Northern Aurora

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.

We did B2B Alaska cruises on the Solstice last month. On the first leg we realized that there was a special seafood lunch (not described as a pop up crab shack) for a fee in one of the specialty restaurants but realized it too late to make reservations. I spoke with one of the Retreat Concierges to ask if it would be offered on the second leg. She checked with the Food and Beverage folks and was told that the special seafood lunch was cancelled on the June 17th leg as they could not obtain the additional seafood. Due to the lack of the seafood it would not be offered on the June 24th leg either. Hopefully someone on the Millennium can provide more information.

Regarding our preferred cruise line bookings are strong for 2023 and prices are also higher.

Brent and Amanda were definitely on the Solstice for the June 17th and June 24th cruises. So who was your naturalist? I wonder what happened as the Solstice has been "their" ship for the past several years.

Don, in post #4, was clearly referencing Alaska King Crab. The king crab fishery is a winter fishery (the fishery opens in late October/November), and yes, the crab is flash frozen. I have actually been to Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, which is where the vessels featured in Deadliest Catch home port during the fishing season. We took an Alaska Marine Highway ferry from Kodiak to Unalaska, and spent several days there before flying out. The king crab we consumed in Unalaska was frozen. But the dungeness fishery is held during the summer. There are different commercial fishing seasons for different species.

We did B2B Alaska cruises in June. On both legs there were vendors offering "walk up" excursions in both Ketchikan and Juneau. I didn't pay much attention so don't know the extent of the offerings.

We have had fresh Dungeness in Ketchikan at both Annabelles and the George Inlet Lodge as there is a Dungy fishery there. I don't know the extent of the dungeness fishing season so you will need to do some research.

While other passengers' experiences may vary I find that the meals at Tuscan Grill are more variable in quality than I find in the other Celebrity specialty restaurants. While the antipasti board, the Tuscan bean soup and the arugula salad with goat cheese have been consistently delicious we have had some interesting experiences with some other dishes. For example, the lasagna I had on the Solstice lat month wasn't as good as on other Celebrity ships. I was planning to order the veal marsala, but the Tuscan Grill server did not recommend the dish as she thought the veal was very tough. She brought out a serving, and both my husband and I agreed -- while the mushrooms were excellent the veal was indeed tough. I don't find this inconsistency in quality when dining in Murano.

To slightly expand on the cabin category issue, passengers booked in Suites can disembark at any time. Suite passengers gather in the Retreat Lounge/Michael's Club and the concierges escort them to the gangway entrance when they are ready to disembark. Zenith and Suite passengers have special disembarkation luggage tags and their luggage will be in the area for those luggage tags.

Are the other passengers booked in a Suite? Suite passengers are allowed to dine in Blu on a space available basis. Celebrity is strict about restricting Blu for Aqua Class passengers with Suite passengers allowed on a space available basis. It does not matter if the reservations are linked. The only exception is a single passenger in Blu is allowed to invite a single non-Aqua passenger; I have heard this referred to as the "one plus" policy and observed it on the Eclipse in 2019.

We also enjoyed Noval, Ari, Anna and Melissa. And also Raffy. During both of our cruises the Luminae clientele tended toward early dining which I find fairly typical for Alaska cruises. We tried to dine after the initial early diners. Since we live in the state other passengers find it amusing that we do Alaska cruises periodically. But we live in the Interior which is so different than SE Alaska that an Alaska cruise gives us an excuse to spend time in a different part of our very, very large state.

Well -- we are Zenith level Captain's Club members. My husband tested positive on the what would have been the first leg of a B2B on the Eclipse. I opted to remain in our Suite but my husband was moved to a deck 3 Ocean View stateroom. While we would have been allowed to remain for the second leg we opted to leave the ship in Honolulu to complete the remaining five days of his isolation. He was going stir-crazy in that Ocean View.

So glad you enjoyed your first Celebrity cruise and the Solstice. We were on the Solstice for B2B cruises and left the day you boarded. While we have been on the Solstice a number of times (and were actually on her in the South Pacific when the global suspension of cruising was implemented on March 20, 2020) we were pleased to return and also had a great time. We found the Solstice Retreat team to be one of the best we have experienced. And while we had a different Luminae maitre'd as Mr. Fernando was leaving on vacation I hope you also experienced a wonderful Luminae experience.

