Celebrity Cruise Tour

[bancytu]

My husband and I are taking a cruise tour through Celebrity on the Millenium in late July/early August. This is our first Alaskan cruise! We are very excited. I have done a ton of research on this site and have booked a bunch of excursions based off of many people’s recommendations! Thank you for all your help already!

 

I have some questions about the tour portion. We are taking the Megistic Tundra Explorer Tour which is 5 days if you count the day getting onto the ship. It is a pre cruise tour. Anyway, we are flying into Fairbanks a day early. Will we find out our hotel reservation early enough so we could book the same hotel for the day before? All the tour information is pretty vague. Also around what time do you normally board the ship? We have a conceriarge class room and was wondering if we will make it in time for the MDR lunch. First time in a conceriarge room, aft! Will we find out ahead of time all the times things will take place on the tour? I’m a major planner! Also what types of things should we do in Denali? Our package includes the Wilderness Tundra Tour.

 

Any other tour tips or even Alaska tips would be great! Now I just have to wait until July!

[Budget Queen]

Frankly, in Seward having a priority to get on the ship for lunch may be misplaced. Seward is a gem of opportunities you may also want to consider. BUT- where are you coming from the day prior? Rarely are cruise tours in Seward before early evening, unless they are overnight there. So, I wouldn't count on the early lunch. :)

 

Have you gone to the Denali Park web site? All your information for activities- http://www.nps.gov/dena Likely you are there 2 nights? Problem with Celebrity- is they put their tours up, miles south, so it isn't a convenient place without a car. You'll need to be aware of shuttle schedule. That there may be a fee for? Your TWT will take up one day. Coming from Fairbanks- you'll have half a day, in either Fairbanks or Denali again, depending on your itinerary. More information could be given it you posted your exact itinerary- including modes of travel. Are you aware of your transit schedules? They are pretty fixed so not difficult to determine.

 

Many times, lodging in Fairbanks is tough to get additional days. They run full all season. Reason why the need to use multiple properties. I would n't be too concerned. You can simply just move, ideal and "necessary" in my opinioin anyway with extra Fairbanks days is a rental car. So when turning the car in, simply drop off at you next lodging. Fairbanks has some excellent activies - have you selected what you are doing with your extra time?

 

If you choose to post your itinerary with dates, mode of transit and places overnight. You can have more details.

[bancytu]

We go from July 23-August 3

We are flying into Seattle spending a few days there then flying into Fairbanks the day before the tour. We’ve never been to Alaska so I don’t know what to expect. We are very excited to see the beauty of Alaska. In the cruise ports we are doing a helicopter to a glacier, float plane, and whale watching all through private tours recommended by cruise critic people. I can’t seem to find a lot of details on what to expect on the tour portion and when we will find out details from celebrity.

Day 1 is Fairbanks check in,

Day 2 Fairbanks After breakfast, discover the sights and sounds of Fairbanks on the Fairbanks City Tour. Step back in time and uncover Alaska's rich gold rush history at Gold Dredge 8. The adventure continues with a scenic afternoon cruise down the Chena River on the Riverboat Discovery sternwheeler. From 5:00 p.m., Fairbanks is yours to enjoy. Relax at your Alaskan lodge set on the banks of the Chena River, or enjoy an optional all-you-can-eat Alaskan-style meal before a light-hearted musical comedy about the founding of Fairbanks.

Day 3 Fairbanks/ Denali Board the Wilderness Express?, a glass-domed traincar for the scenic ride to Denali. Indulge in a freshly prepared savory lunch available for purchase aboard the train. From 3:30 p.m., Denali is yours to discover. Enjoy an optional land excursion, such as visiting the sled dogs of the Husky Homestead, or relaxing at your lodge where the Nenana River rushes by

Day 4 Denali Spend a morning immersed in the beauty of Alaska's natural landscape as you head deep into Denali National Park on the Tundra Wilderness Tour. Along the way, watch for Alaska’s "big five:" caribou, moose, bear, gray wolves, and Dall sheep. After your tour, Denali is yours to explore. Experience Denali's overpowering magnificence in a range of optional land excursions, from bush pilots taking you up into the skies, to leisurely hikes on quiet trails, to river rafting down the Nenana River.

Day 5 Denali/Anchorage/Seward

In the morning, you’ll travel by deluxe motorcoach to Anchorage for lunch on your own. Then, you’ll continue past the beautiful Chugach Mountains to Seward, where you’ll board Celebrity Millennium? to begin your cruise adventure.

[Budget Queen]

You will be bused around Fairbanks and on the tours listed. You may want to include Pioneer Park which is the show reference with Salmon Bake. The train leaves 8am the next morning, arrives a little past noon. In the past, the Lodge used by Celebrity and RCI was way outside of the Denali attractions and Glitter Gultch which is pedestrian friendlier.

 

The TWT is about 8 hours,

 

Unfortunately you have chosen the marathon road trip with Denali to Seward in a single day. you are looking at around 10 hours to get there with the stops. And just passing through Seward which is a definate highlight for visitors. You'll arrive, late afternoon/early evening. to the ship.

[Northern Aurora]

bancytu: I live in Fairbanks. Celebrity uses more than one hotel for their cruise-tours. While there may be additional hotels, Celebrity has in the past used Pikes Waterfront, Sophie Station and the Bear Lodge (part of the Wedgwood Resort complex). Both Sophie Station and Bear Lodge are Fountainhead Development properties. The description of your hotel as being an "Alaskan Lodge set on the banks of the Chena River" suggests that you will be at Pikes Waterfront. There was a post several years ago that someone called the above mentioned hotels, gave them their tour number, and confirmed where their cruise tour was housed. All of these properties have web sites where you can find the phone numbers.

[bancytu]

Thanks everyone for your replies! We knew we wouldn’t see everything on this trip. I guess I’ll have to plan another one to see Seward. I’ll try calling the hotels to see if that works. I love this group! It’s so helpful! Thanks again!