Celebrity Summit Cruise to Alaska Review--Long

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CRUISE REVIEW SECTION

Good morning all. I am cross-posting the cruise section of my trip on the Celebrity board (my entire review is on the Alaska board) because I thought it would be helpful to people on this board as well. Any questions / if I can help, please let me know.

Also, I booked a lot of my excursions independently as well and will be reviewing them at the same time.

I planned a land tour prior to the cruise. The itinerary is below. To see a review of the items we did previous to the 29th, please let me know if you’re interested & I’ll post it here or go to the Alaska board and look for my full review there.

My itinerary:

June 22nd: Leave my house in New York, get to Newark Airport (NJ) and fly to Anchorage connecting in Seattle

June 23rd: Day in Anchorage: Saturday Market, Visit to Salmon Place. Dinner at Simon & Seaforts.

June 24th: DM & I left early to go Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park

DH & DF left early to go fishing and then had some other activities in Anchorage

June 25th: DM & I got back from Brooks falls late & then slept. DH & DF: activities in Anchorage

June 26th: Day in Anchorage: Zoo, Lunch at Jenns. Dinner at Marx Café.

June 27th: Early morning train to Seward, Puffin Encounter, Exit Glacier, Salmon Bake, Godwin Glacier Dog Sled Tour & Helicopter Ride

June 28th: Kenai Fjords Boat Trip; Dinner @ the Crab Pot

June 29th: Hang Around at Saltwater & Board the Ship

June 30th: Hubbard Glacier (Cruising)

July 1st: Juneau from 10-8: Mendenhall Glacier

July 2nd: Skagway 7-8:30: Train Ride to Carcross & Bus Back

July 3rd: Icy Strait Point 7-4: Whale Watching w/Keith @ teck outfitters

July 4th: Ketchikan 9-7: Fishing w/Ken @ Northern Lights

July 5th: Inside Passage Cruising

July 6th: Dock @ Vancouver, Stanley Park

July 7th: Fly home non-stop to Newark

June 29th: Board the Ship

Anyway, on the 29th, we got up early to have breakfast again at Saltwater—expanded continental. Same things were there as the previous day: Freshly made bowls of fruit, English Muffins, hot chocolate, coffee, and some other things. We had to check out by 10, so we were out of the rooms by 10:30 (not too bad) and took PJs taxi (the best & reasonably priced) to the boat docks. We knew we couldn’t check in until after 2pm, but we figured we could drop our luggage off there and then explore a bit more. By pure stroke of luck, they said we could board at 11am! It was only 5 minutes later, so we stayed and boarded right away—easiest embarkation ever. I told DM & DF we’d meet them in the buffet and headed up the stairs with DH. Only after they were gone I looked at the paper I was handed and it said the buffet didn’t open until noon. So, we decided to kill some time exploring. The ship is beautiful. It has a very open feel and the staff is very friendly. Even at this early hour, the staff kept welcoming us aboard every time we saw a member and they always said hello—very friendly. So, upon exploring we found the basketball court. DH then became extremely excited and we played a quick game of HORSE (which I won—we had to kill time, right?). After we met DF & DM in the lunch buffet. This was fantastic—better than the other lines I’ve been on. I was SUPER excited for the pasta-making station. Also, the Caesar salad making station was a favorite too, but I didn’t have it a lot because of the other great things. (Just so everyone knows, the buffet opened at 11:30—DF & DM went right there to wait for us.)

Since we got on so early, we then decided to make reservations at the Normanie for Skagway (I knew we were going to be too late getting back on the ship for our early seating). This was very easy to do because they have representatives at a lot of sections on the ship to call in reservations via phones they were carrying. There are tables set up and everyone’s super friendly.

Then I thought I’d head to the spa—hey, if I could be a spa model and get a free service, it sounded good to me! I found out that they do not have spa models for the tours, but use one of the tour members for one demonstration. Otherwise, you really don’t see treatments going on, as I have previously. Stay to do the tour, it’s quite interesting. I did learn on the tour the Rasul was broken, so I don’t have anything to report on that. I did do a treatment though—more on that later. I also think the Summit’s gym is top-notch. It’s huge and they offer classes (some a slight amount of money, but most not).

