whitbob

We haven’t been in Retreat on E class, but specifically chose retreat on Millie for Alaska in May. It was lovely. Not crowded, staff was there offering drinks. Plenty of places to curl up on a lounger with blankets and see the inside passage without standing behind 4 other people at the railing. We had lunch outside At The Retreat space twice. Never more than a few others around, so it was like a private hideaway. We did cruise Iceland on Silhouette, and managed to have dinner at Lawn Club Grill while sailing away. It wasn’t too windy or cold, as we have a favorable memory of sitting outside that night. Of course, all weather dependent. Enjoy your trip, Iceland/Ireland are amazing.

Oca, As others have replied, The Restaurant does not make reservations. We were on Mars in September, and had dinner there multiple times. The ship was close to full, around 900 pax, and we would arrive between 6:30 to 7:30, and never had to wait. There might have been 2-3 couples/groups waiting to check in, but they had multiple staff showing people to tables, so it was a few minutes to be seated. We were in a DV but were unable to secure advanced reservations through MVJ. We checked in at Manfredi’s and Chefs Table once on the ship, and made reservations for both for the nights we wanted to dine in each. Enjoy your vacation.

This is very good advice. If planning this cruise, I would not want to have an independent tour planned in Ullapool that is non-refundable. We were on the previous Mars BIE cruise, and skipped the port due to wind, and I believe the cruise sailing before ours also missed the port due to wind.

We did this excursion with Viking on August 30, last month, and were on the 10:25 train. We were probably on the ship by 5:30ish. It was before 6 pm. We had 3 groups spread across 3 train cars, so we had to walk off the train to the buses, for a quick ride to the port in Bergen. It was faster than we expected. I was expecting to take the earlier train but the train time wasn’t provided until we Checked into the hotel in Oslo, I must have made that assumption from reading something here on CC. Perhaps Viking books the train time based upon train capacity at the time they finalize the pre trips.

This is the pricing from Viking Mars, Sept 2022

The water dispenser is on the other side of the spa area we’re you enter from the women’s locker room. The white box and embedded filter thing is on the side of the room coming from the men’s locker.

We just finished a 15 day cruise on Viking Mars as a first time Viking customer. I would suggest you search here on CC for more posts about booking excursions and dining for information from experienced VOC cruisers. It was helpful for us. I stalked MVJ leading up to the timing on reservation bookings. At 2 am EST the day before they were due to open, I was able to book. We were in a DV2 and the earliest reservation for Manfredi’s was 8:30 on the 10th night, so I booked it, with no intention of eating that late. We went to the restaurant after boarding, and the reservation didn’t even exist. They booked us the next night, at 8pm but told us to show up when we wanted to dine. We did at 7:30 and were shown right in and seated at a window table. Same experience eating at Chefs Table and again at Manfreidi’s while onboard. The top excursion we wanted for the trip was sold out as well. Upon boarding, we wait listed with guest relations, has 2 tickets appeared on our bed the next day. I am assuming they limit all prebooked reservations to enable the guest relations and restaurant staff an opportunity to make things happen.

We just got off Mars. Ask Rico. He is the very nice man that was always around the inside spa area. He adjusted and maintained the grotto, steam room, etc. Swim suit spinners were inside the locker rooms, not the spa area.

We are on Mars now, and the Restaurant and World Cafe menus are listed through the the rest of the cruise. I didn’t pay that close attention to previous menus to say if they were accurate in the app to what was actually served. We dined in the restaurant tonight, the the current menu on the app looks like what was on the dining room menu.

We used the COR in May to embark from Vancouver. It was very efficient, but they did call someone (a title like medical document specialist?) over to our check in line to review our papers. She read/scanned the letter from the physician, touching the dates, signature, address, etc. Then asked for and reviewed the lab test, again looking for the key facts like date, lab provider, results. She then waited while the rep snapped a picture of both docs, into the hand held computers they used to check us in. She even checked to see that they were legible on the screen. In our case, we used the same physician group/hospital lab for the PCRs but the results were faxed to us directly. We had to email copies to our physician. Do you have access to the lab that handled your test? Is there a chance you can go directly to them for copies of the results? Going ahead with the with a proctored antigen test might be less stressful. We wanted to board using the COR, as we were going to be gone for two weeks, and were concerned about still testing positive on a PCR if by chance we were exposed on a tour and asked to test. Whatever you decide, enjoy your vacation.

