Northern Aurora

Yes.

I also hope for the best for our OP and spouse -- hope the procedure is successful, and they are able to either move the cruise date or obtain some restitution.

You were very lucky indeed. Have you considered plowing your retirement funds into purchasing lottery tickets? Just teasing. But seriously, I remember attending a Museums Alaska/Alaska Historical Society joint meeting one time in Juneau where we didn't leave the hotel where the conference was being held; the rain was torrential. And don't get me started about one of those same conferences in Sitka. The state holiday Alaska Day is October 18th and the joint conferences (so many folks attend both so they are back to back over a five day period) usually include that date.

What airport and which cruise port? For example, in Seattle there are two cruise terminals.

Might be helpful if you listed your ports and interests. But every community on your itinerary has a visitor's bureau. Just use google to locate them. May find it helpful.

A number of the vendors will be closed. Folks who take a Alaska cruise in October need to consider themselves very lucky indeed if they don't experience pelting rain for hours, incredible fog and high winds. There is a reason why those cruises are so cheap.

I have been in SE Alaska in October on business. I can't imagine a cruise during that time frame. Regarding binoculars, a pair which is great for me most likely will not be great for our OP. Consider going into a sporting goods store and trying several pairs. Birdwatching magazines often have binocular reviews so consider checking the magazine offerings in your local library.

Check their Facebook page for their hours. They are closed on Sundays.

One more quick comment regarding Fairbanks restaurants -- the Alaska Salmon Bake may be tempting since they provide shuttle transportation (for a fee) but don't bother. Very over-priced for what they offer. Only open during the summer so their prime clientele are tourists. And in the past they offered a "special local discount" to try to lure locals. Only restaurant that I am aware of in Alaska which offered a discount to Alaska residents.

Sophie's Station in-house restaurant is Zach's. Zach's in the past was where ladies of a certain age met for lunch, and folks also had business lunches there too. Since the pandemic Alaska has been experiencing a severe labor shortage which has hit the hospitality industry particularly hard. So the last time I dined at Zach's it was just before the pandemic. Pike's Landing is a short taxi/uber away but they lost (he retired) their executive chef and reviews have been mixed. They do have a nice deck overlooking the Chena River. Brewster is a casual place within easy walking distance, but I wouldn't bother, If you like Thai then taxi/uber to the Lemon Grass. Fairbanks is the "Thai food capital of Alaska" and this is my favorite. This family owned restaurant actually has a second location in Thailand which has a white board for Fairbankans to sign. I would suggest the Pump House. The building itself has a great history as it was a pumping station moving water from the Chena River over Chena Ridge to mining camps on the over side. We live on Chena Ridge and this is our "go to" restaurant. Not really fancy but funky. They recently changed ownership and have a new executive chef. So are we have been pleased. A nice deck over looks the Chena. All of these restaurants have menus posted on their websites. You will need reservations at the Lemon Grass, Pike's and Pump House. I don't know when you will be visiting, but Fairbanks will be 88F today with higher later in the week.

What hotel will you be at?

Despite the fact that we live in Alaska we have done at least 6 Alaska cruises on Celebrity. On the Alaska itineraries dress is definitely more casual than on other Celebrity itineraries, with the exception of Antarctica. On evening chic nights I don't bother with a cocktail dress -- just black slacks and a sparkly top.

I wonder if we have different interpretations of the OP's question? Non-Alaskans can refer to the Alcan Hwy as the "Alaska Highway." I interpreted the question as a question about driving the Alcan, not driving an RV within Alaska.

That certainly has been our experience too, but we also have stood in line waiting for our eggs special order and folks have asked what the line was for. And that happened on a M-class ship.

We also have been able to have freshly prepared omelets and eggs prepared to order during the late OVC time period. But on the M-class ships at times it hasn't been clear where the station is located.

While on a cruise we encountered a couple who had contacted the Anchorage RV company and were considering driving one of the RVs from the factory or dealership to Anchorage. They were very interested in us because they wanted to know how long a time period would be needed. The RV company had a specific number of days to make the drive, which I can't remember now, but it seemed to us that there wasn't a whole lot of time to make some deviations off of the Alcan Hwy. For example, this couple wanted to divert down to Skagway and up to Dawson City, YT. We don't drive the Alcan (can't imagine wanting to do this, but we have a surprising number of RV caravans who end up in Fairbanks before going on their individual ways so apparently folks want to do this). We are the typical Alaskans -- when folks ask us the distance between Fairbanks and Anchorage our response is about 50 minutes if there is no need to de-ice. We tell them how long it takes to fly.

Glad to see that the Infinity is on the move. But also hope that @Boycey returns with a final update.

At 10 AM the Captain's Club host departs. And if the event is served buffet style the buffet is dismantled. If served by waiters they disappear.

Seattle Express runs about $25 one way and $45 round trip for a transfer from SEATAC to either cruise terminal.

Have you checked with the Port of Seattle? I thought flights had to be after noon. Am I wrong?

There is a company in Anchorage which moves new RVs to Alaska periodically. I don't know that it is every year. But they pay a gas allowance and folks have a certain number of days to reach Anchorage after picking up the RV. I have no idea which RV rental company it is, but this might be an option to research.

Suite guests meet in Michael's Club/Retreat Lounge. When suite guests are ready to disembark a Retreat Concierge or Suite Manager will escort the suite guest directly to the gangway -- effectively to the front of the line. And if you don't use the Seattle luggage valet program I suspect you will be carrying your own luggage. How early is that flight? SEATAC can be a zoo certain days.

Have you considered a suite at the Auberge? An easy walk to Canada Place. And a kitchenette may be handy with the kiddos.

Just to expand slightly on the post by @BazingAu there are also some interesting mocktails on the menus of the Rendezvous and Ensemble lounges. I particularly enjoy the minted lemonade -- very festive with the bruised mint leaves.

I've actually met Don and his wife while on a cruise in Europe. He has a very dry sense of humor. So Don -- did you enjoy it or not?