By the time we got done with that, I went to check out my room and our luggage had arrived. I finally unpacked after a week of living out of my suitcase—that felt great. By then we just relaxed a bit, showered, changed, and then headed down for the early seating dinner. It is open seating the first night, but we were all hungry by the time 6pm rolled around. It was very good and I liked our wait staff the first night. Everyone was very welcoming. Some tips: You can order fresh berries - raspberries, blueberries, strawberries -- with whipped cream every night for desert. You also can order NY Strip Steak any night or every night. Shrimp cocktail is on the every night menu—no need to ask in advance. Half way through our cruise they ran out of the big shrimp and used smaller ones—still great.

The first night’s show was a variety show of different performances to come in the week. I liked it a lot. They had two people that did acrobatic-type work—they were amazing. Also, they had Celebrity singers & dancers perform. All in all, I think it was a good first night show and a nice introduction to the ship. We were pretty tired, so at that point, we just went back to sleep.

Now I’m going to break a little bit to discuss my room and some additional ‘tips’ I found helpful before I boarded:

Room:

I knew that for Alaska, I wanted an Aft Cabin. Since I know those rooms go really quickly, I had my travel agent (who is wonderful, by the way) call and I called also the day rates were supposed to come out to book cabins. (the second the phone lines opened) I ended up actually getting the ones I wanted (after a lot of persistence telling them I should be able to book). Lesson here: Call the day everything comes out to get what you want. I’ve also found a lot of people are worried about prices dropping after final payment and want last minute fares. With celebrity, I booked this cabin the day rates came out and then had my price adjusted two times by my TA after final payment to credit me rate reductions. She was very on top of getting me those price adjustments and sent me a bottle of champagne for the trip.

If you’re asking if it was worth it: It SO was. I never ever want to cruise again without an aft cabin. The views are just amazing. I did feel vibrations 1 night, but it didn’t bother me—just like the sound of the ocean. Also, DH thought it rocked more in the back of the ship, but it didn’t seem like it to me. I LOVED it.

Rest of the ship: The staff was VERY friendly and courteous. For example, when I was on Princess, the staff didn’t go out of their way to talk to you. But, on the Summit I would get a hello how are you every where I turned.

I’ll also rate the activities / food each day if I remember them.

Some additional things I learned: You can get over-the-counter seasickness meds at customer service or the purser's desk. Free, dispensed a couple of tablets at a time. Also, if you see that they are doing a Internet class, you an get free internet for 30 minutes (you just have to sit though the class). I didn’t see that happen during this cruise though. Since it’s so expensive, this would be worth it.

June 30th: Hubbard Glacier (Cruising)

Sadly, this is one of my ‘regret’ days. It was too foggy to see anything and it was pouring. We couldn’t see calfing or even hear it. My big regret / upset of the trip. Yes, the day was scenic, but not what I thought it would be.

I did a couple of other things this day. The first was a culinary demonstration. Let me say—do NOT miss this. Also, if you can, be the one who volunteers to be the helper. It was fantastic. Well, I like food and cooking, so it was good for me. But, if you just like to eat, I’d still go to this great show because of the food quality. Hey, if you like Martinis, go to that too!

So, they make filet and I won’t get into any details, but the pastry chef made cake and a dessert. Then the girl who helped invited a friend to the table and they ate it. As we were all drooling waiters came around with tastes of each. I had 2—it was that good.

So, I digressed a little—in the middle of cooking, you have to wait about 5-10 minutes for it to actually cook. During this time we had a martini demonstration where the guy threw the bottles around and everything. He had great skills. Anyway, I ended up with one of the 2 martinis. Can you believe 1 lady actually turned down the chocolate martini? If you aren’t lucky enough (or eyeing the glass enough) to get one of the 2, they pass around samples of these as well.

They also had someone explain silverware in the middle and what fork to use when—me, I just work my way in from the outside.

