Northern Aurora

In ISP in September 2021 we watched ninety (yes -90) minutes of bubble feeding. Incredible. When ships dock at that floating dock whales will approach the cruise ship itself. Really great whale watching at that port. But book your whale watching at Juneau.

@Priszm: Is your cruise possibly stopping at Icy Strait Point? Incredible whale watching there. But definitely book Juneau.

@les37b: I believe I am correct when I state that every cruiseline which ends or starts an itinerary in either Seward or Whittier charters an Alaska Railroad run for embarking and disembarking passengers. These charters are not rail cars tacked onto a "regular" ARR run. The fact that your cruiseline will be disembarking and embarking passengers in Seward two days before the daily summer service starts is not an issue at all nor is it poor planning. I have both embarked and disembarked in Seward during the time period in which the ARR is operating daily train service between the downtown Anchorage ARR station and the Seward ARR station. On those days there will be a ARR chartered train waiting at the Seward cruise terminal in the early morning for the chartered run from the Seward cruise terminal to the Anchorage airport (not the downtown ARR station). About 5 PM there will be a second ARR chartered train which left from the Anchorage airport and arrives at the Seward cruise terminal. There will also be the "regular" ARR runs from the downtown ARR station to the Seward ARR station; the morning run will arrive in Seward about noonish and the evening train departs about 6 PM to return to the Anchorage downtown station.

While we have received e-mails from Royal Caribbean for years it does seem as if we are now receiving more than in the past.

Actually, Celebrity Pacific Coastal are done both in the fall and the spring. We have done several spring PC sailings as the ship moves from South America or re-positions from the Panama Canal. In fact, we have done more spring Pacific Coastal than fall sailings. Most of the time we have either ended or started the cruise in San Diego but a number of years ago we did one which started from San Francisco. Celebrity has rarely used Los Angeles. We are Zenith members of the Captain's Club with, shall we say, a number of Celebrity sailings. Possibly your milage varies.

We have been told a number of times that Luminae waiters & assistant waiters tips are pooled. This doesn't matter if you are on a S-class ship with forward and aft Luminae dining areas, or on a M-class with a single dining area. And we also have been told a number of times that the sommelier is not part of that pool. So we tip the Luminae waiter pool, the seating host/hostess, the sommelier and the maitre'd. We also additionally tip the butler and stateroom attendant as we have always had great service. We also tip the Retreat/Michael's Club bartender in addition to their assistant. We also tip the snack attendants. And we generally tip the Michael's Club/Retreat Concierges, although were times several years ago when we were sufficiently underwhelmed that we didn't tip the MC/R concierges.

We did the Pacific Coastal (which is what Jim refers to as Alaska Repositioning) followed by the first of the Mexico itineraries. If you are not into beaches and don't find the Caribbean appealing I would suggest a Pacific Coastal either from or to Vancouver, BC. We have done several and they are very enjoyable. And from Vancouver it would be a great pairing to do the Rocky Mountain Mountaineer either before or after a Pacific Coastal. Just iIncredible scenery. It will be interesting if Celebrity continues their Mexico cruises. My impression is that they were designed since the Solstice couldn't be deployed in Asia and the South Pacific (or wherever it would have been before covid-19).

Just want to make a quick comment -- Alaska cruises attract multi-generation families. There will be a number of 14 year olds onboard.

@les37b: As I read your post you indicate that train transfer is included. During the height of the summer tourist season the ARR does indeed run daily trains to from the downtown Anchorage ARR station to the Seward ARR station. But the cruise lines also charter special trains from the Seward cruise terminal (not the Seward ARR station, which is located close to the cruise terminal) to the Anchorage airport (not the Anchorage ARR station). These cruise line chartered ARR runs leave the Seward cruise terminal in the morning. These special charters can only be purchased through the cruise line and don't appear on the ARR website. Someone on your roll call appears to be overthinking the transfer.

While Celebrity Suites have a separate bedroom no specialty dining is included with a Celebrity Suite.

We have been in Millennium Celebrity Suites and my experience is no.

While I don't find these Mexican itineraries as exotic as something like the French Polynesia, I certainly hope that the powers that be recognize that there is a large market of cruisers on the West Coast who would love to take a quick trip which doesn't require much air travel (so no jet lag), or for that matter, any air travel. These are easy peasy relaxing itineraries which don't require much research or planning. And while the decor of the Solstice is definitely dated, when we were on her in June for a B2B and then returned in September for another B2B we found the ship clean with a happy friendly crew. Just the perfect attitude for a nice relaxing trip.

