Summit Live to Alaska 8/30/24 to 9/6/24

[robbinsca]

We are celebrating our 20th year of cruising by returning to the “mother ship” that we met our cruise buddies in back in 2004.

 

We flew in to Vancouver a day ahead and stayed in Burnaby at an Accent Inn. Good clean hotel for a good price. We went over to Granville Public Market for dinner and thoroughly enjoyed the market as we always do.

 

This itinerary appealed to us because it included Sitka. This is our 4th Alaska cruise and we needed something different. 
 

We arrived at Canada Place around 12 and found the boarding process confusing. Since we chose to carry our own luggage onboard we had to go upstairs for a separate check in, get a pink tag showing that we had checked in, They never asked anything about the luggage up there, then take the luggage back downstairs to go through the security area. In the past we just rolled in on the bottom floor and through security. Not really sure why we had to detour. Our friends who checked their luggage at the curb never had to go upstairs.

 

When we got onboard we went to our cabin and unpacked. Nice Prime OV cabin. The AC wasn’t on so the room was very warm. The only nitpick I had was that while there were plenty of hangers I had to look through 11 before I found one that I could clip my suit pants to that would undo the creases from traveling.

 

The Oceanview Cafe is laid out very nicely. Separate stations for the different food types. Even on Embarkation day we easily found a table and had lunch. We then went down to the MDR to inquire if we could change to an earlier dining time than our assigned 830. Our only option was Anytime Dining, which we chose to do. 

Sailaway was at 5. While there were people lining the railings the ship did not feel crowded at all. That feeling continued all evening- at the MDR, jacuzzi and in the bars. For a small ship it is well laid out.

 

We went to dinner at 615 and were immediately seated. Dinner was good, and I am not always pleased with the current quality of food on cruises. We won’t get the same servers each night so we really didn’t connect with them. We only saw our Asst Waiter one time during the meal. Hint- If you want to get a table faster tell the reception host that you are willing to share a table. Not many people do, but the staff loves being able to fill the big tables. We love chatting with and making new friends- and telling them about CruiseCritic.
 

When we got back to the room our paperwork was there. We got a letter stating that we had both the basic wifi and the basic drinks package. Since I only remembered ordering wifi I went to Guest Relations to confirm that we had both just in case our TA was treating us. They informed us the letter was in error. I can only imagine the charges we would have if we had started ordering drinks and sodas. The wording of the letter was VERY specific that we had both - so I suggest if you get this letter unexpectedly you proceed with caution.

 

Sea Day tomorrow so we get to sleep in, but we gain an hour so I still expect to be up early.

[pattyj 1204]

I'll be following.  I sailed on the Summit a few years ago and loved it. We will be cruising on her Sept. 2025.  Enjoy Alaska and have fun. Thanks for the cautionary note.  I'll be on the lookout for it.  

[If only]

I’ll be following along as we board the Summit on Sept 19 for the Panama Canal trip.  We were on the Summit in Oct 2022 it was a great trip, hope you enjoy!

[Ciaranaman]

Always up for an Alaska cruise live!  Thank you for taking us along!

~Bernadette

[curry767]

Thank you!

We have our first Celebrity cruise on the Summit next July from Seward to Vancouver.

[Barwick Cruiser]

Following! Did you see the Northern Lights last night? 

[Georgia_Peaches]

Enjoy your cruise!

 

As an aside, if one were to receive a letter stating they had a basic wifi and drinks package and the drinks package was an error, that error would be on them should said passengers care to imbibe. I dare say THEY were the lucky ones because you double checked. Kudos!

[robbinsca]

1 hour ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

Following! Did you see the Northern Lights last night? 

They were announced as being sighted by the CD Patrick at about 1145. We went up on deck and could see them, but would not have understood that was what they were if we had just seen them ourselves.

 

For some reason the pictures that people were taking showed a lot more color than we saw. Northern Lights were a bucket list for me, but I have to say they were a little disappointing.

 

 

[robbinsca]

Day 2 has been quiet. The fog was really heavy this morning so we were running slow and the fog horn was being sounded frequently. The sun came out around 11 and it has been a beautiful day. Hoping for, but not expecting, more of the same for the rest of the week.

 

We sat in the hot tub last night instead of going to the show. It was after 9 and the pool deck was pretty empty. The Solarium still had lots of people. 
 

