Excellent cruise, value and ship!

This was a 14 day repositioning cruise starting in Vancouver and hitting Ketchikan, Skagway, Hubbard Glacier (cruise to, not a port), Juneau, Sitka, Victoria BC, Seattle, Grays Harbor, San Francisco, LA, and ending in San Diego.

We flew in from Newark on the day of the cruise. We wished that we made plans to stay in Vancouver a couple days before as we heard it was beautiful. But anyway, we booked our own air which was cheaper than Celebrity’s - direct flight too. Got in right on time. We realized that we should have put on the Galaxy luggage tags before checking our luggage in Newark. Celebrity actually grabs all bags with these tags and automatically transfers them to the ship - a nice touch. Since we didn’t read our documents fully until we were on the plane we had to get our luggage and bring them over to a counter just a minute’s walk from the carousel where we were assured they’d get transferred over. Again, this is a nice touch instead of having to lug the bags to the port yourself. The transfers we setup with Celebrity were easy to find and we were on our way to the ship - ½ hour drive. Embarkation was reasonable - about 1 hour. Everyone was given a number as they walked in and had to wait until your group’s number was called to go into another line to check in (give credit card & ID, fill out forms, etc.). The short wait gave us time to call home as we would not be in port for two days. There was also a gift shop that sold 12 packs of soda for $7. Not a bargain but 1/3 the price of soda on the ship. We bought several and filled up the cabin mini-bar. The first full day was cruising the inside passage which was scenic but more for the older cruisers. Many stayed for hours in the Stratosphere Lounge at the front of the ship watching the trees go by and listening to the announcer speak.

The weather in Ketchikan was nice. Foggy in the morning which caused the planes and helicopters to be cancelled. It cleared up in the afternoon and must have reached 60 degrees. We booked a van tour which was in the visitors center at the port. There were at least 15 different tour companies in the center. The tours were cheaper than the cruise ship’s and were better with more variety.

Skagway was a smaller ‘town’ which can be walked and shopped in only a couple hours. There were great bargains (1/2 off or more) in the shops as this was the last cruise of the season. We grabbed another van tour from a tour guide setup just a couple minutes walk from the ship. Glad we did this instead of the White Pass Train which slowly took people into a thick fog. Instead our van took us to areas which were off the beaten trail - we went to a historic cemetery and a ghost town where we say several eagles. Tour guide was great and very personal - again, much cheaper than anything we could have booked on ship. Weather was in the 50’s but foggy again in the morning and in the mountainous areas. Hubbard Glacier was amazing. Very cold and rainy but the views of the calving glacier walls is unforgettable. We were able to sail about 1 mile from the glacier and stayed for almost an hour. Great videos! Juneau is a much bigger city with (of course) many shops with end of season bargains. We wanted sign up for the Glacier Trekking tour which the ship offered. Instead we got in touch before hand with the exact same company (Northstar Trekking) offering the tour. We booked directly with them and saved $51/person - a considerable difference since there were 5 in our group. They’re address is: www.northstartrekking.com The tour took us on a helicopter ride over the glaciers which was spectacular. Then we landed on a glacier and put on ice hiking gear for an hour+ of ‘trekking’ up and down the glacier hills and walls. We were even able to climb (with the help of mountain climbing gear) a vertical wall of ice. Great fun - but wouldn’t recommend for those not up to some physical challenges. Weather was great again - probably upper 50’s - even warm on the glacier.

Sitka, a Russian-like fishing town, was nice too. Not much to do but shop and look around. They did have a Raptor Rehabilitation Center which was supposedly very interesting, but we ran out of time before we found out about it. Weather was a little drizzly in the afternoon but fairly warm.

Victoria BC is a beautiful city. Very English. Buses were at the ship to take people into town for I think $5. We asked the bus driver what else there was to do and he offered to take us to tour depot and give us a discount on a package to the botanical gardens and butterfly gardens. Don’t remember the exact amount but it was around $20US for the bus and admission to both gardens. They were both great if you’re into butterflies and flowers. It was actually fun to try and snap a picture of the butterflies in the air - a tip is to find a dead one and throw it in the air! For those who were dressed for it, Afternoon Tea at the Empress Hotel was the thing to do. Starting our US Pacific Coast ports was Seattle. The Space Needle and Fish Market was the itinerary. They were nice, but since we frequent Manhattan regularly, we weren’t too impressed. Alaska and Canada where more of a treat.

