Happycrafter123

@shadowmeboywhat type of camera (s) do you bring? i mainly use my iPhone but debating on a go pro and dusted off my old Sony cybershot —it’s a pain to get the photos off of it and in to my phone/Facebook but has a 30x zoom and takes nice photos. The go pro seem easy to use and magical downloads but has no zoom.- I haven’t ever taken the time to learn how to use a “real” camera lol!

That is so thoughtful and memorable to do it that way!

That is awesome! It looks like you make many! Do you hand out last day to Stewart and favorite staff? What all are you stuffing in there? I’m guessing you aren’t bringing carry on only either 😉

I’ve enjoyed your review so far, thank you! I liked the tips and details about the train, it’s a great option. Heading out for a similar trip in the Sun next week and wish I’d booked the Bliss just so I could have the thermal spa! As I’m packing was hoping fir some tips from you—did you bring boots, wear boots, wish you brought boots??? Also, the matter of hair straightening irons seems to be a grey one, did you bring one/ hear of any being confiscated?

Forecast for our trip looks like a lot of rain. Now to determine which garments need gortex treatment and which just get scotch guard… and of course looks like I am out of one of the Nikwax gortex treatments, and scotch guard bottle feels very light. Wish I had not left this till last minute! let’s see if I can get some by overnight delivery!

It’s a bit overwhelming trying to deal with all the stuff we’ve been piling up in the spare room for this trip. Our last 6 trips or so we travelled with carry on only and so that really helped to keep things in check. my fat cat is not happy about what is happening…/

The countdown is on! 6 days till cruise departure, 5 days till we leave home! First trip I can think of that we get to the one week mark and I HAVEN’T STARTED PACKING YET! Today will be the day, though hubby will be gone most of the day golfing, and I scheduled a hair appointment for this afternoon —got to look good for all those vacation photos 😉 lol! Some preparation shopping has occurred, in addition to three different types of gravol and two types of ginger medicine, I’ve gotten some mosquito stickers— have any of you used these? Not sure if there will be any but I know when we go to northern BC there are black flies and biting things so want to be prepared…. Also, with three sea days (counting the glacier viewing? And potentially poor internet, plus a smaller ship with less activities, I debated what I will do to fill that time. Downloaded some ebooks to my phone, booked the behind the scenes tour (though it was expensive at $121CAD per person) and plan to book a couple of wine tastings if they are offered. Maybe a whiskey experience if available….it’s been a challenge to get the dailies for the latest sun cruises so will have to play it by ear. Also picked up a couple of these cute painting books, there is a paintbrush attached in the back page and the paint chips are embedded on each sheet so this could help me while away some time and doesn’t require packing a full box of art supplies…

We will enjoy anticipating with you, plus your packing tips especially with the short turnaround window

I hope so that would be so cool to see the other perspective of another person, like in a novel where we go back and forth across characters! Plus I will pass the “good photographer” banner to you 😉

So in trip preparation news, I did manage to get an appointment with my doctor to ask about the nausea patch Scopolomine) as I had such bad nausea on it last cruise. I’ve read that the path from Seattle to the inside passage can be rough, and that the Sun may not have the best stabilizers. Unfortunately I’ve been advised these patches are no longer available here (canada? Bc? It was unclear) and the only option is ginger candies and gravol. Bought 3 types of gravol and these ginger candies: any other tips?

I believe you are sailing a week or two after us from Vancouver? It’s so fun to see the layering of experiences!!! I am noticing a lot of tips around a sweets lol! Gelato, truffles, fudge…..

That sounds awesome I’ll be interested in your tips and I can’t wait to see the amazing photos you take!!

I received an advertisement from Broadway across America about a Broadway themed cruise on the Norwegian Pearl. Have any of you done one of these? It looks like they have cool entertainment but then assuming all the NCL regular staples like food, pools and spa? Do you get to use your NCL latitude perks etc in these cruises or how does it work? Registration seems to be through the Broadway app not via NCL directly. Seems odd. Not planning to go on this one but my curiosity is peaked…..

Welcome to Vancouver! I hope you found an awesome dinner downtown (I always recommend Carderos on the sea wall just about 10-15 minutes walk west Of the convention centre/cruise port but too late now, add it to your list! ) Where did you wind up finding dinner? you sail tomorrow? Interested to hear the experience through Vancouver port, wishing you a smooth day ahead!!