We did Morning Trivia, and came in 2nd out of about 40 groups! We did not win the life changing prize though. Music Trivia this afternoon followed by General Trivia. Let’s just say we should have stopped while we were (almost) ahead.

 

 

[Stem to Stern]

[robbinsca]

Dinner on Night #2 wasn’t nearly as good as Night #1. Quality of the beef on cruises has long been a “beef” of mine. This Steak Dianne tonight had a LOT of gristle that had to be spit back out as you couldn’t chew through it. It was a bit embarrassing as the pile grew to be about 30% of the serving. As we were on a Sea Day it was a dress to impress evening and the passengers generally complied.

 

As I said before we could not get our reserved time changed to earlier than 830 so we are on Anytime Dining. Last night we arrived at 615 and were immediately seated. Tonight, same arrival time, and the wait was 40 minutes.  

 

We went to the late show - “Life”. It was well attended and well presented. Staging was minimal and the singers were a bit hit and miss. I don’t typically like the aerialists or acrobatic dancers but they both did a good job tonight.

 

Hoping for a return visit from the Northern Lights. I saw on another thread that some people would object to being woken to view them, but we truly appreciated being notified, as did almost everyone we spoke to today. Not everyone got up to see them, but no one objected to the announcement,

 

Early day in Ketchikan tomorrow.

[doghog]

16 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Enjoy your cruise!

 

As an aside, if one were to receive a letter stating they had a basic wifi and drinks package and the drinks package was an error, that error would be on them should said passengers care to imbibe. I dare say THEY were the lucky ones because you double checked. Kudos!

Seapass card would have indicated CAL. If that isn't shown and the server handed them a slip to sign would have been a red flag that they didn't have CBP. 

[doghog]

11 hours ago, robbinsca said:

Hoping for a return visit from the Northern Lights. I saw on another thread that some people would object to being woken to view them, but we truly appreciated being notified, as did almost everyone we spoke to today. Not everyone got up to see them, but no one objected to the announcement,

We will  be on the Edge in September doing the Alaska cruise. We wouldn't object to the announcement if we were sleeping at that time. We can sleep when we get home. 😉

[If only]

Robbinsca any chance you could let me know if Maren is working in Cellermasters. We met her a few years ago & she is very knowledgeable with her wines.   It would be appreciated 

[MississippiMom]

@robbinsca, thank you for taking the time to let us “tag along” to Alaska with you!

[curry767]

On 9/1/2024 at 11:24 AM, robbinsca said:

For some reason the pictures that people were taking showed a lot more color than we saw. Northern Lights were a bucket list for me, but I have to say they were a little disappointing.

Most people can't see colours in the Northern or Southern lights, rather just green patterns. You need a proper camera with correctly taken photos to bring out the different colours.

[robbinsca]

Day #3 has been completed. We were in Ketchikan and expecting rain showers but the rain held off and it just was cloudy and cool. The report was that the Northern Lights were out again last night but there was little to see.

 

Got off the ship and browsed around the tourist shops. In the past Ketchikan seemed to have the best prices so we did find a few bargains. I collect magnets and found one depicting an Alaska cruise.

 

We booked the Lumberjack show fully knowing that it was going to be hokey- and it delivered exactly as expected. Hour long show, and fairly expensive, but we enjoyed it. The recent landslide in Ketchikan did not affect the tourist district at all. I have a friend who has a daughter living in Ketchikan and it was close to her house but she was not impacted either.

 

Next door to the Lumberjack show was a restaurant called the “Fish House”. The lines were really long but the salmon chowder from their smelled REALLY good. We wanted to go, but didn’t want to spend 30 minutes in line.

 

Came back to the ship for lunch (in the buffet again) and went to a couple of trivia games again- the music one didn’t go well today, but we lost in a playoff on general trivia. (180 was too low of a number for the total amount of recorded Beatles songs)

 

We attended the afternoon Future Cruise session. I was so bored, and the presentation was the cause of that, and I fell asleep in there. No sale this time Celebrity!

 

Saw our first whale of the trip on the trip out of Ketchikan. We live in California so can take a boat out and see them several months a year, but it is fun to hear the reactions of people seeing them for the first time. We just saw one and it was a couple of small spouts and a couple of humps…no breaching or anything like that.

