NikiPinkston

Definitely putting Our Missing Hearts on my list. You always have the best recommendations!

Hi, Yvonne, I'm so glad I was helpful. Loved your Breakaway review! DH isn't a beer drinker, but I could substitute just about any kind of food (pizza and donuts preferred), so that's a great idea! I wanted to tell you, too, how much I enjoyed The Midnight Library! Thank you so much for recommending it. I also just started Matt Haig's How to Stop Time. So excited for you to embark!😊

Thank you for taking us along on your adventure! Hope to do this itinerary one day. Have a wonderful time in Honolulu!

As always, so looking forward to your live! You are the best daughter anywhere and I love hearing about your adventures with your Dad. We'll be on the Sun from Seattle later in May and I'm really interested to hear about your activities in port as DH sometimes has a problem with a lot of walking. It's our 4th time to Alaska, previously on the Bliss, the Encore, and the Jewel (which we love-NCL's "smaller" ships are great). We received priority luggage tags last week, although we're in a lowly balcony stateroom. It was a nice surprise, though, for these newly-platinum cruisers. You have an amazing attitude and your love for your dad is so heartwarming. Happy birthday! Have a wonderful cruise! I'll be coming along here on CC.😊

I have never had Indian food but think that I'd like to try it. How did you like it?

I got some Sporto boots for our first Alaska cruise in 2015 and love them. We don't do any serious hiking anymore, but they offer good support, are comfortable, and keep my feet dry. I sometimes wear them here at home when it rains and will be taking them on our fourth Alaska cruise this summer. HSN.com has several styles on sale right now.

I second the helicopter flight. We did that over Maui on our first visit to Hawaii many years ago and it was unforgettable. A flight over the Napali Coast would be spectacular!

Yes, it was a large van. Our group was about 12-14 people and I felt like we really got to see a lot of the island.

Can't speak to Kona because we've always just gotten off the tender and walked around town but, in Kauai, our favorite excursion was the Director's Cut, where they take you all over the island to see various movie locations. Lunch at a local restaurant was included and it was a really fun day! We've never attended Luau Kalamaku in Kauai as we've done the Polynesian Cultural Center Luau a couple of times, but I understand that it's kind of a big deal, too. We love the POA. Have a wonderful cruise!

That's disappointing! We've used Port Valet on our last two cruises out of Seattle and were planning on using it again next month. Previously, the cost had been the same amount we would have paid the airline to check our bags. Hope that they reinstate it.

Thank you so much for all of this great info! We'll be visiting Glacier Bay on NCL this coming May and now I'm super excited!

It's not that passengers aren't allowed to tip them. Longshore workers are extremely well-paid and my brother-in-law, who is a longshoremen, has repeatedly told me that longshore workers are not supposed to accept tips but, in my experience, they always do LOL! They aren't like the porters at the airport who make minimum wage, longshoremen have six-figure incomes. As I said, I always tip them anyway to ensure that my bags are treated well on their journey to the ship!

Out of curiosity, I googled what time the shops open in Ketchikan during cruise season as I thought I recalled them being open earlier than 9 am when we were there, and the consensus is that many of them open at 8. Our port stop this coming May is 6 am - 1 pm so I think the last shuttle back to Ward Cove would be around 11-11:30, which makes for a pretty short visit.

The bus ride can actually be pretty entertaining. Last time, the driver had some great bear stories!

Thank you, @vacation44 Appreciate your kind words. I love it when I can be helpful!

We have family members who are longshore workers, as are the porters at the Port of L.A. They are not "allowed" to accept tips, but I always tip them anyway because I want to be sure my bags get on the ship safely, usually $5 for two bags!😊

@PandaBear62 That is the correct address for Berth 4, but here are the directions from Berth 4 to downtown from Google Maps. It shows that walking will take you 11 minutes. I read somewhere that there's another shuttle from Berth 4 to downtown but can't confirm that. Perhaps someone else on this board knows, although then that would be another shuttle to have to wait for. https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Ketchikan,+Alaska/Berth+4,+105-120+Schoenbar+Rd,+Ketchikan,+AK+99901/@55.3433222,-131.6562625,16z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x540c25088729e15b:0x7e90e56bcfc60674!2m2!1d-131.6461112!2d55.3422222!1m5!1m1!1s0x540c25f3bce98341:0xdaf2944023c1c2c6!2m2!1d-131.6561142!2d55.3442609!3e2?entry=ttu

I agree @dpavid when NCL docked at Berth 3 it was so much better. Or, if you have a long port stop, shuttling from Ward's Cove is okay. The stop in Ketchikan this time is way too short, but we've stuck with NCL because we love the relaxed vibe and the other port calls on our upcoming cruise are long (Juneau and Skagway are virtually all day). In addition to Creek Street and downtown, we've done the Lumberjack Show and the Duck Boat, both of which I recommend, but this time we probably will just stay onboard, or maybe get off to take a look around the building at the pier.

Something else to be aware of is that the shuttle drops you off at Berth 4 in Ketchikan, which is 1/2 mile from "downtown" and it's a 10-15 minute walk.

@Pepohwin So glad that you have those avenues available to get your documents in time. We'll be doing our 4th Alaska cruise from Seattle on NCL in May. You're going to have an amazing time! BTW, welcome to Cruise Critic!

Actually, California does not issue Enhanced DL's, just Real ID's. https://fox5sandiego.com/news/california-news/the-real-id-deadline-is-next-year-heres-what-californians-need-to-do/#:~:text=Some states do issue Enhanced,permanent%2C in the United States.

Yes, our county just has the seal printed on the official document.

I believe the birth certificate must be from the County Recorder where she was born with the official county seal. I don't believe the BC from the hospital will work. This can be ordered online.

Happy turnaround day! 🚢Thank you for sharing your first week with us. So glad that you were able to relax and re-charge. Looking forward to hearing about your further adventures!😊

We're newly Platinum, too, Melody, and I wish that I knew the answer so that I could respond to your question. Maybe try calling NCL? Anyway, I love your sense of humor!