quack2

Thanks for the heads up on using the tap feature on credit card or smart phone.

My car rental itinerary was Airport, Mendenhall, St. Therese, Eagle Beach, Costco (just curious), Airport. If I had been smarter, I would have done Glacier Gardens and Douglas Island too.

I picked up my car at the airport after an early morning whale watching trip. The driver of the Harv and Marv van graciously dropped me off on the way back. On the return, I was waiting in the taxi queue to head back when an arriving crew from another ship joined the short queue. They invited me to ride with them. I offered to pay the fare, but they refused and picked it up themselves. Under different circumstances, I would have just taken a taxi/uber to and from the airport from an uncongested area near the ship

That's the first explanation that makes some sense. When the Spirit returns to Vancouver on June 21, we can confirm the theory since she will be coming from Ketchikan two days prior.

Near as I can tell, it is due to emissions issues on the older ship.

The map on my online reservation and on the NCL website still shows an inside passage departure. I guess they haven't updated the map. Pretty misleading to be selling an inside passage cruise when it isn't one. It seems that calling this an "At Sea" day doesn't really address which side of Vancouver Island the ship sails on. The whole day is At Sea on the way to Icy Strait.

I wonder what part of Texas they were from?

Well, that got by me when I booked my June 21 cruise. NCL cancelling the inside passage would have caused my to rethink my itinerary. Not pleased.

Just noticed that the Spirit is currently heading north up the west side of Vancouver Island. Is that typical? All other Vancouver cruises I've done have gone up the scenic, sheltered east side.

Even when the weather is nice, it gets cold on the ship if you like to be outside while moving. I would pack it, along with a lighter jacket and a stocking cap. But that's me. I don't want the wrong clothes to keep me inside.

Never mind. Old news.

Will the bow of the Norwegian Spirit be open at times, such as when visiting Hubbard Glacier? Where is the access point?

I read somewhere recently that the one car the Turo "agency" had in Valdez was totalled.

Isn't that tour out of Whittier?

Now that your early train is booked, your next booking should be the Kenai Fjords cruise that departs Seward at 11:30. I may be the best wildlife and glacier viewing of your entire trip. You will be back in plenty of time to board the ship. Major Marine or Kenai Fjords. Both great companies.

So far I can't figure if or how you can put your boarding pass (I presume page 1 of Edocs) in my Apple Wallet. Is it possible?

Wow. That looks inviting instead of just an afterthought on the ship. I hope there are some comfortable chairs nearby with a view of the ocean.

Sounds like Additional Dealer Markup.

Not necessarily. My Norwegian Spirit dock on June 24 is the AS dock.

WC is an ironically appropriate acronym for Ward Cove.

I've been to ISP probably five times. I was just making an observation about the odd mismatch between the times ships are in port and the closing times of the retail part of the operation.

According to the official Icy Strait website, the shops close at 5 p.m. Many of the visiting cruise ships arrive later in the day than in other ports; some, like the Eurodam, arrive don't arrive until 6 p.m. Many departure times tend to be between 8-10 p.m. My point is that by closing at 5 p.m., ISP is missing out on serving many of its arriving cruise passengers, especially those who are doing an excursion while in ISP. https://claalaska.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ISP-Icy-Strait-Point-2023-1.pdf I have no idea how ISP is doing financially or otherwise. Like I said in original post, I really like this port. The whale watching is the best in Alaska (IMO), it has a beautiful natural setting, it's not overrun by tacky shops like other ports. I just wish it didn't close down so early.

As you will learn, cruise passengers are very, very picky.

But . . . if they want the port to succeed . . .

Do us lowly Bronze tier cruisers get their luggage tags sent to them?