I also went to the art auction this day. While on the ship the art guy holds a couple of lectures and 2 art auctions. Both the auctions are on the “sea days.” Hint: When he says to trust him, do so!

Today for lunch I also checked out the Aqua Spa Café. Some great stuff there & a lot of people don’t even bother looking. I found some days of the trip it was PACKED over in the buffet and then there was no one in the aqua spa café. Sometimes they have pretty cool stuff. Check it out.

Another food-related tip (many know this already): In the cova you pay for coffees, hot chocolate, etc, but the pastries and cookies are free!

My one big regret of the cruise was not being able to see anything this day. I put away my disappointment though because there are so many nicer things to see. If I had my druthers I would have planned this trip for 2 weeks later. But, hey, I had an amazing time. I did not let it ruin my vacation 1 bit!

July 1st: Juneau from 10-8: Mendenhall Glacier

We got off the ship early and first had to get tickets to a bus ($2 round trip all day) just to get to the town area. Once we got here, we paid the $12 a person (round trip) to get to Mendenhall and back. It was easy enough to do since we were the first people off the ship and we had about a 5 minute wait for the bus to appear to take us back to town.

We didn’t do Mt. Roberts Tram because it was too foggy—good thing I didn’t prebook.

Mendenhall—it was gorgeous. We took a little hike down to see it and climbed around a bit. I’m not even sure what trails we ended up with (even after I got maps), but I totally recommend at least doing the Photo Point Trail.

Something to note: the visitor’s center is not free. So, if you climb up all those stairs to go to the center, be aware you’ll be paying some money to get in. (it is research money though) The view is nice though. Also, there are some elevators if one needs.

I also used this site for trail maps: http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/districts/mendenhall/trails.html

I LOVE how it’s always light here. My S3IS worked perfectly. I’m sorry, I know I haven’t spoken a lot about my camera as I said I would before, but if you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them.

We then looked at shops and went back to the ship—it was a nice and relaxing day. (It’s too bad I didn’t spread these days out—we needed them!)

I also made myself an appointment for the Ocean Wrap on this day. It was a nice seaweed wrap (which they let you try on the spa tour). Then afterwards while you relax (basically in a waterbed) while wrapped you get a massage on your hands and feet. Then you shower everything off and get a full body massage. I would so do it again. Ruth was the woman I had and she was incredible. From someone who gets treatments at home, I can’t rave enough. Also, just so everyone’s aware: spa services have the gratuity built in already, but you can add more.

We also had a martini tasting right before dinner--$10 for the ‘tray.’ It was 6 different martinis (smaller sized) and was very good. We ordered this so close to dinner the guy actually put it at our table for us to finish! Yum.

Extra Notes Real Quick:

Let me take a second to put in some things I forgot earlier: Before I left to go to Alaska, I was reading the boards and how everything is informal / casual in Alaska. While this is true, while I was in the Celebrity dining room (main early seating), I didn’t see one person skimp on the dress code. While on formal night a few people weren’t as dressed up as I’ve seen in the past, it wasn’t anywhere near as casual as I was expecting and I’m glad I didn’t take my formal clothing out of my suitcase.

July 2nd: Skagway 7-8:30: Train Ride & Bus Back

I booked the Carcross Bus & Rail excursion with Chilkoot Charters & Tours. Website: http://www.skagwaysbesttour.com/summitgold.htm. After I booked they sent me a ticket with these instructions:

PICKUP INSTRUCTIONS:

Ore Dock - proceed to the red weather shelter just across the footbridge.

Railroad Dock or Broadway Dock – proceed to the end of the pier and go through the security gate. WAIT for your driver/guide who will be driving a vehicle or carrying a sign with our business name “CHILKOOT CHARTERS & TOURS.” You will be picked up at 7:30 AM.

DO NOT attempt to board the train at the dock as its destination is different than yours.

U.S. AND CANADIAN CITIZENS MUST CARRY A PASSPORT OR BIRTH CERTIFICATE WITH PHOTO ID. GUESTS OF OTHER NATIONALITIES MUST BRING THEIR PASSPORT.

