We thoroughly enjoyed our excursion, the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour. It was a bucket list item for Jan, since she is a big fan of Deadliest Catch. The boat we went on was featured on season two and several of the deckhands were aboard to tell us tales of a crab fisherman's life. At one point in the trip, they chummed the water with fish and suddenly hundreds of bald eagles came out of the trees to feast. I have some great videos I will be happy to share with you...just remind me. I also have videos of the huge Alaska crabs and prawns caught in the crab pots. The boat was very comfortable and I highly recommend anyone who is a fan of Deadliest Catch or anyone who wants to know more about crab fishing book this tour.
By now, I hope you have booked your excursions. We went to book one today (the Tracy Arm Fjord and Glacier Explorer) and it was sold out. I wish we had taken the advice we gave you. Tomorrow is the deadline to book excursions online for your cruise...just do it!
In preparation for an early wakeup tomorrow to see the glacier and Tracy Arm fjord, we are going to sleep early.
Here's a few more tips for you:
1. Although the food in the pay restaurants is delicious, the dining room has everything you could possibly want at no extra charge. The food and the service there is wonderful.
2. Try to take the stairs instead of the elevators.
3. Celebrity offers unlimited alcohol and soft drink packages. Check with the bar staff if you’re interested.
4. Carry some small bills around the ship with you. You will probably want to tip the ship attendants who deliver room service, give you great service in the buffet, etc.
5. At the cruise terminal, there are Alaska give away books that contain some great discount coupons for the shops in Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. Pick up one or two of them.
6. If you’ve forgotten to pack something you need, there are shuttles to Walmart in Ketchikan and Juneau.
7. If you buy Alaskan ulus (instruments used to chop food) as souvenirs or to bring home as presents, security will take them away when you return to the ship, but will deliver them to your stateroom on the last night of the cruise. My two ulus were joined by 600 others that security is temporarily holding.
8. Splurge and buy some fudge from Ketchi-Kandies located on one of the side streets in Ketchikan.
9. There are many, many free movies available in your cabin as well as some pay movies.
10. Bring a good camera and some binoculars. You will want a camera that shoots faster than a phone and has a better zoom. There are so many photo ops during this trip.
We will try to write again later in the week.