karatemom2

These are the facts reported; Family booked an NCL ship excursion to lumberjack show. Tour operator had dedicated transport for this group of NCL passengers ON THIS TOUR. Passengers who were not a part of this paid NCL excursion made their way onto the return tour bus dedicated to the lumberjack tour group. Family with paid NCL shore excursion was prohibited from getting on their reserved tour bus because people who were not part of the tour were mistakenly allowed to board, taking their seats. Tour operator indicated another bus would be taking them back to the ship which did not materialize in timely fashion and they missed boarding time, even though they were on a ship sponsored tour. NCL has acknowledged responsibility and is covering all costs and offering future cruise compensation as well because they are attempting as best as possible to make things right for this family that had a pretty big ordeal because mistakes were made. Your comments about Regent being in port have literally zero to do any of this and it doesn’t take any detective work to figure it out because NCL has basically acknowledged exactly what happened!

We just returned from a wonderful cruise to Norway and the fjords there. It was spectacular - just beautiful. We loved it. We have cruised in Alaska numerous times. I will say without hesitation it is equally as beautiful. The glaciers are much larger and more impressive, the wildlife is abundant, the towns are charming and full of history. It is a destination not to be missed which is why we keep returning and my son actually just moved there to work as an attorney in Anchorage. Out kids grew up cruising Princess. They have a good program for youth and wonderful Alaska itineraries. You and your daughter will love it. Just a few of the thousands of photos from our many trips.

I am not arguing NCL’s reasons for establishing Ward Cove. Clearly they had challenges that made it a preferred option for the cruise line. My observation is that for passengers, especially those who may be unfamiliar or inexperienced, it is very limiting and challenging, and NCL has not figured out how to run it well or efficiently - especially with the limited port hours they offer. This was a situation just waiting to happen and it was due in large part to the confusing and inadequate setup they have established for transporting people. It is an aspect of choosing a cruise line and itinerary for an Alaska cruise that people need to understand and consider. NCL is not the best option and Ward Cove is less than optimal for anyone who truly wants to have any meaningful time or experience in Ketchikan. I would imagine after this NCL Shore Excursions department will implement some improvements in the shuttle situation and with their partner tour companies in monitoring who is getting on their buses to hopefully avoid a repeat of leaving customers on an NCL excursion behind.

How many of you commenting here have actually been to the absolute joke that is the NCL Ward Cove port? I have - twice. And let me tell you I would NEVER cruise with NCL in Alaska again. The Ketchikan port stop is a complete cluster with the short port times and crazy shuttle bus situation. By the time people are trying to return via these shuttles from town, it is literally every man for themself. We had the good sense the second time we were there to arrange private transportation because we knew what a complete mess it is based on actual experience. I feel for those who venture into this uninformed thinking that they will have a fun port day in Ketchikan. it’s pretty clear what happened here. This family booked an NCL excursion which should have been reliable and provided them peace of mind and protection. But in the mob scene of people pushing and shoving their way on any bus they can plant themselves on as the day gets short, the tour operator made the error of allowing non tour passengers on a bus dedicated to the lumberjack tour excursion participants, thus leaving this family out in the cold with the promise another bus would be coming for them. This is completely on NCL and the tour operator - they know it which is why they are being so upfront about reimbursement and trying to make things right. But the even bigger issue is the whole Ward Cove failure and how dismal it is to navigate as opposed to being on a ship that actually docks in Ketchikan.

I guess that depends on each individual. This is my opinion - you have yours. I understand that the new way of doing this excursion picks passengers up directly from the cruise ship which reduces the overall time which might make it easier to do two small boat excursions in one port day, but it would still be a rush and a lot of stress IMO. And yes, tiring, running from one to the other. When we did these excursions via a private vendor they departed from Juneau. It was a good solid 8 hour excursion - so yes, wonderful but tiring for those like us standing at the rail binoculars in hand almost the entire time. I guess if you just sit passively it may be less tiring, but that’s not how we roll. By the time we got back to Juneau, which is a long ride, we were tired and famished as the food served on the tour amounts to a snack. So we were ready for a break from being on a small boat and a nice meal in town. That’s my perspective. I would have not wanted to be rushed and running to jump on yet another small boat excursion. Others might - I was offering my thoughts based on my experiences. if you are prepared to run from one boat tour to another with little time to spare in order to catch a second trip, miss exploring town entirely, and hold off on an enjoying an evening meal. then by all means, go for it. The OP was asking for opinions and I provided mine.

We just got back from our cruise on the Sky Princess and booked the Blue Puffin tour for Honningsvag. It was excellent - definitely book with them and do it earlier rather than later because they do book up.

