PittsburghNative Posted April 21, 2019 #1 Share Posted April 21, 2019 (edited) I’m setting up my Trip Report a couple weeks in advance. I hope to provide information that will help other cruisers. My mom (early 50s) and I (30 years old) are taking a Girls Trip on the Celebrity Eclipse out of Vancouver, BC for a 10-Night Ultimate Alaska cruise. This will be the Eclipse's inaugural Alaska season. If it wasn’t for this long itinerary (I think anything below 10-nights is too short!), we were going to do the 7-Night Northern Glacier cruise aboard the recently revolutionized Celebrity Millennium, plus add the Denali Express land tour. I wanted to bring my mom on this sailing as she doesn’t travel much, and I want to celebrate Mother’s Day onboard with her. Also, we don’t see each other that often, as she lives in South Carolina and I live in Miami, so this will be a great mother-daughter trip. I booked this trip about 1.5 years ago and cannot believe that in 16 days, our trip of a lifetime will begin! Side note is that my mom wasn’t so eager to go on this cruise. She has been on two cruises, one with Princess and the other with NCL, both to the Caribbean. I told her that this trip will not even compare to the Caribbean and to give Celebrity a try. I am happy to say she is finally getting more excited with each day that we are nearing the cruise. We decided to sail AquaClass and had a wonderful A1 mid-ship location on Deck 11. Just the other day, though, I was given the amazing opportunity to upgrade to a Sky Suite S1 category. For those that are not sure where these are located, they are the corner aft units. I cannot believe we scored one of these suites. I feel like any aft facing stateroom is one of the best to have onboard an Alaskan sailing, as you will have 180-degree views of the stunning scenery. My mom has no idea we have been upgraded from an A1 to a S1, and it is so hard to keep it a secret! We will be traveling to Vancouver on May 7th, spending a full day in the city on May 8th, and embarking on May 9th. For those who have never been to Vancouver, I suggest you spend a few days here. It’s a gorgeous city! We scored an Airbnb condo near Stanley Park for 2 nights at a great price. I know some may be weary of staying in an Airbnb, but we made sure we rented the entire place and we are also used to these types of accommodations, as this will be our 5th Airbnb. The following is our itinerary and what we plan on doing in each port: Day 1: Embarkation Day in Vancouver! Day 2: Cruising the Inside Passage! Day 3: Ketchikan: We will be doing this port on our own. We will be heading out to Totem Bight State Historical Park and will also check out Southeast Alaska Discovery Center. Afterwards, we will be checking out Creek Street Day 4: Sitka: This is the other port we are doing on our own. We are still deciding whether to walk or take a cab to the Raptor Center. Afterwards, we will take a bus/cab to Fortress of the Bears and then head over to Sitka National Historic Park. Depending on time, we may check out some Russian landmarks in town. Day 5: Skagway: My mom and I will be splitting up in the morning to do our own excursions. My mom will be doing the “Sled Dog and Musher’s Camp” excursion, while I will be flying with TEMSCO to do the Dogsledding and Glacier tour. I couldn’t get my mom to fly in a heli, but this is a huge personal bucket list experience to check off. Later, we will meetup and explore Skagway together. Day 6: Icy Strait Point: Another port where my mom and I will split up for a couple hours. I will be doing ZipRider (SUPER excited!) and my mom will be relaxing in town until I’m done. After the excursion, we will meetup and explore the town. Day 7: Juneau: My mom and I have elected to do the “Ben Fogle’s Great Adventures: Alaska’s Whales, Glaciers and Rainforests” excursion with Gastineau Guiding. This is a 5-hour tour that must be arranged with the cruise line. Afterward, depending on weather, we plan on going to Mount Roberts Tramway. Day 8: Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier – Cruising! Day 9: Sea Day Day 10: Victoria, BC – We have a full day here! We booked via CVS Tours to take us to Butchart Gardens. While there, we will be going to The Dining Room to have afternoon tea. Both my mom and I love the Victoria era, so we thought this experience will be unique! Day 11: Debarkation Day in Vancouver, BC 😞 Since our flights don’t leave until 10:30pm, we found a great tour with Landsea Tours and Adventures called Vancouver Delights. It is a 7-hour tour that visits all the main sightseeing spots in Vancouver and takes us to The Capilano Suspension Bridge. The awesome part of all this is that Landsea will store our luggage AND take us to the airport! *If anyone has any other recommendations on places to see in these ports, please let me know!