the MDR.

[kathynorth]

We found Alaska to be a bit less formal than the Caribbean or Mediterranean. We saw lots of casually dressed people, so tell your parents to not worry about that if they plan to eat in specialty on formal nights. They can get free cut of hot chocolate from the coffee stations in the buffet. The $9 hot cocoa are the ones with alcohol shots added. Any idea what kinds of excursions they may be interested in? If you let us know we can make suggestions for popular excursions that aren't too physical.

Edited July 29, 2014 by kathynorth

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Hi, & thanks, yes, they don't want to go to the MDR on formal night, but they don't want to stick out around the rest of the ship, I'll let her know some blingy Chico's & sports coat for Dad will be fine everywhere but the MDR.

 

Actually the blingy Chico's for her and a sports coat for him will be perfectly fine in the MDR on formal night. They should go and enjoy the better menus that night. And not worry a bit about what everyone else is wearing. There will be far fewer gowns and tuxes on an Alaska cruise.

[alcpa1]

I think that any country club casual attire worn while dining in specialty restaurants on formal night is absolutely perfect. They should not spend one minute worrying about standing out as so many choose alternate dining to either avoid formal attire or they dine in Blu (Aqua class cabin passengers.) And I wouldn't worry about which deck they will prance around on either.

Excursions can generally be cancelled 24 hours prior to departure. I'd recommend your parents book now and cancel later if they desire. Often the excursion staff is willing to assist in some circumstances. Have your parents meet the excursions staff when they board if they have already made their reservations and ask about their special needs.

Some of the Alaska excursions are not too strenuous but make sure that those they choose will be enjoyable. Whale watching in Juneau will be a good choice. The Mendenhall Glacier area does not have defined paths near the visitors center but the views are worthy of a stop and the public busses run constantly from the pier. The White Pass train with bus return will also work well. Ketchikan is in the flats and easy to walk if they do not wish to take an excursion. The lumberjack show is close to the port and everyone seems to enjoy that without the need for a booked tour. I don't know the itinerary but these are the general stops. If they go to Icy Straits Point they will have no problem with fatigue as it's a small area. (If this is one of their stops insist they go to the aft as they sail away. It could be the highlight of their trip.)

We hope they have a wonderful cruise.

[ClaudiaB]

I think the $9 hot chocolate is so you can keep the mug? Get them some on board credit (I think you can book it) so they can put incidentals like that on their bill with no worries.

 

Dressy black pants with a sparkly Chico's top would be just perfect in any dining venue on formal night on Celebrity. She will be probably right in the middle if not even a bit more dressy than most. It's precisely what I wear. If they want to do the specialty restaurants instead (as they are honestly more special than the main dining room) then they can wear smart casual but on formal nights people will tend to dress up more regardless.

 

I'm so very happy your mom is doing well and has the "all clear" to travel to this most special place. I hope they take lots of photos and bring back tons of memories and enjoy every drop.

 

I disagree that they should avoid certain decks on formal night. It's only formal in the MDR and it sounds like they'll be just perfect.

[Beh789149]

I've been to Alaska twice. I hate suits (I left the corp world a long time ago). I wear a sportcoat and slacks, no tie. It's perfectly fine for the MDR.

 

 

Avalon Scenery Burgundy and Provence-June 2010

Celebrity Infinity Alaska-May 2012

Celebrity Century Pacific Wine-Sept 2012

Celebrity Millennium N Alaska-July 2013

Celebrity Century Pacific Coastal-May 2014

Celebrity Millennium Malaysia and Indonesia-Nov 2014

Celebrity Infinity Panama Canal September 2015

[cruise kitty]

I want to thank everyone for their helpful replies!

 

I really appreciate everyones help! I'm headed for bed, but will post more directly to individual posters tomorrow. :)

[bbdscruise]

We were on the July 11 Solstice to Alaska. My husband has a chronic illness, so we are never 100% sure what he will feel like from one day to the next. If you decide to pre book excursions, you can indicate activity level (mild, moderate, strenuous) so you can choose excursions that would best suit her. Some did sell out ahead of time; we also received a notice about picking second choices for Juneau and Skagway because the weather can be unpredictable.

 

There is almost always hot chocolate available in the buffet and they had takeaway cups too, at least in the morning. The $9 version had Bailey's in it and you could keep the cup. I brought along a "car cup" so I was able to make my tea, keep it hot and take it along.

 

There are blankets available on deck (think fleece throw size-not huge). They came in very handy at the hot glass show (which is terrific, BTW!).

 

We didn't eat in the MDR on either formal night (the first one DH was not feeling well and the second we ate in Silk Harvest), but this was a pretty casual cruise overall; Chicos for mom and sport coat for dad should be fine.

[CanWeGoYet?]