GUC is a Global Upgrade Certificate. Delta gives them to Diamond Medallion (highest loyalty level) customers. Enables you to upgrade right when you purchase the ticket, but are restricted by class of ticket you purchase. Which is probably not going to work with the type up bulk fares Viking is using.

Liz, Thank you for sharing your experiences. We will be on the Oslo to Bergen extension next month. We have not been to Oslo, so we are coming in a few days early and are trying to plan our time in hopes of not duplicating what the Viking tour on Day 2 covers. You have been very helpful. Enjoy your trip.

Denali You asked about free time on your own, and we spent about 40 hours in Denali / Denali Village Resort, so this was the most time we had that was not scheduled or together on the bus/train. First the hotel. Very nice, same lodge theme. The rooms and bathroom was largest, and was nicer than the other 2 two hotels. Again, very clean. Comfortable king bed (others were double queens). It is worth mentioning that you are typically assigned a room, and given the keys as you get off the bus. The rooms we had were all non-view. I believe this is expected and typical when staying in bulk booked rooms. This was the only 2 night stay, and there was no housekeeping. There were several sets of towels, so housekeeping wasn't needed in our opinion.. The Denali Park Village lodge is nice, but the issue is proximity to the park. The hotel had limited shuttles running into the park, with a few stops, but they were infrequent, and stopped late afternoon. Most tours you book, come to the village and pick you up and deposit you back. There were no restaurants walking distance, and the Taxi/Uber/Shuttle services that existed pre-covid had closed or moved away. At the time we stayed there, the only food was the Restaurant with limited options ($28 Breakfast / $55 dinner both buffets). We only had breakfast the first morning, and it was standard fare with an omelet bar. No Lunch was available. The coffee bar did have pre-wrapped muffins, sandwiches and egg wraps/sandwiches and was opened into the afternoon. They did run out of things. Hopefully they have staff and supplies to open some the other dining venues as the summer crowds arrive. Tours: Included was the 'Natural History' bus tour of Denali. The Tundra Tour is optional for an additional $30. If you have not checked the National Parks website, I would suggest that you read up on the available tours. We learned of the road collapse in the park sometime last fall and the tours are limited to traveling half way or mile marker 43. These tours fill up, and we had mixed messages from Celebrity about the availability of Tundra, so we ended up booking this directly with the National Parks service a few months before we cruised. We also did the Dog Gone It Kennel Tours. It was very informative, and well done. If you have any interest in the Iditarod or dogs, taking one of the dog mushing tours is worth your time. Anchorage: This was Day 2 on our tour, and we stayed at the Marriott. The hotel was nice, clean and newly remodeled. We didn't get much of a tour of Anchorage, but did have the included entrance to the Anchorage Museum. It is a large, well done property with much to offer about history and culture. It was a Saturday night, and we did find several of the restaurants to be VERY busy with long waits. We found a table at Haute Quarter Grill a few blocks from the hotel. It was hands down the best meal we had in Alaska. Overall the trip was very well done. We lucked out on weather, and saw Denali / Alaskan mountain range 3 days in a row. The miss for Celebrity is not providing more detail about the land trip in advance, and especially not offering the optional tours, like they do with Shore Excursions, so we could plan in advance, and determine how to budget and pick tours on the ship and land to balance out the trip to Alaska. Any supply or service type issues were not really a surprise as staffing shortages are happening everywhere. Let me know if you have any questions.