Also, this was the itinerary they sent me: Skagway/White Pass Summit/Fraser/Lake Bennett/Carcross. The 4 1/2 hours on the train is actual travel time. There is a 1 1/2 hour layover at Lake Bennett for lunch at the Bennett Depot dining hall. There are also Parks Canada interpretive displays throughout the depot itself and on the viewing platform. The rail trip to Carcross is 6 hours in total, and the Emerald Lake to Skagway portion by bus is an additional 2 1/2 hours.

Review of the trip: When we got off the ship there was a big sign right outside the gate of the dock—very easy to find and we took off within 5 minutes of waiting for some others to get off.

It was GORGEOUS. We were the 20th trip of people to go all the way to Carcross since they expanded the line.

There were only 6 of us in our car and the car ahead of us carried the employees and the one behind of us was empty. So, it was nice to have a train for ourselves.

There are platforms between each car—1 section for the car your in and 1 for the one in front of you. So, I guess if it’s crowded the people in front of you could block your pictures. Since our train was empty, I got to spend a lot of time on the platform—it was great. I got some amazing pictures—if I flip press the next button of my camera, I got a round of pictures that make it look like the train’s moving into the tunnel. I just put my camera in sports mode, didn’t move, and held the button down.

The people were very pleasant getting to Lake Bennett and explained everything. I liked the crew that boarded in Lake Bennett and took us to Carcross a little better because they stayed in the car with us, explaining things and answering questions. They knew a lot about the area—one of the guy’s parents used to live in a cabin on the side too. Oh, and they got the bears out for us! All were great, but the crew from Lake Bennett to Carcross was superb.

I’m sure some of you are asking if going all the way to Carcross was worth it? I think it was. When we stopped at Lake Benet and ate (not edible food by the way) some people got off and had to wait about 1 hour extra for a train back. Just in the extra part we saw 2 black bears (one in a tree and one was originally in the middle of the tracks when the conductor called back to us). The scenery isn’t as splendid as was seen in the first part though, but there are things to see. Also, I have to say that the ice cream in Carcross was fabulous—DF is still talking about it! The reason I booked the longer trip was to see Emerald Lake—that and the desert were both big highlights!

Also, it’s very interesting taking the bus back, in effect seeing things from a different perspective. I highly recommend doing this.

We went to the Normandie for dinner this night since we got back too late for our early seating. We did not have the wine-with-every course, but now I wish I did. After attending the food and wine tasting in the Normandie later in the cruise, I could tell they knew what they were doing. If you like wine, I’d love someone to report back on this.

The food and experience were spectacular and gourmet, while the people were friendly, pleasant, and we were treated like royalty. A couple of highlights—the Caesar salad is made table-side. For those who were reading about Marx earlier—this is a perfect time to go to the Normandie on the ship and skip going to Marx in Anchorage. It was great and made just as well. Also, DF ordered the steak diane which was made tableside. He couldn’t stop raving about this either. I had the Goat Cheese appetizer. Let me tell you, I was really weary on ordering this, but it was recommended so I decided to try it. DO IT. YUM! Also, they bring around a cheese cart after dinner. If I knew it was coming, I would have TRIED to save room. I could have had just wine and cheese ALL night. YUM! Dinner was $30 per person + a 15% tip. We tipped more. Tons of people were waiting on us the entire time. Even though I know this is part of going to this restaurant, we had a great time here.

On a side note: I met a guy at the high tea the last sea day we were on the ship. The said the only place good is the Normandie and he would only eat there and have pasteries from the Cova all day. The tea was okay, but he was actually loosing weight on the cruise because of this. Now, I know people do have their own opinions, but I’m just going to offer mine. The Normandie was great and being treated like royalty was great, but I wasn’t about to expect that every night of a cruise. In the main dining room the food was very good—I enjoyed it a lot. But, someone is not about to come out and cook food in front of you. Also, in the Normandie the staff to client ratio is MUCH lower than your waiter, assistant waiter, and sommelier have in the dining room, so they are able to service you better. I thought our dining room staff was GREAT and the service was OUTSTANDING. But, in the Normandie it was a step up from that. It was nice to have once, but certainly not necessary throughout the cruise.

