9tee2Sea

Look into doing an Underground tour. I think a 10 year old will find it interesting. Tour departs from Pioneer Square. In Pike Place Market ( out on the street side) look for the Original Starbucks. See if your daughter can spot the difference in the Original logo vs the current logo. Hop on Hop Off bus tour would also work to give you a good introduction. Stay on for the complete circuit so then you will know where to get off the next time around.

I saw them from an airplane once. I asked the stewardess if we will be able to see the Northern Lights. She came back a few hours later, woke us up, and said open your shade and look out. Ribbons of green everywhere. She said " you think that was pretty, you should see them from the cockpit".

when I owned a retail store, my understanding was that using an ATM ( usually used at bank for cash transactions) is much harder to dispute an un-authorized transaction. Using an ATM card requires you to physically be at an ATM, in- put your code. That means you were in physical control of the card. Using a debit card, can be used for online purchases, which means you don't always have to be physically present while using, thus make a dispute easier to prove. I NEVER use a debit card when traveling, I just use an ATM if needed ( which is rare...almost every port I have visited accepts USD or credit card charges).

Someone mentioned a Panama Canal Cruise. I would suggest flying to West coast ( stay a couple of days). Cruise to East Coast, then do a trans Atlantic ( Maybe on Cunard) over the pond to home port. Very lengthy trip, about 28 days, but would be very memorable.

I find the food edible for the most part, nothing to rave about. My main complaint is that almost all of my foods that were expected to be hot ( not spicy hot, but temp hot) were served room temp at best. Even the butter would not melt. I now try to customize my dishes so they come out more than room temp. I have sent back plates because who wants a room temp steak and colder microwaved baked potato. If it comes back cold again, I just tell the waiter and hostess that this is unacceptable and walk out. Make myself a big salad at the buffet. I understand cooking at home for two is much different than cooking for hundreds, but that doesn't mean I have to eat a bad meal.

I stayed post cruise two days in Athens ( not via NCL) at a very lovely boutique hotel ( Home and Poetry). Right in the middle of everything. Plaka ,( I think that is the name) was just out the door ( tons of shops/restaurants). Hop on Hop Off starting point was just a block down the street ( highly recommended), metro to airport was a few blocks walk ( easy to to, even with luggage). The Hotel included a made to order breakfast on the rooftop patio with a view of the Acropolis. The flights NCL gave us was First leg ( Athens -Heathrow) on a lower budget greek airlines ( had to pay for overhead bin space, otherwise, carryon under the seat in front of you). Second leg was Heathrow-LAX on British Air ( MUCH more comfortable). Had about 2-3 hours between flights. Enough time to grab a meal.

I think you will be really close to a Lite Rail stop. You can get around town pretty good with lite rail. Take it Pike Place Market, Pioneer Square. For an off the beaten path tour, try to take the Underground Tour. Requires lots of walking. You will see the Original Seattle town. What is now street level, used to be the second floor. Due to tides and flooding, they decided to just abandon the first floors, and raise the city up a level to what you see now.

I stayed at Citizen M once in DT Seattle. Would not recommend that location. The Citizen M ( the one in DT Seattle) reminded me of being on cabin in a cruise ship. Very tight quarters ( at least the room I was in), everything worked via tablet ( tv, lights, curtains). Good location though.

It's a bit of a walk, but i always like to go to Owl and Thistle ( Post Street I believe). It's a very old time pub that claims to be haunted. Fish and Chips..yummmmm. Just wander around, there are many many restaurants to choose from. Elliotts is a very nice upscale waterside restaurant.

I saw Northern Lights from an airplane while flying from Los Angeles to Dubai. We asked the stewardess to wake us up if the Lights were present. She came back a few hours later, gently tapped our shoulders and said "raise your window shade and look". Ribbons of green everywhere. That was her first time seeing them too ( you could tell she was excited). That was in February

I would suggest a ship sponsored Everglades Tour. Luggage is held on the bus, then drop off at airport. You will still have a couple of hours to kill at the airport.

