Northern Aurora

I've never seen a sign in any bar regarding the drink of the day. However, it will be mentioned in the printed Celebrity Today which is delivered to staterooms during the evening turndown service.

My husband and I primarily use the app for food menus. Show times in the theater are generally 7 and 9 PM nightly. Years ago on what is now called evening chic nights occasionally the later show would be even later than 9 PM but we haven't experienced that in years. Celebrity still delivers a printed daily planner during the evening turndown service. We generally use that information for lectures and other activities.

We actually have been to Prince Rupert as a cruise ship port. That was about a decade ago, but I remember it as having pretty scenery. We visited the Museum of Northern British Columbia which was well curated. Next we visited a small public garden. We had a lovely lunch at a restaurant overlooking the small boat harbor. And then spent some time in a very nice artist cooperative where I scored a nice pair of earrings. We enjoyed the port call, but don't expect cruise ship oriented tourism offerings. And no Diamonds International. I just hate opening the curtains to the balcony first thing in the morning and find myself staring at yet another Diamonds International.

Both the Solstice and the gigantic Ovation of the Seas disembark and embark on Fridays at Smith Cove. The congestion in front of the cruise terminal can be intense. You will not have any issues clearing customs. The issue will be the congestion in front of the cruise terminal. We have dealt with Smith Cove several times, and use either a car service or shuttle service. Car services and shuttles are allowed to drive to a narrow area in front of the terminal. The Lyft and Uber drop off/pick up area is much farther than what is normally expected and in a wheel chair you will definitely want to avoid that distance. When we disembarked the Solstice on July 1st we were some of the last off. We left approximately 9:30 am and were in the area designated for pick up by our shuttle service by about 9:50 or so. We are fully mobile so walked down a flight of stairs to the baggage claim area as the escalator was out of service. The line for what appeared to be the sole elevator was long. Once outside we encountered another Solstice family. The family included the mother who was in a wheelchair. The family had arranged for a car service to pick them up, but the vehicle itself had difficulty navigating close to them; both the husband and adult son were becoming very frustrated as they were trying to clear a pathway to get her to the vehicle. If you are heading to SEATAC the idea to book a Solstice airport transfer is a great idea. Also consider the Port of Seattle luggage valet service.

The RCL ship was Ovation of the Seas. Both the Solstice and Ovation are at Smith Cove on Fridays. We boarded the Solstice on June 17th for a B2B pair, and the line for Ovation was simply amazing. There has been some debate on the Alaska Cruise Critic forum about the size of Ovation and whether it should be deployed in some of the Alaska ports.

We have both purchased WP&YRR tickets from the cruise line and directly from the railroad. The one advantage for you, since your mother uses a cane, in purchasing tickets through the cruise line will be that the rail cars will be positioned very close to the cruise ship. Once the cars are boarded then the rail cars will move toward the WP&YRR ticket office where folks who purchased directly from the railroad will then board.

With the temperature requirements for concrete to "set up" I can't imagine that there could be much work on the project during our winter. Even if we have an incredibly mild winter it is still winter in the middle of Alaska in the middle a major mountain range. Last winter we had major bridge replacements in Fairbanks (yes -- plural) over the Chena River and the work stopped for the winter in late September/early October. And the other issue they are facing is that the NPS is a federal agency so has a fixed timeline regarding the issuance of federal $ contracts. So much time for the issuance of RFP, waiting for the responses to the RFPs and so forth.

Our local newspaper, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, has a year round reporter stationed in Healy. She has not reported any recent developments in the plans to bridge the Pretty Rocks area. I am starting to wonder when the bridging will be done and also doubt that the work will be done by next June.

Have you contacted the Sitka visitors center to ask? I suspect their e-mail address is in the helpful thread titled "2019 resources ...."

When my husband was diagnosed with Covid-19 and spent several days in isolation we opted for FCCs instead of a refund for his days in isolation. We left the ship (it would have been a B2B) and continued his remaining days of isolation in a hotel. We submitted a claim for the hotel and meals for the time period of his continued isolation. The Celebrity Engagement Center phone number is: 1-888-305-1427. Their e-mail address is: celebrityengagementcenter@celebrity.com.

We were on an 11 night cruise in April on the Eclipse. My memory is that the "stuff a bag special" wasn't offered . But in full disclosure we are Zenith members of the Captain's Club so don't pay a much attention as we should to laundry offerings.

We have been on several cruises since the global suspension of cruises. For B2B passengers the testing will be done on the last full day. Not the turnaround day.

I posted in post #34 about the partnership the Riverside has entered to provide rapid covid testing, and the information on the Riverside website clear sates "typically returned within 2 hours."

If our OP checks the Riverside website there is information about their partnership with a company named Curative for rapid covid testing.

While I suspect I know your itinerary I will still ask -- which Alaska ports are on the September 2nd sailing? Are you interested in DIY ideas?

