Associate cruise editor Laura Dennis sailed Alaska's Inside
Passage on Celebrity Cruises' Galaxy. Her report follows:
ABOARD THE GALAXY -- My cruise was not a vacation -- it was an
enjoyable challenge. It was a challenge to find the ideal spot for
scenery- and people-watching. It was a challenge picking salmon or
steak (especially for a red-meat lover) for my dinner entree. It
was a challenge signing up for shore excursions. The hiking
expedition intrigued me; the mountain biking adventure scared me a
bit. Unable to decide, I picked the Flightseeing and Bald Eagle
Float Trip as a good compromise. Even though the Galaxy is new in
this market, selling the ship shouldn't be a challenge to agents,
though. The ship has many strong points, among them service,
cuisine, shore excursions and the ship itself.
Josh, Our Butler
My companion for this voyage was Sabina Rubbinaccio, Travel
Weekly's calendar of events editor and my "office mom." We stayed
in a Sky Suite, which boasts a private veranda, a Sony television
and VCR (Celebrity and Sony entered a partnership in 1994), two
lower beds that are convertible to a king-size, a sitting area with
a sofa bed and the services of a butler. The butler helps clients
unpack their luggage, picks up and delivers laundry, shines shoes
and takes care of sewing repairs. The butler also can act as a
personal assistant, booking all guest services and appointments
ranging from treatments at the AquaSpa to arranging a small
cocktail party. Our butler, Josh, was courteous, friendly and
prompt when delivering breakfast, hors d'ouevres and afternoon tea.
He even seemed genuinely disappointed when we missed high tea on a
few occasions.
Food, Food, Food
A plethora of dining options available around the clock, can
satisfy any cruise guest's cravings. Quality, rather than quantity,
is what Celebrity and its master chef, Michel Roux, want guests to
enjoy. There still is plenty of food, but the emphasis is on fresh,
healthy dishes. Simplicity is the key for the chef, who wants the
food to look good and taste even better. The line teamed with the
renowned chef to create meals that showcase the destination. For
seafood lovers, salmon, sea bass, cod and Alaska king crab abound
on these voyages. Celebrity also offers guests vegetarian entrees,
and chefs can prepare diabetic, low-salt and low-fat meals. The
line also features lean and light menu items that have less than
30% of their total calories from fat. The nutritional values for
these dishes are listed on the menus.
From salmon to lobster to shrimp to salmon again, I don't think
I've ever eaten that much seafood in my life; but I did manage to
have steak just to satisfy my carnivorous desires. I usually was
stuffed when it was time for dessert, but I did manage to leave
enough room to try anything Sabina had. For guests who have the
late-night munchies, Celebrity offers Gourmet Bites twice a week on
seven-night sailings. Gourmet Bites are finger foods that are
served buffet-style around the lounges to avoid having passengers
leave public areas and entertainment venues for the traditional
midnight buffet.
A Glacier Adventure
Celebrity offers a number of shore excursions from simple
sightseeing tours to rugged hikes and mountain bike treks. I wanted
a trip that would require some physical exertion but not too much,
and Sabina was a good sport who decided to go along with my
choices. Our first excursion was the Flightseeing and Bald Eagle
Float Trip in Skagway. We started our tour with a flight over the
glaciers of Chilkat Mountains. We then landed in Haines, and took a
bus ride up the Chilkat Valley to the Eagle Preserve. On our float
(or raft) ride, we spotted bald eagles, a sea otter, a wolf and
fresh bear tracks. Sabina was quite disappointed that we did not
see the bear. Our raft was steered by a guide, who was
knowledgeable and informative. We concluded the river part of our
tour with a relaxing picnic lunch by the river.
For the next part of our journey, we drove back to the airport
and took off for our flightseeing adventure. The flight over the
glacier was an amazing experience. Being so close to these natural
wonders is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that would be hard to
duplicate. My other two excursions during our cruise did not have
quite the same impact, but they were fun and definitely gave me a
splash of local color. The Taku Glacier Lodge by Plane trip to
Juneau started and ended with a bumpy ride, but in the middle, I
had time for a salmon bake feast, a storytelling session,
sightseeing around the lodge and some souvenir shopping.
My other shore excursion was the Mountain Lake Canoe Adventure
in Ketchikan. Participants paddle around the lake with a guide, who
points out wildlife, flora and fauna. Travelers take a nature walk
and also stop to have lunch featuring -- salmon -- of course. The
Galaxy offers a range of shore excursions designed to fit various
budgets and activity levels, including sightseeing tours via a
motorcoach; fishing trips, whale-watching cruises and expeditions
that allow guests to walk on a glacier.
The Galaxy
The 1870-passenger vessel is large enough at 77, 713 tons so guests
can get lost, if they want to read, relax or watch the scenery, but
at the same time offers an intimate ambience, where guests never
feel overwhelmed. My favorite spaces included the library, which
offers comfy leather chairs and current bestsellers, and, for
something different, Sony Wonder, a computer station, where guests
can play games or hone their computer skills. Other stand-outs
include Michael's Club, a cigar club for guests seeking an
after-dinner drink and stogie; Tastings, a wine and coffee bar
featuring a menu of European and flavored coffees as well as wine
served by the glass; the Stratosphere Lounge, by day, an
observation area equipped with binoculars and telescopes, and by
night, it becomes a disco, and Fortunes, the casino, which always
seemed lively (although it had some stiff competition from the
scenery).
After I was done discovering all these places, I wanted my own
space, and I went back to my favorite spot -- my cabin. Although
many people say that you don't spend time in your room on a cruise,
I could have stayed in my suite for almost the entire time. I had a
private balcony providing breathtaking views from early morning
(around 4:30 a.m.) to around 10:30 p.m. (when it got too dark to
really see anything); a comfortable bed, and an interactive
television that enabled me to go shopping, play casino games, order
movies, arrange shore excursions and order room service. The Galaxy
is offering seven-night Caribbean cruises from October through
April. But it will be back in Alaska next summer, where it will be
joined by its new sister, the Mercury.