 

Dinner in the MDR again and no trouble getting a table tonight. The head person at the front desk remembered me and that we wanted a shared table. My DW pointed out that it was probably because I sounded like a Karen last night complaining about the wait. Our group of four was joined by a couple from Calgary this evening, yesterday was Saratoga N.Y. and the first night was with a couple from Alabama. We really enjoy interacting with other cruisers. Dinner was pretty good, but a couple of things are already being repeated. Pork Loin and Pork Tenderloin really aren’t different dishes….my Cajun Style Drum Fish was good.

 

The after dinner show was a good comedian by the name of Sean Kent. I would recommend trying to get in and see him. His shtick was to interact with the audience and tell jokes about what he had done in travels around their area.

 

First visit to Sitka for us tomorrow. 7 AM arrival again and we will be there until 3. Another ship, with about 6,000 passengers arrives at 10 AM so it was recommended that we go into Sitka before they arrive.

[robbinsca]

Day #4 was in Sitka. Rain was expected but we barely got any, it turned out to be a nice day. After walking around town a bit we ended up taking our jackets off as we got too warm.

 

We had booked a private tour through Baranof Taxi and Tours. Carrie was our driver and she was right on time and knowledgable about her town. She customized the tour to what we wanted to see. Sitka’s port is quite a ways from town, but they do offer free, and frequent, shuttle busses to the city center.
 

First up on our tour was the Fortress of the Bear. If you have any interest in bears this is a fun thing to do. The bears are orphans that would otherwise have been euthanized. They are located in enclosures that were adapted from an old closed down pulp processing plant. There were a total of 7 bears in three areas. You were within 15 feet of the bears, but outside walls that they cannot scale, and have the opportunity for some great photos. It is not like a zoo as you can tell the employees have great affection for the residents. Photos will be posted after I can sync up my phone and the internet.

 

Next up was the Raptor Center. Once again the birds are well cared for by people who genuinely care about their rehabilitation. Lots of photo opportunities and a fun gift shop.

 

We were running short in time so Carrie got us back to the main part of town. Alaska has essentially been cut off from the internet as the fiber optic cable supporting most of the state was accidentally severed a few days ago and will not be returned to service for another week. As a result most businesses were unable to accept any credit cards- so if you are heading up here bring some extra cash. The ATMs in town had all been drained by the tourists.

 

The Russian Orthodox Church was not open but we were able to tour the bottom floor of the Bishop’s House. The top floor is by reserved tour only. The National Park Service has a nice set of information boards and displays explaining the history of the Russian settlements in Alaska and their (not so good) interaction with the Native population.

 

We went back to the ship for lunch and everyone had to be on board by 3. I always look for Turkey drumsticks at the carving station, and hit the jackpot today!

 

Dinner was fine again and I had a nice surprise as one of our tablemates at iur shared table turned out to be a member of my Fraternity so we had a fun conversation. Everyone at the table was complimentary of their meals tonight- especially so of the desserts.

 

The show tonight was a tribute to Carole King by a three man group called You’ve Got a Friend. All four of us in our group disliked the show. We expected to hear them sing in Carole King’s style but instead they were more like a doowop group. Very disappointing, but I realize that others may have enjoyed them. To us Carole King is a straight balladeer, not someone who breaks out Temptations style dance moves. Hard pass on their additional shows later in the week.

 

On to Juneau tomorrow.

 

[pattyj 1204]

Sounds like you are having a good time. Thanks again for taking the time to post.  

[robbinsca]

Juneau weather cooperated with our visit. We were expecting showers most of the day but actually only had a little misting. Clouds were running through the trees, making for some interesting pictures. Docking was at 7 AM and all aboard was 9 PM. Two other ships were in town at any given time, with the Bliss leaving around 1 and NCL Encore taking its place. Never seemed as crowded as we expected as the report was that there would be 5 ships in port.

 

We didn’t book any excursions, just toddled around town. The ship got a prime position at the pier so we saved a good hike compared to the bigger ships. We considered taking the gondola up Mt Roberts, but they are now charging over $50 pp. Prices in town were really high. Someone else told us they were going to Tracy’s Crab Shack but decided not to since the dish they had previously enjoyed was now $80. YELP listed their cost at between $50-100 pp. A hamburger lunch was $22.

 

The ladies wanted to get some material for their quilting habit so we walked up to the downtown area and stopped in a couple of shops. Then we went to a Diners, DriveIns and Dives place nearby for lunch. One of our group is not very mobile so she opted to head back to the ship and my DW accompanied her. Two of us walked around town for another hour or so and then went to the Red Dog for a drink and the atmosphere before heading back.

