Rooms with a view question re: Alaska

[xamsx]

Well, I tried to search but the forum definitely dislikes searching such a broad subject like "Alaska". The same thing happens in the Crystal forum when searching "Panama". *sigh*

 

 

I am preparing to book a room for an Alaskan cruise in September on the Infinity. I have always booked verandas (in the Caribbean), but the Celebrity Suite with all the windows is extremely compelling. Alaska is all about the view, so I was wondering if anyone that had traveled to Alaska could compare the pros and cons of the Celebrity Suite vs the Sky Suite. The "best" room available for us seems to be a Concierge Class room smack in the middle of the ship. This is our first Celebrity cruise, so maybe my idea of "best" isn't so on this ship.

 

I'd love to hear recommendations. What is the best-bang-for-the-buck? We've always stayed higher up on the ships - what is the difference when you start to go to the lower floors? And, how cold is it in September on this cruise? I've read 60s so I'd still use the veranda. Much lower than 60° and I'm not sure how much I'd sit out much.

 

Any tips or advice would be very appreciated. :)

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

We went in September, weather was fabulous. Used our veranda a lot. Hardly ever shut the door, as a matter of fact. We had a CC room on the penthouse deck. Had friends in a sky suite with a huge veranda--they used theirs a lot too. Have never seen the inside of a Celebrity suite--am sure the walls of windows are great, but I want to have access to the outside, the fresh sea air, the ocean, so that wouldn't work for me. Depends on what you want. You are right--Alaska is all about the views, and they're everywhere. Gorgeous place! Enjoy your cruise.

[misha1]

Boy, I love the Concierge class...so many little perks; and some bigger ones too. We had an aft cabin on our Alaska cruise and the views were magnificent. The other nice thing about an aft cabin is little or no breeze due to the depth of the veranda. In a climate like Alaska, this is a good thing. I was able to sit out on the deck with a book even on the chilliest (sp) days. Sitting at the in-cabin desk/vanity preparing for dinner was glorious. You could enjoy a beverage and watch the Alaskan scenery float by. So prestigious....and large. The aft verandas go quickly so I usually book over a year in advance. Makes the waiting hard to do but knowing that I have a superior cabin makes it worth it. Some folks don't care for the back...more motion the higher up you go and some complaints about deck noise from the grille area. I personally have never been bothered by either of these problems. Enjoy the beautiful Alaska itinerary.

[xamsx]

Thank you happy cruiser & misha1. After reviewing the ship schematic and plugging in room numbers on the Celebrity site, I found an aft CC cabin with a veranda is available. I was concerned about the noise, but it seems like the view pros would outweigh the noise cons.

[Mike2131]

Three trips in an outside, a CC, and suite have all been wonderful. A few suggestions:

 

1) I would select a stateroom with a balcony. For us, it is terrific to step out and enjoy the magnificent scenery. It is also far better for photography than shooting through the windows of the Celebrity Suite.

 

2) Rule of thumb - starboard for northbound and port for southbound. If you are sailing an Inside Passage this becomes a litle less set in stone.

 

3) If you have time, consider a cruise tour to get an even better view of Alaska.

 

Whatever you select, I hope you enjoy Alaska as much as we do.

[xamsx]

Thank you for the suggestions, Mike2131. At this point I think we are going to reserve the aft cabin with the veranda that I currently have on hold. Due to time constraints we are doing the Inside Passage so will be unable to book a tour in Alaska independent of the cruise. I've been doing quite a bit of reading and I am looking forward to taking a whale watching tour or two.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

By all means go on a whale watching cruise. However, don't overlook the opportunity to watch whales from the ship. In Stephens Passage (think that was its name) on our way to Juneau, we had humpbacks breaching right in front of the ship. Luckily I was in the bow listening to the naturalist when it happened, so I got to see it.

[Richiebaseball]

We were on the Infinity in Alaska in September 07 and I agree, get the balcony. I'm sure the big windows are nice but ohhhhhh that balcony. We had one of the larger balconies on the Penthouse deck forward. Very nice.

