psalm104

Thank you!

Any idea what time you get off the ship if you booked the bus directly from the vendor? My confirmation from vendor says board the bus at 7:30, but I haven't seen anything about what time we can get off ship. And can anyone who has experience speak to if one can arrange for luggage to be in the earliest group of luggage that is taken off the ship? Or could that be a potential problem that our luggage may not show up in time for us to board bus at 7:30? Have large family with a few mobility issues so prefer not to self-carry luggage off ship, but will do it if the consensus is that we may not have our luggage waiting for us before/by 7:30. Also, any experience on if there will be a big line to get off around 7am that we need to factor in? Sailing the Jewel to Seward next week. Thanks for all your insights!

Thank you for the update! So, things have changed from what people reported earlier in the season. No more tour transportation to the theatre. That's a disappointment, as we were counting on that with my family members who have mobility issues. At least when we're there in two weeks we will know what to now expect. Thanks! Did you notice if any of the Ward Cove shuttles had a lift for a scooter? Thanks, again, for the update!🙂

Hi! I, too, have a night in Anchorage (post-cruise) and have three questions about restaurants: --Are there any restaurants with a good view of airplanes or seaplanes taking off and landing? We'd be open to anything from super casual to full-service restaurant. Our group of 7 will be disembarking in Seward on a Monday and taking the 8-hour bus tour with final stop in Anchorage around 5pm (staying only one night/flying home the next morning). I'd love for us to have dinner with a view of planes for some aviation-loving family members. FYI, we are staying at the Embassy Suites, and we have the option of having the tour bus drop us off at the hotel or at the airport. --Another option I am weighing as a backup in case anyone in our group isn't up for it after the tour, is those people eating dinner close by our hotel and forgetting the dinner with a view idea. Has anyone eaten at the restaurant inside the Embassy Suites? --Also, does anyone know if it is an easy/desirable walk between Embassy Suites and Moose's Tooth? The google map doesn't seem current, and also I cannot tell if there are direct walking paths between the two buildings. Thanks for your insights on this, and also for everything already written. Fun to read!

I think you're right! The difference between the two prices is exactly 20%. Both the paper in the onboard photo and the listing on the NCL site say that a 20% gratuity will be added. But I put one in my cart and went all the way to the payment page, and the price stayed the same ($59.94 for 24) and the payment page shows the message, "Total price shown above is inclusive of all applicable taxes and fees." So I guess that means that there are no onboard water specials and, therefore, the price is the same whether you buy ahead of time or on the ship. Thanks for the input!

Thank you. If those are the current onboard prices, then it would be cheaper to wait until we are on the ship. On the NCL site it is currently showing $23.94 for 6/ $41.94 for 12/ $59.94 for 24.

No, it is not through NCL. Any insights?

Does anyone know the earliest you can disembark in Seward if you are not carrying your own luggage off the ship? Will be on Jewel in September with a large family group including my father who will need wheelchair assistance off the ship. We need to board a bus at 7:30am and would like to disembark at 7:00. Will this be possible? If so, is 7:00 early enough to find/get luggage and get to parking lot by 7:30? Thanks!

Is there an onboard deal offered for the water package, or is it cheaper/the same to preorder the water package on the NCL website? Asking about the Jewel specifically if that matters.

I see a reference to self-adhesive NCL luggage tags on the amazon listing. Are those available from NCL as opposed to the printable tags? Or is that outdated information?

Thank you, again, for more helpful insight! And for the humor (humour)! I will take you up on your taxi tips and have the hotel book them. Great tips! You've given me some peace of mind. Thank you, too, for your advice about getting wheelchair assistance along the way. I already have requested assistance via the airline for the airport and NCL for the cruise port. We will not have a wheelchair with us; we are renting a scooter for the cruise, which will be delivered to the cabin. So we definitely need assistance prior to that. Thanks for the tips about the port and no seating. Question: Is requesting assistance through the NCL accessibility department good enough, or is there a way I can/should book assistance from the pier directly?

Thanks for all the helpful info on this thread. Unfortunately, that two blocks between the Skytrain and the port is a major issue for groups (like mine) that have someone with mobility issues. My family thought it would be fun to try it, and we would have stayed at a hotel near the airport the night before the cruise, but with all the details we've gathered, we determined it just wouldn't be possible to do the two blocks with all our luggage, etc.. And it would be weird and a hassle to get a taxi from the station to the port for those two blocks. Long story short, we are now staying downtown (Hampton Inn) the night before the cruise, and we need a ride from there to the port. Our family of 7 wants to travel together from hotel to port, but we've now found, like @martincath explained above, that the costs of transportation to the port are crazy high for a large group (Thank you for for explaining that, by the way! It now makes a little more sense why we are being quoted $200CAD for a few minutes ride from the hotel to the port.). So...we are now thinking that our group will have to split up and take multiple taxis from hotel to the port. All that to ask...does anyone have suggestions/experience/tips about which taxi company to use/when to book/reliability of them showing up/how to get vehicles larger than a Prius, etc.? Thanks in advance!😊

Thank you for your insights. Very helpful. I am surprised there is a lack of options for airport transfers or shuttles. Yes, we could split up into groups if we have to, so there is definitely that taxi option. I'd even be open to two smaller cars from a transport company, but I can't find any that offer that. If we do end up having to do taxis, do you (or anyone else) have any experience with taxis in Anchorage? Are they generally reliable to show up on time? Any experience/advice/preferences? Thanks, again! No, I haven't, because we are staying the night in Anchorage after the cruise drops us off in Seward (NCL). Is a hotel to airport transfer something cruise lines offer? I hadn't thought of that...

