contribute greatly to the elegant atmosphere. Dining-wise, Celebrity shines, offering innovative cuisine that’s a cut above the fare offered by all the other mainstream lines.

The AquaSpas on the line’s mega ships are the best at sea, the art collections fleet wide are the most compelling, the cigar bars are the plushest, and the onboard activitie

With a premium fleet that’s among the youngest and best designed in the cruise industry, Celebrity Cruise Alaska offers a great product: a classy, tasteful, and luxurious cruise experience at a moderate price.

Celebrity Cruise Alaska Pros

• Spectacular spas and gyms. Beautiful to look at and well stocked, the spas and gyms on the Infinity, Mercury, and Summit (and Celebrity’s other non-Alaska megaships) are among the best at sea today.
• Fabulous food. Celebrity’s cuisine is tops among mainstream cruise lines.
• Innovative everything. Celebrity’s entertainment, art, cigar bars, service, spas, and cuisine are some of the most innovative in the industry. Its ships were among the first in the industry to display major art collections on board, it had one of the earliest cigar bars, and its menus have long recognized the need for vegetarian, low-sodium, heart-conscious, and other dishes.

Celebrity Cruise Alaska Cons
• Occasional crowding. Pack a couple thousand people onto a ship (pretty much any ship), and you’ll get crowds sometimes, such as at buffets and when debarking.

Each of the Celebrity ships is spacious, glamorous, and comfortable, mixing sleekly modern and vaguely Art Deco styles and throwing in an astoundingly cutting-edge art collection. The line’s genteel service is exceptional: Staff members are exceedingly polite and professional, and contribute greatly to the elegant atmosphere. Dining-wise, Celebrity shines, offering innovative cuisine that’s a cut above the fare offered by all the other mainstream lines.

The AquaSpas on the line’s mega ships are the best at sea, the art collections fleet wide are the most compelling, the cigar bars are the plushest, and the onboard activities

y, Mercury, and Summit (and Celebrity’s other non-Alaska megaships) are among the best at sea today.
• Fabulous food. Celebrity’s cuisine is tops among mainstream cruise lines.
• Innovative everything. Celebrity’s entertainment, art, cigar bars, service, spas, and cuisine are some of the most innovative in the industry. Its ships were among the first in the industry to display major art collections on board, it had one of the earliest cigar bars, and its menus have long recognized the need for vegetarian, low-sodium, heart-conscious, and other dishes.

Celebrity Cruise Alaska Cons
• Occasional crowding. Pack a couple thousand people onto a ship (pretty much any ship), and you’ll get crowds sometimes, such as at buffets and when debarking.

Each of the Celebrity ships is spacious, glamorous, and comfortable, mixing sleekly modern and vaguely Art Deco styles and throwing in an astoundingly cutting-edge art collection. The line’s genteel service is exceptional: Staff members are exceedingly polite and professional, and contribute greatly to the elegant atmosphere. Dining-wise, Celebrity shines, offering innovative cuisine that’s a cut above the fare offered by all the other mainstream lines.

The AquaSpas on the line’s mega ships are the best at sea, the art collections fleet wide are the most compelling, the cigar bars are the plushest, and the onboard activitie

he first in the industry to display major art collections on board, it had one of the earliest cigar bars, and its menus have long recognized the need for vegetarian, low-sodium, heart-conscious, and other dishes.

Celebrity Cruise Alaska Cons
• Occasional crowding. Pack a couple thousand people onto a ship (pretty much any ship), and you’ll get crowds sometimes, such as at buffets and when debarking.

Each of the Celebrity ships is spacious, glamorous, and comfortable, mixing sleekly modern and vaguely Art Deco styles and throwing in an astoundingly cutting-edge art collection. The line’s genteel service is exceptional: Staff members are exceedingly polite and professional, and contribute greatly to the elegant atmosphere. Dining-wise, Celebrity shines, offering innovative cuisine that’s a cut above the fare offered by all the other mainstream lines.

The AquaSpas on the line’s mega ships are the best at sea, the art collections fleet wide are the most compelling, the cigar bars are the plushest, and the onboard activitie

l get crowds sometimes, such as at buffets and when debarking.

Each of the Celebrity ships is spacious, glamorous, and comfortable, mixing sleekly modern and vaguely Art Deco styles and throwing in an astoundingly cutting-edge art collection. The line’s genteel service is exceptional: Staff members are exceedingly polite and professional, and contribute greatly to the elegant atmosphere. Dining-wise, Celebrity shines, offering innovative cuisine that’s a cut above the fare offered by all the other mainstream lines.

The AquaSpas on the line’s mega ships are the best at sea, the art collections fleet wide are the most compelling, the cigar bars are the plushest, and the onboard activitie

contribute greatly to the elegant atmosphere. Dining-wise, Celebrity shines, offering innovative cuisine that’s a cut above the fare offered by all the other mainstream lines.

The AquaSpas on the line’s mega ships are the best at sea, the art collections fleet wide are the most compelling, the cigar bars are the plushest, and the onboard activities are among the most varied. Like all the big ship lines, Celebrity Cruise Alaska offers lots for its passengers to do, but its focus on mellower pursuits and innovative programming sets it apart.

It’s interesting to note that this year Celebrity (and its affiliate company, Royal Caribbean International) are using a brand new port, Icy Strait Point. The port, little more than a cannery dock to be honest, lies between Juneau and Glacier Bay and offers a prime vantage point for whale and wildlife watching and easier access to the Alaskan wilderness. A small Indian village about a mile away will be included on shore excursions.

Why add the stop at all? Simply because a growing number of Alaska passengers have begun to outgrow the historic ports of call. A “been there done that” attitude among past guests has made it essential that cruise lines find new ways to stimulate public interest in the destination. Hence, Icy Strait Point. It will never make passengers forget the bustling streets and stores of, say, Juneau or Ketchikan, but the lines are hoping that the combination of hitherto pretty much unseen (at least by cruise passengers) wilderness and exposure to a real Indian village experience will make it a memorable stop.