We were on the same ship and I agree with your review, almost to a T. We had a fantastic time.
Congrats on the wedding!
It was our 2nd cruise together and my 6th total. I must be easy to please because reading earlier reviews had me a little concerned. There was very little that we didn't enjoy and we didn't dwell on those things.
Embarking and disembarking troubles must've been cleared up because we were on and off the boat quickly, though I do wish they offered a later transfer back to the airport. We ended up exploring Seattle on our own for the day.
We enjoyed the foot at both Cagney's and Q. We heard complaints from others while onboard, but we liked both of our meals quite a bit. My steak was cooked perfectly at Cagney's and the side dishes were great. I wouldn't go as far to say the steaks were the best we've ever had, but they certainly were tasty and on the level you'd hope for from an upscale place. The wine steward was awesome. I know it's freestyle cruising, but I'd support having a dress code at Cagney's.
There was no shortage of food at Q. We left with clean plates and had to skip dessert. Q was very quiet when we went there. About 2/3 of the tables were empty. Our dinner was a tiny bit on the early side, but not enough that I would've expected such a low turnout. I'd go back again.
The buffet was very busy at times and the food was as expected. I agree that the best thing to do is get your plate and go to the very serene observation deck.
Main dining room meals were all very good and we never had issues getting a place to sit. I'm sorry NCL for the time we ordered and our 3-year-old fell asleep before you brought the meal. I hated to waste it! (They did offer to have it delivered to our room, but the kid was out for the night).
The little guy went to the kid's club (Splash Academy) a few times. He was reluctant to go each time, but always came back with a smile on his face. All staff members from the kid's club to the room steward to the waitresses/waiters to random crew members were great with him. They really made his trip (and ours!). I only can hope I apologized enough to the other passengers he decided were his best friends.
We saw the lumberjack show in Ketchikan and it was very fun and is well constructed to get the audience engaged. Seating is all covered, so we were out of the rain. The only small negative to the show was the walk there. It's not the walk that I minded, it was getting directions there about 20 minutes before it started even though I asked the NCL Excursion rep at the port about it prior. Given the short time in port, there were a ton of shops along the way that we would've have rather checked out than wait for the guide to let us know where to go. If you're doing this excursion, the directions are simple. Go up two streets away from the port and turn right. Walk about 10 minutes and you're there. You can't miss it.
We panned for gold and went to the salmon bake in Juneau and liked both of them as well. We came home with about $4 in gold. What's that? Something like 1/300th an ounce. I'm calling it a college fund.
The glacier viewing was fantastic, especially as we cruised in . I'm not sure who ordered the rainbow on the way back out, but that was a nice touch.
At Icy Strait Point, we went whale watching and were treated to 3 humpbacks doing a synchronized diving routine. The port is interesting. It feels like a cruise ship's Caribbean private island. There's a lot of construction going on (hidden very well). It would be fun to see what all they've added in the next few years. There were bald eagles all over the place, enough that I think they served them fresh in the buffet that night (kidding!).
I did feel bad for those who missed out on laser tag, the go-karts, and one of the big slides. They all seemed to be closed regularly. Our little guy didn't qualify for any of them, so I don't feel like our family lost anything.
The main pools were warm enough that when the sun was out, they were busy. The hot tub near the family pool was always packed regardless of weather. Some lifeguards kept them to 6 people at a time while others allowed seemingly 600. The kids' aqua park had a steady supply of kids, but it never felt overcrowded. We stationed our chairs nearby and it would've been nice to have a roaming waiter come by to pick up drinks or take new drink orders.
We had a Concierge Family Suite. It was huge and had a double balcony, easily the biggest cruise ship room I've ever had. It's not clear what "Concierge" class gave us. We had priority check-in, but it was just a dedicated line (Haven split off to luxury check in way earlier). I think it saved us about 10 minutes. The room came with some sweets the first day and we were able to eat breakfast and lunch in La Cucina if we wanted. We had free on-demand movies, but I don't know if that made us special. We called the concierge once to get a band aid and it arrived quickly. I did ask the steward if he'd do towel animals and he came through nightly.
The internet almost never worked for me. That just meant I spent more time off of my phone and I'm thankful for that.
Signage saying something was closed or when the opening time was would be nice. The dailies gave you a good guide unless weather changed the plan.
Overall, it was fun and enjoyable. I'd recommend this cruise and ship to anyone who asked. Of the cruising I've done, this was my 2nd favorite behind the Getaway 4 years ago. I'd probably do a different Alaska cruise for my next one just to see more glaciers and different ports. I'd also put in an early vote for more sun.
