Alaska Review (Millennium) June 2008

This is a Review of my 7 night Alaska Cruise on the Celebrity Millennium.

Cruise Dates: June 6-13, 2008

Southbound: Seward to Vancouver

Prior Cruising experience: Carnival (2), RCI (2), Princess (2) and Celebrity (4).

Two Day Post Cruise Stay in Seward

My family of four flew to Anchorage two days prior to the sail date.

We rented a car at the Anchorage Airport and immediately drove to Seward.

The rental car was secured approximately 11 months in advance. This was a one way rental and they can be hard to acquire. We rented an SUV.

We stayed 2 nights at a Bed and Breakfast in Seward. The B & B was called: Kim's Forest. An excellent B & B. My DH and 2 DD's were accomodated in two rooms and we shared one large bathroom with only our two rooms. The B & B accomodated a total of 14 people.

The breakfast was excellent. Kim (the owner) was very hospitable. (Her hubby too ! ) There is an old, retired railroad car on her property. A moose was a regular on her property, but we always seemed to miss seeing it. We did however, see much "moose poop". :)

1/2 mile down the street from the B & B is an RV park where we were able to wash our clothes prior to boarding the ship. Apparently this is the only place in Seward for the public to wash clothes.

Great little shops in the town of Seward. Quality rainwear can be purchased, along with the typical Alaska souvenirs.

There is a Safeway in Seward. A very nice store. Groceries/drugstore... with a Starbucks inside. Safeway was also selling Alaska t-shirts for $6.00.

We did the 6 hour Kenai Fjords National Park Tour with Renown Tours. We used two coupons that were in the Northern Lights Coupon Book, and we saved a total of $300.00 on this tour.

The NL Coupon Book can be purchased online for $50.00.

Renown has two identical coupons in the book, for this tour.

The Tour was EXCELLENT. We saw a glacier, otters, seals, bear, eagles, mountain goats, sea stars, puffins, and other birds.

There was a Park Ranger onboard the vessel and he was very knowledgeable. He was unable to accept any tips.

The boat staff, however.... accepted tips.

A nice bagel lunch onboard the boat. I had a turkey bagel sandwich, with a great cookie. Coffee and cocoa were always available. Fruit was offered also.

Yes, it was cold ! We had a lined raincoat, several layers, with hats & gloves & scarfs.....and we needed every bit of it. It was raining...windy and cold.

A beautiful day, nonetheless..... and I highly recommend this 6 hour tour with Renown.

I had a great Halibut Linguine meal at a restaurant called: Chinooks.

The portion was very large and could have easily been shared between two hungry adults.

We watched the salmon jumping upstream, a short waliking distance from the B & B. They are amazing fish.

It was a good two days in Seward. We saw a lot, and were able to rest up from traveling from Texas to Alaska. We were ready to cruise on the Millennium !

Next up: Boarding the Celebrity Millennium !

Embarkation Day

We returned our rental car to Hertz in Seward.... and we boarded the Celebrity Millennium.

My DH dropped the DD's and I off at the ship, and he drove the car to Hertz.

He could have easily walked to the ship, but another guest from Kim's Forest B & B met him at Hertz and drove him to the ship.

Kim's B & B comes with great guests, too ! :)

The Cruise documents say that we should not arrive at the ship to board until 6 pm. (Ship sails at 9 pm)

We arrive at 11:00 am and we are welcomed onboard the ship.

No waiting. They are ready to receive passengers.

I ask one of the Celebrity employees why the book says 6 pm, and they have no idea.

The folks arriving from Anchorage on the train begin to arrive as we are processing.

Right before we board the ship, we hear someone call our name. It is Kim, the B & B owner. She is running towards us.... carrying a wooden brush that we have left at the B & B ! We are so thankful !!

Is that service? .... or what ??

Our cabin

Our Cabin is not ready for us until 1 pm. We have a nice lunch at the buffet and visit the Dining Room personnel in the Rendezvous Lounge to check on our seating arrangements.

We are actually a group of 17.

Prior to sailing, we were unable to secure the late dining because Celebrity says it is full..

Upon arriving on the ship, there is a sign that says that EARLY dining is full.

So, we easily switch our reservations to Late....and we are happy.

One of our table is a table for 11 and we were VERY comfortable.

I have seen prior reports of a table for 11 being too close, and hard tot communicate, but we had no problem.