 

Afternoon trivia was more successful for us. We finally won a “life changing prize”. I maintain a lot of useless knowledge in my head, but we have recruited a ringer for our team this cruise and it worked for us.

 

We again shared a table at dinner, this time with a couple from South Africa. They had some fun stories to tell about their travels. When you complain about the hassle of getting to the ship compare it to their 14 hour drive to get to the airport in Johannesburg, a 20+ hour flight to Seattle, and another hour to Vancouver. Then there was a misunderstanding about their accommodations in Vancouver. Dinner was very good once again. The MDR has been delivering good quality, and service, almost every night.

 

The evening show was OK. Nothing that I would pay to see again if they toured my hometown, but entertaining. The theatre is crowded but there is no problem finding a seat like we have experienced on Princess recently.

 

Patrick is the CD and he has a good staff. There is always something to do on the ship, but it is not overwhelming. There is a little bit of a sales push to buy a Specialty Dinner from time to time but they take a turndown and move along. No pushy Deal or No Deal or Bingo card selling. I like that about Celebrity.

 

Icy Straits Point is our next stop. They tell us once again to expect “the full Alaska experience” of cold and wet weather. Hopefully our luck holds and we get decent weather again.

[MississippiMom]

@robbinsca, what a great idea to go to DD&D eating establishment.  My husband’s aunt & uncle do that, too, when they travel cross country.

 

We plan on renting a car in Juneau, and I was starting to think eating at the Costco might be the only affordable option.  LOL

[pattyj 1204]

I found some really great quilt shops on my Alaskan cruise. One in Ketchikan, Juneau had 2 (if I remember correctly)  Found some neat Alaskan themed patterns for Sunbonnet Sue and Sam. This was a few years ago. Just looked and saw that Skagway had one too. Can't wait for Sept. 2025. I'll be back there.  

[dctravel]

Great review so far! Thanks for doing this.

[robbinsca]

Icy Straits Point was very wet, very wet. Especially when you decide that you need to stretch out your legs and back by walking to and from the village of Hoonah like this fool did….

 

We originally visited ISP when it opened 20 years ago. It was a nice change from the commercial oriented tourist ports, well ISP has joined those ranks. When you get off the ship it is a long pier to get to land. Our friend who has mobility issues waited 30 minutes for the shuttle for the long walk on the pier. You are greeted by a building offering all of the excursions, $250 for an 11 second (no lie) zip line, $130 for the r/t gondola ride up the mountain to hike around up there, $250 for whale watching, etc. 

 

We passed on the excursions as we have been here a couple times in the past. We walked through the shops and then DW walked in to Hoonah trying to see some eagles. There is a shuttle for $5 but I wanted to walk despite the rain. It is billed as 1.5 miles, but I think it is a little longer by the time you get to the dropoff point. DW decided she would take the shuttle back so she purchased a ticket. NCL Bliss was also in the port so it was pretty busy. When we got to town, dripping wet, DW got in line to take the shuttle back. The wait was over an hour so when a van pulled up to the back of the line and offered a ride back for $5 she hopped in. I was walking and they passed me at about the halfway point. Our friends had opted not to go to Hoonah so they headed back to the ship.
 

When I got back to the ship I had logged 12,000 steps and my hat, shoes, jacket and jeans were soaked through. A quick change if clothes and up to the buffet for lunch. Then trivia (lost in the tiebreaker again) and off to dinner in the MDR.

 

Great dinner once again. It was Dress Chic night, and about 60% of the crowd was dressed in more than just jeans. Lobster was ordered all around the table, and I ordered Duck along with Lobster. I then dutifully passed my lobster over to my wife. I won the “best husband” award at our table hands down. Every person at the table was pleased with their meals.

 

The weather turned rough and we had a tough time navigating the walkways of the ship. There were 12 foot swells, and if you were up on the 11th floor for trivia you had a tough time. Our cabins are on the 3rd floor, midship, so it was a bit easier to go through cabins on 3 than walking through the casino, etc to move to midship.

 

Hubbard Glacier in the morning…..we shall see……

[haynesra]

Going on this trip next year. At ISP, was there anything really to do in Hoonah? The gondola and zipline is definitely a no-go for us at those prices (really). Looking for maybe some local shops and food. Otherwise this may be a nice quite day onboard for us.