Upper Deck Dad

Post what tour , most ship tours are well known who the vendors are. There are a lot of experienced posters on this board who can give you first hand information.

Both for NCL which tour companies do they use?

For Skagway, the White Pass Railroad & Yukon Excursion and for the Yukon Scenic Drive

For Juneau, the Mendenhall Glacier & Whale Quest and for the Alaska Whale & Rainforest Trail

Thinking about doing these but want to compare prices with the private tour companies as well.

Nobody said that you should book through the ship. They said that you could have booked directly with the vendor - Above and Beyond.

 

I also prefer booking directly whenever I can. I only book through the ship if it is the only way to book it (some vendors won't book you directly if they have a contract with the ship) or if there is a big advantage to doing so.

How do you know which vendors your ship uses to compare the rates or the tours, some sound very similar?

How accurate is a 5 day forecast, or even less, on weather.com or any local weather service for Alaska?

We can always wait until a few days before we leave to decide what we will really need according to the forecast, if it's pretty accurate at that point, unless it can be " way off".

We usually just check the weather before we leave, no mater where we go and just want to see if it's pretty accurate for Alaska.

It sounds like the service they have at Walt Disney World for people who stay onsite. You take your bags down to the desk and they tag the bags and truck them to the airport. I'm sure there will be a minimum time you have to allow, like your flight can't be before X time to make sure the bags make it to the airport in time.

 

It's free, but I'm sure it will be built into port charges somehow. Still a great sounding program. I paid for the same service (except no boarding pass) on Carnival, and it was worth every penny. :D

This is a great service. WDW did hold your carry on's for you while you stayed in the parks until departure time. i assume you will have to carry these around with you until your flight time. I might have to re-organize my packing plans to minimize bags.

Are Lyft & Uber pretty good in the Seattle area and from the airport to downtown? What about the service Wingz? We will also be using one of them from the airport to Downtown and from our downtown hotel to the Pier. I don't think we can manage the luggage and the hills. Any other recommendations of other companies?

On debarkation day, is it better to use a regular taxi or call a Lyft/Uber? I'm sure it gets really hectic at the port. Are Taxi's already lined up waiting?

You won't be able to book most of the on ship options (restaurant, shows, Thermal Spa Pass) until you are 90 days (non-Haven) and 100 days (Haven). Currently the Thermal Spa pass is 179 (booked online) or 199 (booked on ship).

Internet Packages: https://www.ncl.com/onboard-packages/internet-packages

Thanks for the information. The $29.95 is strictly for Internet, not texting and only for one device, correct? Could you make WiFi phone calls if you got this package?

For the spa pass, if my spouse and I are getting a pass for each of us, would we be able to use the services together or are there separate areas for men and woman. Would this spa tend to be more crowded because it's not a warm climate to begin with.

My reservation is several months away and the prices for these items is not showing up yet, I am on the NCL Pearl.

Does anyone know what the cost is for Mandarin Spa (mostly interested in the Thermal Suite) and what the Internet Package on board costs, What does the on board package include.

Is the internet package worth it or is it just as easy to wait until we dock and catch up with family at that time,

Also, they have a 3 dinner Specialty Dining pkg I am looking into during our 7 night cruise, I would assume you pick 3 of their 5 specialty restaurants, I don't think that can be done until 90 days out. That might be something we would be interested in, A few nights during the week might be nice to indulge a little better than the main dining rooms, They do have the price of that already listed.

A lot of the down jackets now come with a packable pouch to fold them in to. As long as you wear something over it (an emergency poncho like a Frogg Togg or even the cheap ones at Walmart) they should work fine. If it gets warm just take it off and put it in the pouch, You could always wear a fleece under it.

We did the Yukon Excursion thru Norwegian Cruise Lines. It was about a 7 hour trip and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Small bus of about 25 to 30 and it was not that bad getting on and off for picture stops. We made a couple of bathroom stops each way and lunch in Carcross was included. One of our favorite excursions on our cruise.

Is this the Yukon Territory Scenic Drive that NCL offers? I am interested in taking this. Glad to hear you enjoyed it,

What time of year did you go?

Thanks for all the great information. We've decided to just do the glacier and skip the gardens. We'll have more time there to walk out to the falls with no time restrictions.

Thanks for the information. This is very helpful!

is this area walkable from the port or is public transportation available?

All the excursions seem to include something else along with this.

We're only docked 5 hours arriving very early in the morning. Really just want to go to Creek St and see the Totem Poles at this port.

I've been reading different posts about this area and I'm still curious, is there anyway to see Nugget Falls without walking the trail out to it?

One of our party cannot walk far or fast but is interested in this excursion. We were thinking about combining it with the Gardens/Rainforest.

Is there a viewing area to see the glacier and falls that doesn't require much walking?

If you are staying at a hotel before the cruise, see if that same hotel will hold your luggage after the cruise. Tip them well.

I'm thinking of taking the 7-1/2 hour White Pass/Yukon Excursion with Chilkoot leaving at 8:30am Bus Up/Train Back. My ship is in port 7am-6:15pm that day.

They guarantee you'll be back in time or they'll take you to your next port. The next day for my ship is Glacier Bay with the next port being the following day in Ketchikan. I wouldn't want to miss Glacier Bay. The ships excursion for the same itinerary is $62 more but it would be guaranteed they would wait for me.