* I am still researching the top restaurants and stores to check out in each port, and will add those to the trip report. Edited April 21, 2019 by PittsburghNative 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masterdrago Posted April 22, 2019 #2 Share Posted April 22, 2019 Following this for the restaurant searches. Mostly to do lunches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PittsburghNative Posted April 22, 2019 Author #3 Share Posted April 22, 2019 1 hour ago, masterdrago said: Following this for the restaurant searches. Mostly to do lunches. I hope to have those listed this week 😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realnice46 Posted April 22, 2019 #4 Share Posted April 22, 2019 3 hours ago, PittsburghNative said: I’m setting up my Trip Report a couple weeks in advance. I hope to provide information that will help other cruisers. My mom (early 50s) and I (30 years old) are taking a Girls Trip on the Celebrity Eclipse out of Vancouver, BC for a 10-Night Ultimate Alaska cruise. This will be the Eclipse's inaugural Alaska season. If it wasn’t for this long itinerary (I think anything below 10-nights is too short!), we were going to do the 7-Night Northern Glacier cruise aboard the recently revolutionized Celebrity Millennium, plus add the Denali Express land tour. I wanted to bring my mom on this sailing as she doesn’t travel much, and I want to celebrate Mother’s Day onboard with her. Also, we don’t see each other that often, as she lives in South Carolina and I live in Miami, so this will be a great mother-daughter trip. I booked this trip about 1.5 years ago and cannot believe that in 16 days, our trip of a lifetime will begin! Side note is that my mom wasn’t so eager to go on this cruise. She has been on two cruises, one with Princess and the other with NCL, both to the Caribbean. I told her that this trip will not even compare to the Caribbean and to give Celebrity a try. I am happy to say she is finally getting more excited with each day that we are nearing the cruise. We decided to sail AquaClass and had a wonderful A1 mid-ship location on Deck 11. Just the other day, though, I was given the amazing opportunity to upgrade to a Sky Suite S1 category. For those that are not sure where these are located, they are the corner aft units. I cannot believe we scored one of these suites. I feel like any aft facing stateroom is one of the best to have onboard an Alaskan sailing, as you will have 180-degree views of the stunning scenery. My mom has no idea we have been upgraded from an A1 to a S1, and it is so hard to keep it a secret! We will be traveling to Vancouver on May 7th, spending a full day in the city on May 8th, and embarking on May 9th. For those who have never been to Vancouver, I suggest you spend a few days here. It’s a gorgeous city! We scored an Airbnb condo near Stanley Park for 2 nights at a great price. I know some may be weary of staying in an Airbnb, but we made sure we rented the entire place and we are also used to these types of accommodations, as this will be our 5th Airbnb. The following is our itinerary and what we plan on doing in each port: Day 1: Embarkation Day in Vancouver! Day 2: Cruising the Inside Passage! Day 3: Ketchikan: We will be doing this port on our own. We will be heading out to Totem Bight State Historical Park and will also check out Southeast Alaska Discovery Center. Afterwards, we will be checking out Creek Street Day 4: Sitka: This is the other port we are doing on our own. We are still deciding whether to walk or take a cab to the Raptor Center. Afterwards, we will take a bus/cab to Fortress of the Bears and then head over to Sitka National Historic Park. Depending on time, we may check out some Russian landmarks in town. Day 5: Skagway: My mom and I will be splitting up in the morning to do our own excursions. My mom will be doing the “Sled Dog and Musher’s Camp” excursion, while I will be flying with TEMSCO to do the Dogsledding and Glacier tour. I couldn’t get my mom to fly in a heli, but this is a huge personal bucket list experience to check off. Later, we will meetup and explore Skagway together. Day 6: Icy Strait Point: Another port where my mom and I will split up for a couple hours. I will be doing ZipRider (SUPER excited!) and my mom will be relaxing in town until I’m done. After the excursion, we will meetup and explore the town. Day 7: Juneau: My mom and I have elected to do the “Ben Fogle’s Great Adventures: Alaska’s Whales, Glaciers and Rainforests” excursion with Gastineau Guiding. This is a 5-hour tour that must be arranged with the cruise line. Afterward, depending on weather, we plan on going to Mount Roberts Tramway. Day 8: Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier – Cruising! Day 9: Sea Day Day 10: Victoria, BC – We have a full day here! We booked via CVS Tours to take us to Butchart Gardens. While there, we will be going to The Dining Room to have afternoon tea. Both my mom and I love the Victoria era, so we thought this experience will be unique! Day 11: Debarkation Day in Vancouver, BC 😞 Since our flights don’t leave until 10:30pm, we found a great tour with Landsea Tours and Adventures called Vancouver Delights. It is a 7-hour tour that visits all the main sightseeing spots in Vancouver and takes us to The Capilano Suspension Bridge. The awesome part of all this is that Landsea will store our luggage AND take us to the airport! *If anyone has any other recommendations on places to see in these ports, please let me know!* I am still researching the top restaurants and stores to check out in each port, and will add those to the trip report. Thank you, looking forward to your adventures. This is our first Alaska Cruise too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PittsburghNative Posted April 23, 2019 Author #5 Share Posted April 23, 2019 Over the next several days, I’m going to highlight a port and mention a few shops that I personally want to check out. In addition, I researched some of the most popular restaurants (including specialty places, like candy stores, coffee shops, etc) and will include their information. I am basing the mentioned restaurants off of website articles, TripAdvisor, and Google/Facebook reviews. As always, feel free to add your opinions and if there are other shops/restaurants that one should visit. First up....Ketchikan! In no particular order for the restaurants: Bar Harbor Restaurant The Alaska Fish House https://exclusivealaska.com/fish-house Sweet Mermaids Annabelle’s http://www.annabellesketchikan.com George Inlet Crab Feast https://catchcrabs.com Burger Queen Alava’s Fish n Chowder New York Cafe http://newyorkcafe.net The Asylum Bar https://www.theasylumbar.com KetchiCandies http://ketchicandies.com The stores I’ll be stopping at: The Rain Barrel Caribou Creek Company Tongass Trading Company Crazy Wolf Studio The Captain’s Lady Fish Creek Company Ketchikan Mining Company Sockeye Sam’s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Italy52 Posted April 24, 2019 #6 Share Posted April 24, 2019 KetchiCandies, yum!!!!!!!!!!! Always make this stop when we are in Ketchikan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PittsburghNative Posted April 24, 2019 Author #7 Share Posted April 24, 2019 55 minutes ago, Italy52 said: KetchiCandies, yum!!!!!!!!!!! Always make this stop when we are in Ketchikan. I hear great things about it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PittsburghNative Posted April 27, 2019 Author #8 Share Posted April 27, 2019 (edited) Sitka is next! Bayview Restaurant https://www.sitkabayviewpub.com Ludwig’s Bistro http://www.ludvigsbistro.com Mean Queen https://www.meanqueensitka.com Beak Restaurant Chocolate Moose Halibut Point Crab and Chowder https://www.halibutpointcrab.com Ashmo’s Highliner Coffee http://stores.highlinercoffee.com Channel Club Sitka Hotel https://sitkahotel.com The stores I’ll be stopping at: Alaska Pure Sea Salt Company Goldsmith Gallery The Russian American Company Sitka Pioneers Home Gift Shop Wintersong Soap Company Edited April 27, 2019 by PittsburghNative Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love to Cook! Posted April 27, 2019 #9 Share Posted April 27, 2019 We are also on that cruise! There are 6 of us and we are on deck 8. 