mlkmnsgrl

I've spent days upon days reading the Alaska Ports of Call threads and I'm still trying to wrap my brain around a few things.

1. What companies pick you up from the ship and take you to Tracy Arm? Hubbard Glacier? If one or the other (mid-June), which would you do?

2. Do you see whales much on a glacier tour?

3. Relative advantages to Icy Strait vs. Juneau for whale watching. Juneau cheaper and more orcas, right? Is there a selling point for ISP to beat that?

4. Would you drive to Emerald Lake or let Dyea Dave take you?

5. NCL Sun southbound June 16: What time should we be in the observation lounge for Hubbard? Sawyer? (Obviously if weather's good, we'll be on deck, but if not, I want the best indoor seat in the house I can get!)

Thanks...trying to find answers with forum search, but still confused. :o

What do you think of the ultimate dining package deal to have all time access to the specialty restaurants? The Sun has a churrascaria, which is easily my favorite "fancy" type of restaurant besides fondue. (When I'm pregnant, all I can think about is meat, so I live at the Brazilian steakhouse :D) They've got the package listed at $120/person right now. My DH's twin sister and spouse did a roundtrip NCL last summer and I think she said there's was only $70pp. They bought it on board and felt like it was very very worth the price, but they're also much wealthier than we are.

Is NCL likely to offer a lower price on the unlimited plan once we're onboard? In your opinion is it worth it, either at full price or some discount? Some ppl have said the specialties are crowded, but SIL said they were deserted and much faster than standing in line at the MDR or buffet.

Btw, what time can we board? Getting to Whittier 3:45ish and I want to visit the little PWS Museum in the Inn, but then we'd like to board around 4:30 and get acquainted with the ship even if our stateroom isn't ready. Departs at 9, so I'm assuming everyone on board by 7, muster at 8:15?

For binoculars or Alaska? =) Binoculars, I'd say $50 and under, so very few options...none gonna be amazing, but we'll be back someday when we've got a better income and more time to spend using such things as really good binoculars.

For Alaska, a tad bit more than $50 :D, but we're trying to keep all shore excursions combined as close to $400 as possible, so it's certainly not a luxury trip. We're low maintenance (Days Inn is nice) type people, though. DH is still in school and we've got 3 little ones.

No, it's not allowed. Please don't smuggle. Just buy something in town.

Good to know! We'll plan on eating in Carcross with the group.

Is it a pain to re-board to eat, like during our day in Ketchikan? Budget says if food is included on board, that's where we should try to eat, but I don't want to lose hours if getting on and off is a pain.

Stilley, we're in Morrisville up by Raleigh. Husband is dissertationing at UNC-Chapel Hill and working in RTP. We've been through Charlotte several times--really like it down there...and it's my nearest resort when the Ikea-crave comes on. ;)

Despite the mixed reviews on Bushnell's...

We have one set of Bushnell Extra High Power 10x 32mm compacts. Not water resistant, as far as I can tell.

There are 2 of us, but a tight budget.

Should we buy another inexpensive pair, maybe less mag, but a waterproof pair so we have at least one that can go out if it's pouring?

Or should we just stick with these and put the money toward other trip items...we have cheap ponchos but not waterproof jackets...and all I own are sandals :eek:, so obviously need some sneakers, at least.

Just saw you on the roll call--we're from North Carolina! Gonna be a load of us, it looks like! =)

I've spent days upon days reading the Alaska Ports of Call threads and I'm still trying to wrap my brain around a few things.

Background: First time cruisers on the June 16th N-S bound NCL Sun (just DH and I, 3 kids staying at Grandma's):

Day 1: Whittier

Day 2: Hubbard Glacier

Day 3: Icy Strait Point/Hoonah

Day 4: Juneau a.m., Sawyer Glacier p.m.

Day 5: Skagway

Day 6: Ketchikan

Day 7: Inside Passage

Day 8: Vancouver

I've got Anchorage and Vancouver planned and booked. We are in a guaranteed inside cabin at this point, but may upgrade to an obstructed outside...our travel agent said ncl recommended waiting a bit longer to see what we can do--price adjustment or upgrade without losing our OBC, although it's only $25, so not worth much.

Anyway, here are my remaining questions:

Glaciers:

I've heard so much about the excursion where the boat gets you off the ship and takes you closer to the glaciers. 3rd week of June is it worth it? Is that on the day in Hubbard Glacier, or the half day Sawyer/Tracy Arm? What companies do them and which do you prefer/why? Does NCL even do this kind, cuz I can't see it on the excursions lists.

We're on a tight budget, so if we do a glacier tour, it'll probably also have to be our "whale watching"...any chance we'll see whales, or just seals, etc on a glacier tour?

Whale Watching:

If we don't do a glacier tour, we'll splurge on a whale watch at either ISP/Hoonah or Juneau. Juneau seems to have cheaper options, though our port call is so short (7am-1:15pm) and the tours all start at 8 or 9, so it seems like the packages with whales and then Mendenhall aren't an option for our itinerary. I'm an archaeologist, so I know there's lots of walking around looking at stuff opportunities at both of these ports, so I think we can do either...how much more likely are we to see both Orca and Humpbacks in Juneau? F.I.S.H.E.S. in ISP has a couple spots for us on the morning trip (our port call is 9am-5pm at ISP), but we haven't sent in the depost yet because it works out to $170pp after tax and seems like the Juneau trips are $130s. For us, an $80 swing is a huge part of the budget.

Skagway:

We've got a place on the Dyea Dave Emerald Lake tour. Planning on bringing some lunch stuffs off the ship rather than buy lunch (is that allowed? Will we have to smuggle sandwiches?).

I've also touched base with Sourdough on the off chance that he's still got a small car available for rent that day. If we can get one, it's $80, so the equivalent of one Dyea Dave tour, but then we'll have gas expenses and the need to self-narrate our tour. Is it easy enough to self-guide up to Emerald that we can save the few dollars and be on our own, or should we just stick with Dave?

Other:

Whichever of ISP or Juneau we don't do a whale tour, we'll just walk around the town and find a museum or something. And we're definitely not doing anything formal at Ketchikan.

What time should we be in the observation lounge for Hubbard? Sawyer? (Obviously if weather's good, we'll be on deck, but if not, I want the best indoor seat in the house I can get!)

How early can you board? NCL seems to be saying only a couple hours before, but I've seen threads with folks getting on before cabins are ready and just hanging out. Our shuttle drops off at 3:45 and I'd like to check out the little PWS Museum in the Inn, but that'll take all of 30 minutes. Can we just go board at 4:30 and start getting acquainted with the ship? Can we eat dinner on board?

NCL Specific:

I'll ask this on our roll call, if no one here has an opinion, but what do you think of the ultimate dining package deal to have all time access to the specialty restaurants? The Sun has a churrascaria, which is easily my favorite "fancy" type of restaurant besides fondue. (When I'm pregnant, all I can think about is meat, so I live at the Brazilian steakhouse :D) They've got the package listed at $120/person right now. My DH's twin sister and spouse did a roundtrip NCL last summer and I think she said there's was only $70pp. They bought it on board and felt like it was very very worth the price, but they're also much wealthier than we are.

Is NCL likely to offer a lower price on the unlimited plan once we're onboard? In your opinion is it worth it? Some ppl have said the specialties are crowded, but SIL said they were deserted and much faster than standing in line at the MDR or buffet.

All opinions/wisdom/recommendations VERY much appreciated. Sorry to be long-winded...daughter of an English Teacher. :o