Even if you could make it work, you probably won't want to hop right back on another small boat excursion. The Tracy Arm Fjord small boat excursion is amazing - but it is a long excursion and you will be tired and ready to maybe spend some time in town and get a bite to eat after a very full day. Going back out on another boat in search of whales (which hopefully you will see on your Tracy Arm excursion) would just be really a lot to try to take on at that point.

You can do a lot in a port in 7 hours. Things stay open to well into the evening when ships are in town and tours operate in the evening as well. One of the most beautiful whale watching trips we ever did in Juneau was an evening excursion. You can eat dinner in town - heck, even enjoy the Gold Creek Salmon Bake. It's fun and good food in a beautiful setting. You will have plenty of options - the town stays active pretty much until the last ship leaves port.

You don't say when you are traveling but if it is the next several weeks, it will still be light well into the evening. We actually had our best bear watching experience on any Alaska trip in Haines on an evening wildlife tour to Chilkat Lake there. We saw a Mama Brown bear and her cubs feeding on salmon, and another juvenile brown bear as well. It was pretty remarkable and around 8:30 p.m. at the very beginning of twilight on an August trip. So there will be wildlife options as well as probably things still open in town since the stores might stay open late to accommodate the ship's schedule.

Thank you for sharing this wonderful live review. We just returned from the 6/15 cruise and loved everything about our experience and the beauty of Norway. We are regular Alaska cruisers as well and our son lives in Anchorage, so I quite love Alaska as well and find it equally as beautiful in different ways. Both places are amazing and choosing between them would be like picking a favorite child - impossible! I will enjoy following along as you continue on the Baltic segment as we are considering that itinerary for next year!

We just did this on the Sky a couple of weeks ago and it was a wonderful experience. I had pre booked it for my husband’s birthday. When we arrived in our stateroom there was a certificate there with the “card” I had written. Within the first couple of hours of arriving in our room, we got a call from room service confirming our date and time. We scheduled for 5:30 pm which was the earliest time offered. They also confirmed our preferences - surf and turf, or all surf or all turf. Also how we wanted our filet cooked. They confirmed we had no food allergies and also what our preference was for our included cocktails. On the date of our dinner our wait team arrived right on time, served our cocktails, and set up our table and seated us. A photographer was there who took several photos. They weren’t included but we opted to purchase one. The food and champagne were wonderful and service was attentive and flowed smoothly. It was fabulous. We would absolutely recommend it and do it again. A very special evening!

Agree. We don’t really love the Royal class ships as much as others, although we have come to like the Sky, mostly due to its Southampton base, great itineraries, wonderful food and service, and the forward balcony cabins. There are still enough traditional Princess aspects to keep us at least feeling like we are “home”. However, the Grand class ships are and will always be our favorites - the best designs and sizes. After our last 4 consecutive trips being on Royal class ships, we are so thrilled to be on the Ruby in a couple of months and I think we are going to choose the Emerald over the Sky for our Southampton cruise next summer. We have absolutely zero interest in the Sun or Star.

We don’t get the packages, and are very light drinkers so we actually quite appreciate the Elite lounge for light bites and the very few cocktails we drink during our cruise. It’s a nice welcoming space to enjoy some pre dinner relaxation.

We gifted our daughter and her new husband champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, Balcony Dinner, and flowers in their cabin for their honeymoon. We had their booking number which made it pretty easy to complete the request. It was all there waiting for them when they arrived to their cabin.

Good luck!! There are plenty of trivia options - so no doubt you will find one that plays to your strengths!

Sure! They are cute and quite handy. I keep one in my purse to use when I need to make old school notes.

It's awesome!

You might enjoy the egg bites they have at the International Cafe. My DH is on a low carb diet to manage his diabetes, and these are a favorite for him. They are basically like little quiche without the crust. That was his go to breakfast everyday on our recent Sky Princess cruise.

We just returned from the most amazing cruise on the Sky Princess - absolutely wonderful itinerary. Norway wasn't even on my radar, but it was on my husband's ever since he heard a story about the Seven Sisters waterfalls when he was in elementary school. He had heard about the ban and made me sit down and watch a video about cruising Norway to convince me we had to go, and we had to do asap. I'm so glad we made this bucket list cruise this year - maybe one of the best cruises ever and the most beautiful destination. Here is a link to the review I just did on the Princess board with photos - maybe that will help you decide!

Another vote for the smoked salmon chowder at Annabelle's in Ketchikan. It's fantastic and something I've never found anywhere else.

