Northern Aurora

I remember what Skagway was before it was found by the cruise industry. It has become too touristy for my taste but there is a great quilt shop in Skagway. ISP was developed by the local native corporation (Hunt Totem) and is an example of folks of first nations heritage creating jobs for their local economy.

There are pluses and minuses on both the M- and S-class ships. We like both classes of ships. We prefer the design of Luminae and Blu on the M-class ship over the S-class design as both restaurants are smaller on the M-class ships. We also do like the three banks of elevators on the M-class ships. And we much prefer the design of the M-class Rendezvous Lounges over the Ensemble Lounges on the S-class ships. We spent two weeks on the Millennium in September 2021. We met someone who was on their first Celebrity cruise but had cruised other lines. When I mentioned that the Millennium was the oldest ship currently sailing in the Celebrity fleet the guy was surprised. The ship has been "revolutionized" and you would never suspect it is an "old" ship.

My favorite Kenai Fjords small boat excursion vendor is Major Marine. Due to timing of the afternoon train departing from the Anchorage Airport to the Seward cruise terminal the ships departing from Seward often leave about 8 PM. So easy to do on the turnaround day of a B2B.

Since you will be provided with an "In Transit" pass you could walk off if you really wanted to for some reason. But no, you will not need to do so. Your traveling companion will simply check in when she arrives and you do not need to be present.

Schipol, the Amsterdam airport, has been experiencing significant problems with delays getting through security. Who knows what the situation will be be when you fly, but I personally wouldn't try an 11 AM departure.

While it isn't the most interesting hotel in San Diego the Wyndham San Diego Bayside is essentially right across the street from the cruise terminal. On site dining. Also across the street from the San Diego Maritime Museum and very close to the Midway (aircraft carrier museum).

And what do the group members want to see or do? Are they the outdoorsy type of folks? Want to see wildlife? Interested in our first people cultures? Refuse to fly in small planes or helicopters? Any mobility issues? Most, if not all, of the communities which host cruise ships have a visitors' bureau (sometimes combined with their respective Chamber of Commerce). Just use goggle to find them. And most, if not all, have downloadable visitor guides.

I have been to Kodiak both on business (attending a Alaska Historical Society/Museums Alaska annual joint conference) and on pleasure. Kodiak has interesting WWII history. As mentioned above if you are interested in renting a vehicle driving out toward the village of Chignik is interesting. Look for the famous bears. Renting a vehicle would also make it easy to visit Ft. Abercrombie. My husband and I spent several days in Kodiak in 2016 before boarding the Alaska State Ferry Tustamena for a trip to Dutch Harbor/Unalaska, and at that time a downtown gift shop was the pick up location for rental cars. Museums easily walkable in Kodiak include the Alutiq Museum and the Kodiak History Museum (aka the Baranov Museum). I wasn't aware that any cruise ship tendered in Kodiak. Docking locations include the State Ferry terminal (which is located downtown) and a secondary more industrial location which is a very short walk to the downtown area.

Contact the Seavey's directly and ask if they provide shuttle service. Somehow it seems to me that in the past (ie. pre-pandemic) they may have done so.

Actually, I am not sure that Celebrity offers room service on embarkation day. But our OP has stated that they haven't cruised with Celebrity for several years. Since the resumption of cruising after the global suspension Celebrity now has folks pick up their sea passes from the mail slot outside their stateroom door. While the stateroom attendants may not have fully prepared the stateroom folks are free to drop off their carryons and put valuables in the safe. Not having folks schlep around their carryons makes a surprising difference and the public venues don't feel as crowded.

Yes Don -- I posted about this several hours ago. As reported today in both the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and Anchorage Daily News an agreement with a contractor was formalized last week. The work is expected to begin in May 2023, and if all goes well, the NPS states travel along the entire length of the single park road may be possible in 2025 but the press releases aren't predicting whether that would be early in the season or later in the season. Since there has been no maintenance on the road past the closure since August 2021 there are indeed concerns about the road conditions past Pretty Rocks. While there is a park road maintenance camp near the park entrance I am not aware of a secondary road maintenance camp located between Eielson Visitor Center and Kantishna.

When we were on the Eclipse in April 2022 the Luminae maitre'd was Aurica. She was superb. We will be fortunate indeed if she is still onboard when we join the Eclipse in March. And a great "thank you" to nz1 for your reporting.