Since I’m not sure which night it was, I’m going to put the ventriloquist here. Personally, I find these guys sometimes a bit boring, but this guy was outstanding. Do NOT miss going this night—he was hilarious!

July 3rd: Icy Strait Point 7-4: Whale Watching w/Keith @ Teck Outfitters

Website: http://teckkoutfitters.com/

I was very excited to go whale watching, but still slightly nervous about getting seasick. Keith assured me we’d be in calm waters, so I wasn’t too bad. It was pretty calm, but I’m glad I was wearing the patch. (which I wore the whole cruise and didn’t get seasick once)

He has a 32 foot cruiser and there was an inside section with a top area above the inside, it was great. The main level was only exposed in the back for viewing and at the top you can view from all angles.

They were amazing, amazing! Keith picked us up exactly where he said he’d be and drove us to his boat. His wife drove us back. (Also stopping to get Moccasins with Kathy who is GREAT at it and I LOVE them. I pre-ordered them in my size and they were amazing! Be sure to request colors—I didn’t, but loved what I got. I can see this could be a problem with some.)

The whales were really close to us the whole time—a mamma and baby and then another whale—we just followed them around. It was amazing. The upper deck was great and open and just the 4 of us were on board. It was fantastic. We saw another boat with passengers from the ship (ship-sponsored) and it was PACKED. 3 floors of nothing but people EVERYWHERE. Crazy! Teck took us exactly where we wanted to go and found the whales for us. Then we followed them around guessing where they would surface—fun in itself. These animals are just so large and great to watch, my breath was taken away doing it.

July 4th: Ketchikan 9-7: Fishing w/Ken @ Northern Lights

Kind of a rainy dreary day. Since we had fishing starting at noon, we decided to walk around town a bit and possibly shop.

I got a great gold-nugget ring which I love and wear all the time, so it was worth the drenching rain to wonder around. Since so many people recommended Anabelles, we headed over there. We each had the soup and then split 2 appetizers (crab cakes being one of them). Also had 2 bud lights (4 people ate total). The soup was very good, the rest was okay—def not my favorite place to eat during this trip. The bill came to $77! I would have rather had the free food on the ship!

I also stopped at Ketchikandies and got some of the chocolate covered oreos—whoever said to get those on this board—THANK YOU—YUM!!!!!!! Also, got some chocolate covered pretzels—those were great too. Anyone going who wants to ship me some, feel free!!!

This was by far the most built-up town and it was a pleasure to walk around, even in the rain.

Before noon I went by our gangplank and took a walk around looking for Ken, our guide to fishing that day. http://www.ketchikanfishing.net/cruise.htm. I was very nervous about getting in a boat because I get a little seasick, but Ken reassured me that everything would be okay. He told me that he would meet me at my gangplank at noon with a sign with my name on it. Then he also gave me a number to call in case he wasn’t there, which made me very comfortable. Since he wasn’t there yet, I sought sanctuary under an awning for a closed gold shop and waited. He was slightly late and I was glad to have his cell phone number and called him to make sure I was in the right place. It ended up that the people before us forgot to bring cash, so they had to get back on their ship to get it. People, please remember so other people don’t have to wait. Anyway, it wasn’t a problem and he was there soon enough. We walked right down a gang plank onto his boat. (20 feet from where we got off our boat) A section of his boat was covered, which was great since it was still pouring. But, boy oh boy—the water was ROUGH until we got to our destination.

When we finally got there, we started ‘trolling.’ I’m not a big fisherman, so for those who don’t know what that is—it’s where you stick polls in the water off the back of the boat and move around really slow hoping the fish bites a pool. So, while we were trolling and the guys were focused on the polls, I was looking around a bit and saw an eagle—it was really cool, so I pointed it out and Ken told me to look at the “eagle tree” instead. I swear, there were 3 HUGE trees PACKED to the GILLS with Eagles on them---it was an amazing sight!