We just visited Bruges, via Zeebrugge, on our recent Norway cruise. It was the last stop on the way to Southampton. Unless any of these ship tours are really enticing to you, as I imagine they are pricey, we found it very easy to do Bruges on our own without paying for a ship excursion. Once you exit the ship and take the free short transfer to the terminal building, there are plenty of taxis lined up there to take you into Bruges. We actually used our Uber app - which brings you taxi service there. It was about $55 each way. The canal boat rides are 15 Euro and running constantly, very easy to walk up and book on your own. We also did a on hour small open air bus tour which takes you all over the historic area and provides really great commentary - we really felt that it was a good combo with the canal tour because we saw the city from both land and water. We then had plenty of time to explore on our own, stop for chocolates, hot chocolate, and waffles at The Old Chocolate House - see all of the beautiful buildings and shop before catching a ride back to the ship. It's a very walkable place to visit.

Since you are doing a land trip to Norway, which sounds awesome by the way, I'll share that if you visit Alesund, the Hotel Brosundet there actually rents out the suite in the lighthouse at the harbor there. If I ever go back not on a ship, I would totally do this!

Disembarkation and Final Thoughts: All good things must come to an end, and we woke up our final day back in Southampton feeling very happy with our experience and ready to take all of these wonderful memories home with us. So, just thought I would share a few final thoughts on our overall experience on the Sky. Disembarkation: We always do walk off these days. Now that we aren’t traveling with young children anymore, it is just so easy to manage our own luggage. We always have a single rolling suitcase each and one carryon that sits nicely on top, so very easy to roll off. We had a 1:20 p.m. flight home on Virgin Atlantic out of Heathrow so we scheduled our Blackberry car service for a 7:30 a.m. pickup. Walk off started at 7 a.m. and we were out of the terminal waiting for our car well before its arrival time. We had an easy drive to Heathrow and were there before 9 a.m. and through luggage drop off and security quickly and, in our lounge by just after 10 a.m., with plenty of time to kill before our gate was posted and boarding began. It was a nice relaxing way to end our trip and another nice flight with VA who got us back to LAX right on time at 4:40 p.m. PST. Sky Princess: This was our second year in a row sailing out of Southampton on the Sky, and it has become our favorite Royal Class ship. We really prefer it over both Royal and Discovery, the two other Royal Class ships we have sailed on most frequently. Although the design is basically the same, we find it better maintained and more welcoming. It still features the flaws of the Royal Class ships in the lack of outside viewing areas and promenade deck and inadequate space in areas like Princess Live, but we find that we still really get the same great Princess experience we have come to expect and the same beautiful public areas, nice theatre, good casino, and nice dining areas. The Vista Lounge continues to be a totally underused space onboard – I will never understand why they keep trying to crowd people into Princess Live to overflowing when they have that wonderful lounge sitting empty. But this seems to be the case on every Princess ship. Stateroom: This, for us, is one of the big pluses of the Royal Class ships as we have grown to really love the forward-facing balconies and have booked them multiple times now. Our stateroom, M103, was particularly wonderful for this sailing with the multiple days of scenic viewing. Many people on our “friend” group were disappointed in the lack of areas onboard for scenic viewing, and we felt so blessed to have our own private space from which to enjoy every second. It is a shame though, that there is not more space for others onboard to be able to get the same experience in a public setting. Given the option, we like the Lido level best as there is even less obstruction, but we were so happy to get this cabin when we booked because it was the last one available. As always, our room steward was fantastic – we are always so fortunate to just get the best service from our stewards on Princess, especially with the number of rooms they are handling these days. We do our best to not make their job any harder and be sure to show our appreciation, because they really work so hard. Entertainment: We have been cruising with Princess for over 20 years now, and I can say with absolute love for the brand, that the entertainment onboard is not one of the main reasons for our loyalty. That said, we do enjoy it and embrace it for what it is without expecting Broadway quality shows or headliners. Most of the production shows we have seen numerous times, and we still like to see them again in many cases like Rock Opera and Spotlight Bar, which are two of the better shows. In particular, Max Himmelreich, the guest tenor for Rock Opera who we have seen before, is absolutely spectacular, and his one man show is excellent as well. I won’t comment on Five Skies, except to say, seeing that once last year was enough. We are generally underwhelmed by the hypnotists, comedians, and magicians, so rarely attend those shows. But I was very favorably impressed with several of the guest singers they brought onboard this cruise – particularly Claire-Charlotte, Cleopatra Madonna Higgins, and West End star, Matthew Croke. They all provided really exceptional shows and it definitely felt like Princess was upping their entertainment game with them as featured performers. Other entertainment with the CD crew was pretty standard – we enjoy the