Northern Aurora

We have done Vancouver to Yokohama leaving in mid-September. We hit the remnants of a typhoon near the Aleutian Islands. The ship went into Yokohama a day early (we missed one Japan port) due to Typhoon Trami. We were B2B and all B2B passengers were evacuated off the ship to Yokohama hotels. On the second leg our itinerary was impacted by Typhoon Kong-Rei. But incredible fall colors. I am actually posting from a hotel at the Haneda airport as we have just completed another Japan B2B set. This time we enjoyed the cherry blossoms. On all of our Japan legs we have experienced some pretty rough seas. But the country is so wonderful all is well worth it.

Used room service utensils and plates left in hallways is also a pet peeve of mine. And when my husband was in quarantine with Covid on the Eclipse he and the others with Covid were moved into ocean view staterooms on deck 3. They were all provided with little tables outside their doors where they left their trays.

I have no experience with a Princess land tour but am posting from Japan as we have just ended B2B Celebrity cruises, and have also spent three weeks in Japan previously. At the ancient shrines and temples expect many uneven steps and limited stair railings. We were talking to a woman onboard who uses a cane, and she said at times she struggled. In the US we are so accustomed to ADA standards and I really wondered if she had assumed the rest of the world is the same.

Check the website for the Klondike Historical National Park. The NPS has films in their headquarters, there are ranger led walks and so forth.

Certainly since the resumption of cruising following the Covid pause we have been provided with a list of Retreat special activities such a guest performer or special martini night and so forth. Also lists the hours for the concierges. Lookin the grey folder for a long narrow piece of paper.

We left the Millennium this morning after B2B cruises. When we arrived at Haneda several weeks ago we took a taxi to our Yokohama hotel. We really did not find it to be unreasonable in cost. This morning our taxi from the cruise terminal to our Haneda hotel was 10,000 yen. Celebrity did indeed offer shuttles, but we realized that the shuttle costs (given current exchange rates) for two were more than a taxi. I do not remember the actual cost, but think it was around $50per person. And my husband hates those bus transfers. The Celebrity transfers were to Narita Terminal 1 for flights after 1:00 pm, to Narita Terminal 2 for flights after 1 pm, and to Haneda for flights after noon. On the March 28 cruise we docked at Yokohama at 6 am. We were a little later this morning as we had Medical emergency at 7 pm the day we left Aomori. We started to return to Aomori and were met by a Japan Coast Guard vessel. Seas were rough (the seasickness bags were out in abundance) and it’s took over an hour with heavy swells and in the dark to transfer the person.

Dang it — we are on a ship in Japan with rather high seas. A great situation for typos. The little white bags are in multiple places. Dinner was rather sparsely attended. We have driven the route in a rental CAR.

We have driven the route both in our own vehicles and in rental card. There is no need to be experienced in mountainous driving.

We spent 40 nights on the Edge last fall and enjoyed lunch at Le Grand Bistro 6 or 7 times. Absolutely loved the lobster bisque which was “caged” with puff pastry. And on the Edge series one of the MDRs was used for the Elite and higher breakfast.

Just to slightly expand on the answer, the Oceanview will have one coffee/hot water station open 24 hours, but which one can change from night to night. And I also do not recall seeing coconut as a non dairy alternate on a ship.

Interesting. I would not be happy either. We are presently on the Millennium in Japan. Today was a port day and Sushi on 5 was open from noon to 2:30 pm. We were going to eat on shore but the weather was so chilly we returned to the ship around noon.

Welcome to Cruise Critic! Without knowing your interests it is hard to make specific recommendations. Browse through this forum and you will find a number of ideas. Also use goggle to find the respective visitors bureaus of your ports of call.

I am posting from the Millennium. We were at Busan three days ago. The complimentary shuttle ran continuously from the pier to a Busan Subway Station. Chinatown was close so apparently a number folks visited Chinatown.

@TVA: The situation I mentioned has no relevance to your situation. We were on the Edge for a B2B2B series as the ship repositioned from the Mediterranean to Australia. Since we went through the Suez it was an unusual set of cruises and over a thousand passengers did multiple legs. When we boarded in Citiveechia our visas were checked for the first leg but not for following legs so a number of passengers slipped through. And let me state again that there was little sympathy from the onboard concierges for those passengers trying to upload photos for their visas needed at future port calls. I am posting from the Celebrity Millennium as we near the end of a B2B set of cruises in Japan. We are in Aomori, Japan today. Both cruises overnighted in Osaka, and that was one of the few ports which did not check our passports. In the bulk of Japanese ports you will be asked to show your passport in the cruise terminal, but do not confuse that process with a full immigration process. We did B2B cruises in Japan in 2018 and I do not remember this frequent passport check, but the world was a different place then. Yesterday we underwent a full immigration and customs inspection in Hakodate as the ship returned from Busan. For those with no status nor on a Celebrity shore excursion I can only wonder at the amount of time folks stood in line. We were escorted to the front as we are in a Suite and are also Zenith level loyalty members. I have no idea if Celebrity will allow your mother to board with only a visa for Japan. If there was some sort of medical emergency and they needed to take your mother to a hospital in Korea Celebrity would have a serious problem. Not having that visa is a liability for them. And please don’t wait for an email response to your question. You need to be on the phone. And write down the name of the person you talk to. Good luck.

While we also have enjoyed a number of the drinks (with alcohol) already mentioned, a favorite mocktail is the minted lemonade. No alcohol, but a bitter sweet flavor with bruised mint and great on a warm weather itinerary.

We are presently on Millennium. We are not smokers, but according to the Celebrity Today designated smoking areas are on deck 4 forward port side, deck 10 port side and deck 11 Mast Bar port side.

You really need to call celebrity yourself or have your travel agent contact them. Last fall we spent 40 nights on the Edge from Rome to Sydney. A number of visas were required (Jordan, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Australia). A surprising number of passengers were on board without the required visas, and the attitude on the ship was not sympathetic. Celebrity’s position was that the passengers are responsible for obtaining their proper paperwork.

I am presently on the Celebrity Millennium. When we landed at Haneda we used a taxi to reach the hotel. The drive was about 45 minutes. Retreat concierges are telling folks that there will be one coach shuttle to the Haneda airport. One of the concierges says it leaves the pier at 7:45 am while the other (more reliable one) says it leaves at 8:10 am.

I am posting from the Millennium on the second leg of a B2B. While the second leg used Osanbashi for embarkation we used the terminal on the island when we boarded in late March in Yokohama. So while Celebrity generally uses Osanbashi occasionally they do not. Pay attention to your e-docs.

Celebrity uses Pier 91 in Seattle. @Ferry_Watcher works there and can provide advice.

We love reindeer sausage. It will be easy to find.

We have used the Seattle light rail many times through the years, and have always felt comfortable.

If you are willing to rent a vehicle for the day and the weather is nice definitely consider Hatcher Pass and the Independence Mine State Historical Site. Also research Matanuska Glacier to determine if that might be of interest.

I am glad that there was no sentimental value. But I suspect that a housekeeping staff member had no idea that it was some sort of marker for a kiddo.

We also use the dry cleaning frequently. Never had a problem.