Hi,
Anyone have an opinion as to starboard or port? We are leaving Aug. 17th for Alaska. We have port but are wondering if starboard would be better, especially since we have our first veranda...thanks

It depends upon your itinerary. Celebrity has a cruise that goes from Vancouver to Seward. In that case, you would probably want a Starboard stateroom (if you are facing the pointy end of the ship, starboard is to the right).

If the cruise is from Seward to Vancouver, go for the port side of the ship.

Frankly, if part of the itinerary includes the Inside Passage Port or Starboard is a toss-up as there will be TREES and lost of them on both sides and unless you have a balcony cabin you'll be out on deck anyway so I wouldn't get too obsessed about this.

We just competed a trip going north on the Inside Passage and had a stateroom on the port side. I would have preferred starboard, but those cabins were full by the time I booked.
Looking back, I still think starboard is preferable when going north, but not by much. When in port, it was usually better to be on the port side, viewing the water.
You can always go on deck when you think you may be missing something from your stateroom.
Just remember to bring a windbreaker to wear when on deck. The "wind" created by the movement of the ship is cold.

If it's the I. Passage from Vancouver it doesn't really matter. we had 2 balcony cabins and booked one on each side - we were able to take advantage of the sun (and we got lot's of sun too), for instance when we set sail and popped the champers all 4 of us gathered on our balcony, it was a glorious afternoon - perfect. But lots of people like to go out on deck when sailing. It's a personal thing - my hubbie and I did use our balcony lot's though, especially when pulling into ports early in the morning it's one of the most magical things. Who are you sailing with by the way?