aimee0803

It's my pleasure to do this review...I'm so glad that it is helpful!!!

 

I think the leggings will be fine on their own in port. Mine were. I think the Athleta tights I have are very similar in function to UA Cold Gear.

 

Hubbard day was especially cold. Being on the water...and with the wind chill...it was the coldest day by far. Also...being on the top most deck...no shelter. My thought was not to have something under the leggings...but maybe I could have put my lightweight joggers on top of the leggings? The joggers in question have an elastic waist back with a snap front and a drawstring. I wondered if they might have been like wind breakers for legs. LOL.

 

I was fine though. I was so layered up on top...and had decent foot coverage. My legs were cold...but it was manageable because I was fine everywhere else. My jacket covered most of my bum so not too much exposure.

 

Does that help?

Yes! Thank you :D I will have a few base layer pants and joggers for onboard, so that will be perfect for Hubbard Glacier. I'm the same with so many top layers, so that will never be an issue haha

Thank you again for continuing to post this amazing review. It is definitely helping me make plans for my upcoming cruise.

Your point about an extra pants layer raises a question...You note that you normally wear hiking leggings during your land excursions. I got some Under Armour ColdGear bottoms (2 pairs of leggings and a pair of joggers. Will the leggings be enough on their own in port? I don't think I could wear any base layer under them.

Breakfast in Giovanni’s.

 

Watching choppers fly and people leaving for fishing. I think I need a chopper. Fly me to the end of the pier.

 

Ovation will be in Alaska next year...maybe that will be a new Star Class perk!

I got my parka ready for the ride.

 

I have my rain gear, long johns, boots and ear muffs ready too! Of coarse with the sunny 90 degree weather in So Cal I look rather strange..... So I am also wearing my flip flops.

Celebrating our 25th next year :)

CT

 

Same here! Ordering and trying on base layers and fleece feels weird when it's 90 (feels like 99) degrees outside. :cool:

Here’s a handy map of Ketchikan:

 

http://www.alaska.org/guide/downtown-ketchikan-walking-tour

 

We made our way to the Chief Johnson Totem Pole.

 

I posted the story of this pole earlier in the thread…but here it is again:

 

http://csukach.net/legend-of-the-fog/

 

Over coffee…I had called up this story and read it aloud to my family. So we could figure out the figures in the story on the totem when we saw it.

 

There’s a foot bridge right there that accesses Creek Street:

 

 

In this area…everything is over the water. The boardwalk. The stores. You can see the rain in this photo!

 

 

The water in this area looks calm. We were in the middle of Creek Street. Heading to the left…we headed toward the Salmon Ladder and Married Man’s Trail. There’s a viewing platform that overlooks the falls. A colorful mosaic salmon overlooks the river…

 

One thing that the pictures can’t portray is the SOUND of this area. The rushing water is a powerful sound…reaching into the quieter water…drawing you closer to the bridge and the more rugged looking falls under the bridge.

 

hYyXX39p0A8

 

You follow the signs for Married Man’s Trail. It was peaceful and quaint. Surprisingly, there were few tourists here. We weren’t alone but we weren’t battling people for space…

Thank you so much for sharing all of this information. I don't know if we'll have time to do the entire walking tour, but this definitely highlights some points of interest.

I'm here, too! We were unable to fit in a land tour portion this year, so I am taking notes and enjoying all of the pictures. :)

Look at that sunrise and sunset time. Ignore the temps, it is early in the day.

 

As the Worst Floridian Ever, I would honestly LOVE if it was in the 40's and 50's. Since we go in late August/early September, I'm hoping the highs don't go too far above 60.

DS is usually the keeper of the Daily for we three.

Find the pdf of today's Daily here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rjlCXIDg52YhxM88ZWHzy_NbF2ub2Zyv/view?usp=sharing

 

I haven’t tried using google drive to share anything on the forum yet…so let me know if there are issues! I have ALL the Dailies and will be posting them. If there is a better way to share these pdfs…please advise!

The link worked for me! :) Sailing this itinerary at the end of August. Thank you so much for posting!

Great news. We have finally had some rain at home. Almost 3 weeks with no rain. That watering I did today was for not. We are in the red zone, and we should have rain for the next 4 hours. Hopefully the garden will be good for the time we are gone.

 

It is raining so hard the downspout isn’t keeping up.

The Storm Trooper and the Boss are nice, but I'll take the Super Duty any day, if you run out of room...;)

I've been waiting for this! :D

As Elite Captain's Club members, you WILL get the elegant tea, the Heliport glacier viewing and the Wine Tasting...plus the usual perks--5-7 drinks in Cosmos (except embarkation day and the day of the Officers' Party), one load of laundry (30 pieces ) each--no later than day 4 and 90 minutes of free internet each...

 

The elegant tea had your choice of a number of teas, some very little "sandwiches"--like a rolled slice of meat on a tiny piece of bread...and a selection of little pastries.

 

The wine tasting had four wines--a sparkling wine, a white, a rose and a red...

 

I don't recall seeing "Alaskan Culinary Experience"...but for $85 pp, it sounds like it would be what you think...