So, after I calmed down from that, we kept trolling around—maybe for 2 hours and just caught nothing. Then we stopped to pick up 2 additional passengers who booked for the later part of our trip. All of a sudden, we started catching King Salmon. All of us got one except for DF—he claims he has horrible luck L But, it was still fun. I have a great picture of me holding my King Salmon!

After that, we then were taken back to the dock. I filled out a form to filet & ship my salmon back and ordered some extra from the same place. Two days later DH’s grandfather received our fish in a container with dry ice. Everything was packed perfectly. It was GREAT!

I got back on the ship after that and took a nice hot shower and went down for dinner. A nice way to end the day.

July 5th: Inside Passage Cruising

I woke up and just looked outside. It was gorgeous out there. Scenery on both sides of us and it was just beautiful. I could have sat on my balcony all day with a blanket and hot chocolate. What an amazing experience and it was great to see all the land unspoiled by anything else.

We had breakfast upstairs at the buffet—what amazing waffles by the way!!!! Thank you for whomever on the board made sure I didn’t miss them! Since it was such a great sight, we stayed at the aft of the ship to watch the scenery while eating breakfast.

A few days earlier I convinced DM to go to the wine & food pairing with me today. So, a short while later we left to go (it was pretty early). We sat at a table for 6 at the Normandie and 2 other couples joined us (both very nice). We then sat though a great explanation of wine and food (much better than many others I’ve been too). Also, on the last ship I was on (Princess) I went to an event like this and once you were done with your glass, you were done. So, I assumed it was the same way here. But, the couple next to me finished their glass VERY quickly and all of a sudden someone came over and refilled their glass. I thought this was very interesting so I started drinking what I wanted to. If you ask me, $9.95 for 4 bottomless glasses of wine is a GREAT deal. I drank more than 4 glasses. It was entertaining, interesting, and I learned a lot. I highly recommend going.

I arranged to meet DH at the room an hour after the wine tasting started (little did I know that it went for 1 hour & 45 minutes). He played basketball in the meantime, but wasn’t too thrilled with my “tardiness.” So, keep in mind that it’s longer than 1 hour. A short while later, we went to the art auction. (probably not a great combination—drinking and then spending money) DH & I found some pieces we both liked (which is pretty hard for us) and bought a few pieces of art to decorate our house. The prices were great and I really did enjoy the host. We also made an appointment to meet with the people right after dinner, arranged to frame the art, and had it shipped home. (except 2 pieces which we carried to our hotel in Vancouver, on the plane, and back to home) The reason we had to carry some pieces was because the gallery had only a few left, they were ‘specials,’ and came with the frame. [They do let you know this prior to bidding.]

We then went to the room to pack. It was just so sad that we were leaving the ship and ending that portion of our trip. I tried not to think about it as I packed everything up so I would be ready to put our bags outside at the appropriate time.

I went on my balcony again before dinner and it wasn’t that cold out there. It was gorgeous to look at all the majestic beauty of mother nature. *sigh* I wish I was back there right now. Also, since I had an aft balcony, I could see the 3 other ships following us. What a sight!

Dinner was great, as always and I came back to the room stuffed. I glanced up and there was the most gorgeous sunset setting on the 3 other ships behind us. I took a few pictures and marveled at the sight a minute—it did take my breath away.

July 6th: Dock @ Vancouver

That morning we got up, ate at the buffet, and then sat on our balcony for a while just taking in the scenery. Once our steward said he needed the room, we left and went to the Concierge Lounge. This place was VERY stuffy and VERY small. It was hard to get in over people’s bags and to find seats. The theater, where a lot of the rest of the ship was, I heard was much better. Anyway, if you could I would try and get off as soon as possible. That means that when they give you the questionnaire; make sure to fill it out that you have plans. I did have plans and wanted to explore Vancouver, but I still got the “Independent Traveler #2 color.” It was not fun just sitting there. But, once our color was called and we got off the ship, it was VERY smooth getting our bags and getting a cab. They call people when they have cabs available and such—we had no wait and customs was a breeze.

