PnkyandtheBrain

Just had to cancel my Skagway shore excursion for our 9/4/22 trip on Encore.

Per the tour operator, all the Encore stops for Skagway the remainder of 22 are moved to Icy Straight Point.  She mentioned that Encore has no tenders on-board so they are unable to work around the berth they are assigned being closed.

Brad

Is your daughter shown on the guest section of your booking?

As for the Soda package, you can also just do that at embarkation - they usually have a table in embark area or onboard offering the soda package for reasonable rate ($8-10/day I thought).  I think the soda pkg is less of a "buy it before you board" than most of the other things.

I've never had WiFi on a cruise before (first time coming up in Sept) so not sure how that works - might be easiest to just call NCL direct and have a cruise consultant add it to your booking for the youngster.

Brad

Several cruises with Stockholm on their itinerary port at the Seawalk in Nynäshamn.  This isn't a major deal as they usually have long port times (7a-7p or similar).

Transport to Stockholm isn't difficult and there are several options:

1. Take the train (42/43 commuter line) (typically departs every 30 minutes during normal daytime hours from Nynäshamn station) - approximately 1 hour travel time

2. Use Cruise Ship provided transport - many of the lines offer a port-city-port round trip for reasonable fee - also approximately 1 hour travel time

3. Use the HOHO - the Stromma line usually sends 3-4 buses to Nynäshamn when ships port there in the morning - they leave when full or after waiting 1 hour is my understanding.

Train tickets can be purchased at the information tent at the end of the pier, at the local hotel on the walking path, and at a small shop just off the train platform.  There is a single ticket vending machine on the platform, but it does not sell the 24 hour transit pass version, only single trip tickets.  You can also purchase tickets using the SL app on your phone.  If you can't get a ticket or the machine is broken - speak to the conductor and they'll likely allow you to ride up the line to Västerhaninge where there is a railway service office with a ticket agent.  The store across from the station (east) at Västerhaninge also sells train passes.

The walk from the pier to the train station is not difficult - paved pathway and sidewalks along the road - takes about 15 minutes at normal pace.  There is a local shuttle bus that will transport from the pier to the station and in-town for a small fee (US $5 or so if I recall).  Uber is also available, but we had issues with Uber on our visit - someone was accepting and then cancelling rides in the Nynäshamn area.  Taxi is also an options and seemed plentiful, particularly in the afternoon as the train returned and people wanted to ride back to the pier.

Unless there is a service disruption, all the trains that depart Nynäshamn will go into Stockholm.  Stockholm City is your most likely destination as it gives you connection to the Metro and other trains via the T-Centralen station which is the main train station.

For the return trip, use care - there are some trips during the busy part of the day on the 42/43 which only go as far as Västerhaninge and then turn around back to Stockholm.  This isn't a large problem as you can get off there and wait for the next train going to Nynäshamn which is typically 15 minutes later.  The only issue is that the trains headed to Nynäshamn use track 3 here in Västerhaninge not the track 1 or 2 where the train from/to Stockholm might deposit you - further your view of platform 3 might be obscured by a train parked.

Track 3 in Västerhaninge is closest to the bus pickup/dropoff area and also where the ticket agent office is located - check the monitor inside the ticket office for detail on trains and destinations - announcements here do not typically include English.

Stockholm Rail Transit Map

If you plan to ride the train from the ship to Stockholm, I suggest the 24 hour travel pass - its good on all train services, buses, trams and the small ferry service that SL operates around Stockholm as well - its moderately priced and can help you get nearly anywhere in Stockholm you want to go.

All this information was discovered during our recent trip in July 2019 - items may be different in the future.

Brad