There were six of us in our group, three sisters and their husbands. We arrived in Vancouver a day early because we did not want a fast-paced ride to the cruise terminal the day of departure. Turns out that was a great plan. Stanley Park with its totem poles is wonderful to visit, as well as the Capsilano suspension bridge, treetops, and (brand new) cliff walk. All are not for the faint of heart, but so worth it to complete it and be able to say you did! We stayed at the Pan Pacific Hotel right at the dock. VERY WORTH IT! The morning of our cruise, we just called down to the desk and the bellman came up and took all of our luggage directly to the cruise ship! We had balcony rooms on the starboard side. Being 9th deck, we had the larger overhang, but it was fine. We were able to check in about 11:30, but then found out they had had norovirus on the ship on the previous cruise, so we had to wait in a holding room for about 1 1/2 hours while they sanitized the public areas. We could then board and go to the restaurant or use the main areas. Our staterooms were ready about 4:00, as they, too, received special cleaning. I must say, Celebrity continued to keep everything spotless. You could see people steam cleaning the walls during the day, wiping off everything people could touch, and hand sanitizer was the norm before every meal. I don't think we had the virus on our cruise.

During our first day of cruising we enjoyed a class on computers, did some shopping, and looked at quite a bit of fog/rain in the morning. Turns out that would be our WORST day for weather the entire trip. Yea! We chose celebrity select dining, which we loved. Some nights we had reservations, but other nights we just showed up when we were ready, and we only waited once for about five minutes in the lounge next door--no problem. The shows in the evening were always fun, but the energy of the dancers was almost exhausting if you were in the front rows!

Our first stop was Ketchikan. We walked the town, Creek Street, and visited the totem pole museum and fish hatchery. Not anything outstanding, but interesting and part of the culture of the area. I was glad we did it. Read more