themillennialcruiser

Haha we don’t travel up to Canada often enough so I forget about the exchange rate. There was not a naturalist on board with us when we sailed on Ovation to Alaska but they did have a speaker that gave a really cool talk on the Da Vinci Code and that was fantastic.

It is the final day of our cruise and we are stopping in Victoria, BC. We woke up early and finished packing because we were stopping in port from 5:30-midnight. After packing we got some breakfast at Luminae and then headed off to another Behind the Podium talk on the Northern Lights. After the talk we added our additional tips onto our onboard account. You can fill out and additional tip form instead of doing cash if you are ever running low at guest services and the concierge in both the retreat and captains club. We did a little bit of shopping and then decided to whale watch the rest of the morning through the afternoon. It was a beautiful day and we saw SO many whales including humpbacks and orcas both diving and breeching! It was incredible to see them every few minutes and so close to our ship. I didn’t take videos because it was harder to catch but did get some great videos. If you are ever wondering why the ships dock so late in the day one of the major reasons is due to speed restrictions in the whale migration areas. When we arrived in Victoria we saw the Ovation of the seas parked right next to us. Unfortunately as we were getting off the ship we got a text that our flight to Vancouver had been cancelled. My husband had booked with points causing our flights to be rebooked on separate airlines and his including a stop over in all places but Victoria! There was a cyber attack on the Seattle airport earlier this week that has still not been resolved causing countless issues with flights. Based on the backlog of issues with the flights here and many air canada cancelled flights back to NYC we opted to cancel all together vs trying to drive, etc. Since my in laws are watching our dog already we decided why not throw a dart at the wall and still enjoy the end of our trip. I am super bummed we had to cancel our Whistler trip but we are now headed to LA to spend a few days at disneyland before heading home. Ok back to Victoria! We caught the shuttle bus being offered at the cruise terminal for $15 PP and were dropped off at the Empress Hotel. We walked around for a little bit and then did some retail therapy at Lululemon. The exchange was actually pretty good and I bought a few items I had been needing to replace. We then treated ourselves to a much needed drink as we talked over where in the world the Richardson’s would be traveling to. This flight is from Whistle Buoy brewing. After enjoying the sunset we opted to head back to the ship via the transfer bus. Our last dinner was at Luiminae. While we were sitting at dinner we finished booking our new plans for tomorrow. Thats the end of this Alaskan Journey! Some post cruise thoughts - 7 night sailings always feel too short! My husband and i agreed we prefer longer when possible especially when traveling to the destination. We didn’t see our butler much which was disappointing but the staff in the Retreat were very helpful. For us on edge class its the retreat or bust, you just can’t beat the experience. Comparison between Ovation of the seas & Celebrity Edge- Since we have sailed both ships on the same itinerary(except Ovation visits Sitka vs Ketchikan) I thought i would take a moment to compare and contrast. On the edge i felt much more connected to the ocean and scenery vs on Ovation where it’s harder to find an ocean view. I found myself sitting outside for hours and loved that celebrity provided blankets to every state room. Ovation has a lot more to do inside including 2 indoor pools. At times edge felt crowded inside but we were able to escape that by being in the Retreat. Edge is a better ship in the Mediterranean or Caribbean in my opinion but I don’t think Celebrity really has a great ship for cold weather climates. I would give the slight edge to Edge because I preferred Ketchikan to Sitka, I loved having the naturalist on board, and the retreat really is a special experience. Some things i am so happy i packed- Ultra mini ugg boots - these were incredible for lounging around the ship Gloves and a beanie - these were essential Trail running shoes - i love the Nike Pegasus Trail shoes with Gortex, they have incredible grip and stay dry all day even in the 3 inches of Ketchikan rain Some things i wish i had packed- A poncho Good binoculars- on Edge they are provided in sky suites and above but they aren’t great A rain proof backpack Thats all for this trip! Thanks for tuning in and of course happy to answer questions you might have.