Try to take advantage of International Cafe ( if your ship has one) for light breakfast of snacks). It is free of charge ( except for the coffees) and there have some pretty good stuffed croissants items ( spinach/cheese, egg/ham, sweets, etc). It's also a great place to tell your new onboard friends where to meet. Take binocculars

I would try to let it be a surprise, but I know I would spill the beans earlier and ruin it. I have won upgrades a few times, and worked very hard to keep it a surprise, but to no avail.

I would suggest gong to google maps and search for FedEx dropbox locations Seattle. I don't think there is anything within walking distance to the pier. I believe you will be cruising out of Smith Cove, instead of Bell Street Pier, but not 100% sure. Smith Cove is more industrial area.

somewhere close to the specialty dining venues, you should and a light up board with all the dining venues listed. It will show you how busy they are, and times when crowded per day. I use that often when deciding the time I walk up to the Host/Hostess desk and ask if there is room for us two.

I had a cruise booked for 2026 from Singapore-Taiwan on NCL. Decided to cancel, but the itinerary was very interesting. I don't think it had a stop in Mainland China, but I now think China claimed Taiwan, so yes, you do stop in China

NCL has a pretty good solo program. You can go on their website to see if it works for you

be careful when packing with compression bags. It's very easy to get over the luggage weight limit. You will find you have more packing space ( because mot of the clothes are much flatter), so it's easy to toss in more stuff. I personally prefer compression packing cubes.

on the very low decks, you will hear the waves hitting the hull of the ship with VERY LOUD BANGS. Being from Los Angeles, overtime I hear that thud, I think its an earthquake ( I know, at sea there are not earthquakes). You will feel the ups and downs of the ship if you are towards the front. Personally, I like mid-ship for any category cabin.

Just tried this to see if it works, and it does. Don't log into your account. Go onto the home page and type Shore Excursions in the search bar. On the pop up page, click onto "see all shore excursions". A page will pop up where you enter the Destination or port you are interested in. You should then all excursions.

keep in mind that when cruising the Inside passage, there are mountains on both sides, and the ship cruises between those obstacles. Have you traveled thru mountain passes on land and still received cell service/data? I always wait until I am in port to connect to the internet if I don't have wifi package. For me, there is no reason to have a wifi package. I wait to send pics of places to friends when one land, I don't do work while on a cruise, don't have kids/family that I need to constantly keep in touch with

i would think that if you don't log on into your account, but just look at cruises as a non-signed in cruiser, you can click a tab that will show excursions for certain ports.

I did the HOHO in 2023. I don't remember if it went to the port, but I do remember there were demonstrations and a transportation strike. It took FOREVER to get thru the streets to see the sights. Yes, the bus does allow to get to the stops you had mentioned. You might need tickets for the Acropolis due to over crowding. Make sure to take water with you, it's pretty hot climbing up there. Keep in mind the time needed to get back to port. There was one lady on my HOHO bus that got off and had to take a taxi back to the port so she could join her ship. Many nice restaurants in Plaka, along with souvenirs.

Take binoculars. You will see whales as you cruise down the Mexican Coast ( mostly around Cabo San Lucas). Look for a bunch of boats just floating around close by each other, then as they all move, they are tracking whales. To me, thats one of the best parts of the trip. Don't forget bug spray. Costa Rica and the Canal have many airborne bugs that just love humans ( don't wear neon colors...they are a bug magnet). Cabo San Lucas is a tender port, keep that n mind if one has mobility issues.

Recently on Coral ( March) . There was a special entry next to MDR for Reserve Dining. Just walked in ( no waiting in line) and the Head Honcho told us sit anywhere in this particular area. I think we always had he same waiter/waitress, but that may be because we always sat in he same area of the special section. Just be prepared for lukewarm food. NOTHING ever came to the table hot. I even sent a few dishes back because they were cold. After a experiences, the waitress knew we were expecting hot food on our table.