The hard copy of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and the electronic version of today's Anchorage Daily News both have published updates on the rock slide issue at Pretty Rocks. The National Park Service has selected a contractor, the contract was formalized last week, construction is scheduled to start next May and they hope, if all goes well, to have the road accessible by the summer of 2025.

We have both rented cars in Skagway when on port calls, and have actually driven our own vehicles to Skagway. You may be pushing your time trying to drive to Emerald Lake. When we rented vehicles in Skagway we the car rental office didn't open until 8 AM. Sitka is very easy to DIY. The Russian Bishop's House, the Sheldon Jackson Museum and Sitka National Historical Park are all with in easy walking distance from the Harrigan Centennial Center. Unless you have serious mobility problems the Raptor Center is also within walking distance. The Fortress of the Bear is not. Sitka has a visitor center website with a visitor guide; use goggle to find the website.

We will be returning to the Eclipse in March for a B2B2B2B series. When we were on the Eclipse in April 2022 the Michaels' Club concierges and the Suite Manager were all excellent. The Suite Manager remembered us from when he was a Luminae waiter in 2016. In any event, who is the current Suite Manager? Do you have one or two Retreat Concierges? Enjoying your posts.

We were on the first April 2022 Eclipse sailing when the ship returned to passenger operations. That was the famous/infamous "barnacle cruise." The Luminae maitre'd on that sailing was one of the best ever, as was the entire Luminae staff. We will be returning to the Eclipse in March for a B2B2B2B, and wonder who the Luminae maitre'd is on your sailing? Sommelier? Any standout waitstaff?

Passengers in Suites and also Zenith level Captain's Club member have priority boarding.

After posting I realized I didn't mention the Sealaska Heritage Institute. Their wonderful gift store is open 10 AM to 6 PM daily. The Exhibit Gallery (paid admission) is open 10 AM to 4:30 daily.

Regarding museums, the Alaska State Museum should be on their winter hours in October; those hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 AM to 4 PM. Their budget is such that I doubt they have the ability to pay overtime to employees. The Juneau Artists Gallery (an artists co-op) is open Tuesday through Saturday 11 AM to 5:30 PM.

Canadian authorities also limit the number of bars which can be open while in port. At least in Canada the Retreat Lounge/Michale's Club was considered private, and was exempt from the number count. It operated normally.

It is cumulative over duration of the cruise -- so remember to log out.

Given the schedule of our preferred airline we stay overnight at a Vancouver airport hotel and fly out the next day. And US citizens need to remember that they clear US Immigration before departure.

Alaska is experiencing a severe labor shortage in general, and an incredibly severe shortage of folks who have Commercial Drivers Licenses. The issues with school bus service across the state are amazing and I am just thrilled that we don't have kiddos who are too young to drive themselves. And Fairbanks has a better handle on the school bus problem than several other large districts. That being said, there is a large hotel in Fairbanks which for a number of years (over a decade if not two decades) offered a fixed route shuttle service which served their several properties and a number of tourist attractions. Well -- the summer of 2022 no shuttle service because of the shortage of folks with CDLs. Before assuming the shuttle to the Alaska Native Heritage Center is operating folks will need to contact them.

While the Millennium is the oldest ship in the current Celebrity fleet you would never know it. The ship has been "revolutionized." We have done Celebrity itineraries including the RT out of Seattle, RT out of Vancouver and the one ways between Vancouver and Seward. I am of the opinion that the one ways between Seward and Vancouver are the stronger itineraries. I rank the RTs out of Vancouver second with the RTs out of Seattle last. I haven't checked the Edge itineraries.

I am a little late to the discussion, but did a B2B in June (same cornerSky Suite 1 for both legs) and another B2B in September (a Pacific Coastal in a Celebrity Suite and the first Mexican itinerary in a corner Sky Suite 1). While the Solstice hasn't been "revolutionized," and the color scheme is definitely dated the ship is in good repair. All three of our suites on the Solstice were in good shape with some clearly having new soft goods. Staff and crew were great. While we were in corner Sky Suites so were not under the Ocean View Cafe so no comments on a noise issue. I would book the Celebrity Suite for the additional space.