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NCL Sun Northbound June 3rd review


omc329
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We enjoyed sight after sight after sight.

 

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Porpoises playing in our wake.

 

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Another bird rookery.

 

 

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And we were directed to check out the shoreline from time to time to catch wildlife there as well.

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The whole trip was like something out of a dream. After I finish the review, I might upload a few more misc pics, but I think ya'll get the idea.

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I managed to catch my whale tale this day too!

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We arrived back in town a little on the weary side having stood up top of the deck most of the day, and traveling up and down steps the entire day for a continuous flow of tea and coffee. It got quite cold at points on this trip, especially when we were in front of some of those glaciers. The wind was strong and icy at those times.

 

Another point on this cruise, they advertise sale of bonine and ginger remedies on the boat. The did not do that in PWS that I noticed. And yes, this trip was a bit bumpier, even given calm conditions that day.

 

We walked back through Whittier and towards our B&B.

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We got a kick out of their sign posts.

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Another thing of interest were all the building murals.

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We enjoyed the views as we strolled leisurely back.

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And upon our return to the B&B we were greeted by one final farewell wave from above and we felt blessed to have been granted such a wonderful experience.

 

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Of course, now that whoever above has waved goodbye, we are on our own for the next day. It wasn't a bad day all and all, but we were certainly cut from the dreamworld of our vacation quite abruptly at the end.

 

And I need a break, so will finish up the final day later.

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Back at the B&B we relaxed with some refreshments and prepared for our final day. The gal running the place said we could take our time in the morning, as the girl coming to clean would not be in until noon. Sis decided to stay at the B&B while dh, ds and I took the 5 minute walk to the sea life center.

 

Having been to the Atlanta aquarium, and after reading from folks here about hitting this place us, I must admit I was expecting more. It is a small place with a great little aviary and not much more imo. Dh & I used our Northern Lights coupon, but ds only got an AAA discount. It didn't seem worth that much to me. *shrug*

 

I did finally manage decent picts of puffins.

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And other birds as well.

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It wasn't as much fun though, as capturing them in the wild.

 

I caught this guy getting his teeth cleaned.

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After less than an hour, we headed back for sis and the car. The original plan was to hit Exit Glacier next, but none of us wanted to go. We were glaciered out. :cool: Didn't think it could happen, but it did to us. So, we prepared to take our time heading to the conservation center, hitting up pulloffs along our way.

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Sometimes we'd pick a decent spot for a pull off.

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Sometimes, not so good.

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Occasionally, we'd hit a real winner.

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We'd take our picts for 5 or 10 minutes at a shot.

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And then head down the road for a bit again.

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Really enjoying this with the pics and all!! Looks like you all had a fantastic time - and it 's getting me excited for our trip :) Had a few questions if you don't mind - you mention rain gear -- did you do the whole thing with the pants and all or just the footwear and some type of jacket? Not really informed on binoculars - I have 10x42 - is that stronger than the 8x42 you used or weaker? Thanks!

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Really enjoying this with the pics and all!! Looks like you all had a fantastic time - and it 's getting me excited for our trip :) Had a few questions if you don't mind - you mention rain gear -- did you do the whole thing with the pants and all or just the footwear and some type of jacket? Not really informed on binoculars - I have 10x42 - is that stronger than the 8x42 you used or weaker? Thanks!

 

 

Sis did rain pants and jacket, as did dh. I had some windpants I put waterproofer on and used a waterproof jacket. Ds and dil simply used ponchos and seemed fine that way. We all had waterproof hikers, though I'm not certain they were really needed.

 

10x42 is more powerful. Some here recommend the stronger pair. Others say that 8x42 is marine standard and is the way to go. I don't know much about any of it. I purchased the bushnell's for dh for last xmas based on bits I read here and our price range. They were great for viewing for us anyway. *shrug*

 

Also a ways back someone asked about the white hot party, and I forgot to answer to that segment. Yes, there was a white hot party. Ds attended. He liked the one in the Caribbean better, but still had a good time.

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Now that we've run out to the store to replace our modem....thpttt!!! On with the review.

 

We eventually arrived at the Alaskan Wildlife Conservatory. That is one dusty place!!!! My boots and pant legs were covered in dust all the way home after that stop. :p

 

We used another set of Northernlights coupons here, and again, without the coupons I don't know how worth it this stop would've been. With the coupons, it was cheap and I got all those photos I couldn't always get in our travels. I have to say though, it just isn't as satisfying somehow, when they are all penned up. I guess the fun is in the chase???

 

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Some photos were more fun to take than others.

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And I must say, I love this one.

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Our next stop up was Alyeska. We had planned on taking the tram up and hiking about for an hour or more, taking lots of photo ops.

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The drive by the resort was being paved so we had to park in an outlot down the hill a piece and walk up the sidewalk. As it turned out, that became one of the more interesting stories of our trip.

 

So, with tickets in hand we all boarded the tram. It was a steep climb up.

 

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And the view behind us was just as steep.

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All too quickly we reached the top.

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It was at this late point we discovered all the trails were still closed due to late snowfall. :( They might have mentioned that when we purchased our tickets. At least they weren't tremendously expensive with the coupons.

 

We set out to make the most of things. There were no trails, but we could still enjoy the views.

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We didn't stay as long as planned, but enjoyed ourselves all the same. We took the tram back down and headed down the sidewalk towards the parking lots, chatting away as we went.

 

Dh started saying quietly, and then louder and louder..

