7 Night Alaska Hubbard Glacier Cruise on the Celebrity Eclipse - July 31, 2022

[OttawaJohn]

Full review and thoughts below but for a TL;DR summary.

 

We LOVED the cruise itself.  Alaska is an experience beyond words and if you have any interest in nature or wildlife, and can make it happen, you should.

 

Celebrity was more hit and miss.  End result, we liked it but didn't love it.  If we see an itinerary we love or a great deal, we'd sail with them again, but won't be seeking them out as our first choice.

 

Now, on with the details!

 

We flew out to Vancouver from Ottawa the day before.  With all the challenges of late, we were concerned but our flight left only 30 minutes late.  We did carry-on only, due to the issues around baggage of late.  Problem is, everyone else seems to have had the same idea but we were able to secure overhead space for our bags thankfully.  Many had to gate check them we saw.  And honestly it was a bit of a pain.  All week we kept wishing we had another outfit or something we used on previous cruises but didn't have space for.  And had to pass up a few souvenirs we wanted due to no space.  Still, all worked out and we got to Vancouver

without issue.

 

Hotel was insanely busy due to the Pride parade in the area the next day, and the Canadian holiday on the Monday.  Combine that with the heat in Vancouver hitting 98 or so, and we opted to take it easy and just chill before our cruise.

 

Embarkation was pretty simple at Canada Place, the port in Vancouver.  Lots of walking, which made the carry-on decision seem questionable again, but still fluid. 

We rarely were standing still for more then a few minutes, the queues kept moving and everything was well directed.

 

Having never sailed with Celebrity before, we were thrown a bit when we started to board the ship without key cards, worrying we'd somehow missed a step.  Asking a staff member, they explained they are waiting on our doors, which makes sense actually, but was new.  The other lines we'd sailed with, NCL, Disney and Princess, always gave them out during check in.  It was something that made sense, but like a few things on the cruise, was never explained.

 

Still, we found our way to our cabin, a sunset veranda on the 8th deck, aft.  An interesting note about our cabin was that it had a door in front of the two cabin doors, ours and our neighbours.  I guess the idea is that, if it's a family or friends traveling together, you can close the outer door and leave the cabin doors open so you can go back and forth.  Again though, something not explained.

 

We went into our cabin and dropped off our bags and got changed quickly to go for a swim, to beat the heat.

 

After a quick dip in the pool, which was heated surprisingly enough, given the 40C temperature, I got out to grab a bite at the Mast Grill.  I got a hot dog while my wife stayed in the pool.  Putting the plate down to get a drink, a seagull immediately dove in and stole the dog.  Well, just the bun, it couldn't carry the full thing but still.  Was hilarious and consistent.  Almost every cruise we've done, we had a seagull incident with food.  This one just started early 🙂

 

Sadly, it's at this point that things went downhill in our experience that day.

 

Heading back to the cabin, the outer door was closed.  And our keys didn't work in it.  I was able to find someone passing by and he explained the purpose of the outer door and asked if we were a family or traveling with the guests next door.  When I explained no, he said our keys wouldn't work then.  He called for our cabin steward to come and open it.

 

Ten minutes later, while we're standing there dripping wet, the same staff member walked by again and wondered where our steward was.  So did we.  I understand, it's embarkation day, but when you have wet guests locked out of their cabin, someone should be able to pop by and help.

 

It took over twenty minutes for the steward to come by and let us in.  He again asked if we were family with the cabin next door and when I said no, said 'ok, we'll set the door to remain open.'  I'm confused why it wasn't already, since they should have known we didn't book together with the people next door but all right.

 

Going in, we got changed and started to organize things.  I heard our neighbours arrive and went to explain about the door to ensure they didn't run into that as well.  

 

While putting things away, I checked the fridge to ensure I had put my wife's medication in it and noticed it was still hot.  I called the steward again and he said he'd look into it.  I also mentioned the room itself was boiling hot (hotter then outside it felt) and he said he'd get someone to look at it.

 

We left to explore the ship and came back two hours later.  The room was still boiling hot, the outside door still closed and the fridge still broken.  I called the steward again and asked for an update, and was told 'ok, ok, we're working on it.'  I explained my wife's medication needed to be refrigerated and it had already been hours since it was at proper temp, in very hot weather.  He said he understood and would get it fixed.  

 

We went on deck since it was cooler then our room and poked around a bit longer.  Returning an hour later, still no fix or updates.  I called again and was told again 'ok, ok, we're working on it.'  I explained that's not acceptable, and I need a resolution or for them to store my wife's medication.  And by the way, the room is so hot we're sweating just sitting there.

 

Giving up on him, I call Guest Services where I wait on hold another 30 minutes for someone to answer.  The woman there keeps interrupting me when I try to explain the situation and says the steward should have called them.  But it seems she's blaming me for the fact he didn't, which I didn't appreciate.  Finally I asked to be moved to another aft cabin if they can't resolve these issues soon and she puts me on hold to talk to her manager.  Ten minutes later, she's back and offers me another cabin.  The numbering though indicates it's not aft, though she assures me it's 'an aft cabin and still a sunset veranda.'  She encourages me to check it out, so I do.

