Alatraveler1

Could they have been Dall's porpoise?   Fooled us may times!

Don't like the forced disembarkation by 8:00 for Port Valet, hadn't seen that in the past.  What difference does it make, and is it enforced?  We don't fly home till late on embarkation day and wanted a later breakfast before being asked to walk the plank.

Missed GSC on Epic when RCI and Disney made their stops the same day.  On board credit, go to Nassau instead?  Nope, nada, nothing, but the casino, bars and onboard shops made $$$ that day.......

So,  are there flat rate fares FROM the airport TO the Pier and how much for 2019?  And, I'm assuming Pier 66 would be the same or slightly less?  Trying to decide between cab all the way or light rail to Westlake and cab from there.

We were going to do this three times each on the cruise, now just one and done due to the price increase.  So, instead of $90 from us, they will now only get $45.

Last week we used Coastal for a helo/glacier landing in Juneau that went to Herbert Glacier. Two copters traveled and landed/tookoff at the same times, giving us a quiet time on the glacier to walk around in ice boot coverings viewing the moraine and crevasses and drinking glacier water, very much worth the money. Our tour was a 815 pickup from across the street from the pier. Travel time to/from heliport was approx. 35 minutes each way. When we returned to ship, we met up with my parents and traveled on Evergreen/Taku taxi with a 1245 pickup to the Mendenhall Glacier. Taxi fares are approx. $35-$40 plus tip and is per vehicle as opposed to per person on the blue busses. We spent two hours there and had a scheduled pickup for a return to the ship. In that two hours it gave us a quick look at the visitors center and we hiked the two mile roundtrip to Nugget Falls, taking photos and enjoying the view. The view of the glacier was spectacular itself even though we had just landed on another glacier. The high rushing water of Nugget Falls and the spray and "wind" from the falls was a bonus worth the walk. If you have time we thought it was well worth the trip and time/money.

The glacier landing tour was great (didn't do dog sled) but at 30 minutes glacier time and 30 minutes flight time was a short stop. Most of the helicopter tours are about that length. The trip to Mendenhall was a different perspective than from atop the glacier. Put together, both experiences made the Hubbard Glacier visit later in the trip that much more meaningful. It didn't hurt that the glacier calved multiple times, we got EXTREMELY close to the face, and the "thunder" was awesome.

There are fees at Mendenhall in addition to the cab ride ($5 per adult and $2 child which will be collected by taxi and they will give you a ticket upon entering). As to a canoe/rafting excursion, my sister did a morning raft type excursion at the same time as our helicopter tour that went to the glacier and really enjoyed it. She could have returned with us back out there but would have basically had to join us for a return trip right back immediately upon return to the ship from that tour. However, our port time was from 7 am to 9:30 pm and even doing both activities back to back we had plenty of time for shopping and balcony time. If your times are similar you may even be able to space the activities out somewhat, making it easier logistically and with less glances at your watch. I would recommend if you have time and could schedule according to your port times.

Last week, we caught one of the first buses (docked right beside Tsongass Trading) at approx. 7:26 a.m. (see bus schedule available online) heading north to Totem Bight. I believe we waited right near a vision care place with a view of the tunnel ahead of us. Note that bus on near side of street closest to ship is southbound and far side of street is northbound so be sure to be on right side to catch bus going in desired direction. Arrived approx. 7:50 a.m. on a bus that never got more than a third full. Spent about an hour, viewing totems, clan house and tide pool area and made the return (note bus only runs once an hour so be a few minutes early). The bus never got more than a third full on the return trip, even when stopping a the Wal-Mart stop popular with crew. The walk through the forested area was lush and green and a great short hike, the visitor center had a small gift shop, bathrooms easily accessible. NOTE that June 1, 2017 began a $5 per person admission fee for adults! This is new and the site is no longer free to visit, but still a bargain as is the bus fare. We got off at the federal building stop when back in town as it was VERY close to Church St., Dolly's, Married Man's Trail, salmon ladder, etc. We did notice when returning to the ship after the lumberjack show at 2 p.m (all aboard was 3 p.m.) the buses as they passed were somewhat fuller but not terrible. They are standing room as well.