I understand wanting to keep it simple, but there are so many private tours available in Alaska (at least at the very common cruise ports I have been to). Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway it is so easy to book high quality excursions that may be a lot more personal & smaller than the ones you get on a ships tour.

 

My 2nd cruise to Alaska, I skipped the expensive helicopter excursion for Juneau. I took the glacier express to Mendenhall glacier & got an inexpensive admission to the visitor center - then took a nice easy walk to a look out point near a waterfall. It was lovely, and easy on the wallet. I didn't have to rush, I just walked down to the booths selling tickets & caught a bus when I was ready. I know many love the helicopters so not to put that down - it just really wasn't my cup of tea. If you look at the Alaska board here on cruise critic or pull up the different port stops on Trip Advisor there are many recommendations for tours, easy to check out the feedback on the different operators. Just a suggestion.

 

Congrats to your Mom for getting through her chemo. What better place to be pampered & cared for after that. And you sound like a very good daughter to be looking out for your parents & trying to scope things out for them.

[Doctor G]

For hot cocoa, I always take my own insulated cup. I then get the hot cocoa at the buffet and put it in my mug to keep warm Sometimes I use it to keep coffee hot.

 

Carolyn

[miched]

When I was in Alaska we booked our excursions at the dock in port and it worked out great. It is an American state and very safe. U S currency works great. There are many tourist information centers and booths selling tours. They are very helpful and friendly and weren't pushy. The advantage of booking besides being cheaper was the weather factor. Depending on the weather certain tours may not be worth taking, so if you get off the ship and the weather is nice you can book accordingly. If you book on board and it is raining, windy, too cold you may be stuck with it.

 

Happy sailing 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[olemissreb]

Congratulations to your Mom on kicking cancer's butt! Alaska is wonderful and she will feel so rejuvenated just looking at the beautiful scenery.

 

Last year on our Alaska cruise on the Millie, there was everything from jeans to long gowns (didn't see any tuxes). Most of the guys did at least have a sport coat. Someone else pointed out that Alaska is more relaxed than the Caribbean and I did see that on our cruise. We had Select Dining so I'm not sure if that made a difference or if things were the same for Traditional Dining. Mom and Dad should be fine in their choices even if they choose to dine in the MDR on formal nights.

 

I did get the hot chocolate laced with Baileys, but I think it was more than $9. My mom & I both did and we toasted each other as we were pulling up to Hubbard Glacier. I lost the top of my cup in Yakutat Bay (just glad I didn't lose the entire cup thanks to my butterfingers), but it's still a nice souvenir of a wonderful memory made with my mom. IIRC you can get the souvenir mug and straight hot chocolate and that might be $9. I like the idea someone else had of possibly buying them some onboard credit if this is something you think they might like to take advantage of.

 

Word of caution though - the outside deck got really crowded really early and there was standing room only as we approached Hubbard Glacier. If your Mom tires easily, she may want to consider staying indoors at one of the bars on the front of the ship - I'm not familiar with the Solstice, so you may want to check out a deck plan for her. I ended up staying on my balcony. I could really hear the "snap, crackle & pop" of the icebergs and I could hear the Naturalist much better on my balcony than standing on deck at the front of the ship. Plus I had a nice lounge chair on my balcony!:)

 

I booked independent excursions for my family. It wasn't a whole lot cheaper, but we do prefer the more personal attention. As someone pointed out, you can do many things much cheaper in many of the ports. We had originally planned to take the Blue Bus to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, but changed our minds and took the tram to the top of Mt. Roberts. It was a gorgeous sunny day and we had lunch at the top of Mt. Roberts and watched bald eagles soaring right outside the window where we sat. Nice relaxing day that didn't cost a whole lot of money as we used coupons for the tram fare (check out Northern Lights or TourSaver Alaska) - I think the lunch for the 5 of us was more than the tram fare! Of course if it had been cloudy, we would have continued with our original plan, but it was nice to have the option to change at the spur of the moment. Check out TripAdvisor as well as the Alaska boards here on CC - it's where I got all my ideas from for our trip.

[cruise kitty]

We found Alaska to be a bit less formal than the Caribbean or Mediterranean. We saw lots of casually dressed people, so tell your parents to not worry about that if they plan to eat in specialty on formal nights. They can get free cut of hot chocolate from the coffee stations in the buffet. The $9 hot cocoa are the ones with alcohol shots added. Any idea what kinds of excursions they may be interested in? If you let us know we can make suggestions for popular excursions that aren't too physical.

 

 

Thanks for your reply, I sort of assumed Alaska would be less formal, but I was not sure. I'll tell them to hit up the Cafe Bacio for lattes & hot chocolate & pass on the $9 ones as they don't drink alcohol.