Today is our second sea day of the trip. I woke up around 2 am because i left our curtains open at the chance and hope of seeing the northern lights. There was a 50% chance but the clouds were out so no such luck. Around 2am i awoke to the exterior lights on the ship and we were circling a lighthouse with another ship across the bay doing the same. I layer learned from the captain that the pilots stay on board for all 3 days of the Alaska inside passage and they were getting off the ship at that point. I fell back asleep for another few hours and woke up to rough seas and swells. I used to get pretty seasick but rarely do now due to all of the cruising we have done. I couldn’t shake my upset stomach so i headed up to the ocean view to get a bland breakfast. After eating i felt a little bit better so we headed off to do Dot Painting. I love the art classes celebrity offers. After this we went to the Captains talk but i started to feel sick again so went back to the room the reset. I dont love taking seasickness meds but sea bands always do the trick. They work best when you sleep with them on. After a snooze and a shower i felt like a new woman and headed off to get some sushi for lunch at sushi on 5. Sushi on 5 is an a la carte restaurant, no reservations are needed for lunch and you pay for only what you order. After some sushi we headed to the axe throwing event. This was super fun to do and don’t worry they don’t use real axes! We then went back to the room to start packing, we will be in Victoria tomorrow and its always tough to balance packing and a port day on the last day. I lost track of the time because we went forward an hour so we rushed to get ready for chic night and for the Captains Club cocktail party event. We even got a photo with Captain Costas! Dinner was at Luminae and tonight we enjoyed scallops , lobster, and baked alaska. We then went to one of the game shows that was similar to Jeopardy and attempted to see the magician again. They canceled the headliner shows due to the rough sea conditions. I found the magician a little weird so we left the show early. By this point it was time for the martini bar show so we enjoyed that and then headed off to dinner. Tomorrow we are in Victoria, Canada.

It really is something special

That is the pre dessert before you order dessert!

Our next port of call takes us to Skagway, Alaska. We woke up a little later than we had been, around 7 and got dressed and headed up to the Ocean View for a quick breakfast. Due to the landslides near the dock over the past few years we were required to take a shuttle bus to the end of the dock where the White Pass Train stops. We rented a car through Turo again to do the White Pass drive on our own. We did the train a few years ago and it was stunning but wanted a different POV.Our car was parked right in the Ferry Terminal lot only a 5 minute walk from the drop off point and was very convenient also getting around town. The weather was clear and then we entered into a foggy area with some rain before crossing the border into Canada. It was a beautiful drive. We drove around 50 minutes until we got to the Yukon suspension bridge. We then decided to head back to town because we thought it was much later than it actually was! There is a 1 hour time difference as you enter into Canada! Along the drive there was so much to see, we pulled over every 15 minutes of so to see various view points, waterfalls, and mountain views. Once we got back into town we stopped at Klondike Doughboy for a sweet snack and then stopped into the Skagway Brewing Company for some flights and fish & chips. After this we drove over to the Reid Falls area to see another water fall and the goldrush cemetery. The waterfall was stunning! It is walkable from the ship, maybe 45 minutes each way from the shuttle drop off point. From the parking lot it was about a 10 minute hike. After the short bike we headed off to Klondike brewing for another beer taste. If you can’t tell my husband loves beer! I like to try some too but opt for smaller tastings and pours to try. Our last stop was to Skagway Fish Company for a little more King crab. After this stop we dropped off the car and I headed to the spa for a blow out. I decided to book an appointment after the #Dysonchronicles. After the spa I met my husband at the retreat lounge for a pre dinner drink. Originally i had booked us the Eden tasting in the cruise planner but learned that actually doesn’t include the wine its food only(wine is an extra $120 PP and we have the Premium package already)so the concierge canceled that and refunded us. We then had a reservation for just the regular menu which I would recommend to all as we were able to order 3 dishes from every course anyways. On the cruise planner it mentioned this night was a special sunset sail through the Inside Passage. It wasn’t super sunny but it was beautiful. After dinner we were exhausted so headed off for a full night of sleep. Tomorrow is a much needed day at sea!