3 couples all celebrating anniversaries. We are on the same whale watching excursion in Juneau! We are doing zip lining in Ketchikan, we rented 2 Jeeps in Skagway, a hiking tour in Icy Strait, cultural tour in Sitka and a Winery and Distillery tour in Victoria 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SempreMare Posted April 27, 2019 #10 Share Posted April 27, 2019 (edited) 5 hours ago, PittsburghNative said: The stores I’ll be stopping at: Alaska Pure Sea Salt Company Dang! Now I really wish my cruise was stopping in Sitka! https://www.alaskapureseasalt.com/out-story >> the perfect pyramidal flake Salt shaped this way is supposed to taste saltier. So you can use less. The same amount will taste saltier than an equivalent amount of regularly shaped version. (or so I heard on Science Now the PBS show.) I shall order from them when I'm close to running out of Maldon. Edited April 27, 2019 by SempreMare Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PittsburghNative Posted April 28, 2019 Author #11 Share Posted April 28, 2019 2 hours ago, Love to Cook! said: We are also on that cruise! There are 6 of us and we are on deck 8. 3 couples all celebrating anniversaries. We are on the same whale watching excursion in Juneau! We are doing zip lining in Ketchikan, we rented 2 Jeeps in Skagway, a hiking tour in Icy Strait, cultural tour in Sitka and a Winery and Distillery tour in Victoria That’s awesome!!! Congrats on everyone’s anniversaries! What time is your whale watching excursion?! We signed up for 9:15am. Did you join the roll call? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love to Cook! Posted April 28, 2019 #12 Share Posted April 28, 2019 we are also on the 9:15. Yes i signed up for the roll call 😊 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PittsburghNative Posted April 28, 2019 Author #13 Share Posted April 28, 2019 10 hours ago, Love to Cook! said: we are also on the 9:15. Yes i signed up for the roll call 😊 If we don’t see you at the Connections party, then be on the lookout for a mother-daughter duo on the excursion 😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disneyochem Posted April 28, 2019 #14 Share Posted April 28, 2019 20 hours ago, SempreMare said: Dang! Now I really wish my cruise was stopping in Sitka! https://www.alaskapureseasalt.com/out-story >> the perfect pyramidal flake Salt shaped this way is supposed to taste saltier. So you can use less. The same amount will taste saltier than an equivalent amount of regularly shaped version. (or so I heard on Science Now the PBS show.) I shall order from them when I'm close to running out of Maldon. WE shopped there last year. Great store and a lot of fun to visit—we walked away with a number of different flavors and actually gave some away as gifts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PittsburghNative Posted April 30, 2019 Author #15 Share Posted April 30, 2019 Then there was Skagway. There are a ton of highly rated restaurants, so here are a few to get you started: Skagway Fish Company Olivia’s at the Skagway Inn https://www.skagwayinn.com Bites on Broadway http://www.bitesonbroadway.com Starfire http://www.starfirealaska.com Woadie’s South East Seafood https://www.woadiesses.com Sweet Tooth Cafe Gold Digger Mine and Dine Klondike Doughboy http://klondikedoughboy.com BBQ Shack Skagway Brewing Company http://www.skagwaybrewing.com Glacier Smoothies and Espresso https://www.glacialcoffeehouse.com Red Onion Saloon http://redonion1898.com The stores I’ll be stopping at: Art Glass Alaska Nature Creations Alaska Christmas Tour Taiya River Arts Alaska Shirt Company Alaska Artworks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PittsburghNative Posted May 6, 2019 Author #16 Share Posted May 6, 2019 Next is Icy Strait Point (aka Hoonah). Since this port is privately owned, any restaurant in town has been getting great reviews. Juneau is the next port. Again, there are many highly rated restaurants in Alaska’s capital: Hangar on the Wharf https://www.hangaronthewharf.com Deckhand Daves http://www.deckhanddaves.com Alaskan Crepe Escape https://alaskancrepeescape.com Tracy’s King Crab Shack https://www.kingcrabshack.com Zerelda’s Bistro https://www.zereldasbistro.com Twisted Fish Company Alaskan Grill https://www.twistedfishcompany.com Red Dog Saloon https://www.reddogsaloon.com Devil’s Club Brewing Company http://www.devilsclubbrewing.com The stores I’ll be stopping at: House of Russia Trove Glacier Smoothie Soaps Alaska Shirt Company Caribou Crossings Alaska Knifeworks Tripp’s Mt. Juneau Trading Post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PittsburghNative Posted May 6, 2019 Author #17 Share Posted May 6, 2019 Lastly is Victoria. Most wont be able to enjoy many restaurants, as Alaska cruises tend to only stay a few hours in Victoria, not a full day. I at least wanted