 

Well, yes, the AC works and so does the fridge, but it's midship.  I paid extra for this view for the Alaskan cruise for a reason.  I go back and call her back and explain 'I wanted an aft cabin for this cruise' and she responded 'it is aft.'  Apparently some people on ship have a different view of aft.  

 

I explain I don't want to lose the view and can't they just fix these issues.  She sends an electrician who says the AC is working, evidenced by when you put your hand on the vent, you can just barely feel air.  I point out it's not working well then, and perhaps they could fix it?  He grumbles but leaves.  Another one comes by to look at the fridge and says, guess what, it's working.  I check and no, it's not.  A bottle of water I put in 3 hours ago is still boiling hot, as is the medication.  I ask how it can be working if it's not cooling anything and he repeats again 'it's working.'  I get back on the phone with guest services and she calls him and he gets annoyed and takes the whole fridge, saying he'll replace it.

 

By this time, we've missed the sail away and dinner reservations are coming up.  So we get changed and leave for dinner, having been promised by the time we get back, it'll all be fixed.  As we leave, I notice a third electrician has taken the wall panel outside our room off and is replacing a part in the functioning AC.

 

Dinner at least was a treat.  After the horrible customer service, with people literally lying to my face, the staff at dinner in the MDR was great as was the food.

And by the time we returned out our room, the AC was working and a new fridge was as well.

 

I get embarkation day is insane for the staff.  But this was just poor service, topped off by multiple people lying to me.  I have a lot of patience for support people, I worked in the customer service field for twenty years now and teach 'soft skills' to agents and techs for a living.  But lying and refusing to give clear and simple updates, even if it's just 'we're not sure of the timeline' really ticks me off.

 

Finally at the end of the day, as we were turning in, the steward stopped by asking if the fridge was working.  When I thanked him for the help (what little he did) and mentioned I looked forward to seeing him through the week, he responded 'your room is at the end of my rotation, so I may not always get it done.'  Which would prove true.

 

Not an auspicious start but thankfully the rest of the trip was less eventful.

 

We woke on the first full day going down the inside passage and wow.  The views.  My God, I'm so glad we didn't swap to that midship she kept pushing.  In another thread, I had asked if we should take a complimentary upgrade to Aqua and most said no, due to the views.  They were right.  I don't care how good the food in Blu was, it couldn't match these views.  We'd continue to be amazed at this our whole cruise, especially at Hubbard Glacier when we could sit and enjoy the views for hours in comfort.

 

The cabin itself was quite large, one of the larger non-suites we've done.  The balcony was big, though I wish it had more of a roof for the occasional shower we had.  Still, amazing.  The bed was very comfortable and I LOVE the rounded corners.  All beds should have these!  We also loved the fact the bed was beside the balcony.  In other ships, they have a couch next to the door.  We loved lying in bed and just looking out over the water.

 

The dining on the ship was good but not spectacular.  I wonder if the restaurants for special guests, like Blu or Luminae were a bit better?  The buffet was decent and the MDR was good each night but little blew our socks off.   We ate one night in Tuscan and found it not as good as the MDR, with wait times for food and service far too long.

 

I prefer ships that have little diners or pubs you can grab something in.  This just seemed a bit too concentrated in one or two areas only.  Still, to each their own and some passengers we spoke to loved the food.  I just would have liked more variety I think.

 

The bar staff, like on any ship, are way to overwhelmed.  It'd be nice if there was someone at the bar just doing simple things like a can of pop or bottle of water to expedite it.  Speaking of, I LOVE that they give you cans, not just tiny glasses that are 80% ice when you order soda.  And the aluminum bottles for water were great.

 

For the issues we had, we received an OBC for 100$.  We spent it mostly on gelato, which was delicious 🙂

 

Kept our eyes out on the cruise for whales and saw three.  Two breaching a bit but not much and a burst of water from a blowhole one morning at breakfast.  Still, we had a planned excursion for whale watching so weren't to bummed at not more sightings.

 

The ship's decor is... classy I guess is the right word.  It feels a bit like old school classic.  String quartets, pianos, crystal everywhere.  It's a simple elegance which was nice.

 

The WiFi on the ship is a mixed bag.  We had the basic, which is really basic.  Most websites would time out but could check email when I wanted.  Of course, we're in the Pacific Ocean, surrounded by ice and mountains, so the signal probably not the best 🙂 And I did do this trip to unplug, so outside of checking in on my mother a few times, I mostly stayed offline.

 

There are a lot of things about the ship I really loved.  The maps of the ship in the elevator, showing quickly what was on what deck.  The ample seating.  Just everywhere, seems you turn a corner down a hall and there are chairs.  It was nice and random.  The blankets they had on deck.  Lots of little things to just make it a bit nicer for everyone.