Hello from Juneau and Endicot arm! Warning LONG post coming because it was a long day! We started the day at 5am with a glacier wake up call! It was a cloudy morning to start, we bundled up and decided to hunker down in the covered outdoor space on the side of the retreat lounge. I love that Celebrity Edge class ships have this space and also that blankets are provided to every guest on the ship. A lot of retreat guests opted to sit out on the sundeck but we noticed that the glass was super high and would make photo taking difficult. I have been comparing and contrasting our Ovation of the Seas sailing from 2021 and one thing i loved about this sailing was the on board naturalist. She took over the overhead speaker around 6 am as we started to enter the glacier area and explained what we were seeing around us and any animals to be seen in the area. She also mentioned we got very close up to the glacier, around 4 miles away which is closer than most ships get and closer than our experience three years ago as the weather was tough that day. The viewing was so beautiful! After the 360 spin from the captain we opted to go to Luminae for breakfast. After breakfast we walked around the ship for some other view points. We headed to the room to relax for a little bit and change and spotted the Sumdum glacier! Dont miss this if you are sailing to Juneau after the glacier. After we got dressed for the day we headed to the Elite and above wine tasting event. It was a stunning view and always a nice event to attend. We opted for the ocean view for lunch as we were hoping to get off the ship right as they announced we could disembark the ship. We have been to Juneau before and did the bike and brew glacier view excursion but felt we didn’t get enough time at the Mendenhall glacier so this time we rented a car to visit on our own. Edge docks at the AJ’s dock and there is a free shuttle into town from here. We picked up our Turo right behind the Red Onion Saloon and opted for an electric car so we didn’t have to worry about fueling the car up. We drove about 15 minutes to the glacier and decided to walk to Nugget Falls. The water fall is around a 20 minute walk from the glacier each way with some beautiful nature all around. It was stunning and I highly recommend. While parking the car we discovered we were parked illegally and a park ranger helped us to get to a legal spot! He also recommended we drive the Glacier highway all the way to the end. It’s about a 45 minutes each way with an eagle sanctuary and some stunning views along the route. After the drive we stopped at Forbidden Peak brewery for a flight followed by Alaska brewing for a flight. After some beer we stopped at Tracy’s Crab Shack #2 and got some dinner. After dinner and dropping off the car we stopped into the Red Onion saloon for a Duck Fart shot. It was a stunningly beautiful Juneau sunset. We took the shuttle back to the ship and saw the beauty of Edge at night. Tomorrow we are in Skagway! Oh and for those invested in the Dyson chronicles it started working again today!

I had to double down on the hat, rain jacket, and poncho to keep it going!

Hello from Ketchikan, Alaska! We woke up early and saw how soggy of a day it was going to be but we rallied and headed out to Jellyfish donuts for their salmon donut only to find out they were closed until 8am. By this point we were soaked so we went into a gift shop near by to look for a poncho.We packed rain gear like umbrellas, rain jackets, etc but this was a very soggy day of 3 inches of rain. If you are going on an Alaska cruise i would highly recommend packing ponchos! After buying ponchos and an extra rain jacket for my husband we went back to Jellyfish donuts to hear they would be open 2 hours after their posted time online. By this point we were freezing and wet so we headed back to the ship for breakfast and to warm up. We were booked for the 9:30 Lumberjack show and booked directly to save a little bit of money. The show was only about a 10 minute walk from the ship but we opted for the free shuttle only about a 5 minutes drive away with a stop right in front of the show. The show was wonderful and cheesy in the best way. After the show we got some crab at the Alaska Fish House. After some lunch we headed to the Baleen Brewery for a flight. The beer was pretty good. After we finished our drinks we walked around creek street. It was pouring but i loved seeing the seals swimming in the creek and eating the salmon.We walked down the married mans trail and the fish ladder. By this point we were soaked and my poncho was broken so we popped into Bawden Street Brewing to wait out the rain. We then walked down to the ship and visited a few gift shops before heading back to the ship. Since this cruise has been the hair tool chronicles i am happy to report I found a back up curling iron! We headed back to the ship to warm up with hot chocolate and then headed to an early dinner at Luminae. Tomorrow is a very long day with 5:30AM start of Dawes Glacier and Juneau in the afternoon.