Here is a summary of the week with observations: Seward: We joined the motor coach at the port. The coaches are nice, and it was ours for the week, so you are able to leave personal items on the bus when off touring. We had a small group, so we were able to spread out. We did have a few people develop cold symptoms later in the week and the driver was sanitizing the bus regularly. There is a small but very clean bathroom on the bus, but we stopped often enough that it was not really needed. We drove to downtown Seward (5 min away) stopping to see a memorial to the person (kid) who designed the state flag. Then we could stroll through town, or visit the Aquarium. We were for about 1.5 hours, so we had time for both. The aquarium was small but nicely laid out with exhibits. Downtown is small, with a few souvenir shops and a small grocery. About 11am we road the bus to the port, and stood around for about 30 minutes waiting to board the boat for the Resurrection Bay/Kenai Fjords cruise. I hope this is INCLUDED in your package, and if not and you are in Seward all day, I would highly recommend. It was one of the highlights of the trip. Hotel. We returned to the port, and boarded the coach for a short few mile ride to Seward Winding Lodge. I was expecting National Park/State Park accommodations, but the hotel was nicer. Very Clean. Lodgy not modern, but comfortable beds, nice towels /sheets. There was a coffee place in the main lobby, but we had both dinner and breakfast at the on site Roadhouse Restaurant, which was good. Buffet or ordering off the menu available for breakfast. It was mid-May but there were at least 5 bus tours staying at the hotel, so the restaurant was busy, so you might think about making a reservation through Opentable if there are even more tours while you are there. I think this evening could be used for additional tours, but we decided to hang at the hotel. The hotel offered an hourly shuttle to town, but after our time in the morning, we couldn't see what else there might be to see. Talkeetna: Our Day 2 was Anchorage, then taking the train Day 3 to Talkeetna. I am assuming you will travel to Talkeena in a motor coach. Right? The ride to Anchorage was pretty. Mostly mountains, and lakes with narration along the way. I hope you have nice weather this day, because the views of Denali and the entire range were better from the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge than once we arrived into the park. The hotel common areas were very nice. Big outdoor patio, and interior seating spaces. The rooms were average. Again, very clean, and large. Carpet, furniture, bathrooms, need a refresh, but the issue was A/C. There wasn't any. It was pretty mild, but very sunny. The room heated up, and with the window open, and 2 fans on, it didn't get comfortable until after midnight. There are more optional excursions available from this location to spend time in the evening or morning. Several people did the flight seeing, traveling over to Denali, and around the range. They said it was spectacular. Either the motor coach or the lodge will shuttle you back and forth to the town. Small, cute, shops, small market, restaurants. Again, there were MORE cruise tours 7-8 at the hotel, and the restaurant seemed to struggle with the volume. We were lucky to get a seat outside with the panoramic view, but the kitchen was backed up, and we waited 2 hours for sandwiches. We had no place to be, and it was a lovely night. Hopefully they will have acquired more seasonal help by now, because this was a bit of an issue in Denali as well. Going into town might be an option for dinner, but when we were there, I believe the shuttles to town stopped around 5 or 6, so getting back was a problem. They have a coffee bar in the lobby, so we grabbed something light in the morning to avoid the restaurant before catching the train. There was time in the morning for excursions, or hiking around the lodge. Wilderness Express train to Denali was scheduled 11:20 - 3:40. There was a problem on the tracks coming out of Anchorage, so we were 1-1.5 hours late in leaving. The train is really an excursion. The tour groups are seated together, so you will be with the people on your bus. There were groups seated in front of us and behind, so the car was almost full. There is a host guide on the train, and they provide a narration answering questions throughout the trip. Drinks are served and they query who will be having lunch. The dining car (directly below) seats fewer people, so you are served lunch in several groups. Most of the tables seat 4, so you will most like be seated with others if traveling solo or 2. The Lunch was both very good. The windows are large, and you will have a view throughout the meal. I think the dining is intended to be part of the train experience. On the dining car level there is a small platform, where you can stand outside for better views, and photography. This trip into Denali was again, a highlight of the trip. More about Denali and Anchorage tomorrow.

Celebrity uses 'Premier Alaska Tours'. premieralaskatours.com as the vendor for the Cruisetours. In addition to the sheet we received the tour guide said she had a 'large book' of optional tours, but she loaned it out, and didn't have it with her, which didn't really help us. I looked up their website, and if you look under the topic Escorted Land Tours, they have a link to Optional Tours. The available 2022 tours are listed by city. I got a sense that there may have been other options in past years, but we heard repeatedly about the lack of seasonal workers this year. The guide said we couldn't prebook tours (in advance from home), because 'Alaska handles tours directly, it is like a small town', and she needed to call and personally book the tours. We didn't really follow this logic as many of these vendors (flight seeing, sled dog tours, etc) can be booked directly through their websites. I hope this will help you budget and plan for you time on the land tours. Although the timing will be different for your trips, I will share our agenda (bus and train schedule), and thoughts on the hotels and nearby restaurants tomorrow.