The amount of OBC depends on stateroom category. So high level suites are offered more OBC than inside staterooms. But sometimes there is even more OBC offered as an additional incentive when booking onboard. But to address your last sentence, while you can sit in the future cruise sales office waiting for the next available sales rep instead just book an appointment. Also, if you are in a Suite then the Retreat Concierges will book a time for you to meet with a future cruise sales rep in the Michael's Club/Retreat Lounge. We generally book future cruises while onboard, and don't spend much time doing so.

I've flown both in and out of Sitka. For those who haven't the runway is on a rather small island. Wheels are down and the plane is slows down approaching landing speed before you even see the runway below you. You just see the ocean below you. Taking off the plane is taken down to the very, and I mean very, end of the runway. Engines are revved up and you shoot down the runway. The first time I ever landed in Sitka my right hand was clenched, and I mean CLENCHED, by someone in the next seat. But great pie at the airport. The history of pie is a long story. I've also flown into Dutch Harbor/Unalaska which is much worse for those who are nervous to fly. The planes are again moved to the very edge of the runway, engines are revved, and you shoot down the runway. Then there are some "interesting" turns as the plane climbs out, and maneuvers around the dormant volcanoes and mountain tops.

I have been to Sitka both on business (to attend the Alaska Historical Society/Museums Alaska joint conference) and on port calls. Years ago Sitka was a tender port but several years ago a dock was built north of town. The dock owners provide shuttle transports from the dock to the Harrigan Centennial Center located in downtown Sitka. From the HCC much of Sitka is walkable. The walk along the small boat harbor to the Sitka National Historical Park (referred to as "totem pole park by the locals) is lovely. The park itself has an interpretive center and a collection of totems situated on wooded trails. The Alaska Raptor Center is walkable for those who do not have mobility issues, but the Fortress of the Bear is farther out. Downtown you will find the Sheldon Jackson Museum (an auxiliary of the Alaska State Museum), a small museum operated by the Sitka Historical Society, the Russian Bishop's House (operated by the US National Park Service), the Russian Orthodox Cathedral and so forth. The town itself is rather "arty" (for example they host an annual music festival) with some interesting galleries. As of yet Diamonds International has not opened a store, but since the cruise ship dock was expanded and now ships such as Ovation of the Seas can now dock, locals are concerned that Sitka may lose its charm. Use goggle to find the Sitka visitor's bureau.

Your loyalty level is not important. The reduced deposit is significant, and as already mentioned, there can be offers of additional OBC or other perks for bookings made onboard. But I also find that the Future Cruise Staff can be very helpful in selecting a specific cabin out of a general cabin category. A consideration if you are not familiar with a specific celebrity ship.

We have taken the WP&YRR several times. We have also driven one of our own vehicles into Skagway and also rented a vehicle for the day when there on a port call. If our OP is asking whether the road portion is less scenic than the train my response is that I don't think so.no. The train tracks were blasted out of cliff faces along one side of a valley and the road is essentially on the opposite side of the same valley, There are several places where the road diverges, but the road and train run parallel in a number of places.

Celebrity is actually very strict about non Aqua passengers joining Aqua passengers in Blu. Luminae has set prices for non-suite passengers joining Suite passengers in Luminae, but not so for Blu. An "accommodation" donated to the Blu Maitre'd will get you nowhere.

In 2022 we stayed in Vancouver twice before departing on cruises. In April 2022 we stayed again at the Pan Pacific (we have stayed there several times on prior trips) which can't be beat for convenience as the hotel bellmen can collect your luggage from your hotel room and deliver to the longshoremen. In September 2022 we stayed at the Auberge. We had last stayed there in 2018. The 2018 room was lovely, but the hotel has been renovated since then. We stayed in a suite in 2022 for less $ than a basic room at the Pan Pacific. Very easy walk, essentially downhill, from the Auberge to Canada Place.

Murray: I also want to thank you for your help and input on this forum. Your guide gave so many visitors courage to tour on their own. Wish you the best.

Some great comments from @psuboater. We have done most of them. And we have done the Argosy Ballard Locks trip twice, and enjoyed it both times.

Nice photos of the RS. And this is a little off topic but when we left the Solstice following our B2B the Retreat Concierges, through the Port Agent, organized a private car service. It was considered a "Private Journey's excursion." The cost was over $200 for the two of us, but we had so much non-refundable OBC we didn't care.

Comparing your time in ports may help you make your decision.

Thank you again for your review.

The response surprised me too. And that particular CC hostess has been with the company a long time.