It is actually a table for 10, and they add a chair.

We have booked a Royal Suite. It is very nice. The two DD's (12 & 15) sleep on a sofa bed in the living room.

There is a separate bedroom with its own door to the balcony.

Three phones. No clock.

(Do bring your own travel clock). The phones have the time on them, but it is no fun to have to go over to the phone to see what time it is. Expecailly in the night.

And with the daylight issue in Alaska, you cannot judge the time by the daylight.

The royal suite comes with a stateroom attendant (Carlton) and a Butler (Ram). Ram was excellent. A real pleasure to be around all week.

Two flat screen TV's in the suite. A computer. (fees apply for using the computer). A dining room table in the suite, and a hot tub on the balcony and a hot tub bath tub.

The Shore Excursion Desk opened at 12 Noon....

and the Spa opened at 11:00 am for tours, bookings and treatments.

We booked all of our Tours independently for this cruise.

The ship is in good shape overall.

One should not worry.

It is not in perfect, brand new condition.... but, the ship is not brand new either.

Celebrity does a good job maintaining this beautiful ship.

Next up: Hubbard Glacier !

Hubbard Glacier

Our first day at sea.... and we arrive at Hubbard Glacier. It is so beautiful ! My family has seen the glacier two previous times, but it still takes our breath away !

We spend much time on our balcony, viewing the glacier and taking photos.

Our Butler brings us a pitcher of hot cocoa and we are all set. Our thow blankets keep us warm, too.

Again.... IT IS COLD !

Do bring hats, gloves & scarfs !

We used them all throughout the week.

The ship photographer is taking professional photographs on the top deck. We go up there and the view is even more amazing.

Let them take your photos....whenever they ask.

They are great photos, and you will have many to choose from !

We purchased two, and are very pleased.

The Captain turns the ship around about half way through our time at the Glacier, so that the other side of the ship (balconies) can view the glacier from their cabins.

A beautiful, chilly, and sunny day at Hubbard Glacier.

Lots of calving to be heard.

Lots of photos.

Cruise Critic Party

The Ship has scheduled our Cruise Critic Gathering on this Sea Day, also.

It is actually held before we arrived at the Glacier.

Location: Michael's Lounge.

Time: 10:30 am

They provided tea/coffee and desserts.

The Cruise Director (James Calhoun) is present....and he is quite a nice man.

I really enjoyed James Calhoun all throughout the cruise.

James is a South Carolina Native and has spent some time managing fine restaurants in New York City, prior to his employment with Celebrity.

Many from our Roll Call are present for the Cruise Critic Party.

It is always so fun to finally meet those whom you have been communicating with for so long.

Next up: Juneau !

Thanks Boo's Mom for the great trip report! Can't wait to read about your journey. We are booked Anchorage to Seward in August so I try and read as many reviews as possible to help us prepare for our trip. It sounds like you had an amazing cabin! I would love to see pictures if you have them posted. Glad you had a great trip and thanks again for sharing the details. :D

Juneau

We have a full day planned for Juneau !

In the morning we went on a whalewatching tour with Orca Enterprises. AKA: Captain Larry.

We met at the OE Office, which was a short walk from the ship....

and OE bussed us over to the Tour Boat.

Look for amazing star fish (sea stars) in the water as you walk onto the pier to get to the boat.

Look for the garbage dumpster that is riddled with bear claw marks.

A great day whalewatching. We see several whales.

There is a naturalist onboard and he is very informative and personable.

He has prior employment experience working directly on the cruise ships, as a Naturalist.

He does a good job of educating us on the behavior of the whales.... so that when we see them in the water, we know exactly what to expect from them next. The naturalist is recording the whale activity as we go through our morning Tour.

They offer us a free snack.....

and it included smoked salmon.

To die for !

Don't miss it. :)

Amazing tour....

and I highly recommend.

Later in the Juneau day, we take a taxi to the Juneau airport. We wait at Gate 1 ..... and a bush pilot arrives and brings us out to his van. The van takes us to the float pond at the airport where his floatplane is waiting.

There are 5 of us now, because my step daughter (24) has connected with us on the ship. (She flew into Anchorage on the day the ship sailed).

Our Pilot (Butch) takes on on a 3 hour tour.

The plane (Cessna 206 floatplane) hold 5 passengers and one pilot. It is amazing to go up in a floatplane. You must try it !!