Food on Millennium June 23rd sailing, of course subjective, but to me not nearly the quality of my last Celebrity cruise. As for MDR, not open on port days for lunch, Seriously Celebrity, how cheap can you get? I think many Carnival ships have MDRs open on port days, and they don't advertise themselves as "Modern Luxury". Evenings, most items in MDR were acceptable, some very good such as fish dishes, some with little flavor and many sauces flavorless. Needed a magnifying glass to see shrimp the few times offered other than in cocktail which were also miniscule. Interesting that the lobster, scallop and beef wellington dishes were on same night. Guess it was a cost saving to serve less of each than offer them on different nights. Thankful for anytime choices, that with the exception of some of the tiniest escargot I've ever seen, were great each night. Soups were uninspired and chilled soups lacked greatness of years ago. Overall, and it pains me to say it, but average for cruise food.

Some buffet food was excellent including grilled to order fish and minute steaks near aft. Breakfast was standard with omelettes very good but bacon and other breakfast meats salty to the extreme. Quite repetitive as stir fry, make your own caeser salad and several Indian dishes EVERY DAY AND NIGHT. Ice cream was excellent, other desserts lacked fIavor and were also very repetitive. Not sure if some of the exact same items, and I don't mean recipes I mean same dishes uneaten the previous night, brought out of cold storage and served several nights in a row. I thought buffet on NCL Epic was slightly better a couple months ago. This is saying something as I used to think Celebrity food was head and shoulders above other main lines. In summary, unless this was just on off week and I can be convinced otherwise, I can no longer put the "+" sign as definitely being number one in the Celebrity column for dining when choosing between cruise lines. And this hurts, as the website and information provided in advance of cruise tour were already big "-" items. The service was excellent on almost all occasions and completely attributable to Celebrity, and the cruise was fantastic because of the ports, excursions and scenery that were not. I would have been disappointed if this were a Carib. or TA cruise, the scenery, natural beauty and experience of Alaska being amazing. As it seems with many aspects of cruising, and due to many of them now very similar in terms of quality, it seems to be coming down to itinerary and cost when deciding among cruise lines.

Talked with at least four other Concierge Class cabins occupants on sailing last week. While our cabin steward was excellent (some of theirs were just ok they said), we all had to ask for the bottle to be delivered. If we wouldn't have asked, it would apparently not have been provided. More savings for the line if you don't know or don't ask for it.

I had so much trouble with the site not showing reservations, excursions, credits, etc. even after full payment that it is detrimental to my choosing Celebrity for our next cruise. Will price, itinerary, etc. be far more important? Of course, and i won't completely discount Celebrity, but all things being equal, avoiding the frustration is worth $$$ to me. I don't like that i can't confirm what I've paid for, inclusions, etc. without having to work so hard to find it.

We had beyond the podium on Alaska Celebrity Millennium sailing last week. The guy had talks with titles as being about Alaska but for most of the hour or so were either jokes and funny pictures (that were most hilarious to him) or science but not directly put in terms of being related to Alaska. Basically he was attempting to be more a comedian or Bill Nye than the on board expert. I learned more from a couple of hours of reading books on Alaska than from the couple of hours of his talks. Mileage varies.

Usually tip extra for, or to hopefully receive, great service and always for room service delivery. I know the extra revenue from upcharges (cuts of meat and seafood) and beginning to charge for what use to be included (hamburgers and sushi, room service) is not going to the staff. Being a former waiter I understand that very well, but with those charges, I find i'm tipping less and less above the minimum.

Then with the fare paid to X for an upcoming cruise (more than other lines) i will be having room service lunch EVERY day we are on the ship during lunch. Expecting passengers to go buffet with the prices paid for the cruise or to eat on shore for extra $$$ is ridiculous! Other comparable liines will have an MDR open on port days if you want a "table service" meal for lunch. This is NOT modern luxury but modern accounting and penny pinching. We are looking to repeat cruises on certain routes, and since we would stay onboard in many of the ports we have visited numerous times, we won't be booking Celebrity for them if our options for lunch are room service menu or buffet.

Just be aware that you might be upgraded. Sounds great right? With an inside cabin, perhaps as you might get an oceanview or even a verandah. You might also book a family balcony cabin (huge aft cabin with huge balcony) and get *upgraded* to a concierge cabin in a bad location and instead of that great cabin and balcony, you get a much smaller cabin and balcony with afternoon canapes and other things you probably won't need or use. Some like concierge cabins and i agree they are nice, but for me i wouldn't pay extra for the extras and in this case it was to me definitely not an upgrade. But that's the risk in booking a guarantee.