trivias, especially the music trivias – they were ok, again, overcrowding is a big issue as are the repeat cruisers who kind of take the competitive fun out of it when you know they already heard all the questions the cruise prior. But we always have a good time and there were a few standout CD staff who did a nice job. Food: This is such a subjective area, but for us, the food on this cruise, just as last year on the Sky, was above average from our perspective. Our MDR meals, with one glaring exception for each my DH and I, were really great. All of our specialty dining meals – Crown Grill, The Catch, and Balcony Dinner were outstanding. Afternoon tea continues to be better on this ship than on our other Princess sailings and the buffet, on the few occasions when we went there, was fine and had a good selection. DH really loves the breakfast options of the egg bites at the International Café and pretty much ate there every morning, while I would just grab a croissant and some tea. And we only got food at the grill once – but the hot dogs are always good. The only thing to disappoint this cruise the two times I tried it was the pizza at Slice – the sauce was bland, and the crust was overcooked both times. Normally I love Princess pizza, but it was kind of a bummer this trip. Service everywhere, however, was amazing – from drink service to food service at every venue onboard, we had the best experience – so much better than our Discovery cruise in January – like literally night and day better. The crew was fantastic, smiling, and super on top of their game. We were very impressed. Crew Chat: We were really impressed with this feature and give it a huge thumbs up! We used it three different times for different issues. First was a problem with our beverage package delivery when we couldn’t get through to room service after trying to call multiple times with no answer, second was a plumbing issue with our shower drain which appeared to be clogged, and third was for our shore excursion concerns. Each time we received a prompt response and resolution within the day from the appropriate department, along with a second follow up from Guest Services to make sure we were satisfied. It is a really nice option and one we will not hesitate to use on future cruises for any concerns we might have – way better then standing in line at the desk or holding on the phone. Casino: This is the report from DH, as I don’t log much time there. He really had a great time in the Casino this trip – a more active group of fellow gamblers onboard this year, especially Craps players, so he felt less all by himself. He made some nice gambling buddies and a good time was had by all. He made a point of mentioning that the casino staff continues to be great, a few still there who remembered him from last year. Even when he doesn’t come away a winner, which is often, he has a really good time and appreciates the casino host and staff, and the nice perks we get from his “habit”. : ) Elite perks: We continue to appreciate the Elite perks – especially managing to squeeze in the half price on the old WiFi rate for this trip before it went up. The nightly Elite/Platinum Lounge in Vista was very good – even better this year with some additional hot items including breaded shrimp that was so yummy. They also had a live band and singer performing there each evening which was a nice touch. Our Elite laundry benefit worked great – we sent out a bag almost every day and it was always back the next day, with only one exception where it took two days. We really, really, really, appreciate our laundry benefit!! Since we only ended up with one tender port when the Geiranger Sea Walk wasn’t used, we didn’t really need our priority tender benefit this trip since we had a Princess excursion that day – but I’m sure our fellow Elite passengers onboard appreciated it since it turned out to be kind of a long process for most. I know some feel like the loyalty benefits aren’t a big deal, but honestly, these perks and our Casino benefits are a big part of what keeps us coming back to Princess, so they do matter to us. So, as I close out this rather long-winded review – I just want to reiterate what an absolutely wonderful cruise this was – great itinerary, great ship, great food, great service, great fun! I hope some of the information I have shared might help those of you thinking of a similar cruise or contemplating a trip on the Sky Princess. We love sailing out of Southampton and are looking at a Baltic cruise for next summer – maybe on the Emerald this time because I do also love and miss the Grand Class ships. But we will be back aboard one soon when we sail on the Ruby in Alaska in September. Thanks to all who have allowed me to share our experience!

Yeah, that’s odd. Maybe because technically it isn’t Uber in the traditional sense since independent drivers are not allowed. Perhaps he wasn’t aware that the local taxi services apparently contract with Uber to provide service and payment through the app. I know when a taxi showed up to pick us up in Alesund at the ship when we had ordered an Uber we were very confused. He was literally sitting right in front of us but because of the taxi sign we didn’t realize it was our car - he had to roll his window down and ask if we were waiting for a ride. And even then, we said no we had an Uber coming and he explained he was our car - and then we realized the license plate and car matched. He explained to us Uber as it functions other places is not allowed - no private drivers. But they have adapted to connect it with legal and certified taxi services.

Thank you so much! I hope you are able to experience this cruise next year. It’s amazing. We are eyeing a Baltic itinerary for next year - still deciding. But I don’t know if anything will ever match this cruise. It was really special.