[cruise kitty]

Actually the blingy Chico's for her and a sports coat for him will be perfectly fine in the MDR on formal night. They should go and enjoy the better menus that night. And not worry a bit about what everyone else is wearing. There will be far fewer gowns and tuxes on an Alaska cruise.

 

Thank you! This is what I was hoping, but did not want to give them bad advice, I appreciate your reply!

[cruise kitty]

I am incorporating everyone's tips into the folder I'm making for my folks, I think I will book them something in Jueanu as it's a tender port on their cruise & I'd rather not have one of them standing in line for tickets for hours.

 

I printed out the excursion brochure & I'll go thru it with them to see if anything looks interesting to them, I think they would enjoy the tram up Mt. Roberts.

 

They are in select dining as I wanted to pre pay the gratuities to make the trip as all inclusive as possible.

Edited July 29, 2014 by cruise kitty

[olemissreb]

 

I printed out the excursion brochure & I'll go thru it with them to see if anything looks interesting to them, I think they would enjoy the tram up Mt. Roberts.

 

 

I would suggest not pre-booking the Mt. Roberts excursion. That is one thing that is really dependent on weather. If it's cloudy or rainy, it will be a waste of money to head up there as they won't be able to see anything. It's really easy to buy your tickets right at the dock for that if the weather is nice and it's not any more expensive than if you buy it through the cruise line.

[kathynorth]

If I have this right, your parents will visit the following ports.

 

Ketchikan, AK- Lovely little town that certainly feels like Alaska. There's shopping right off the dock. We thought the Crab Fisherman's Boat tour was great. This is within walking distance from the ship, but your parents could take a taxi there if not feeling well. People seem to really like the lumberjack show that is also pretty close to the ship. They should consider buying souvenirs here since they seemed to have the widest selection, best prices, and easy access to stores than some of the other stops.

 

Tracy Arm (Twin Sawyer Glaciers)- You stay on the ship for this. It can be very difficult to see the glaciers on the top deck due to the crowds. My suggestion is to stake out loungers on one of the bottom decks. We did this and had no problem viewing. Plus we were able to go side to side using the inner hallway and could get warm when we wanted to. This is when you really need hot cocoa or hot soup!

 

Juneau, AK- It's very easy to book a whale watch, helicopter trip to the glacier field or bus to the Mendenhall Glacier at one of the booths right on the dock.

 

Skagway, AK- The town is a bit of a walk from the dock. We really enjoyed the train through the mountain pass. There is are several options for length of trip. We thought the half day trip was plenty for us. There is also a company that gives helicopter glacier tours that is located right at the dock. If your parents are adventurous, this may be the best place to do this.

 

Victoria, BC, Canada- We took a bus into town, walked around, but had trouble finding something to keep our interest. It was very pretty, but we didn't see anything we thought was unique. If we were to visit again we'd take a look at available excursions or probably just stay on the ship.

 

Do your parents plan to stay overnight in Seattle, either pre or post cruise? We stayed 3 nights when we left out of Seattle and found plenty to do there. We lucked out with a terrific Priceline bid at a wonderful downtown hotel, which made for a wonderful end to our trip.

[cruise kitty]

I would suggest not pre-booking the Mt. Roberts excursion. That is one thing that is really dependent on weather. If it's cloudy or rainy, it will be a waste of money to head up there as they won't be able to see anything. It's really easy to buy your tickets right at the dock for that if the weather is nice and it's not any more expensive than if you buy it through the cruise line.

 

Thank you, I visited the web site, & it looks pretty simple to buy a ticket at the building near the dock

 

If I have this right, your parents will visit the following ports.

 

Ketchikan, AK- Lovely little town that certainly feels like Alaska. There's shopping right off the dock. We thought the Crab Fisherman's Boat tour was great. This is within walking distance from the ship, but your parents could take a taxi there if not feeling well. People seem to really like the lumberjack show that is also pretty close to the ship. They should consider buying souvenirs here since they seemed to have the widest selection, best prices, and easy access to stores than some of the other stops.

 

Tracy Arm (Twin Sawyer Glaciers)- You stay on the ship for this. It can be very difficult to see the glaciers on the top deck due to the crowds. My suggestion is to stake out loungers on one of the bottom decks. We did this and had no problem viewing. Plus we were able to go side to side using the inner hallway and could get warm when we wanted to. This is when you really need hot cocoa or hot soup!

 

Juneau, AK- It's very easy to book a whale watch, helicopter trip to the glacier field or bus to the Mendenhall Glacier at one of the booths right on the dock.

 

Skagway, AK- The town is a bit of a walk from the dock. We really enjoyed the train through the mountain pass. There is are several options for length of trip. We thought the half day trip was plenty for us. There is also a company that gives helicopter glacier tours that is located right at the dock. If your parents are adventurous, this may be the best place to do this.