After a half hour flight, we land at Admiralty Island. With a density of nearly one brown bear (grizzly) per square mile, Admirality Island has one of the greatest concentrations of brwon bears in the world.

Upon landing, we are met by two women law officers, in kayaks. they are Parks & Wildlife/Fish and Game Employees....assigned to the island.

They (and their weapon) will accompany us the entire time we are on the island. They are so knowledgeable and so interesting and sweet to visit with.

They live there for 10 days and then they get 4 days off.

We walk a short distance and we arrive at a bear viewing area. This is one place on the island where the bears know that there will be people there, and they are comfortable with the people. Although, us people will be keeping our distance from said bears. :cool:

We sit on a log.... and watch.

A bear is laying in the grass. Eating. So amazing.

He leaves after about 30 minutes....

and Mamma Bear and Baby bear arrive for our viewing pleasure.

So precious. The baby was approximately one year old.

We get a great education on the bears, not only from our guide, but from the two lady Rangers.

As mentioned earlier.... they are armed and are trained to shoot to kill.

3 shots within 10 second, is their instruction.

We feel safe.

A great time at Admiralty Island (Pack Creek).

A word about floatplanes/helicopters in Alaska.

Just do it !

We have done the floatplane (2) and Helicopter (1).

Yes, they are expensive..... but your experience will be worth every penny.

The dinner dress onboard the Millennium on the Juneau day is casual.

The dinner seating is open seating, but at your regularly assigned tables.

6:00 - 7:00 Main Open seating

8:30 - 9:30 Late Open seating

The dress code onboard the Millennium

This was the schedule all week:

Casual (4) Informal (1) Formal (2)

Seward (Casual)

Hubbard Glacier (Formal)

Juneau (casual)

Skagway (Casual)

Icy Strait Point (informal)

Ketchikan (Formal)

at Sea (casual)

Next up.... Skagway !

Skagway

We have booked a raft trip down the Chilkat River, through the world famous Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve.

We are met at the pier by a representative and we are directed to the 2 minute walk to get on the fast ferry to Haines, Alaska.

The ferry is enclosed and warm. The coffee and hot cocoa is $1.00 onboard the ferry.

Upon reaching Haines, we are met by the Owner of the Tour company.

We actually booked through a third party...

The restroom at the pier is the last flushable restroom we will encounter on this tour. Of course, we take advantage.

We travel by van approximately 30 minutes to where our raft is located.

They provided rain ponchos, life jackets and boots for us.

It is five of us on the raft, and our native Tlinget guide.

We actually passed his village on our way down the river.

It is raining and cold. Windy and cold. VERY cold.

We are freezing as we float on the raft, down the river.

We are very uncomfortable.

It is a beautiful trip, but the weather we had was brutal.

We see many eagles.....

ducks....

and other birds.

Hard to photograph, as the weather was so bad.

At the end of our raft float, the owner of the Tour Company has a lovely snack prepared for us on land. Hot cocoa, punch, dip on bread, cookies, salami, etc....

It was very nice.

She was most hospitable.

Can I recommend this raft trip?

It's a toss up.

With such weather, I could not recommend it.

We were that uncomfortable.

As there is no way to guarantee the weather....

I would probably not recommend this tour.

Although, I will say that the Tour company did an excellent job taking care of us.

We ended the tour in the town of Haines. Shopping in some stores.

Not much there.

A quaint little town.

Back to the fast shuttle.....

for the 35 minute trip back to Skagway.

As I am currently sitting in the hot south Texas heat....

I am refreshed by the thought of being so cold on the raft that day.

We really did experience the coldness of Alaska, that day in June !

Next Up: Ketchikan !

Ketchikan

We have independently booked a fishing charter for 5, in Ketchikan.

We are met at the pier by the Captain of the boat...

and we are off !

His boat is docked one minute from the Millennium. We walk to the boat.

On the pier, walking to the boat.... we look into the water and there are star fish Galore ! Dozens of them. They are large, and have numerous legs ! They come in different colors, too !

Look for them when you get off the ship in Ketchikan.

The fishing licenses are an extra expense, and are required by the State of Alaska if you are 16 or over. ($20.00)

The King Slamon stamp, if you will be fishing for King Salmon, is an additional $10.00.

We catch many fish this day.