They did constantly sell the "Crab Shack"--$39 pp--Lunch at the Pool Grill Day 2...and the "Alaskan Inspired Dinner" (a "special seafood dinner"--$49 Day 4 in Qsine. The program also listed a "Connoisseur Dinner" with paired wines-- Day 5, 7:00 pm in Tuscan Grille "Fee Applies". But, again, I never saw the words "Alaskan Culinary Experience"...

Thank you so much! I feel like I'd probably rather have a "crab shack" lunch on land, but my dad is a fan of seafood so we will have to look out for the "special seafood dinner".

And even though we have a balcony I am now very excited for the Helipad glacier viewing (weather permitting :D)

Thank you for posting this review. We are doing the Northbound itinerary this August/September. We have only sailed Celebrity once before, on the Equinox, and this is our first time in Alaska.

Did you see any information about the "Alaskan Culinary Experience"? Based on the price ($85/person) it seems to be like Chef's Table but I am assuming the menu is geared towards the area. It is available in the Cruise Planner but with no description, no details, just the name and price.

We are Elite (not Plus), so I know we have access to the Elegant Tea. Will we also be invited to the Hubbard Glacier viewing and Wine Tasting? I think I would enjoy those. As for the Elegant Tea, what was included? (i.e. sweets, types of sandwiches, etc.)

Thank you in advance!

I have a few questions regarding specialty dining for my two upcoming cruises. I have seen the updated page from Celebrity with prices for restaurants and LPC vs Qsine.

- I am sailing on Millennium August 31 and Silhouette November 18 and do not see Qsine available to book individually in either Cruise Planner. Does this mean that the ship will have LPC by then?

- If I book a dining package, will it include LPC?

- On the Millennium Alaska cruise, an "Alaskan Culinary Experience" is available for $85/person. Is this similar to a Chef's Table? Does anyone have experience with this and have a picture of the menu? I tried googling it and searching here and couldn't find anything about it. If I book a dining package and want to do the culinary experience, do I just pay a prorated amount or would it be included in the package?

Thank you in advance!

Thank you so much for sharing this detailed trip report. We are doing the Northbound on Celebrity Millennium this August/September, but I am interested in doing a full cruisetour in the next couple of years.

Thank you for the menu photo. Already adjusting my plans accordingly!

And those sunset photos are beautiful. Thank you for the review.

So for my folks not on the gram. Jenny threw down this morning. Making fun of my form on climbing the rocks in Cinque Terre, so of course I had to respond with the shot!

#itwasworthit

200% worth it. That picture is gorgeous.

Still a fan of some nice BTS action, though, and I think it's good to show what it takes to achieve these images. You can't really accomplish that standing on a sidewalk with a point and shoot.

Oh and to give you what you have all been waiting for...

Thank you all for coming along on these crazy journeys. It’s been an amazing year of cruising, but I feel like I’m only just getting started.

So majestic! The deer (?) looks pretty nice, too.

And very glad you're just getting started. I could use one of these blog/reviews every week!

Thank you for the feedback! Looking forward to our trip later this month.

Thank you for doing this live blog! If possible, can you please post pictures of each night's menu? Reviews are light on the 8-day sailings and I am not sure what to expect with the new menus. Thanks in advance!

All jokes aside, I had a great night partying with Royal Caribbean’s social media team and some of the Instagrammers and YouTubers on board. For those that watched the Periscope, Kiki actually managed to get a picture out on my camera.

I can see the fear in your eye(s)! That is one serious camera but it looks like Kiki rocked it like a champ.

Awesome 'scope and glad this silent party was more of a success than the last one.

Thank you for all of the posts, 'scopes and 'grams!

Aren't the Freedom menus the same new menus that are on the other ships in the fleet and in various threads about other ships?

Yes, but like other ships the order changes based on the itinerary. And since it is an 8-day instead of a standard 7-day there is obviously one additional menu.

Most recent Freedom reviews have been of the 6-day itinerary and like I said I am trying to plan what days to make reservations at specialty restaurants. I was wondering what nights were formal night and fwa was nice enough to answer my question.

My family was just on the Freedom last week.

fwacruiser, were you on the 8-night itinerary? If so, do you recall (or have pictures of) what the menus were each night? Trying to plan specialty dining for our upcoming cruise and can't find the order for the 8-night anywhere.

TIA!

I was going photograph us coming into port, but I may just opt to stay inside. Just have a feeling.

Safe bet!

There is another ‘super zoom’ joke here...

Hey I thought this thread was going to be PG! :')

Oh and I owe you some robe action.

 

And the answer is “no, no I’m not.”

Ha! You better hope Chase isn't taking any "super zoom" pics from out at sea.

When your best friends have their tripod break and they are on a cruise ship. What to do? Go on the hunt for a professional camera store in Barcelona. Best part is I met the nicest dudes running the place. If ever in need of emergency photo equipment in Barcelona check this place out!

 

This is that real behind the scenes stuff guys!

 

#iboughtonetoo #suchnicepeople

Truly a great friend. And a great excuse to explore the city some more!

#bestfriendgoals

Weather called for rain all day! I should have known better.

 

More later!

Amazing pictures as always!