We'll be in Anchorage in September, taking the all-day bus tour from Seward to Anchorage post-cruise. We are a family of 7 and would like to travel together the next morning from Embassy Suites Anchorage to the airport, and we are having a hard time finding transportation options besides calling multiple taxis. The hotel told us to call a specific local transport company, and they wanted hundreds of dollars for the 10-15 minute ride. Anyone have any updated suggestions/experiences with transport options in Anchorage? Thanks!

Thank you for posting all the photos! Thank you for all the details and photos on your cabin review. Some of our group will be on the Jewel in that cabin but on the starboard side. I am surprised that the door is right in the hallway opening to the elevator lobby--it doesn't look like it is on the deck plan maps I've seen. At first when I read that, I was disappointed, but then when I thought about it and saw your photos, it may be a blessing to be able to drive a scooter straight in and out of the door and not have to navigate the angles into the the room in a tight hallway. And I'm glad you said it was quiet. My family will have the beds separated into two singles, do you (or anyone else) have an idea where they would be put? Your photos make it look like there isn't room to just push them apart slightly, so I was thinking one would go along the wall under where the pull down bed is), but if that were so, where do you think the loveseat would go? Thank for for so many photos of all elements of the room! So helpful!

Thanks for the info! LOL about the jewelry store.

Thank you for all these details. So helpful!

I was wondering this same thing, and I found some helpful answers about this from people who just did this excursion both directly from NCL for higher price and directly from the lumberjack show on this thread (see posts #559, 562, 567 on page 23): To sum up, they say the excursion bought directly from NCL includes transportation to and from the lumberjack theatre, and the tickets bought directly from the show require you to get there yourself, which would mean taking the free shuttle from Ward Cove to berth 4 and then an approx 15 minute walk to the lumberjack show (or finding other transportation yourself between berth 4 and the theatre). I ,too, found that the NCL agents on the phone could not answer this question as to why the NCL excursion was so much higher priced, nor could they say that it included any direct transportation. Thank you to everyone on this thread (and on the thread I linked) for sharing your recent experiences!

Wonderful! Thank you for sharing this info! The NCL reps I spoke with did not know the answer to this.

Did you book it through NCL? If so, did they take you directly to the theatre? Wondering if the higher NCL price includes transportation directly to the show rather than just the regular free shuttle that drops off at berth 4. Trying to avoid the walk from berth 4 to the lumberjack show with relatives with mobility issues.

Thank you!!! This is very helpful.😊

Since you cruise with your dad (and some others on this thread mentioned they do as well), I was wondering if you know of a way before a cruise to have other family members be able to see the details of our cruise so that they can look at things like itinerary and dining and excursion options without having full access to the payment/document/check in/booking capabilities? I am paying for my family group (we are in multiple staterooms), and I have booked everything myself. Now some of my relatives are asking if I can get them a log in for the app or a way so they can look at the itinerary and dining/excursion options, etc. precruise. Because of the complicated nature of our situation (too many reasons to list), I prefer not to give anyone access to make actual changes to any plans, etc. ahead of the cruise. Let's just say there is a wide range of ages and technical abilities and dispositions and dynamics that could potentially cause some nightmares that are being wonderfully avoided at this point with me being the "administrator" who does all the paperwork and booking. I also would not like anyone to see the cruise fare costs out of discretion, as this is a gift to them. But I would like them to be able to see the cruise information so they can get excited for the trip and see all the ship details and read about the itinerary and restaurants and excursion options. Any ideas? Another question: It is my understanding that once we get onboard, everyone can activate the NCL app in a different mode/iteration than what it is precruise without having an NCL account, is that correct? Thanks for any insights or tips!

Hi. I hope you had a wonderful cruise.😊 Wondering what conditions you experienced in those three ports. Will be at these same ports with family members with mobility issues in September and cannot find any current information about this. Also, I'd love for you (or anyone else) to share any other experience you had in terms of shuttles, buses, tips for mobility issues. Thanks!

martincath Thank you so much for responding and adding your tips and insights!😊

Wow! Thank you both for taking the time to respond with so much helpful and fun information! You've given me sooooo much to think about. I'll probably be back with more questions once I process all your info. So fun!!!😍