Should I opt out of the longer excursion and take the 3-1/2 hour White Pass Tour that doesn't go as far inland just to be on the safe side and just do something in town with the extra time? It covers most of the same area, just doesn't go up into the Yukon, you miss some of the waterfalls, you don't get the BBQ lunch and you don't get to see the husky puppies. It's still bus up/train back. Should I spend the extra for the ships excursion?

Anyone ever do both excursions? Would I be missing a lot by doing the shorter one?

If you have the UBP does that carry over into the speciality dining restaurants?

Are these insides on Deck 9 (9651 & 9151) too close to the stairs/elevators to be considered good? I'm a little concerned about noise or foot traffic being they're so close.

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This was 8051 as i recall from looking at the deck plan. It was quiet and we had no issues.

I'm looking at 2 on Deck 9 which are closer to the stairs/elevators but still appear to be around the corner. I am concerned about the foot traffic and noise but like that they are sideways cabins and off by themselves.

Nobody seems to have any info and there are no reviews of these, which kind of concerns me. They are 9151 and 9651.

I second all those who are stating the positives of the sideways cabins. We stayed in a similar one on Gem but rather than the steward's closet, ours backed up to the stairs across from the elevators. I was worried about noise from that but never heard a thing.

 

One of the reasons I think they seem larger, is by having the corridor door away from the bathroom and closet, you don't end up with all those doors banging together. If you want a REALLY spacious cabin, have the two beds pushed together and up against the far wall....wouldn't work for DH and I (too many nighttime trips to the bath) but it might for you.

Which cabin was that on the Gem? I think that might be similar to the one I've been looking at, backing up to the stairs across from the elevators on Deck 9.

I was concerned about that location being a little noisy with foot traffic and people talking at all hours.

Has anyone stayed in or know anything about these two inside cabins

on Deck 9?

They look like they are near the elevators and stairs but they could be around the corner?

Been trying to decide between these two ships. I like NCL because of the Free at Sea Promos they offer and the free style cruising.

Both go to all the same ports except the Pearl stops in Victoria. The timing for that port is 6pm to midnight, which isn't the best time frame. The Sun cruises the Inside Passage (the one on the North side of Vancouver Island), instead of stopping in Victoria or another port city. Both have Glacier Bay as one day on their itinerary.

The Pearl is r/t Seattle and the Sun is r/t Vancouver. I'm looking at September of 2017, as this is the only time I will be able to have off. Ships schedules are within a few weeks of each other. From Sept 3rd to Sept 18th and both are 7 days.

I know both Vancouver and Seattle are fabulous cities and I would be doing a day or so pre and post cruise. I have never been to either city.

For those that have done these itineraries before, any thoughts on what ship you prefer for an Alaskan cruise and what city is more interesting of the two to depart from.

I am most interested in which city might be the better choice and what ship might be better. Itineraries are different by a day Sun-Sun vs Mon-Mon but that's not an issue.

I like NCL because of their Free at Sea promos and the Sun does go to Glacier Bay as well as the Pearl

For those of you that have done both, which city do you prefer leaving from?

I am looking for round trip from either port. Spending a day or so pre and post cruise.

I know that Vancouver gives you the extra advantage of the Inside Passage (not the Alaska Inside Passage the one north of Vancouver Island)

Looking for either NCL Sun 2nd week in Sept for Vancouver or NCL Pearl first week in Sept for Seattle as both of these are Glacier Bay cruises. Only difference in the two is the Pearl stops at Victoria (from 6pm to midnight on the last night before heading back to Seattle-not really great times) and the Sun does not stop there but does an extra day cruising the Inside Passage on the way back to Vancouver as well as a longer amount of time in Ketchikan.

Seattle fly out 8:00 am I think its a little early .

I agree with lag9122 - The Pearl doesn't get to Seattle until 8am on Sunday.

I would try and schedule the flight for the earliest at noon just to be safe.

Personally, I would even make it later than that.

I am trying to plan a trip for myself and two other couples. They will do what I choose. Out parameters are flying in and out of Seattle (preferably) or Vancouver and we need Saturday or Sunday departures.

 

This limits us to the NCL Jewel, ms Eurodam or Celebrity Solstice or Infinity.

 

Only the Infinity sails the Inside Passage.

Only the Eurodam does Glacier Bay. Can someone explain this day (it says its from 7-4). Is it primarily sailing around and hearing a travelogue?

The Jewel sails by Sawyer Glacier after Juneau while the Solstice has Tracy Arm and the Infinity Hubbard Glacier.

 

It sounds like Skagway has neat excursions but only the Solstice and Jewel stop there.

 

My mind is going round and round, as I have the responsibility to choose this cruise! I am the "trip planner", so they want me to research and choose the best option for the group.

 

Ports, Glaciers and cruising the Inside Passage aside, we prefer the Jewel or Eurodam for the Saturday departure and the free drink packages! I like the Jewel for the stop at Skagway and Victoria in the afternoon into evening (2:30-9:30). The Eurodam has Glacier Bay and Sitka and evening in Victoria (6-midnight).

 

Can anyone give me any advice?

The NCL Pearl spends one day in Glacier Bay and does cruise the Inside Passage. The other stops are Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria.

Just like all NCL cruises you'll get a choice of 4 free options, one of which is the beverage plan. The Pearl is Sunday-Sunday out of Seattle.