The first fish was caught after 60 seconds with the poles in the water !

Many flounder.

Several rock fish.

Two sea cucumbers.

And one very large (20 lbs) halibut.

The halibut should be arriving at my home, any day now. :D

We saw the salmon jumping....

but we were unable to get them on our hooks.

Then, we ran out of time. :(

It was a beuatiful day of fishing in the waters of Ketchikan.

It was chilly, but the sun was shining.

We encountered several eagles on our way across the waters.

At one point the Captain stopped the boat where some eagles were sitting on something floating on the water.

He cut up some bait fish.... and threw the fish up in the air, to the eagles.

They swooped down, 2 feet from us.... and grabbed the fish with their feet.

Amazing.

My girls caught all of this (on video) with their camera.

They are incredible creatures.

The Captain did this several times, for our viewing pleasure.

Fishing is so much fun !!!

Do it !

I wished we had fished in more than one port.

It is such a good outing for my family.

Note: Friends of our also went out on a private fishing charter that day in Ketchikan. They caught nada. Nothing all day ! Not one little fishy.

They were not very happy campers, uhhhh cruisers.

Next up: Icy Strait Point !

Icy Strait Point

The Pier Area is called Icy Strait Point.... and the town is called Hoonah.

(We visit ISP before Ketchikan) (slightly out of order, sorry)

We have independently booked a Land Nature Tour.

We have previously visited this port, and salmon fished all day.....

so we were eager to visit the land on this trip.

We are met at the pier and our group of 11 is off ....

for the next 3 hours.

We tour the town.... and then head off to a beautiful lake.

We stop at the lake.... for about 20 minutes and absorb the beauty.

Along the way... there is much evidence of much logging.

Apparently this is the only thing the natives can do with the land we saw. As per a contract with the US Gov't.

logging = they cut down the trees for harvest.

We see many Sitka deer...

and many eagles.

We don't see any bear on our trip, much to our disappointment.....

but we get a really good feel for this island.

Near the end of the tour, we go to the Tour director's home, and we visit with his brand new baby geese....that he has rescued.

He came upon the dead Mom and her babies.

The geese are so little and precious.

We hold them...and take great pictures.

The tour ends in town.

We eat lunch at a restaurant.....

out of this world halibut. Lightly fried.

Out of this world.... clam chowder.

I believe the restaurant is called "Mary's".

Across the street, they were offering "halibut pizza" on the menu,

and we tried to order it....

but they were out of one of the ingredients.

Next time, then !

Everything is very expensive in Hoonah.

I guess we need to understand that it is an island in Alaska..... and everything is very expensive to "get there"..

There is a ferry to Juneau that departs Hoonah 3-4 times a week.

This is how they grocery shop.

The cruise industry has put up a zip line in Hoonah.

It is a 90 second ride.

The cost = $90.00

At the pier, I purchased a pair of earrings and a pendant, made of hand blown glass. The artist does the glass blowing at her home in Juneau. She then puts the "beads" together, there at the shop in Icy Strait Point.

Really interesting stuff.

And, the artist is right there when you shop.

Only one ship visits ISP at a time.

All ships will tender.

There is a shuttle from the pier, to the town. I believe it is 1.5 miles from the pier. The roundtrip shuttle cost = $10.00 per person.

One way?

Still $10.00.

Do eat some halibut in Hoonah !

It was that good !

Onboard the Millennium

The service onboard the Millennium is very good.

It is what we like best about Celebrity....

and it is what brings us back again and again.

With that said, the waiters for our table in the dining room did not receive an "excellent" rating from us, at the end of the cruise.

They were certainly good, and did a good job.

They did not, however.... do an excellent job.

We were rushed.... ALL the time.

There were three separate families at our table, and all arrived within a few minutes of each other, every night.

As soon as one family was seated, the napkins were placed in our laps and we were given a menu. The race was on.

The head waiter would talk very fast when he explained things to us.

I know he was trying to do a great job.....

but I don't think he had adequate training/experience on how to make the dining room experience a relaxing and enjoyable one.

At the last night, he actually asked for an excellent rating. Telling us how important it was for he/his assistant to get the excellent.

I really don't like that they ask like that.

Coffee Cream

I am a coffee drinker.... and I like real cream in my coffee.

There was a severe shortage of cream onboard the Millennium on this particular voyage.

