Northern Aurora

Your statement is really interesting. A rather blanket statement. Why is it one of the "don'ts?"

As someone who travels in Suites and is also a Zenith CC member, Suite guests can actually attend the Concierge, B2B and Zenith luncheon in the MDR offered on turnaround/embarkation day. Not quite sure why you would want to but it is allowed.

The debate about north versus south bound comes up so frequently I generally don't comment. Even though we live in Alaska we periodically do Alaska itineraries and even have done a B2B which was a south bound for the first leg with the return back northbound. I never find much difference. What is more important is the amount of time in ports. I don't know who the "they" is who is reporting that the single road into Denali National Park will be operational past the Pretty Rocks problems area. We are reading no such reporting in our local newspaper, which has a year round reporter stationed in Healy.

We have been in those aft-facing AQ1 staterooms on all four of the M-class ships. On the Constellation we spent a B2B2B set of Mediterranean cruises in stateroom 1140. I am extremely fair and sunburn easily. I don't try to tan at all. All of those aft facing staterooms are a nice balance between sun and cover. Nice cover for when you want to sit near the balcony door, but lots of sun for those who desire when near the railing. We have not had issues with the movies on deck 12 as you can only hear them when on the balcony, and even then, only when there is action such as a car crash. And the music from the Sunset Bar has never been an issue either.

A number of years ago someone posted a photo of a "White Night" which was taken on a cruise line which primarily catered to UK cruisers. In the photo everyone is dressed in white -- men in white shirts, white pants, white socks and white shoes. Same for the ladies. Since I rarely drink cocktails but enjoy red wine my thought that I was looking at a potential problem -- just think about red wine, white clothing and a moving ship....... In any event I haven't seen any "White Night" gathering on a Celebrity ship which approached that level.

We generally just check the app for menus. A paper copy of the Celebrity Today (planner) will be delivered during the evening turndown service. And your sea pass card is used to make purchases.

We left a ship in San Pedro on October 1st. The line for taxis was long, but since we were not in that line I can't provide a wait time. We had arranged (through the Suite concierges) for a private car for transport to LAX. Since the Suite concierges organized it I have no idea regarding the name of the company. In any event, we were also in First Class on Delta. You don't mention if you have TSA pre-check or not, but Delta has shorter lines for luggage drop off for first class, and also shorter lines for security clearance too for First Class. The date we were there the security lines for long for those who were not in First Class nor had TSA pre-check. LAX is not one of my favorite airports although we never have had serious problems. However, if you are not familiar with the airport consider printing off a map of the facility. I suspect the LAX website has one.

@mcrcruiser: One of the other changes you will find is how Celebrity now handles the muster drill. You will watch the video on the app or on your stateroom TV (we use the app) and then report to the muster station with your sea pass cards to be "checked off the list." Celebrity is trying to avoid folks congregating in small spaces (ie, being crowded into muster stations). So much easier, particularly since one of you will be using a scooter.

Sushi on 5 is located in the same space which originally had Bistro on 5. My memory is that Bistro on 5 had cover charges. We actually prefer Sushi on 5; prices are ala carte. Be sure to download the Celebrity app as it has the menu (which is standard across the fleet), or use the search function to find a Sushi on 5 menu. Following the pandemic Celebrity has made some changes. For example, you now go directly to your stateroom after boarding to pick up your sea pass cards (you will not get them in the cruise terminal). The sea pass cards will be outside your stateroom in the mail slot holder. While your stateroom attendant may not have totally completed the stateroom cleaning (in that case there will a magnetic sign on the door stating something along the lines of "perfection in progress"), but you are free to drop off your carryons and put valuables in the safe. No more having to tote carry on bags around the ship.

Welcome to Celebrity. I will try to answer some of your questions and others will chime in too. Regarding robes, while I have never booked an inside stateroom, I think that robes are provided in all staterooms. Quality differs depending on the stateroom. Download the Celebrity app. Look for a similar cruise on the Summit and you should find a schedule of activities which will be similar to your sailing. The MDR can be a drawn out experience. The evening shows in the theater will be at 7 PM with a repeat at 9 PM. Comedians may be the featured act in the theater but are often in the Sky Lounge (deck 11 forward) with later shows. The theaters are sufficiently large that folks don't need to arrive really early for a good seat.

And book early for Alcatraz -- those tickets sell quickly.

At either the Edgewater or Marriott you are so close to Pier 66 even I could throw a baseball and hit the cruise terminal. From the upper decks of a cruise ship folks can look into the rooms of the Edgewater. The Marriott is across the street from the terminal. You simply walk over to the cruise terminal and deliver your luggage to the entrance where porters collect the luggage. Even folks in wheelchairs don't have any issues.

I have a been in Sitka both on business (the Museums Alaska and Alaska Historical Society meet in B2B meetings since so many people attend both, and have met in Sitka several times) and as a cruise port. While there was a Russian restaurant years ago it is no longer in operation. It was in the Bay View Pub location, and unfortunately, it is my understanding (from our acquaintance who is from Sitka and was there for the 2021 Christmas holiday) that the Bay View Pub is also no longer in existence. If another restaurant serving Russian food is in operation I hope someone will chime in. Kodiak, for those who have been there, has a very strong Russian tie. They have the lovely Russian Holy Resurrection Orthodox Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox Seminary and a very active Orthodox community. There are restaurants there which serve Russian foods.