 

One odd thing, after so many years of doing the Caribbean or Bahamas, this is I think the first cruise I've ever worn long pants on.  Feels odd 🙂

 

We did three excursions, two of which were mind blowing.  

 

A Whale Watch and Seafood Feast in Icy Strait, where on top of the Humpback we saw, we were luckly enough to observe an Orca pod (6-9, hard to count) including young ones for almost an hour.  

 

In Juneau, we did the Mush Camp and rode with the dogs and then got to help socialize the puppies, aka get lots of licks from them!  They were so cute!  It was amazing.

 

We also did a trolley in Ketchikan, which went to the Native village as well so we could see and learn more about totem poles.  It was interesting, but not fair to compare to the wildlife.  I felt bad a bit, I think we'd have been more interested if it was first, not last.  

 

A few other small gripes about the cruise.  

 

The photo center was open really odd hours, one day just for 1.5 hours.  

 

The app is great but often I found the times it listed for hours for services or dining differed from what was in the daily planner.  Wasn't sure which was right.

 

On the first day, there was a lot of upselling, trying to get us to upgrade drink packages, book excursions, book specialty dining, etc.  I get it, but it was a bit aggressive.  We got stopped four times on the way to our muster station for drill by people trying to get us to buy stuff.

 

There was a bit of an attitude among some staff that if you didn't want alcohol, you weren't worth their time.  Both waiters and bar staff rolled their eyes at me more then once when I just asked for water.  In the MDR, the sommelier on our second night after we again declined a drink said 'hopefully you'll drink something tomorrow.'  What, he not get paid if we don't drink?  Just rude.  We have reasons for not drinking alcohol, leave us be about it.

 

Still, the cruise was great, and Celebrity was ok.  Didn't hate the line, didn't love it.

 

Everyone has their own tastes in what they want and I think Celebrity just isn't us.  Again, if we find a great itinerary (there is an Italian Riviera and a Japan one we have our eyes on) or a great deal, we'll sail with them again.  They're just not our first choice I think.

 

 

 

[sunviking90]

Thank you for your review. The pictures are lovely,

[OttawaJohn]

27 minutes ago, sunviking90 said:

Thank you for your review. The pictures are lovely,

It's so hard to choose just a few pics to represent the whole.  Seriously, it's majestic beyond words.  Every picture was like a postcard.

[Barwick Cruiser]

Thank you for this review. Glad you mostly had a good time and saw lots of wildlife. Don’t blame you at all for being frustrated and upset with the embarkation fiasco…def not a nice way to start a long awaited holiday and glad it seems to have improved. 
 

Interested in your ISP excursion, was that a ship tour or something you booked privately?  We’re on the Eclipse in a few weeks for the last sailing and haven’t anything planned yet for that port. We did a whale watch last time there and it was very good but looking for something different this time and the seafood feast part sounds interesting. 

[OttawaJohn]

1 hour ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

Thank you for this review. Glad you mostly had a good time and saw lots of wildlife. Don’t blame you at all for being frustrated and upset with the embarkation fiasco…def not a nice way to start a long awaited holiday and glad it seems to have improved. 
 

Interested in your ISP excursion, was that a ship tour or something you booked privately?  We’re on the Eclipse in a few weeks for the last sailing and haven’t anything planned yet for that port. We did a whale watch last time there and it was very good but looking for something different this time and the seafood feast part sounds interesting. 

 

It was the Whale Watching and Seafood Feast, 209 USD, 3.5 hours.  It was booked direct via Celebrity as an excursion.  Not sure if they use the same service each time, there were two boats that did our sailing it seemed, both from the same company.

 

The feat was pretty festive.  Fresh king crab that looked like it was caught that day, 2-3 each I think.  The shrimp was tasty as well.  The rest was kinda meh, bit too much water from the seafood all over it so the sausage was wet and the corn a bit soggy.  But the seafood was amazing.

[Lobbylin]

Thanks for your review- I’m sorry it was such a dreadful embarkation day for you. I recall myself sitting in the corridor of another Celebrity ship on embarkation day because the aircon in the cabin just wasn’t working properly and it was stifling. As you say, persistence is key, and like you, an engineer did eventually come by and remove the panels and fix it.  It does make you wonder how the previous occupants of that cabin survived? Or do they just put up with it!

 

I haven’t cruised with Celebrity for a few years now, so I hope they still have sone sparkle and excitement to offer when I get on board next month.

 

Alaska is stunning- glad you had such an amazing trip. Your photos are fabulous 

[Homosassa]

Were you on the Millennium?  

 

We had the same response from Guest Services when we were missing things from our cabin.

 

No daily activities paper in our cabin - Guest Relations response (Why not?)

 

No delivery of prebooked excursion  tickets - GR - Why not?

 

It was also the first cruise where our cabin was never serviced before 1 PM. 

 

No Captain Club invitations - GR- Why not?

 

No debarkation information or luggage tags - well, that was different - GR - you respond to the information request about your plans that was left in your cabin. Uh, we didn't receive a request - GR - Why not?