Aquahound

Yeah, the nickel and dime culture of NCL is like no other. You have to go into it knowing that or else you're in for a surprise. Charging mandatory gratuities on what they advertise as free packages shouldn't even be legal. But that said, those new ships are a lot of fun. Once on board, there's a lot to enjoy.

I have cruised Ruby, Koningsdam, and a sister ship to Encore. By far, Encore will be the liveliest ship with a ton of activities and great entertainment. The other 2 ships do not compare in that regard. I recommend avoiding Ruby. The ship looks and feels dated and has small standard cabins. You have to book a mini suite in order to get a couch in your room. I'll never book that ship again. Koningsdam is a really nice ship and they do have some lively entertainment options. I think the stateroom showers are the nicest in the business. If the ship and activities are your priority, Encore is your ship. If Alaska is your priority, I'd lean more toward K'dam.

If this helps you decide.....if RCI assigns you to a cabin that is undesirable, you can call them and move to another available room of the same category, or even pay the difference to upgrade to the next category.

With the exception of maybe a couple older ships, HAL has also banned casino smoking.

The absolute worst casino smoke I ever encountered was on Carnival Liberty. I'm not a gambler so it shouldn't bother me but, on that ship, the main fore/aft corridor went through the casino, so it was hard to avoid. It's one of many reasons I haven't cruised Carnival since.

IMO, this is a 6 in one / half dozen in the other. I've read a ton of negative reviews on the Carnival Vista Class ships, so I'd say those are also love it / hate it ships as well. Personally, I'd lean toward Bliss in this case. I cruised an older sister ship of Bliss and really enjoyed it. My one and only Carnival experience was not so great but again, it's only one cruise on that line.

One stop on Alaska. Their reliability for getting into AK is unrivaled. But I’m only saying that by a slim margin. Delta is excellent.

It's the AJ.

Anecdotal thing about Encore and Juneau. I spent last week in Juneau, so was able to see this from my hotel balcony. Bliss arrives early in the morning, and Encore takes Bliss' berth later in the afternoon. So, you're also hoping Bliss doesn't get delayed in port for any reason. They also use the furthest berth south which requires about a 15 minute walk into town, or a shuttle ride.

I've been on all 3 ship classes and have been on several AK cruises. HAL is definitely the least kid friendly.....although, I do like K'dam and would recommend it for you as a couple. Frankly, I think you should stick with Encore. The itinerary doesn't suck, it's very kid friendly, a beautiful ship, and I think it'll be most like your experiences on other lines.

I didn't know anyone took their place. I was in Hoonah last summer and the building was boarded up.

On RCI, formal nights are typically nights 2 and 6. I'm assuming you're on one of the 2 Quantum Class ships out of Seattle, both of which I sailed last year. I think they stuck to nights 2 and 6, but you might want to reach out to one of the recently returned roll calls and ask them.

Totally agree, and I second that crab shack on the ISP dock. At the newer docks, there's a crab shack attached to the Duck Point Smokehouse, which is right at the base of the gondola and zipline landing.

You picked a good ship. Those Quantum Class ships were designed more like an ocean liner, better capable of handling rough seas. Last year, I cruised Ovation out of Seattle and we hit very large waves on that first open sea day (25-30'). It was a steady and smooth pitch (up and down) for us, but the Celebrity Millennium, who was just ahead of us, suffered some damage topside. Book as low as you can but avoid the lowest deck of balconies because those are obstructed on that class.

If you're into breweries, check out Forbidden Peaks in Auk Bay. If the restaurant is open, the cheeseburger is excellent. The views are wonderful, overlooking a large marina that often has large yachts docked.

I prefer quality but I agree with everyone else. Those 3 options are excellent excursions. In this case, I'd stick with the 3.

Do you actually go on Sentinel Island and tour the lighthouse? If so, it might be worth it, but something tells me you only cruise by it. Jayleen's has an excellent reputation and going on a 6-person boat is the way to go.

So, what you're saying is, there is nowhere else on a cruise ship to sit down and play table games? Hogging a dining table, preventing other people from being able to sit down and eat, is their best and only option? And because there are other dining options, diners are supposed to acquiesce to game players in the dining area? Uh, no. That is backwards logic.

Thank you for the heads up. For flights into and out of Alaska, I always recommend trying to book Alaska Airlines first.

Ah, yes. Good point. Avoid the big red building close to the ships. Follow the sidewalk into town on Egan Dr, past the Hangar restaurant and just past the Coast Guard station. The second location is waterfront with a large empty gravel parking lot in front of it. Google Street View is a little old in Juneau but it's located in this empty lot.

You must have one of those conditions where you feel no pain because 30 years in the USCG and having entered the water a fair share amount of times from pretty good heights has taught me much different. Unless you are a skilled cliff diver, it is very unlikely to hit water, still or choppy, from 100 feet without feeling pain. Heck, 100 feet is even out of the range of most cliff divers.

Tracy’s in Juneau is probably the most popular, and it’s an easy walk.

You're good to go. Enjoy your cruise.

I used Affordable last year in Skagway and will never use them again. It was nice that they left the car at the dock but it was not in great shape. The car had a coolant leak and several other problems that made the car feel very uncomfortable. Do yourself a favor and stick with Avis. I would also recommend Klondike Electric. Some friends of ours rented a Mustang Mach-E from them and were very happy. FWIW, Skagway and Sitka are 2 places I learned the hard way not to rent from the little guys.

Alaska Shirt Company stays open pretty late and has all kinds of souvenirs for sale. They say 8pm but I'm sure I saw them open a little later. It's the larger building all the way to the right on the strip, across from the Mt Roberts tramway building.