to give some ideas of where to dine: Q at the Empress https://www.qattheempress.com IL Terrazzo https://www.ilterrazzo.com Ithaka Greek Restaurant http://www.ithakagreek.ca Blighty’s Bistro http://www.blightysbistro.com Blue Fox Cafe http://www.thebluefoxcafe.com Fishhook http://fishhookvic.com OLO Restaurant https://www.olorestaurant.com Little Jumbo Restaurant and Bar http://www.littlejumbo.ca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SempreMare Posted May 6, 2019 #18 Share Posted May 6, 2019 On 4/24/2019 at 10:46 AM, Italy52 said: KetchiCandies, yum!!!!!!!!!!! Always make this stop when we are in Ketchikan. fyi - Google Maps is saying it's "Permanently Closed" Maybe that really means it was closed for the winter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Italy52 Posted May 6, 2019 #19 Share Posted May 6, 2019 1 hour ago, SempreMare said: fyi - Google Maps is saying it's "Permanently Closed" Maybe that really means it was closed for the winter? Don't know what it means. We have gone to KetchiCandies for many years. Last May we were there and talked with the owner who mentioned that the new location took a while to open up --- we mentioned to him that we were glad to see that he was still in Ketchikan and would be seeing him again when we returned in 2019. I guess we will find out in June when we return to Ketchikan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Italy52 Posted May 6, 2019 #20 Share Posted May 6, 2019 9 hours ago, SempreMare said: fyi - Google Maps is saying it's "Permanently Closed" Maybe that really means it was closed for the winter? Follow-up to my original answer. I'm sorry that I didn't look closely at your Google Maps reference. The picture shown is the old location of Ketchicandies. And, yes, that location is closed. I believe the reference below is their new address: 405 Dock St, Ketchikan, AK 99901 Hours: Closed ⋅ Opens 11AM I Googled the store name and found the new address. Phone: (907) 225-0900 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimberlydrzymala Posted May 8, 2019 #21 Share Posted May 8, 2019 Following along on your report. We are on the Eclipse August 25th and this will be our first trip to Alaska. Thanks for posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli0927 Posted May 8, 2019 #22 Share Posted May 8, 2019 Following along. Hope your flights went well and you are enjoying your day in Vancouver. We are looking forward to visiting the Capilano bridge and Granville Island while we are there. 48 days til we are in Vancouver and 50 days til we board the ship! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SempreMare Posted May 8, 2019 #23 Share Posted May 8, 2019 So excited for you @PittsburghNative ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PittsburghNative Posted May 9, 2019 Author #24 Share Posted May 9, 2019 10 hours ago, kimberlydrzymala said: Following along on your report. We are on the Eclipse August 25th and this will be our first trip to Alaska. Thanks for posting! You’re welcome! I’ll be posting photos after the cruise as well, along with port information 😊 7 hours ago, Kelli0927 said: Following along. Hope your flights went well and you are enjoying your day in Vancouver. We are looking forward to visiting the Capilano bridge and Granville Island while we are there. 48 days til we are in Vancouver and 50 days til we board the ship! I will admit there was a nightmare situation with my flights. As my flight was getting ready to leave Miami yesterday, it was delayed right before take-off for 3.5 hours, as my connection in Houston had horrible weather conditions. Well, that made me miss my connection to Vancouver, so I had to stay overnight in Houston. I finally arrived into Vancouver at 1pm today. It’s all good though! My mom and I just came back from Granville Island and walking around the city. It’s absolutely gorgeous today! 4 hours ago, SempreMare said: So excited for you @PittsburghNative ! Aw thanks! I can’t believe it’s almost here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare martincath Posted May 9, 2019 #25 Share Posted May 9, 2019 15 minutes ago, PittsburghNative said: ... It’s absolutely gorgeous today!... So YOU are to blame for all of our excessive sun and humidity today! You must have dragged the Miami weather with you... Please take it with you up to Alaska so I can go back to nice, cool, cloudy days 😉 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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