 

The weather was overcast some of the time but we did see some sun. Had a few drizzles but never pouring rain. Temps in the 60's, a little cooler at night. If you're going to Hubbard Glacier and plan on spending some time on deck while cruising in, take warm layers. It gets cold up there with that air coming across the glacier.

 

We spotted whales, seals, dall's porpoises, pacific white-sided dolphins, bald eagles, all from the ship. It was beautiful and we can't wait to go back. You will love it.

[misha1]

Yah! I remember the chilly approach to the glacier and earmuffs were a must. But, with a Bailey's infused Hot Chocolate in hand, it was quite the site to see. The approach is even more incredible as you cannot imagine how very large these ice fields are until you are right up to them. The multitude of colors from white to icy blue is most beautiful as well. And, having an aft cabin will allow you an interesting view as you leave the glaciers.

[Mike2131]

As others have said, keep a sharp eye out when you are on deck. Whales and other wildlife might well be spotted.

 

That being said, there is nothing like being at water level when you see a humpback breach or a pod of Orcas. Just a magnificent sight!

[Cracker Ken]

I've done Alaska twice. I would have missed a lot of scenery, if all I saw was from a balcony on one side (either side) of the ship. There's a lot of scenery all around in Alaska, and I'd hate to miss any of it. Nothing wrong with a balcony or suite, or whatever, but I'd hate to see you miss the other half of the world while on an Alaska trip. I spent a lot of time in the forward observation lounge up high, on the aft decks, and way up high forward. When it got cold outside, I'd thaw out inside the observation lounge, then return for more.

 

Doing Alaska on Celebrity or HAL, with the big forward observation lounge, is a real plus, which is why it upset me when they ruined that area on Summit and one or two of the other X ships with that Cirque thing a while back.

 

BTW - Have those forward observation lounges (Navigator's Club?) on the Milly class ships been returned to their former set up, or is the Cirque stuff still there?

 

Ken

[gracecarmo]

Ken: the Connie has had some type of refurbishment, but the rags from the ceiling are still there (they were in Oct), and the beds have been removed, but still there are platforms with chairs and also a type of cover over them.

On the Summit, it is somewhat the same as the Connie.

[CatServants]

I'll be the lone voice here, but.... IMHO the CS can't be beat for Alaska.

 

I've always insisted that we have a balcony, but since we were sailing a 2 week repo cruise (Canada/Alaska/back down to SF/ LA) at the end of Sep/beginning of Oct, and weather would probably be an issue (drizzle and cold!), I 'suggested' to my hubby that we should consider a CS. He booked it and WE LOVED IT!!!

 

We're Cabin Rats so our cabin is of very high priority to us when booking a cruise and the CS did NOT disappoint! We were very comfortable, ate every breakfast (as usual) and a few dinners in our cabin at the dining table (comfy!), but the real jewel, the item that made the extra $ worth every penny and much more...that bubble wall of windows! I love verandahs, but that wall of windows was sheer heaven. I can tell you that we saw MANY empty verandahs when the weather wasn't perfect, but we could spend hours sitting in front of those windows, watching the incredible wonder of Alaska and the sea float by, wearing nothing but robes and slippers, while our butler served us anything we wanted.

 

When we got to Hubbard, we watched our approach from outside on the front deck like everyone else. We were ALL bundled up in layers, and I think, for a short time everyone was in such awe we didn't notice we were cold and packed in against the rail like sardines. When the pushing, and under breath complaining started, we headed back to our cabin, drank hot tea, and relaxed, seeing and HEARING (yup, you can hear the calving from a CS) everything, while the captain turned the ship back and forth to give everyone a view.

 

I know you've decided on an aft CC, and I'm sure you'll love it, but when (not if;)) my DH and I sail back to Alaska (as well as Canada/New England), we'll book a CS on an M class ship. It was PERFECT!!! I hope you have a wonderful cruise through Alaska - it truly defies description!

 

 

Happy cruising!

 

Denise

[xamsx]

Thanks so much for all the input. I appreciate all the tips and viewpoints (not an intentional pun). You all have me extremely eager to take this cruise. :)