Gray’s Harbor, Washington was next. This was an interesting port to say the least. Apparently, the town is trying to get its tourism industry going. There had only been one other ship to dock in the town this year. There was a band playing when we docked and they had an oldtime ship sail by and shoot a cannon off. The town offered free bus service around the town. The only problem is that they would drop you off at the JCPenney or the Walmart. It would also drop you off at the bus depot where you can take a one hour bus up to some type of park that was supposed to be scenic. Even though the town was quaint and it was nice that they offered the free buses and were very gracious to the ship’s passengers, there wasn’t much to do. I went back to the ship for some lounge around time in the jacuzzi while the rest of our group went shopping. They were even given free socks (yes free socks) for being passengers on the ship. There was a little trading post set up for peddling goods outside the ship, a red carpet for walking off, and a small lumberjack show. Another intriguing thing was the fact that the afternoon addition of the local newspaper was being sold as you got back on the ship. The ship was the front page story - it was like we were royalty or something. Again, quaint town, but not much to do outside of shopping. Of course, there was a band playing and people waving as we sailed away! Awww!

San Francisco was another big city to traverse. We walked alot! Much bigger city than I realized, especially with the hills. We walked around the Castro which was like the Village in NY but more open. We walked to Golden Gate Park which is like Central Park but with less people. We had the taxi go down the crooked street and then walked around Fisherman’s Wharf. Fun city but needed the jacuzzi after all that walking. Los Angeles wasn’t really Los Angeles - we actually docked in San Pedro which is still the Port of LA. Since we only had 5 hours in port, we chose to stay on the ship or just walk around the dock. The weather was nice - hot compared to the past 12 days. Some on the ship ventured out for an hour ride each way into Hollywood. We docked in San Diego where we stayed for the next two nights. Disembarkation started about ½ late until we were cleared by Customs. It was going smooth until an older woman fell at the bottom the gangway. What a horrible way for her to end a wonderful trip. This caused another ½ delay as they diverted people out another part of the ship. San Diego is great. We went into Tijuana Mexico for more shopping and spent a day at the zoo. Now for a review of the ship. Galaxy is a great ship - very clean, easy to maneuver around, and very comfortable. The service was excellent, our cabin steward Agnelo was always there to help us. He stored our empty suitcases that wouldn’t fit under the bed, always came quickly if we needed something, took a pair of shoes and brought them back in minutes all shined up, and always had fresh ice for us. He even gave us extra hangers before we could even ask for them. The cabin was adequate for two. The category 5 has a sitting area with a little sofa right in front of a window. It was nice to sit in front of the window to see what was going on in port or in the ocean (saw whales jumping). I don’t think I regret not having a veranda - it was cold on deck most of the time. Room service was prompt - within 15 minutes and it was good for a quick snack - the Chili was tasty. The food was excellent. There seem to be mixed reactions to Celebrity’s food in some reviews on the web lately. Ours was wonderful. Some people may have the impression that it should be gourmet food along the lines of what you may find in a French restaurant in NY where you need someone to explain what is on your plate. Others are impressed that Galaxy’s food isn’t simply a steak with potatoes. I think of it as somewhere in between - it’s more of excellently prepared American dishes with a few ‘gourmet-type’ dishes thrown in. Desserts were incredible - our group of five would order several and just share each night. The other six at our table were doing the same in no time. Our waiter, Branco and assistant Robert were professionals. Branco has been with Celebrity since the 80’s. His recommendations and service were impeccable. By the end of the cruise he was showing us magic tricks at the table! The dining room was elegant - we had a table on the top floor up against the aft window - beautiful views.

Spa services left much to be desired - these are handled by Steiner of London. Our group had massages, facials, seaweed wrap, manicures, and haircuts. None were up to par. The manicures which our two ladies received were well below average in their opinion - I would agree looking at the nail polish. Massages were ok but not worth the money. The only thing worth it was the Thalasotherapy Pool for $16.50/day. It’s a heated saltwater pool with different types of jets everywhere. I went in for 45 minutes roughly every other evening and it was better than the $200 massage! Bingo was a daily event with anywhere from 50-100 people usually with a final prize of $4000 which drew a few hundred people. There was always something to do onboard - trivia, singers, bands, martini bar, assorted games, art auctions, disco, etc. The nightly entertainment show was good - not great, but a nice thing to go to after dinner. They had a magician, a few singers, comedians, shows.

Most of the people onboard were senior citizens - I believe the average age was talked about being 72 - not sure if that’s true but there sure were alot of older people - even a 94 year old. Everyone was wonderful - we made many friends old and young. I’m not sure if Celebrity just attracts nice customers or if the cruise put everyone in a good mood, but people were lovely. The ship became rocky on several days. You could even see the water bouncing around the pools on deck. Didn’t affect me, but some were seasick a few days. The few complaints I had were not being able to get food from 2-3 except from room service, scrabbled eggs and omelets were runny unless you asked for well done, service was sometimes slow when there was open seating for breakfast in the dining room, and a boring selection on the cabin TV.

All in all this was an excellent cruise. No real complaints. I gained almost 10 pounds! Service was top notch, food was excellent, and the ship was in great shape. All this for about $100/day, what more can you ask for?