 

Victoria, BC, Canada- We took a bus into town, walked around, but had trouble finding something to keep our interest. It was very pretty, but we didn't see anything we thought was unique. If we were to visit again we'd take a look at available excursions or probably just stay on the ship.

 

Do your parents plan to stay overnight in Seattle, either pre or post cruise? We stayed 3 nights when we left out of Seattle and found plenty to do there. We lucked out with a terrific Priceline bid at a wonderful downtown hotel, which made for a wonderful end to our trip.

 

Thanks for these tips! Yes, I booked them a precruise stay in Seattle, so they won't arrive at the ship tired out from the flight.

[fleckle]

I have my parents booked for the September 5th Solstice cruise & I'm trying to compile a little "cheat sheet" for them, normally I would not have waited so long to do this, but literally two weeks after I booked, Mom was diagnosed with cancer, she's doing great, has an "all clear to travel" from the Dr., but after months of surgery & radiation, she's pretty well wiped out. :)

Just a suggestion: You may want to consider renting a wheelchair or electric scooter for her to use. It could make the cruise experience a lot easier and more enjoyable for her.

 

The Solstice is a large ship. It would be a shame for her to miss out on shows or other activities if she tires easily and lacks the energy to walk back and forth from one end of the ship to the other.

 

An electric scooter would cost more than a manual wheelchair, but even if you are willing and able to push her around, it would give her the psychological boost of being independent, having the ability to get around on her own without needing to rely on others.

 

In any case, at least have her use the free wheelchair service provided for embarkation and disembarkation as those ramps can sometimes be quite steep, even for able-bodied passengers.

 

As for tours, contact the tour operators of whichever tours you are considering, describe her limitations, and see if they have any tours they can recommend that would be appropriate for her.

Some of those tour operators can be very accommodating, and if a tour is not appropriate for her, it would be best to know about it in advance.

 

If you are booking the cruise line's own tours, talk with the shore excursion people about them.

 

 

As others have said, please do reassure your parents that they will be fine for formal nights the way they plan to dress, so they should stop worrying and just go and enjoy themselves at whichever dining venue they choose.

 

Also, if they are at all prone to seasickness that should be something to consider so they can take appropriate precautions.

Of Celebrity's 3 cruise ships doing Alaska cruises, the Solstice is the one with the itinerary that has the greatest possibility of encountering rough seas.

 

The waters may be calm with no problems at all when they go, but there is no way to predict in advance, so it is always better to be prepared than to risk being unpleasantly surprised.

 

[cruise kitty]

Just a suggestion: You may want to consider renting a wheelchair or electric scooter for her to use. It could make the cruise experience a lot easier and more enjoyable for her.

 

 

Also, if they are at all prone to seasickness that should be something to consider so they can take appropriate precautions.

Of Celebrity's 3 cruise ships doing Alaska cruises, the Solstice is the one with the itinerary that has the greatest possibility of encountering rough seas.

 

The waters may be calm with no problems at all when they go, but there is no way to predict in advance, so it is always better to be prepared than to risk being unpleasantly surprised.

(my snip)

 

Hi, & thank you, she's actually doing amazingly well, back at work (& at her age!) but very tired! To see her, you'd think she was an energetic, albeit very thin, 60 year old, but actually she's going on 70. :) Normally she'd be fine with walking for miles, but not right now.

 

I will let Dad know that if she has trouble on the ramps to consider a wheel chair for her, but I don't think she'd go for it. :)

 

Seasickness is a concern, because she does get car sick, so I will be sure they have plenty of the non drowsy dramamine.

 

Thanks again

[olemissreb]

Seasickness is a concern, because she does get car sick, so I will be sure they have plenty of the non drowsy dramamine.

 

Thanks again

 

If your mom is like me, the non-drowsy dramamine could make her drowsy anyway. Have her start taking it at night a couple nights before they leave and keep taking it when they go to bed at night during the cruise. It will help her sleep and she will have had it build up in her system to help her fight the seasickness. I did this for our DIY tour as we were doing many things that sometimes get me a little queasy - worked like a charm and I slept like a baby!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Bonine works well and it's sold in the gift shop on board. I like it because it is non-drowsy.

[phoenix_dream]

If seasickness is a concern, I would strongly recommend she speak with her doctor about how to handle it. Some suggestions (such as ginger pills) work well, but may not be appropriate for someone with certain health conditions as it thins the blood. All of the OTC seasickness medications can be taken at higher, prescription level doses if needed but I would never advise anyone to do that without speaking to their physician, particularly if there are health issues involved. There are many very good suggestions for preventing and managing motion sickness on these boards. If you haven't done so, I would recommend you do a search and read up as some are not intuitive (such as eating green apples). I suffer from this as well, so definitely want to help anyone prevent it from happening as it is no fun to say the least.