Celebrity Millennium Review

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Review for Alaska Cruise on Celebrity Millennium
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konkrete kid
6-10 Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Aug 2014

Always wanted to visit Alaska and did this 12 day (5 days land, 7 days cruising) as a retirement gift to ourselves. Flew into Anchorage where we met with our land tour guide, Kate, at the Marriott. Tired from flight but had diner at local pub (beer & salmon) before retiring for evening. Next morning bused to train station, a short distance, for bubble car train ride to Talkeetna. Breakfast on board ship very good and 3 hours of gorgeous views (even though overcast). Talkeetna is a small, rustic town (2 blocks long) which serves at the starting point for Mt. McKinley climbers (months of May & June). Had lunch at a small local restaurant - again salmon & beer which was delicious. Walked around town and bought some gifts for grandchildren. Toured local museum & stayed for Mt. McKinley talk by ranger - great info on those people adventurous enough to climb the highest peak in North America. Stayed at Talkeetna Lodge for one night - very nice accommodations and had dinner on patio with wonderful views of surrounding forests & mountains. Dinner (not salmon & beer) very good and next morning on awakening and looking out window we actually saw Mt. McKinley! This is not a common occurrence as only 30% of visitors actually see the mountain. Got great shots of McKinley plus picked up a 30% pin in gift shop. Off to Denali by bus for a 2 night stay at Denali Park. The town is very touristy and rustic. Main street maybe 2 blocks on each side, separated by busy 2 lane road. We had pizza ($27 for medium) and of course, beer. Both delicious then off to our lodge which was fine. The next day we departed for our tour of Denali National Park, we took the extended tour which lasts all day and goes probably 30 miles into park. We saw grizzlies, caribou and ground squirrels plus amazing scenery. Tired from long day so had quick bite at snack bar in lodge then off to sleep. Next day left Denali and on way out our tour guide pulled over so we could get another glimpse of Mt. McKinley - saw it twice! We drove back through Anchorage - stopped for lunch then off to Girdwood for a one night stay at the Alyeska resort. This was a gorgeous place and took tram to top of mountain where we had dinner - good but pricey.

Next morning left for Seward where we boarded ship. No issues getting on board. Cabin clean and spacious. We have cruised probably 10 times over past few years and this cruise was as good as any other we have enjoyed on several different different cruise lines. The buffet was good for breakfast but we prefer using the Metropolitan dining room for almost all meals. Pool area was clean - love those hot tubs! The ship was clean, some odor detected but I thought it probably came from the smoke stacks when the ship was idling or pulling in/out of port (still not a problem). Sure the ship has minimal rust here and there but don't all ships?? Seeing the Hubbard Glacier was spectacular - a cloudless, sunny day. We got to see calving - so great. In Juneau we did rain forest, glacier (Mendenhall) and whale watching and not disappointed with anything on this excursion even though it was overcast and rainy. In Skagway took the train into B.C. then biked 14 miles back into town - what a rush! Icy Straight point - small fishing village - walked nature trails and took in museum. Ketchican - lumberjack show (very entertaining) and totem pole excursion. Back on board that evening saw the northern lights from back of ship - neat!

Entertainment on board was great - from juggler/comedian to onboard dance/sining troupe to really funny comedian - saw them all. Did visit casino which was never crowded - of course did not win anything on slots but the crap table was making some cruisers very happy.

Cabin Review

Nice size cabin with plenty storage space. Comfortable bed and clean room

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