Northern Aurora

We like the Harbor 360 Hotel for lodging. I don't know what the "best" way to transfer to Seward from Anchorage means -- the cheapest? The most scenic? But there is no commercial air service between Anchorage and Seward. The options are by Alaska Rail Road or by highway. There are motor coach options. The cost of a one-way car rental may be surprisingly expensive.

Understand that my husband and I reached the Zenith level of the Captain's Club in 2016. Through the years the "process" has changed. In 2016 only the folks being recognized as new Zenith members were on the bridge. In our case there were several other Zenith's onboard, which we knew, but they were not included. And we were not asked if we wanted to invite them. Nor did the Captain's Club ask them either. We did, however, have a lovely private dinner with Captain Kate. Somewhere around 2018 or so the new Zeniths were either asked if they wanted to invite others, or simply (and I suspect this was the "new" standard) the Captain's Club host/hostess invited all of the Zenith's onboard, whether the newbie knew them or not. We have attended a number of bridge "ceremonies" where we didn't know the folks at all. There is/was a facebook group hosted by a Zenith who now has been banned. I never bothered to "friend" the organizer, but he and his wife certainly know who my husband and I are. We have met them. Becoming a "Zenith" was never a goal for us. It just happened. There are now so many Zeniths it is becoming, on some ships, rather unmanageable for the Captain's Club host/hostess, and I suspect Zenith's have, as mentioned by Jim, lost their sparkle, particularly to management as some have quite the ego.

We were in Juneau twice last summer on port calls, and the color of the bus is still blue. Actually, the buses have been blue in color or a number of years. If they ever change color it will confuse the heck out of folks.

Since the resumption of cruising after the global suspension the Zenith initiations/recognitions that I have been aware of have not happened (at least on the ships we have been on) on the bridge, but instead at Blu. And the other Zeniths on the cruise have not been invited. There seems to have been some concern about having non-crew members on the bridge and potentially exposing the bridge staff to Covid-19. But this may be changing as in September (on the Solstice) we did a behind the scenes tour and one of the stops was the bridge. However, on the second leg of that September b2b there were new Zeniths who had their initiation/recognition, and none of the other Zeniths (there were ten others) were invited. We were B2B on the Solstice in June, and there was no Zenith gathering on either leg. We were again B2B on the Solstice in September; while the first leg had a Zenith cocktail gathering in Cellar Masters (no lunch at all), there was neither a cocktail gathering nor lunch on the second leg at all. While I am aware that some ships have had Zenith lunches the Solstice did not. I will be interested if one is held on either one of your legs.

While I don't remember seeing a sea otter in Haines, we've spotted them in outside of Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka. Seward seems to be a particularly good area for spotting them.

I agree -- it is a discount, not OBC. And there is a minimal number of nights. We once did a "Taste of Modern Luxury" cruise out of Southhampton on third leg of what was technically a B2B2B2B cruse, and that "taster" broke the discount series. No discount on the final leg.

A few random comments --- There is a casual restaurant at the top of the Mt. Roberts Tram. Throughout the years the National Park Service has acquired more and more of the old historic Skagway buildings. Some have historical displays while others are small museums. Many folks find it pleasant to wander through the collection. And just in case wifey is a quilter, there is an excellent quilt shop in Skagway too. The Skagway Brewing Company is a pleasant stop for lunch, but quite frankly I thought the meal wasn't as good last June as it has been in the past. But, according to my husband, the beer is still great. Also, according to the husband (I can't stand beer), the beer is actually better at the Klondike Brewing Company, but they don't serve food as of yet. We chatted with the KBC owner last summer and he is hoping to add some food options in the future but heaven only knows when and if that will happen. In ISP consider the gondola up to the top of the mountain.

I have been to Sitka both on business (joint Alaska Historical Society/Museums Alaska conferences) and as a port call. During salmon spawning times that stream does indeed have salmon running. The smell of the dying salmon is "interesting." And some of the trails will be closed due to bear activity.

Possibly we will meet while on board. We are the Zenith's from Alaska. We were the first folks who live in Alaska to become Zenith's and, as far as I know, are still the only. I have yet to post on the Cruise Critic roll calls for these cruises. There will be some new ports for us, but the bulk will be repeats. Take care, Gerry (and her husband Charles)

"Something else" is not going on. The cocktail gathering for those elite and higher in the Captain's Club has never happened on embarkation day.

Since our loyalty tier includes a Premium beverage package I don't pay much attention to the info delivered to the staterooms. But the Elite and higher cocktail gathering has never happened on embarkation day.

We were actually on the Solstice in March, 2020, on what would have been a B2B2B2B, and left the ship the day that Australian Border Force closed the border. We have been on Celebrity ships, on only B2Bs, since the resumption of sailing. Celebrity has conducted covid tests, at their expense, on consecutive sailings when tests have been required. I expect that policy is fleet wide and not itinerary specific. Will you be on the Eclipse? We plan to board on March 10, 2023 for a B2B2B2B.

I agree with Linda. One time at a B2B meeting we were adamantly told we had to report to Guest Relations to confirm what credit card we were using for the next leg. My husband was met with a blank stare and was told they had the credit card number.