In our Suite, we received milk.

The dining room served real cream.

In the buffet, I asked for cream, when I saw they were serving milk.

He went to the dining room and brought me cream.

I guess they provide it when some looks like a desperate coffee cream person.

I won't drink the coffee if I can't have real cream.

Our Butler said that he did not have access to the real cream.

Apparently they were unable to get the cream while they were in Seward.

For such a little aspect,

it was a big disappointment for me....and for my DH.

The food onboard the ship was very good.

We learned to order our streaks "rare", if we wanted them medium rare.

There is a great sandwich buffet, at the very back of the ship on Deck 10.

The tuna is excellent.

My DD says the egg salad is excellent, also.

More to come.... about the ship !

The entertainment onboard the ship.....

what little we saw, was very good.

The Celebrity Singers/Dancers were clearly the best I have ever seen on a cruise ship. We only saw one of their shows, and it was superb !

There is an amazing Tenor in the bunch.

We also saw a comedian perform.

He was good.

With four ports, on a 7 night itinerary, I call this a port intensive itinerary.

On the go.... almost all the time.

There was a new "Luggage Valet" program offered to all passengers.

The cost is $20.00 per passenger.

Offered only to guests flying with American, American Eagle, United, Alaska Airlines,Air Canada, US Airways and Northwest.

The fee includes two pieces of checked luggage per passenger.

Your flight must be between 10:20 am and 10:00 pm on the day you disembark the ship.

Here is how it worked:

When we put our luggage outside our cabin door, on the night before disembarking, we did not see it again until we arrived at our home airport.

We actually checked in for our flights, while onboard the cruise ship.

We received tags for our luggage.....

and boarding passes for our flights.

It was very convenient.

Highly recommend.

I stopped at a great little shop in Ketchikan.

It was slightly off the tourist trail....

and everything was so unique ....

I just had to ask for a business card before I left

the store.

It is called: Exploration.

633 Mission Street

Handmade scarves, wooden vases, wooden bowls, ceramic vases, jewelry, .... unlike what you find in the typical Alaska tourist stores.

I didn't buy anything from the store, because I had to leave quickly in order to meet my family back at the ship for a tour,

but this store impressed me.

Tanzanite

I heard not one word about tanzanite on this cruise !

What's up with that?

Is the supply actually becoming limited, as they have been saying it would... for years now?

I saw some Tanzanite in the shop windows,

but I didn't hear anything about it onboard the ship.

Hmmmm...

interesting.

Amber

The ship had quite a bit of amber for sale onboard.

Unfortunately, the silver was all in need of a good polishing.

I even mentioned it to one of the shop keepers. She wanted me to "show her".

Not sure how that gets passed up by the management.

photography onboard the ship

The photographer will visit the tables in the dining room, at least 3 times during the cruise. He was working really hard and lost some of his "bed side manners".. Almost appeared harsh as he was giving directions.

I will say that the quality of photographs were among some of the best I have seen on a cruise ship.

We toured the Bridge... on our last sea day.

Apparently they asked the suite passengers if they wanted to do this tour?

I brought along my family, and eight others that were traveling with us.

It was a good tour.

We were on the bridge for about 20 minutes.

Conclusion

This concludes my review.

I highly recommend Celebrity Cruiseline.

I highly recommend the Alaska itinerary.

I highly recommend that you plan out your excursions in advance of your travel.

There is so much to do.....

and little time to do it in.

Pack less clothes.

Spend a few dollars to wash some things, if you need to.

Bring warm clothes.

Get a balcony cabin.

Get up in a plane/helicopter....

Have a great cruise !

Thank you for the wonderful review:) ...

Wow, Jill, you said you would be posting your review while it was still fresh in your mind and you weren't kidding!

It's too bad you didn't have Marlon and Ernesto for your waiters since we sat fairly close to you guys, they were excellent and we never felt rushed.

It's interesting to see how others review the same cruise. Even though we didn't go on the same excursions, we were really happy with the ones we did do. Fortunately, for us, the weather was mostly fantastic. At Hubbard, we stayed on our aft balcony and I was wearing a tank top the whole time. I actually got sunburned it was warm because it is so protected back there. Same in Ketchikan. Was in shorts and a tank top on our balcony reading after our Back Country Jetboat Adventure and town shopping.