Abby: I sincerely hope that your experience, and quite frankly the lack of planning for the port, becomes a "teachable moment" for others. This is a fascinating port due to both its Russian connection ( the the transfer ceremony in 1867 took place in Sitka) but it has as an interesting connection to the Lutheran Church (and no, I am not of that faith, but any basic research will indicate why). It is also a rather "artsy" community as they try to fend off the Diamonds's International and Tanzanite International stores. It also has a strong Tlingit connection. I actually had the incredible experience of being invited to a clan meal, with traditional Tlingit foods, at the amazing tribal hall a number of years ago.

I have been to Sitka several times both as a cruise port and also on business (Alaska Historical Society/Museums Alaska annual conference). It is actually one of my favorite SE communities. Years ago Sitka was a tender port. The dock north of town was built by the family who owns the boat works on that site. It is not owned by either the state of Alaska or the municipality of Sitka. During the global suspension of cruising the family expanded the privately owned dock to allow the docking of mega-ships. And our OP is correct -- the dock owners provide the shuttle busses to the Harrigan Centennial Center (which is the name of the "Community building"). An acquaintance grew up in Sitka and returns frequently to visit family. He was there for the Christmas holiday and I had a long discussion with him about the issues and concerns Sitka has about the enlargement of that private dock. It is his understanding that over the winter the community held a series of meetings trying to plan for the impact of a ship like the Ovation of the Seas on a community of about 9,000 residents. And I should also note that there has been some discussion not only on the Alaska Cruise Critic forum but also in the communities themselves as to whether these gigantic ships, such as Ovation, should even be sailing in Alaska. Instead of just wandering around when a mega ship is also in port folks need to have a plan. For example, our OP would probably been impressed with Sitka if they had walked from the Harrigan Centennial Center along the seawall to the Sitka National Historical Park which is often referred to as "totem pole park"; the SNHP contains an impressive number of totem poles in a wooded setting with an interpretative center and ranger led walks. Walking to the SNHP folks pass both the Sitka Sound Science Center and the Sheldon Jackson Museum (which is an auxiliary of the State Museum in Juneau). From the SNHP it is an easy walk for folks not mobility challenged to the Alaska Raptor Center. The Fortress of the Bear is beyond walking distance for most. The Russian Bishop's House is downtown but is most likely overwhelmed when a ship like Ovation is in port. The Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska website has port schedules for all Alaska ports which accept cruise ships.

We never print anything other than the luggage tags. We have never needed them, but if it provides reassurance then just save them to a lap top, i-Pad or smart phone.

My husband was also well treated when in isolation on the Eclipse. However, he did find that Ocean View room rather confining since he was stuck there. I suspect he felt confined because he knew he couldn't leave. And I also think you had a positive attitude.

My husband was in isolation for several days due to Covid-19 on the Eclipse in April. The Suite Manager offered either a refund or FCC. Since we have a number of future cruises booked we opted for the FCC. I had the FCCs (the amount was divided in two so each of us had a FCC) in hand on May 2nd. The cruise ended on May 4th.

We were in CS 9098 on the Infinity. We had no issues with noise, but the folks in 9096 did. The folks in 9096 suspected that 9098 is located under a storage area, while 9096 is under the grill itself.

We have boarded the Millennium in Seward. With so many folks taking the cruise chartered train from the Anchorage airport to the siding beside the Seward cruise terminal (think warehouse) the ship is very empty until that chartered train run arrives. We boarded around noon and there were few passengers on that ship. A few dribbled on throughout the day but once that chartered train arrived the ship filled. And my recollection is that the muster drill (we were on it pre-covid) wasn't until very late as the ship departed Seward (again, if my recollection is correct) about 8 PM. The fact that there would have been very few Concierge passengers onboard is most likely why there was no Concierge Class lunch. When we boarded in Seward we were on a B2B so we disembarked in Seward two weeks later. The same was true again as once there was a final boarding announcement for the early morning cruise chartered train that ship became a ghost ship. Few passengers were still onboard.

This sounds like what they tried to do on the Solstice in June, but did't have enough of the required seafood onboard. And the pop up crab shack lunch described by our OP sounds like a special lunch (which had a fee) which I saw on several Celebrity ships pre-covid on different itineraries. Not only did we see the offer on an Alaska itinerary but it also appeared on a Canada/New England itinerary. And while this opinion irritates some, as someone who actually lives in Alaska, I've found Tracey's Crab Shack in Juneau to be over-rated.

I spent two weeks on the Solstice in June on B2B 7 night itineraries. On each itinerary there were three production shows and you will find opinions vary across the board regarding quality. While is some tweaking Celebrity keeps their production shows on the ships for several years, and these production shows are the same as pre-covid. We have seen them before so didn't attend, but some folks I spoke with in Michael's Club thought they were very good. And as noted evening shows in the theater are at 7 and 9 PM.

We always tip at the end of each leg. As already indicated staff can be moved and we have actually had that happen once. While we were in the same stateroom for both legs the cabin attendant was moved to a different section.