Try the Canada (Alaska/Pacific Coastal) port of call section of the boards. Xxlxo and Martincaith and some others have excellent advice on this topic. Try this thread for instance:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2498804&page=2

Thanks, i have registered and have had an account for quite some time. Things are just not showing up. When i finally got through, yes on Captain's Club line i was transferred to, they knew it was an issue for many. They read them out to me over the phone with no trouble, so they can see them very easily on their site, just not on ours. The excursion tickets will list times, etc. of course once we are in the cabin, but i would like to know if i have time for other activities when in a port and can't wait to just find that out when i get there, i'm a planner! It is the same with our cruisetour descriptions that tell me when i'll be free at the end of every day, but don't tell me when the included activities actually start. As an early riser, it would be nice to know if i had time to do something before those included activities began.

As i wait on hold with Celebrity customer service (waiting and listening to ads for currently 13 minutes so far =Modern Luxury), wondering if anyone else can see their reservations but when going to calendar can only see arrival and departure times but nothing else that has been booked and purchased/paid (dining reservations, excursions, etc.). I received confirmation numbers when booking these things, but it is a little disconcerting to see nothing on a calendar which is supposed to list those things.

We are also doing a cruisetour and know the included excursions but have received nothing that shows what times these are. What if we want to do something else in a port, how do you plan? I've never had to work so hard MYSELF on something for which i was supposedly paying someone else to do.

I agree with walking if weather is ok. Don't forget to check the Battle House (also a Marriott Renaissance property and my favorite of the historic downtown hotels) for a park/cruise option. There is also a new Hilton Garden Inn on Conception St. but would be a very long walk and no shuttle so port parking is probably preferred unless they offer a park/cruise package. The parking deck at the port sometimes requires overflow parking below an interstate a short distance away, not ideal if your a late arriver and don't get in the actual deck. While I find embarkation in Mobile extremely easy and most times fairly speedy although not the fastest either, I think its much easier just to debark when returning, go to car in attached deck (arrive early!) and be on my way rather than have to be shuttled back to a hotel and leave from there.

However, through December, and possibly extended both the Riverview and Battle House have a park/cruise package starting at $169 with no minimum number of nights required, which includes parking for duration of the cruise and shuttle transportation for up to 5 guests. You would need two rooms minimum for your eight guests.

I would probably go with price in your situation.

Receiving null errors when attempting to retrieve additional guests, website not showing already confirmed reservations showing up on cruise docs. I hate to say it but of the 4 lines we've cruised with, i'm more frustrated and confused about what we have booked and will be honored, what is missing, etc. than I've ever been, and it's one of the more expensive lines. It is enough that I will lean towards other lines for my next vacation because of the sheer trouble this is causing. When i call the call center, they are either no help, say they're working on it, point me to another website i didn't even know existed or say that they have it covered but can't point me to anything written that says so. Perhaps if i were to book with them again i'd ask to forego the deposit and just ask them to trust me on it. I feel they put more effort in announcing the Edge than they have on their entire website.

Don't know if its allowed, mods can remove if necessary. Check out Coastal. We will hopefully be using them soon.

Trade-off between cruiseline and tour operators. We include your tour company in our guaranteed excursions list and on our website giving you greater exposure, you agree not to undercut our price for private bookings (or at least be very quiet about it, requiring a phone call and no on-line booking availability).

I would order a room decorations package or floral arrangement for an upcoming cruise during which there is a 50th wedding anniversary. We have the beverage package, afternoon canapes come to the room, there is food everywhere on board, I can order room service, etc. Other lines seem to have more choices, perhaps if we are looking for revenue we could offer those things instead of making things that were included with cruise fare now come with an extra fee (e.g. mast grill burgers). Guess i'll pack a few simple room decorations myself, hope you find something that works for you.

This portion of the website has all the options? Where are the room decorations, floral arrangements, spa packages, etc? I only see cheese, cakes, sweets and booze.

Royal Scam has great steak sandwich, asian slaw tenderloin salad. Also have good steaks, duck and gumbo. Standard burgers with crisp fries for the kids to gourmet with pimento cheese and other toppings. Downtown close to hotels and port, $10-$20 range. Website available, four stars+ on tripadvisor, zomato and yelp.

Good seafood at waterside "shacks" on the causeway (they are actually pretty large restaurants), depending on the hour although dark early that time of year, there is a duckboat tour, and a mardi gras museum (actually first began in Mobile and not NO). There is the Exploreum science museum and IMAX is downtown as well.