 

"Uh, guys, stop....STOP....HEY GUYS, STOP!!!!"

 

Finally we noticed him and stopped.

 

"What's up?"

 

"BEAR!"

 

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Oh! :eek:

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"Everyone across the road!"

 

Me, the rule follower...."But it is taped off. We're not supposed to go across the road."

 

"I think they'll understand."

 

Our dusty footprints are now part of the new pavement! :D

 

After we crossed the road along came another bear.

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Now here is where my sis and I differ. I took my few picts, saw another bear get into an altercation with this bear and decided we needed to skedaddle, even if we were across the road. Sis was having too much fun taking picts.

 

Click, click, click...

 

And the first bear crossed the road towards us.

 

Click, click, click....

 

And it started paralleling our path across the parking lot.

 

Click, click, click....

 

And then she teases ME about getting a shot of ME running from the bear!!

 

Excuse me, but when a bear notices me at that distance, I ain't sticking around for extra photos, thank you very much!!!

 

I have to say, you don't really think about how dangerous they are at first, not until you realise they know you are there anyway.

 

We saw a couple of other folks about to head up the sidewalk. I hollered across the way until they heard me, BEAR!!!. By the time we got to the car and were headed out, a ranger had been posted to the area. I don't know if the folks we called out to called them, or what, but they were very quick on the scene.

 

And now I get to tell everyone we had a bear adventure! :D

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And just as we were coming into Anchorage lights began going off in the car, break lights, engine lights, all sorts of dashboard lights. Ugh.

 

Dh pulled off at the local McD's. None of us had phones that worked in AK, so we went inside and begged help from the staff. The supervisor kindly loaned us his cell phone. We called Avis and their first reaction was could we drive it to the airport and pick up another car....

 

 

HUH?!?! Are they NUTS?!!? :eek:

 

 

They sent out a replacement car for us while we were looking at the paperwork. I wanted to doublecheck the insurance coverage we had requested when we booked online.

 

 

Now, if you recall, I noticed when we got this car there was a $10 difference, and I was shooed out the door. Dh was the one who signed the actual paperwork. Turns out that $10 difference was because we paid $130 for the upgrade we did NOT request and they DROPPED the insurance we had requested in the reservation!!!!! Voila! The totals were nearly identical. So, unless you carefully read the papers he was shoving about, you never would notice the difference....until something goes wrong. :mad:

 

 

Well, now we have a brand new car that they brought to us, and no insurance. (Yes we have insurance at home, but I like rentals covered seperately, especially in a place like AK). I was a nervous wreck. We drove STRAIGHT to the airport, delivered the car and headed to the AVIS desk to straighten this whole mess out. It was finally agreed that we would not be held responsible even if there were some way we could possibly have caused the electrical mess in that car. That was the big thing I was concerned with.

 

 

I was satisfied with the way they handled the whole thing at the airport, but I repeat, DOUBLECHECK YOUR PAPERWORK when dealing with the WHITTIER AVIS!

 

 

Well, that brings me to the end of my story. Instead of a nice meal in Anchorage we had McD's and later a pizza at the airport. We caught the redeye home, and arrived safely back, worn out and ready for a long sleep.

 

It was a wonderful trip and I hope all those anticipating their trips to AK enjoy them as much as we did ours. :)

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What a great review omc! I even enjoyed your bear encounter even if it was to close for comfort (I would've hightailed it out of their too!).

 

I have a question about the tram at Alyeska, does it have seats you can sit on while riding up the mountain? My hubby has a fear of heights so I'm hoping if he sits down he won't worry as much. Thanks!

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Perfect review - thanks for sharing! Gave me some ideas for a last minute cruise (in 2 weeks!) And incredible photos-now we hope to see some of the same wildlife & views. Thanks for taking your time to post this!

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What a great review omc! I even enjoyed your bear encounter even if it was to close for comfort (I would've hightailed it out of their too!).

 

I have a question about the tram at Alyeska, does it have seats you can sit on while riding up the mountain? My hubby has a fear of heights so I'm hoping if he sits down he won't worry as much. Thanks!

 

Sorry it took so long to get back. One must work though to pay for these sorts of trips. ;)

 

They do have some seats at the two ends, but they fill quickly. He can also choose to stand towards the center and let bodies fill in a bit between him and the windows. Ds is not comfortable with heights in general, but if a spot "feels" stable enough, he is ok with them. The tram came under this category. Now, had we tried Capilano Bridge in Vancouver, I don't know how well he would have faired.

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Thanks for your detail review and pictures. They are wonderful. Our family has 5 people plan a last minute vacation plan. One of our choices is Sun SB on 8/5/13. Your review really help us a lot to make decision.:)

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Sorry it took so long to get back. One must work though to pay for these sorts of trips. ;)

 

They do have some seats at the two ends, but they fill quickly. He can also choose to stand towards the center and let bodies fill in a bit between him and the windows. Ds is not comfortable with heights in general, but if a spot "feels" stable enough, he is ok with them. The tram came under this category. Now, had we tried Capilano Bridge in Vancouver, I don't know how well he would have faired.

 

Thanks for the reply. I'm hopeful that all will be well with my hubby. If not, he'll just have to be first in line! ;)

 

(I'll be working to pay ours off after the cruise too!)

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  • 4 months later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Wow! I was taking a peek at the Alaskan boards and saw this thread still alive. I'm very glad folks are getting some enjoyment and hopefully useful info as well from it. I got so much from this board in the planning, it is great to pay it forward. :)

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