Anyway, thanks for your take of our cruise. I, too, agree that the Millie was in very good shape and that the crew does a great job. Just loved Captain Karatzas and James (Cruise Director).

Thanks for the very informative and well balanced review.

Marilyn

Thank you, Boo's Mom, for your wonderful review. DH & I will be on the Mille the first week in August. Prior to that, we're doing a week-long land tour.

We also love Celebrity. This will be our 4th with them.

Thanks again!

Thanks for your very nice review, Boo's Mom! You booked some really intersting excursions, too. I'll be sure to bring my cold weather clothes - even in July!

Thanks Boo, for your very informative review. We will be taking the same cruise on 8/1/08. It is a big help having all the details.

How were people dressed for the informal, casual and formal nights? Were there gentlemen without ties on the formal nights?

Did the dining room serve Alaskan King Crab? When did you make your reservations for the Olympic Restaurant?

We wanted to book the Eagle Preserve float trip, but I am hesitant. Budget Queen had said that it was too early to see Eagles and other wildlife, plus your experience with the frigid weather.

Thanks again for the info.

Thanks for the detailed review. We'll be on Millennium northbound next summer, and I'm doing as much research as I can. Your info was great.

wondering how your 24 yo step daughter enjoyed it, is she a nature girl?? what did she like and dislike about the ship and the ports, Thanks

Thanks Boo, for your very informative review. We will be taking the same cruise on 8/1/08. It is a big help having all the details.

 

How were people dressed for the informal, casual and formal nights? Were there gentlemen without ties on the formal nights?

 

Did the dining room serve Alaskan King Crab? When did you make your reservations for the Olympic Restaurant?

 

We wanted to book the Eagle Preserve float trip, but I am hesitant. Budget Queen had said that it was too early to see Eagles and other wildlife, plus your experience with the frigid weather.

 

Thanks again for the info.

Hi Travelteach326....

Informal.... lots of jackets, but I did not see ties.

casual.....nice pants and a nice shirt. (ie: khaki pants and button down shirt)

formal..... tuxedos or dark suits.

The dining room did not serve Alaskan King crab.

My DH and DD had some King Crab in Ketchikan.

They said it was expensive, but very good !

We did not eat in the Olympic restaurant,

but I heard many great comments.

wondering how your 24 yo step daughter enjoyed it, is she a nature girl?? what did she like and dislike about the ship and the ports, Thanks

This is the 24 yr old responding.... I really enojoyed the cruise. I would call myself a nature girl because I love the outdoors. I liked how they pampered you on the cruise and the accomodations were very nice, some of the meals I had I was not impressed with, but overall I had a good experience.

Hello Boo's Mom. Thank you for the detailed review! We're heading northbound on July 25th.

Can you tell us which company you used to travel to Admiralty Island? Also, would you take the Nature tour at Icy Strait again if given another opportunity? Did you expect to see bears on the trip?

Thank you!

Hello Boo's Mom. Thank you for the detailed review! We're heading northbound on July 25th.

 

Can you tell us which company you used to travel to Admiralty Island? Also, would you take the Nature tour at Icy Strait again if given another opportunity? Did you expect to see bears on the trip?

 

Thank you!

Hi kathynorth...

We booked our tour to Admiralty Island with Butch Laughlin of Alaska Fly"N"Fish Charters. http://www.alaskabyair.com

If I were to travel again to ISP, I would not take the Land Nature Tour again....

but I would do something different.

It was a good tour, but rather expensive considering we had 5 in our family.

So, the cost was x 5.

Our guide was certainly LOOKING for bears, the whole time.

Hope this helps... :)

Did the dining room serve Alaskan King Crab? When did you make your reservations for the Olympic Restaurant?

 

We wanted to book the Eagle Preserve float trip, but I am hesitant. Budget Queen had said that it was too early to see Eagles and other wildlife, plus your experience with the frigid weather.

I was on this cruise with Boo's Mom. Since she could not answer your Olympic question I thought I could weigh in since we ate there on our only informal night right after leaving Icy Straight Point. I made reservations prior to the cruise because I am a Captain's Club member. I believe you can do this within 30 days of the cruise.

Regarding the eagles, I don't know why Budget Queen would say it's too early since we saw tons of them during our trip. They were all over on many of our excursions. Didn't need to go to a preserve. They fly around just like our native birds do at home. It's amazing to see.