So, once off the ship, I directed our cab driver to our Hotel. I booked on priceline in April and got the Pacific Palisades hotel. I read it was in a great location, but wasn’t that amazing a hotel (run down…). In my opinion, the hotel was fine. It was clean and the rooms were MUCH bigger than I expected. Once we got to the hotel, I dropped our bags with the Concierge (and got tickets for them) and we headed over to Stanley Park. We walked from the hotel and got a big lost once in the park trying to find the aquarium. I didn’t want to specifically book anything, so it was the most disorganized time of the trip. In retrospect, I wish I planned it better or booked with the trolley. The aquarium is nice and pretty small. The only thing I saw which I really haven’t seen anywhere else is the Beluga Whale. It was pretty interesting to see. Make sure you go during the show time, otherwise you really don’t see much. Otherwise, I could have lived without it. Also, so you know—from the hotel down Robson St. toward Stanley Park I could consider the “bad part” of town and the other direction from Robson St would be the “good part.” Sadly, we were so wiped out; we thought perhaps there was only the “bad part.” I wish we booked a tour than try to do this ourselves.

Anyway, after we went to Stanley Park, we chose to walk back to the hotel and said we’d just walk into a place for lunch. Since it was so hot outside, we just wanted A/C or to sit outside in the breeze. The 1st two places we walked into were so hot from the ovens, we just couldn’t stay. Finally, we tried a Greek pizza place (which I thought was interesting in itself) that was pretty close to our hotel. Now, I’m as surprised as the next person, but the food was SPECTACULAR! I’d recommend it if someone could find it. I got baked ziti and it was great. DF & DM shared a pineapple pizza & loved it as well.

Then we got back to our hotel and DM & I decided to see if anyone at the spa was available for reflexology. People were, so we booked and I got DH an appointment as well. It was OKAY. I wouldn’t go there again. It wasn’t real reflexology, it was just a foot massage, poolside. For a foot massage with screaming kids in the background, it was good. But, that’s not what I would be paying $75 for. Yeah, $75—it wasn’t worth it!

I had pre-booked the Zin restaurant at our hotel ahead of time and we headed there for dinner after relaxing a while. Dinner was good, but nothing compared to the rest of our trip. Also, since we were so wiped out at that point, I was just happy we didn’t have to go far to get there and there was no wait when we did arrive.

After dinner, we just collapsed in bed and watched TV a bit before turning in.

July 7th: Fly home non-stop to Newark

I noticed there was a crepe place outside our hotel and was all about having breakfast there. I love crepes and you just can’t get a good one in New York. YUM, boy oh boy it was good. Highly recommended.

Then we got a cab to the airport. Miraculously, we got through security and to our gate in record time. We were about 2 hours early, so we decided to walk around a bit and left DF with the bags. When I got to the airport I was surprised to see a sign that pointed to an aquarium. To all those who don’t know already, it’s just a fish tank. If you went to Stanley Park, don’t even bother. Not worth it. Since I was already in debt from giving my credit cards a workout the whole trip, I didn’t want to shop. Around lunch time, we decided to grab something from the food court and bring it back to DF and have lunch. Since he wasn’t allowed into the gate, he was sitting outside it when we left him there.

Just a quick note: Once you are in the gate area, you can’t come out. There are bathrooms and a vending machine in there, but that’s it. So, I wouldn’t go in until you know your flight isn’t delayed…

Sadly, our trip has come to an end. It has been great writing this review / journal, as I got to relive the experience. Any questions / comments I’d be happy to answer.

Some other quick notes before I completely end that I hope can help others.:

PACKING LIST:

Other:

I bought under armour (it’s like long underwear) for the trip because both me & DM get very very cold. It worked. Get some if you think you’ll need it!

I also got buzz off apparel (shirts) to wear in Katmai National Parks and didn’t get bitten. I recommend that as well. A lot of the guides were wearing them.

Gloves

Ear Covers

Waterproof Pants

My Columbia Waterproof jacket with a removable fleece lining. I got this from a guy I met through e-bay that sells discounted jackets, which he picks up at the outlet store. He can get most anything you want, which I loved. I got one for everyone going for the holidays last year.

