So with one week's notice I was able to get award tickets on Alaska flying into Anchorage the day of the cruise. Normally I wouldn't fly to arrive day of cruise, but I had no choice. I then discovered that the trip from Anchorage to the ship in Seward wasn't just a short shuttle bus ride away, it's a 3-hour trip. Celebrity had closed reservations on their bus transportation from the airport to the ship. Panic time because our flight was scheduled to arrive at 2:15 p.m. and I realized there was no time for error in getting to the ship. Celebrity was not helpful when I called; they told me if there happens to be space on the bus when I get there, I can have seats; if not, well that's my problem. They had no idea when the last bus left or how full the buses were. But as it turned out, all went well. Flight was on time, there was space on the bus, and we got to the ship around 6:30 p.m. However, upon arrival & check-in in with Celebrity at the baggage area of the airport, they said my name wasn't on the passenger list, "Are you sure you're on this cruise?" At that point, I wasn't going to panic. Worst came to worse, we'd have a 1-week vacation in Seward! So prior to the cruise, Celebrity sure wasn't giving me that warm fuzzy feeling of a supposedly more upscale experience.

Embarkation was a breeze, probably because we arrived so late and, yes, luckily our names were on the passenger list at the ship! Cabin was balcony, concierge class. It reminded me of the cabins on my Princess cruises, but bathroom and shower were slightly larger which is good; however, balcony was half the size of the one on my Princess cruise. Turned out not to matter because it was rainy and windy most of the cruise, so too cold to go out there. Agree with the others, I could see no point in paying for Concierge class except for the slightly larger shower. Every time I called the concierge line, it switched me to the regular phone line (for restaurant reservations, info etc.). Cabin attendant was fine, but we didn't ask anything extra of him and he didn't offer it; he kept the cabin clean. The TA had also given us a credit to dine in the Olympic restaurant; I made reservations myself by calling when I got on board. Unfortunately, something hit me mid-afternoon in Juneau and I had to cancel since I wasn't feeling well. I tried every day to reserve again and they said they were booked. Big disappointment, didn't get to eat at the restaurant. So another instance where Concierge class didn't offer anything special.

We thought the food was very good, no complaints there. We were assigned to a table of 10, but only one other nice couple from Canada was assigned to our table. So on the nights when they ate elsewhere, my daughter and I sat by ourselves at the big table. One night she wasn't feeling well and tablemates were not there, so I decided to eat at the buffet. Discovered only sushi and pasta is available; here I was on this Celebrity cruise and eating a plate of spaghetti for dinner from a buffet. The more casual restaurant required reservations, they said they were booked. The night in Juneau when I wasn't feeling well, my daughter did have dinner in the dining room with the couple from Canada. However the waiter hit on her to the point where it actually scared her—he actually followed her to the elevator with his rude suggestions. Towards the end of the trip, he mentioned a wife and kids back home. On my other cruises we've never eaten lunch on the ship, as we prefer to see the sites on land and eat on the go. This time, when I realized how close the ship was to the towns, I thought we might come back to eat lunch. Nope, the dining room was closed. I guess cost-cutting measures. Read more