What is a cruise to Alaska really like?
Beyond was the first thing that came to my mind. The cruise to Alaska was beyond any and all of my expectations. Of course, Alaska was as beautiful as I had hoped, but it was SO MUCH MORE! Up until now, my spectacular trip to Iceland was the finest example of nature so BIG you could not believe your eyes. Alaska is equally as stunning.
My daughter Alex and I took the Celebrity Edge Cruise to Alaska. It was our first ocean cruise, and the entire experience was near perfection. Why wasn’t it 100% perfect? Wi-Fi in the middle of the ocean is a challenge. But seriously, should that even be a worry while discovering the beauty of nature in the Alaskan wilderness? Of course not. To be clear, while on board, you use the Celebrity App quite a bit, and you need Wi-Fi to use it!
The ship was magnificent, the cuisine delicious, and the service fantastic. I don’t know how the Celebrity crew did it, but the service felt personal even though there were 3,000 passengers!
We did choose to stay in Aqua Class, which has definite advantages. The primary one is that we had Blu, our own gourmet restaurant, to dine on fine china with a myriad of food choices! Blu is the special restaurant for Aqua Class. We ate lots of fresh fish and veggies, and everything was so healthy and innovative. The service is attentive and friendly. Other stateroom classes above ours offer even more luxury and amenities, and I may try those on my next cruise to Alaska.
Since I live in Seattle, the embarkation city for this Alaskan Cruise, it was just too easy for us to go on our first cruise! Our friends and fellow travel writers Ann and Steve Teget of Postcard Jar organized 85 people to take this cruise together. Their expertise and relationships with the ship management allowed our group several opportunities to enjoy some exceptional experiences, like a private tour of the bridge, taking a martini class, enjoying a cooking demonstration, and learning to make Baked Alaska, among many other delightful treats!
Alex will join me on my podcast, Travel Connections, and we will discuss all of our adventures! There are too many details to write here, and I hope you will listen to the episode! Oh, the stories we have to tell. The Alaska episode will air next month!
Cruise Highlights
The highlight for both of us was seeing the Dawes Glacier. We both cried from happiness and awe and we felt like we walked into a scene from Game of Thrones. A Celebrity Cruise excursion took us on a small boat out to see it up close. Stunning!!!
It was also fun to relive the Alaskan Gold Rush history within the tiny towns of Ketchikan and Skagway. On the ship, we enjoyed afternoon tea daily, live entertainment after dinner, and lots of time in their state-of-the-art gym and luxurious spa.
We were so enamored with the ship’s design details and art that we took a very informative Art and Architecture Tour while at sea. As a first-time cruiser, I definitely see the advantages of unpacking once and seeing geographic destinations that can only be reached by sea or air. I can’t wait to tell you more in July!
Podcast News:
Have you had a moment to listen to my episode with the tastemaker JeriLynne Clifford? If you click HERE, you can listen directly on my website.
Upcoming Episodes:
Details from our Alaskan Cruise Adventure
Road Trip from Montana to Lake Louise & Calgary
Mid-Season Podcast Hiatus;
Newsflash: My team likes to travel! My Travel Connection Team will be traveling most of June and part of July, so we will not offer a new episode until July 26th. However, I will publish a minisode (mini-episode) this Friday, June 7th, giving you some updates and summer travel tips!
What are your summer plans?
Travel Safe,
Suzanne