Papers:Passports

Copy of Passport to keep either on me or in the safe

Cruise tickets

Alaska Documents / Lists

Alaska E-mails on Excursions & Confirmations

Alaska Insurance Copy

Journal & Pen to write things to not forget in

Front & Back Copies of the credit cards I’m bringing

Put a copy of the itinerary in each of the bags in case of a loss – it helps!

Medication / Cleaning Stuff

Clorox Wipes

Hand Sanitizer

PeptoBiz

Band-Aids

Kleenex

Sea sickness patch

Dramamine

Cough drops / Halls

Advil Liquid Gels

Medicated Chap Stick

Gum

Zinc Pills: Same as below

Airbourne: Take a few days before the trip & take daily

Toiletries / Personal Hygiene:

Insect Repellant: Deep Woods Off w/100% Deet

Sunblock

Face Sunblock

Travel Size Moisturizer & Cleanser

Travel Sized Lotions & Body Wash

Plastic Zip Loc Bags—many. Put some in camera case

Shampoo & Conditioner

Razors

Body lotion

Aloe Vera gel

Deodorant

Toothbrush/Toothpaste

Listerine

Dental floss

Hair Brush

Hair Ties

Make-up (minimal)

Jewelry: Watch, …

Glasses: Prescription Sun, Regular Sun, Regular

Contacts

Liners

Flat Iron

Perfume

Camera Stuff:

Camera Case w/ Camera & stuff

Lenses

Lens Cleaning Stuff

Battery Charger

Extra Batteries

Extra Memory Cards

IPOD with Camera Connection to download pictures: This worked out great for me b/c I took so many pictures. I could just download them to the IPOD and then I downloaded them again to my computer when I got home.

Extra headsets

IPOD Charger

Other:

Binoculars

Books & Magazines

Little Wallet Type Bag

Wallet

Purse

Cash to spend & for tips

Celebrity Credit Card

Cell Phone & Charger

Throw-a-way ponchos?

Fishing License

Sleeping Mask to block the light

Clothes Pins / Office Supply Binder Clips (to keep the light out)

Backpack

Insulated Mugs: use on the decks when looking out @ the glaciers & things

Umbrella (celebrity provides them on the ship, so bring only for lunch)

Duct Tape

Post-it notes

Ziploc bags

[rebeljohn]

Thanks for posting such detailed info. A lot of good tips on things I have never thought about. Glad you enjoyed your trip.

[ddonalds]

This was a terrific Post. We leave next week for the northbound from Vancouver - and I can't wait!!! Can I ask a question - when you go out on the balcony in the morning, what do you wear? I'm thinking something like sweatpants and fleece top since it's probably a bit cool in the morning - what did you wear? Thanks!

[claud925]

As for what to wear on the balcony - I found that the terry robes found in CC cabins sufficed just fine.:)

 

Also, a minor correction to an otherwise fine and detailed review: the charge in the specialty restaurants - $30 per person - IS the tip for service, and no further gratuity (15%) is necessary nor required (unless you feel your service such that you wish to add to it).

[Boo's Mom]

Hey tapia....

 

Very nice, detailed review !

 

How nice that you had a non stop home, from Vancouver to Newark ! :)

 

[tapia]

@ rebeljohn: Thanks! I'm just hoping to help others the same way this board helped me!

 

@ ddonalds: On the balcony in the morning I worse the CC robes they provided. If I was cold I threw on my ear warmers (what a sight, right???)

After I got dressed I threw on sweats for breakfast or just wore my clothes for the day.

 

@ claud925: You are so right, but we tipped extra.

 

@ Boo's Mom: I totally agree. If I can fly non-stop, that's so the way to go!

[ddonalds]

Thanks again!! I'll be thinking of you next week while I sitting on my balcony in my robe (no earmuffs, though....) :D :D

[tapia]

Thanks again!! I'll be thinking of you next week while I sitting on my balcony in my robe (no earmuffs, though....) :D :D

 

LOL~I'm glad. Truth be told, I was thinking about it and I don't actually think I wore my ear coverings unless I was already wearing them from being on desk. The aft had little / no wind all the times I was on the balcony.