My husband is an avid birder and we have flown to Nome to bird. We were there in early June and that year the road to Teller had just opened; we had rented a four wheel drive pick up and we needed it to get through some rough spots. The Kougarok Road wan't even open to Pilgrim Springs and the road to Council was also not fully open either. But the birding was spectacular.

I wonder of our OP has "googled" the website for the Haines convention and visitor's center. I suspect they have a guide for Haines. And I wonder about the statement "especially since the odds of seeing wildlife are low at this time of year." What type of wildlife are you interested in viewing? I live in the Interior of Alaska and by early May our bears are out of hibernation. There may be a few hesitant to leave their den, but the bulk will be out for sure. Regarding Sitka, the small boat excursions are lovely and are so different from a large cruise ship experience. But given the concerns about seasickness I understand your concerns. My sense is that most folks don't find the Raptor Center and Fortress of the Bear to be overly "touristy," Another consideration is to walk from the Harrigan Centennial Center along the waterfront to the Sitka National Historical Park (the local often refer to it as "totem pole park"). There is a nice interpretive center but the feature is the collection of totems distributed along a trail complex.

I am really late to this discussion, but just several comments from someone who actually lives in Alaska. Given the issue of potential seasickness definitely depart from Vancouver. We have been on over 60 cruises, and several times on Pacific Coastal cruises the seas have been rough north of SanFrancisco. We have been to Antarctica, crossed Cape Horn three times, been in the North Atlantic in the remnants of a nor'easter and definitely have experienced worst seas north of San Francisco than we experienced in those situations. You will be traveling during a very popular time with higher prices. Your budget for the cruise portion of this trip may determine which cruise line. All of the ports have a variety of excursion options. I expect all of ;your family will find something appealing to their interests.

Lately our CC points have been awarded to our accounts in five to seven days.

Your succinct letter abut the turnaround day process will tell you where to be and when to be there. Sometimes B2B passengers have had to go into the cruise terminal to complete the process, but more recently folks step off onto an outer deck to "ring-y dingy out" and then back on with their new sea pass cards. And on the Solstice in September the entire process was done in the Sky Lounge.

AKStafford has provided great info as he always does. Just a few comments -- as someone who lives abut a 2.5 hour drive north of the Denali National Park entrance I've always thought that folks who don't go into the park as far as Eielson Visitor's Center (mile 66) short-change themselves on the full park experience. Unstable land conditions prompted closure of the single park road at the Pretty Rocks section. At this time the shuttle buses go in as far as mile 43 ish. According to the DNP website the closure is expected to remain in effect through the summer of 2024. The Independence Mine State Historical Park is located in Hatcher Pass. Mahay's Jet Boat Adventures is a good option in Talkeetna. Three days is not enough to explore the Wrangell -- St. Elias National Park & Preserve.

I believe it was listed under Shore Excursions. My husband was checking for it and found it listed. Normally we consult with each other, but as soon as he saw it he immediately booked for both of us. Shore excursion tickets were delivered to the stateroom. I've already described the tour itself in a previous post. But the tour includes the Bridge, Engine Control Room, Galley (spent much longer time then the "taste of the operation" walk-through), crew mess (there are actually three), I-95 corridor, interior crew bar, food storage rooms, and laundry. We did not visit any crew cabins but saw photos. Nor did we visit the crew store. I may have missed something.

We were on the Solstice B2B in June, and it was offered on both legs. However, it also was sold out on both legs. The Retreat Concierges tried to wait list us but there were no cancellations. We were also on the Solstice in September for another B2B. When we found it on the Cruise Planner we immediately booked it for the first leg. It is my understanding that the Behind the Scenes Tour also sold out for those legs in September. We had taken a Behind the Scenes tour on a M-class ship but never on a S-class. Throughly enjoyed it again.

While I do enjoy wine I also enjoy a delicious mocktail. The bartenders do indeed have some great mocktails which are not listed on the bar menus. However, I love the minted lemonade mocktail from the bar menu -- tart sweet with bruised mint leaves. Wonderful on a warm weather itinerary.

While the ship will cruise up Endicott Arm with the naturalist providing narration there is an optimal excursion which I described in my prior post (#3). There are very limited spaces, and this excursion generally sells out prior to the actual cruise. We have both remained on the cruise ship and also have taken the small boat excursion which approaches Dawes much closer than the ship can navigate through the fairly narrow channel which has numerous ice bergs. After visiting Dawes the cruise ship will head to Juneau but will not visit Fords Terror (this small narrow fjord is named after a person who had to deal with tidal conditions, hence the "terror"). After the small (two level) boat visits Fords Terror it then heads to Juneau. The cruise ship is too large to navigate Fords Terror. You don't do an excursion actually to Dawes itself (ie, no walking on this massive glacier), but the small boat experience will take you closer to the glacier face, which will be actively calving (or at least it has every time we have visited). The calving will also be visible from the cruise ship. Hope this is clear.

Our first hand experience is that the former "Personal Retreat Hosts" are being referred to as butlers on other ships as well. And others have posted about this change back to butler as well.

A few years ago I was curious about the value of the laundry perk, so calculated what the laundry bag which had just returned would have cost if we had paid by the piece. It was just over $50.00. So the pre-purchase of a bag for $40 is a decent value.