Oh man, that is good to know! I have been able to use my T3 curling iron with an adapter in Europe and India. I opted to buy a curling iron in Ketchikan to hold me over until my blow out!

I don’t have one with me but might ask the butler if he can get me one to try it. The tricky thing with edge class is that the plugs are all on a desk in a box which is already tough to use the dyson in. I am not sure if the adapter would fit but will try if i can find one!

Its really a beautiful ship! And thank you me too!

Unfortunately no. They did try but it seems for whatever reason the dyson is too high of a voltage for this room even though it did work day 1 and it worked on edge last summer. I picked up a curling iron in port today and plan to get a blowout in a few days. I would have done it sooner but with so much rain in the forecast it wouldn’t have been worth it, i will just let it air dry until then.

Hello from our first day at sea! We woke up super early and caught the sunrise.We headed to Luminae for some breakfast and then went to the first Beyond the Podium talk of the sailing - Alaska Unveiled. There was a second talk right after this one on the whales of Alaska. After these talks i was starving! My body is still adjusting to the time but it was too early for lunch. We headed up to the Ocean View to get pizza and stayed for lunch. I love how Celebrity aligns the food choices to where you are in the world. They had a baked potato bar available which is one of my favorite things. I didn’t eat a donut but they looked very fancy!After lunch we headed up to the Suite sundeck for some whale watching and cocktails. The weather was really bipolar today going from sunny, to raining, back to sunny. We saw a ton of whales off the side of the ship and some porpoises! After a nap we got ready for chic night. There was a special reception for retreat guests in the lounge. As i was getting ready my Dyson airwrap stopped working! When we came to the reception i asked the lounge manager for help with my hair tool and asked to make an appointment with the spa in a few days for a back up blowout. I have been on both beyond and edge and never had an issue with my airwrap so i was very surprised. Luckily I always get my hair done at the start of a trip so i made it work. I did also ask about the wine bottle we received in our suite the first night, I don’t love the sparkling wine they provided so asked to switch it day 1. I asked about this again and when we came back from dinner we had an alternative bottle waiting for us. I love the outdoor space in the retreat lounge, its covered and great for animal spotting. We sat out there with a pre dinner drink. Dinner was at Luminae and Lobster was a starter option tonight. After dinner we stopped for a martini and did some shopping around the ship. After some shopping we headed to the Magic show and then off to bed. Tomorrow we are in Ketchikan.

Hello from the Celebrity Edge! I woke up at 5am because time zones! And because i needed to start the work day. I get summer Friday hours and hate taking a full day of PTO for a half day especially in PST zone. I worked the half day and we headed to the ship for our 10:30 boarding time. We arrived to the ship around 11am because of traffic and the weather it was pouring! Ovation of the seas and the edge were both in port and the traffic was chaos! After escaping the rain and the crowds we dropped off our bags and headed to luminae. I love that Celebrity allows you to drop your bags off before the rooms are ready. Lunch was fantastic and while we were deciding on lunch I saw our server from Edge last year when we sailed Europe. Once we spotted him he took over our lunch and it was fantastic! After lunch I grabbed a drink at the retreat lounge which included the drinks below. I liked the option to get upgraded drinks as well. We walked around the ship to explore, grab a special cocktail from Eden and enjoy sail away. After dinner at Luminae we headed off to bed. Tomorrow is a sea day.