I will answer your questions, perhaps you can tell me which cities you are going to stay over night. For starters here is a photo of the one page optional tours we received from the tour guide Day 1. There are more optional tours available, and I will see if I can find the link to the website where I saw them.

jeffndallas… We were on Millennium for a Cruisetour in May. I am unable to answer your onboard questions, as we didn’t use the casino to get cash, it was open in the evenings when not in port. We also never ate in the MDR, so not sure what people were wearing. As you expected (or didn’t), no meals were included on the land tour. The Wilderness Express train does profile food and drink. They offer drink service throughout the trip in the upper deck. You may go below to the dining car for meals. Below is a summery of items and prices, but if you pull up the website the menus are posted. The food was good, and the tour guides and service staff on the train were excellent. The train ride from Talkeetna into Denali was fabulous, I hope you get good weather. Wilderness Express Dining Options Passengers who book the Wilderness Express private dome cars between Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali or Fairbanks and choose to dine onboard will do so in the Wilderness Express dining room located on the lower level of each rail car. Breakfast choices range from simple to hearty, with choices such as Wilderness Cream of Barley, Mountain Blueberry Pancakes, and the Alaska Seafood Special scramble, with prices ranging from $10 to $16. For lunch, try an Alaskan favorite like the Aleutian Seafood Pasta Salad, a Caesar Salad with grilled shrimp or a tasty French Dip sandwich with prices from $11 to $17. Last, but certainly not least… the dinner menu offers mouth watering creations such as Prime Rib, Herb Roasted Chicken and Halibut Supreme. Dinner entrees prices range from $17 to $30, and appetizers, side salads, gluten free and vegetarian options are available. You will also find a nice selection of premium wines, Alaskan beers and specialty cocktails. Be sure to save some room for a scrumptious dessert like a Brownie Extraordinaire, or an after diner drink favorite like the Moose Kiss which offers the perfect balance of Irish Cream, Kahlua and coffee.

Which land tour are you taking? Do you end the land tour with the wildlife cruise in Seward? We were on 7A in May. We disembarked Millienium in Seward, and took the Resurrection Bay tour. It was a 4-5 hour cruise, and there was a southbound tour group on Kenai Fjords cruise with us. As we didn’t return to the Seward cruise port until almost 5pm, they probably boarded Millie around 5 to 5:30 pm.

Nvadav, We returned from a Post cruise tour last month. Jim's description of how Luggage is handled is being done the same way this year. The luggage handling on the interior tour was excellent. It was picked up in the morning and appeared in your room at the next hotel. It leaves you with only handling what you choose to bring on and off the bus. These tours haven't taken place in several years so I found that getting information in advance of travel from Celebrity as well as here on Cruisecritic to be sparse. If you have any other questions about the Cruisetours just ask. Overall the trip was wonderful, but there were a few hiccups with the current environment around supply chain issues and staffing.

Can someone confirm the availability of shuttle buses to town for the ports on the British Isle cruises. We are working on excursions for an August 2022 trip now, and I have read elsewhere on CC that Viking provides shuttles. Does Viking supply shuttles (in addition to the optional tour excursions) to access the port town when NOT walking distance from the ship? Is there a cost for shuttles? And can you pay with shipboard account, or do you need local currency? Thank you for your help?

Go to the Celebrity Health and Travel link and review the FAQs for the specifics needed to board using a Certificate of Recovery. We used the COR to board Millennium at Port of Vancouver 2 weeks ago, without a test. At check in they asked a document officer to review the paperwork, and we were able to board.

We debarked the Millennium Friday, sailed in a Sky Suite. I was apprehensive about navigating the tub, and it turned out to be a nonissue for us. I am 5.5 inches, and the top of the tub came to just above my knee so you would need to be able to raise one foot above the knee to clear the tub when entering. In our cabin there was a 2 inch solid wall between the sink and tub. It became the surface to hold when hoisting into the tub. As others have confirmed, there are no grab bars in the tub, but the wall was there to hold when turning around. The wall or the edge on the sink can be used to hold on to step back down when exiting. We did not find the tub slippery, so didn’t feel the need to request a rubber mat. We agree that keeping the tubs without proper safety devices after the renovations was a miss. All said, the tub isn’t a deal breaker for us ‘at this point in time’. If you aren’t comfortable stepping up into the tub without having something to grip with both hands to leverage, this probably isn't a good choice, and we aren’t planning to remodel and put this tub in at home. 😳