Sorry I’ve been quiet work has been crazy busy and lots to do before I go. It’s interesting to hear the difference experiences and perspectives—thank you for sharing @mugtech your comparison to the Gem. Hopefully I will get a chance to sail her and compare at some point myself. we booked this cruise with little research on the ship itself, and I’m curious to see what it will be like. The nighttime entertainment and trivia aren’t things we really participate in much— usually we have excursions all day, maybe a nap, then dinner and after that and an ice wine nightcap I’m generally done in for the evening lol!. I’m hoping for a good comedian on at least one of the nights though, as hubby likes those. not even having sailed yet I am already staring to form opinions lol! And have determined if we do Alaska again with NCL to try to pick a ship with thermal spa—but my vote on that may change after this cruise depending on how it goes—we’ll see how packed or available the hot tubs are and I will let you know! The good news is there are about the same number of hot tubs on the sun as there are on the breakaway and about half the passengers 😉 based on other folks comments I am hoping there will be a lot less crowds and lines than the big ships and an easier experience getting on and off the ship, once again TBD! @YVRteacher you asked what I’m most excited about. I’m Excited about the itinerary, which was a big pull to book this one. But more importantly I’m hoping to have those moments of wonder like I have sometimes when I’m skiing and I pause, take a look at the scenery, take a deep breath of fresh clean air, and just feel the wonder of the moment. Hoping the Alaskan Wilderness will hold some of those moments. Maybe looking at whales? Or a sunset or sunrise from my balcony? Maybe a seal cavorting in the waves? Or an eagle gliding by. Who can predict the moments but hoping Alaska will have many of them. I’ll try to share some scenery photos not just photos of the food lol! i was observing to hubby that it seems many of you are repeat Alaskan cruisers over and over again, what is it that keeps pulling you back to go again? @YVRteacher@Seas2mountains and the rest of you “repeaters”?

Excited to see your review, we will be leaving about a week later than you on the Sun out of Seattle so very interested to hear of your experiences in port and any excursions you do or what you hear from others as I’ll still have time to modify my plans 😉 have a great journey!!!

Hi @jayseadee! What made you pick this one, and what are you most looking forward to?

Hi @YVRteacher! Happy Friday! good tips, thank you! I’m especially worried about hubby losing his phone he tends to dangle it over balcony railings etc, got him a neck strap but how do I make him wear it??? Lol! I've been debating for awhile about a go pro. I have a +10 year old larger camera but hate carrying it around and barely used it in the past 10 years. It’s now a pain to get photos off of it given technology changes, and don’t intend to replace it as I just can’t see myself lugging it about. Will dust it off and bring it, and plan to bring my phone, but dithering about the GoPro, which I could also use later on in the winter for skiing. Hmmm. It is expensive and yet another technology thing to master so not sure. Have any of you used a GoPro?? recovery from Pneumonia was slower than I ever imagined, I was on mega doses of antibiotics for 17 days! have you had it? Good news, my doctor has cleared me for travel now. However my stamina won’t be the same as normal, as I usually walk 10-15k steps per day (more on any lead up to ski season or Disney vacation) and now I’ve likely been less than 2k steps per day for a month, so have to review the excursions to remove any that will require too much walking as my muscle tone has surely diminished. I don’t want to be dealing with sore calves or burning thighs if I can avoid it. we are in MR at the base of Golden Ears park hence all the wildlife out here. I’m hoping on this trip maybe to see a moose though seems not that likely, and of course whales!! I love the idea to ask about what brought folks to Alaska! I will share the stories I hear.

@Sj cruiser 1 is this also your first Alaska trip?

Yes we stop in Victoria and my car will be in Seattle so won’t be planning to ditch early 😉

Yes so much controversy today, but I still love the mouse 😉 They had a promo for Canadians of 35% making it cost neutral (for us based on subjective selection of options//without drink package — we aren’t big drinkers)

Sometimes people cancel them or miss the cruise so if you can’t buy in advance you can check on boarding if there is a spot or waiting list

@cruiseny4life my curiosity knows no bounds! How have I inspired you for work not vacations? Do you work in parks or something cool like that?

Yes after her awesome reviews I wished we booked the Jewel it sounds like such a great ship! When do you sail?

