Seward, Alaska

The alarm woke us up at 4:30 so we would have time for breakfast and to check out of the hotel. As usual it was daylight outside on a somewhat cloudy day when we walked over to the train station. We were too early, but it gave us a chance to snag one of the few seats available. We checked our luggage, which would be delivered straight to the ship and then to our cabin. We wouldn't have to mess with that again. The station filled up quickly.

The train arrived and unloaded, then we boarded car C. The seats were comfortable and the windows large, but still not much leg room for tall people.

I had decided not to splurge on the "Gold Car" seats, which featured a rounded glass ceiling. As it turned out we were able to walk up to a viewing car and enjoy the extra window space for free. The train restricts sitting in that area to 20 minutes, which was fine with us. I tried twice to get a cup of coffee in the canteen car but the line was always too long.

Along the way a narrator pointed out wildlife and gave some history of the area. She pointed out moose, eagles, eagle nests, a rainbow, and two bears. Of course we were moving too fast to get any good pictures but here are a few of the scenery.

 

We were tired from getting up so early, but excited to start the cruise portion of the trip.  When we arrived in Seward we walked to the ship and dropped our carry-on bags in our room. Then we had lunch and headed back into Seward on the shuttle to the Alaska Sea Life Aquarium.

The Aquarium is small but nice. I had a two for one coupon so it was just $30 for both of us. We watched the seals, otters and sea lions, compared cold water Pacific fish with the ones we know, then headed back to the shuttle stop just as it started to sprinkle. We didn't have to wait long for the shuttle and were back at the ship before we knew it. 

The Celebrity Millennium has been updated in the last year. It is so modern and actually bigger than it was. Here's a few pictures of the ship. We had originally booked an oceanview room, but a month before the cruise had the opportunity to upgrade to a balcony for $60 each so we did. Had I known the weather was going to cooperate so beautifully I might have booked a balcony in the beginning, but I was afraid it would be too cold to use it.  

The first day on a cruise ship is always a bit hectic with unpacking, going to the safety drill and finding your way around. I had dinner reservations for 6 p.m. We were pleased with our waiter, Zachery (from Kenya), and his assistant Tatnia so we requested their section every night. We also became good friends with the sommelier, Svetlana (from Ukraine). All the meals were very good, but the first night was especially nice -- prime rib! Now you know why we didn't care much about the food the first week. We knew we'd dine like kings once on the ship.

The ship sailed at 8 p.m. and of course, it was still broad daylight. We were both exhausted from getting up so early, as well as all the day's events, so we went to bed by 9 missing the night's entertainment.