Sitka is a more "arty" community than the standard cruise ports. For example, they host a lovely Sitka Music Festival annually. However, with ships such as Ovation of the Seas now being able to dock I wonder if some of the more unique galleries will be crowded out with T-shirt shops and those offering merchandize manufactured overseas.

We were on the Solstice both in June 2022 and September 2022. The production shows will be the same as pre-pandemic. Since the resumption of sailing we have been on seven itineraries, and it seems to me (although I could be mistaken) that there are more comedians on board than in the past. Also, while some of the standard theater acts which were regulars on both RC and X ships are still there (ie folks like Karen Grainger) new acts have been introduced.

The Michael's Clubs/Retreat Lounges are only available for passengers sailing in Suites. Zenith members of the Captain's Club are not included. And since the resumption of sailings we have been on seven cruises, all in Suites, and have not been aware of any high level Blue Chip cruisers in MC/RL either.

Let me respond to the Mt Roberts Tram question. Don't pre-purchase tickets. The views are lovely on clear days, but if the weather is cloudy and rainy you won't want to take the tram. While there will appear to be lines, in actuality the lines move very quickly. We generally do a walk, and enjoy appetizers at the bar before heading back down.

Sitka is charming. It was the site of the transfer of Russian America (Alaska) to the US. The Russian America Company had their headquarters there at the time of the transfer. An interesting variety of options to visit. The Sitka Historical Park has been mentioned (often referred to as totem pole park), and the Sheldon Jackson Museum is actually an auxiliary of the Alaska State Museum. I will be interested in "Ashland's" reply to "Italy52". While in the past Sitka was a tender port since the dock was constructed north of the downtown free shuttle buses (paid for by the folks who own the dock) run continuously between the dock and the Harrigan Centennial Center. Outside the HCC are vendors set up to provide last minute tours. I've seen signs for a combo tour to the Raptor Center and the Fortress of the Bear. And the dock was enlarged in 2021. The "genormous" ships can now dock. I believe Sitka had the Ovation the Seas dock last summer. An acquaintance is from Sitka and was there at Christmas 2021 to spend the holiday with family. At that time there were meetings organized to make plans as to how to handle days with large ships in port.

Interesting. We realized after leaving the Solstice in September that we didn't remember seeing folks walking around the ship with the cheap tote bags. And I don't think we saw anyone with the cheap bags on the Eclipse in April 2022 nor the Millennium in September 2021. Since the resumption of cruising we have been in either Celebrity Suites or Sky Suites and are receiving the heavy bags.

It has been awhile since we have been in a Aqua stateroom but this is so true. A cruising acquaintance uses the white "backpack" to organize individual knitting projects as a knitting needle can protrude through the mesh. We've been on seven individual legs since the resumption cruising. While i don't remember the situation on the Eclipse and the Millennium, we were B2B on the Solstice in both June and also September. While we received the heavy tote bags provided to Suites on all those legs it seems to me that on the Solstice we didn't see the cheaper bags. Are they still provided? Does every stateroom category still receive a tote bag of some type?

The Edge in Alaska is certainly going to be interesting. We board the spring of 2023 in Civitavecchia, go through the Suez Canal and leave the ship in Sydney. The Australians are already excited to have it in their waters.

Any idea when the Greenland/Iceland itinerary will be released? We had it booked in 2021 but that B2B was one of many we had booked which were cancelled.

Even though we live in Alaska we periodically do Alaska cruises since it gives an opportunity to see another part of our enormous state. Just a few comments -- I am somewhat surprised when Glacier Bay is considered to be a "must." Those glaciers are in full retreat (ie, shrinking rapidly) while Hubbard is a tidewater glacier which is advancing. And seriously consider the Hubbard Glacier Wilderness Exploration as the much smaller boat will be able to approach Hubbard much closer than the cruise ship. Icy Strait Point is known for incredible whale watching if that is of interest. In contrast, Skagway is connected to the history of the Klondike Gold Rush as it was an entry point to the gold fields; no gold was actually found in Skagway. Celebrity will have a naturalist on board. The bulk, if not all, of the Beyond the Podium speakers will be talking about whales, marine wildlife and so forth. Dress will be very casual. And which option you select remember that a cruise will only offer a small taste of Alaska. I always smile when we meet fellow passengers while on a ship who tell us, when they learn that we live in Alaska, that they have been "all over" our state as they took a seven night cruise with a cruise tour up to Denali National Park.

We haven't been to Antarctica since 2015 but we also used Pira Tours out of Ushuaia. Since we were on a B2B2B we actually used Pira Tours twice and visited Harberton Estancia twice. In the Falklands we used Patrick Watts. While I know this is not a popular statement, but we found the trip to Harberton Estancia to be a better penguin experience than the trip to Volunteer Point with Patrick Watts. In other ports we used a company named something along the lines of Southernexcursions; they offered tours in more than one port.

While no one can predict the weather conditions be prepared for heavy rain and rough seas. And if you luck out had have lovely weather be happy. For the family members heading to Fairbanks, they will arrive during our aurora season. Are they considering a visit to Chena Hot Springs Resort?