Our first Alaskan adventure! Our cats are concerned as the suitcases are out in the dinning room again…..it’s almost time for our next cruise and we are back with another live review!! We are excited (and a bit nervous) for our next cruise, it will be our first one to Alaska. My NCL app tells me it’s 15 days to go! We leave June 30 and will be spending our Canada day, as well as American Independence Day, and (more importantly?) my birthday too, on this cruise. We’ll be sailing on the Sun, our first time on a smaller and older ship, out of Seattle. We picked this one after heavy debate and analysis of a large spreadsheet assessing pros and cons and costs of different cruise options. I wanted the Disney cruise out of Vancouver — the entertainment and enrichment programs looked far superior to NCL (and who doesn’t love Mickey Mouse??) but Hubby wanted the bonus NCL points and a trip with less kids. They were actually cost neutral, but the NCL cruise had a better itinerary with 6 ports of call rather than 3. (10 days rather than 7) and was the winner of the debate. (Clearly hubby hopes it goes ok and I don’t talk about the Disney cruise we didn’t do in perpetuity lol!!, but we have WDW booked for Jan so he tells me I can see Mickey then). here’s the awesome places we’ll visit: We are in our late 40’s and 50’s and while normally active, I’m recovering from a severe case of pneumonia and hubby just had a knee treatment so hoping we have selected the right types of excursions that will be interesting but not too strenuous. We love nature, living on the West coast of BC - I’m an avid skier and golfer and spend most of my “free” time in quiet nature environments. We see bears often in our backyard and on the golf course, as well as deer, coyotes, bunnies, hawks, eagles, and wild birds. When skiing I get magical views of the mountains and ocean and snow topped forests. We held off on an Alaska trip for a long time figuring we wanted to focus our vacation time and dollars on things we don’t have at home, like palm trees, castles and ancient ruins, but this time we are going to check out things we know we love, with fresh air and inspiring views of the ocean, forest, mountains and wildlife. We are curious—-will we LOVE Alaska? or will it be too much the same as home? Will this become a new annual vacation item (my visa shudders at the thought) or a one and done? As for the smaller, older ship—we are hoping for less lines and crowds than on the breakaway class ships, and a more zen environment. We got a great promo and price was shockingly low compared to the newer bigger ships. A bit worried though as the last review on the sun I read had comments from the traveller wondering if the ship had stabilizers and noting a lot of movement. Was that a one off? Will I spend this trip drugged up on gravol and puking, or will it be fine? Too late to cancel, so guess we will find out!!! As for my biggest worry, it’s my health and the air quality. our last cruise was overrun by cigarette smoke which caused me to avoid significant areas of the ship and made me ill, I’m curious if Alaska caters to a healthier demographic and if this one will be better? I will let you know! We lucked out with what seems to have been an unusually early response to our upgrade bid (58 days before sailing!) so have managed to scoop a club balcony. It looks to have a huge bathroom and walk-in closet! I’m hoping the chairs on the deck are cozy as I want to spend a lot of quiet time there. I’m so grateful we will have a balcony instead of the interior room we initially booked. We’ve booked specialty dining for most evenings and are quite excited to try Los Lobos as that one will be new to us. Hubby is excited for Cagneys and eating fillet as many nights as possible. We would like to go to Moderno and Tepanyaki but this time they would not let us prebook without making a payment, for which we’d have to get refund onboard (oh that sounds fun) so they suggested we book other options and then shift some reservations once we are onboard. Hmm. Such great customer solutions. We’ve also never eaten at the Italian and did make a reservation for it this time, hopefully it’s good! For me, a bit anxious how it will go for food. I submitted a gluten free diet restriction form before our last cruise and found they were much stricter on gluten than I normally am and it was a pain having to preorder each day—they all seemed to have different ideas about when and where I should go each day to make the requests, if I forgot they got mad the next day and they were kind of grouchy about it on a number of days. I think if you are severely allergic this is great but mildly allergic I suggest you save them and yourself the grief and self manage. I’ve tried to get them to take the note off my account so I could just self manage for this one but looks like once you submit it you are committed so we’ll see how it goes. Hopefully I remember each day to do the preorder so I don’t get in trouble again! (Not that I am normally forgetful but between the constant rush running to and from excursions and a few drinks here and there, it can be distracting 😉 ) We’ve booked a number of excursions, but debating on switching some (a) to bring the cost down a bit so we can save for the next (WDW) vacation, or (b) get a better experience… so many choices! If you have recommendations I’m all ears as there are always chances to change options, so let me know what suggestions you have! Here’s the itinerary of our trip: Overall, I think hubby is looking forward to eating food we don’t cook at home, and taking the week off work, and for me, excited to be inspired by nature. For those of you who are experienced Alaskan cruisers please pepper me with all your tips!! Still debating what to pack and even what camera to bring. Please visit Alaska with me vicariously here online and share your stories and wisdom 🙂 for those of you taking a similar itinerary later in the season, I’ll post the dailies, menus, photos, and answer as many of your questions as I can, so speak up! The live review will be more interesting with your voices, and it will be fun to have you traveling along with me!!