The standard B2B letter has been posted on this forum a number of times. Hopefully you will find it by using the search function.

We were B2B on the Solstice in a suite during the last half of June. I periodically ordered off the MDR menu, particularly at lunch. We had kids younger than ten on both sailings and meals for them did not seem to be an issue. The Retreat/Michael's Club team (Suite Manager, two Retreat Concierges, MC bartender and assistant bartender) is one of the best we have experienced. The bartenders will concoct non-alcohol drinks for your daughter. A silent disco event will be held in Michael's Club which your daughter may really enjoy. The Luminae waiter team was perfect. You will have a different Luminae maitre' d as Mr. Fernando was leaving on vacation as we were also leaving. And make sure that you take advantage of priority tender (if you will be tendering at Skagway due to the dock damage caused by a rock slide) offered by the fact you are in a suite.

In June we did B2B RTs from Seattle and so filled out the ArriveCAN twice. Not an issue.

While I don't know which cruise line our OP is on my favorite cruise line has warm heavy fleece throws available for passengers when doing colder weather itineraries. They are in the bins on the pool decks where during hot weather itineraries pool blankets are stored.

Our experience was the same as posted by Jim. We were also in a suite (not booked through a move up upgrade). Since we have a number of future bookings we didn't ask for a refund but took the amount in the form of FCC which we have already used.

I have been to Kodiak both on business and prior to boarding a state ferry to head to Dutch Harbor/Unalaska. The time we were there prior to boarding the state ferry a cruise ship was docked. Kodiak doesn't have many cruise ships stop there and I don't remember any private vendors offering tours. Both the Alutiq Museum and the Kodiak History Museum (aka the Baranov Museum) are within easy walking distance to where I suspect you will be docked. The Ft. Abercrombie State Historical Park is not within easy walking distance but several years ago there was a downtown gift store which had rental cars available for the day; I have no recollection of the name of that store, but it again would be within easy walking distance to where I suspect you will dock. The Kodiak visitor's center will have information.

If you are on a ship it also appears on the TV screen under your account. As already mentioned it also appears on the cruise planner as you open excursions.

Jim: Did you test positive prior to April 1st or prior to May 1st? My husband tested positive on April 30th on the Eclipse on what would have been a B2B. We boarded on April 23rd. Even though the April 23rd sailing was the return to passenger service our experience was different as different ships seem to handle the situation differently. I remained in our Suite while my husband was moved to an Ocean View stateroom on deck 3. The Eclipse Suite Manager was excellent and was my point of contact. He actually had been a waiter in Luminae in 2016 and remembered us from a sailing. In any event, we were offered either reimbursement or FCC for both my husband's time in isolation and the second cruise leg. While we were given the offer to remain on board for the second leg my husband was going stir-crazy in that Ocean View and we didn't know how long he would have to remain so we opted to leave the ship in Honolulu to continue his isolation. Since we cruise frequently with Celebrity we opted for the FCCs. I left the ship in Honolulu with four FCCs in hand -- one pair was pro-rated days of my husband's time in isolation and the second pair was in the amount of our cruise fare for the second leg. We were instructed to save our receipts for hotel and food for the time in Honolulu. We stayed in Honolulu longer than the five days he was to remain in isolation. So we electronically submitted copies of the hotel and food to the Celebrity Engagement Center. I called to confirm they had received the copies and was told to expect about 30 days before being reimbursed. About 25 days later I called again and the claim was submitted while I was on the phone. We have just returned home after 14 days on the Solstice and while we were gone the claim amount was reimbursed on the credit card we had used to pay for the Eclipse cruise. The amount reimbursed was exactly what we expected and was refunded in one amount. While my husband was fully vaccinated and boosted he wasn't pleased about experiencing a break through case, but felt the care was excellent. The Suite Manager and Retreat Concierges were calling frequently to check on his needs. It is rather interesting to me that while the Eclipse had just returned to service they were more "on top" of the situation than some other ships.