2022 Millennium Alaska Cruisetour Questions

[jeffndallas]

Onboard -

What is actual experience of adherence to Celebrity's "Smart Casual" dress code for dinner in MDR?

In the past, we essentially used casino as an ATM. Charged casino draws to our stateroom, gambled a little, converted the rest to cash. Is that still allowed?

Can we use OBC to "buy" chips in casino?

Is casino open in evenings when in Alaskan or Canadian waters? I assume not open when docked, correct?

 

Land tour -

I've found some information about land tour. Doesn't look like any meals are included. (Didn't expect any.)  What about food for purchase while on train?

[whitbob]

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.

[Cruising to Retirement]

12 hours ago, whitbob said:

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.

Any further details about the Land Tour is greatly appreciated- Can't find much on it anywhere or feedback-  We are on the Millennium for 8/5 out of Vancouver to Seward- then the 3/4 day land tour-  How were the hotel accommodations, tours, extra excursions you can book, free time on your own, train ride, extra added costs.... Any info is welcomed-  Thank you in advance--- 

[whitbob]

56 minutes ago, Cruising to Retirement said:

Any further details about the Land Tour is greatly appreciated- Can't find much on it anywhere or feedback-  We are on the Millennium for 8/5 out of Vancouver to Seward- then the 3/4 day land tour-  How were the hotel accommodations, tours, extra excursions you can book, free time on your own, train ride, extra added costs.... Any info is welcomed-  Thank you in advance--- 

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.

[Cruising to Retirement]

4 minutes ago, whitbob said:

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.

Seward- Talkeetna-Denali- Anchorage   Any info is appreciated- Thanks

[jeffndallas]

We are visiting the same cites as shown in your list of optional excursions. Thanks.

Any suggestions for restaurants or places to visit on our own?

[whitbob]

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.

[Cruising to Retirement]

15 hours ago, whitbob said:

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.

That would be tremendous- Thank you very much

[whitbob]

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.

 

[whitbob]

[whitbob]

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.