Just off the JOY June 8-15 - AMA!
in Norwegian Cruise Line
Posted · Edited by mncruise12000
We were on the same ship and I agree with your review, almost to a T. We had a fantastic time.
Congrats on the wedding!
It was our 2nd cruise together and my 6th total. I must be easy to please because reading earlier reviews had me a little concerned. There was very little that we didn't enjoy and we didn't dwell on those things.
Embarking and disembarking troubles must've been cleared up because we were on and off the boat quickly, though I do wish they offered a later transfer back to the airport. We ended up exploring Seattle on our own for the day.
We enjoyed the foot at both Cagney's and Q. We heard complaints from others while onboard, but we liked both of our meals quite a bit. My steak was cooked perfectly at Cagney's and the side dishes were great. I wouldn't go as far to say the steaks were the best we've ever had, but they certainly were tasty and on the level you'd hope for from an upscale place. The wine steward was awesome. I know it's freestyle cruising, but I'd support having a dress code at Cagney's.
There was no shortage of food at Q. We left with clean plates and had to skip dessert. Q was very quiet when we went there. About 2/3 of the tables were empty. Our dinner was a tiny bit on the early side, but not enough that I would've expected such a low turnout. I'd go back again.
The buffet was very busy at times and the food was as expected. I agree that the best thing to do is get your plate and go to the very serene observation deck.
Main dining room meals were all very good and we never had issues getting a place to sit. I'm sorry NCL for the time we ordered and our 3-year-old fell asleep before you brought the meal. I hated to waste it! (They did offer to have it delivered to our room, but the kid was out for the night).
The little guy went to the kid's club (Splash Academy) a few times. He was reluctant to go each time, but always came back with a smile on his face. All staff members from the kid's club to the room steward to the waitresses/waiters to random crew members were great with him. They really made his trip (and ours!). I only can hope I apologized enough to the other passengers he decided were his best friends.
We saw the lumberjack show in Ketchikan and it was very fun and is well constructed to get the audience engaged. Seating is all covered, so we were out of the rain. The only small negative to the show was the walk there. It's not the walk that I minded, it was getting directions there about 20 minutes before it started even though I asked the NCL Excursion rep at the port about it prior. Given the short time in port, there were a ton of shops along the way that we would've have rather checked out than wait for the guide to let us know where to go. If you're doing this excursion, the directions are simple. Go up two streets away from the port and turn right. Walk about 10 minutes and you're there. You can't miss it.
We panned for gold and went to the salmon bake in Juneau and liked both of them as well. We came home with about $4 in gold. What's that? Something like 1/300th an ounce. I'm calling it a college fund.
The glacier viewing was fantastic, especially as we cruised in . I'm not sure who ordered the rainbow on the way back out, but that was a nice touch.
At Icy Strait Point, we went whale watching and were treated to 3 humpbacks doing a synchronized diving routine. The port is interesting. It feels like a cruise ship's Caribbean private island. There's a lot of construction going on (hidden very well). It would be fun to see what all they've added in the next few years. There were bald eagles all over the place, enough that I think they served them fresh in the buffet that night (kidding!).
I did feel bad for those who missed out on laser tag, the go-karts, and one of the big slides. They all seemed to be closed regularly. Our little guy didn't qualify for any of them, so I don't feel like our family lost anything.
The main pools were warm enough that when the sun was out, they were busy. The hot tub near the family pool was always packed regardless of weather. Some lifeguards kept them to 6 people at a time while others allowed seemingly 600. The kids' aqua park had a steady supply of kids, but it never felt overcrowded. We stationed our chairs nearby and it would've been nice to have a roaming waiter come by to pick up drinks or take new drink orders.
We had a Concierge Family Suite. It was huge and had a double balcony, easily the biggest cruise ship room I've ever had. It's not clear what "Concierge" class gave us. We had priority check-in, but it was just a dedicated line (Haven split off to luxury check in way earlier). I think it saved us about 10 minutes. The room came with some sweets the first day and we were able to eat breakfast and lunch in La Cucina if we wanted. We had free on-demand movies, but I don't know if that made us special. We called the concierge once to get a band aid and it arrived quickly. I did ask the steward if he'd do towel animals and he came through nightly.
The internet almost never worked for me. That just meant I spent more time off of my phone and I'm thankful for that.
Signage saying something was closed or when the opening time was would be nice. The dailies gave you a good guide unless weather changed the plan.
Overall, it was fun and enjoyable. I'd recommend this cruise and ship to anyone who asked. Of the cruising I've done, this was my 2nd favorite behind the Getaway 4 years ago. I'd probably do a different Alaska cruise for my next one just to see more glaciers and different ports. I'd also put in an early vote for more sun.