**Photo Review: Norwegian Jewel to Alaska 5/27/18 - 6/4/18

Thank you so much for this photo review. It has really helped our planning. I wondered how you got to the King George Lodge in Ketchikan for your crab feast?

 

Thanks so much!

I still have a couple more days to post - stay tuned!

When you book George Inlet Lodge via their website, they provide transportation to and from. They gave us an assigned time to meet at the visitors center at berth 2. It was very easy to find - all of the information is on your confirmation. Super easy! Allow 20-25 minutes each way.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did (twice!).

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Hello there! I really can't speak on kids because we sailed as two adults. I have heard wonderful things about NCL's kids program and the team club through friends. We did see a lot of families and kids.

 

Sorry I can't be of help with this!

I meant to say teen program - not team! I worked with someone who had 2 teenage kids and they adored the teen program and my friends hardly saw their kids because they had so much fun!

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So here's the sad news - after we got back to the hotel, we grabbed our luggage and made our way to Pier 66 just before 11. I have no pictures because it was pure CHAOS. People were EVERYWHERE. So many people disembarked from the previous cruise and were in lines everywhere. People trying to check in didn't know what to do with luggage and porters/port staff didn't know where to tell us to put our luggage. Paul and I walked back and forth with our luggage trying to figure out where to go and eventually found someone who said "leave your bags here". There was other luggage in the area, so we went inside to check in. It was 20 minutes of insanity and I have no pictures to show for it! What a mess - it's my 9th cruise and it's never happened before. I had tip money for the porter in my pocket and didn't even have anyone to hand off luggage to.

 

 

Check in and security were a breeze and we had about 15 minutes to wait for our boarding number to be called.

We went to Alaska on the pearl and the luggage issue was the same. To bad they haven't fixed that by now. We had stayed at a hotel through NCL so they took care of our luggage and boy was I grateful for that.

It was just mass chaos - I have been to several different cruise ports and none were like this, sooo disorganized. It didn’t help that the jewel got in late and had people who were on board for 3 weeks from Hong Kong getting off. I’m sure customs was rushed since the ship was late. So there were lines of people who had just gotten off in addition to people getting on and trying to figure out luggage. I sure hope things are much better for Bliss!

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Just found your trip report and love it. I was on an Alaskan cruise three years ago and would love to go back, but in the meantime I'm having fun reliving it through your photos. Best wishes to you and Paul for a happy life together.

Just found your trip report and love it. I was on an Alaskan cruise three years ago and would love to go back, but in the meantime I'm having fun reliving it through your photos. Best wishes to you and Paul for a happy life together.

Thank you so much! I will get to Victoria and Vancouver soon. I appreciate the sweet sentiments!

Alaina

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Day 9 - Victoria, BC 6/3/18

I finally checked this off my list - Buchart Gardens! It was raining when we got off of the ship, but the weather cleared up and it ended up being a beautiful afternoon/evening.

We opted for an excursion via the cruise line, we were picked up at the port and dropped off downtown (we made the request with the bus driver to be dropped off downtown). Pick up was easy - finding the bus was seamless because there was great signage and tons of people working the area to assist.

We concluded our 2 hour stay in the gardens with lunch because we were starving by this point. We ate here at the Dining Room -

Our bus driver was kind enough to drop us off downtown instead of at the ship - he gave everyone both options. Our first stop was the Empress Hotel.

Inside of the tea room

Michelle guided us to Bard & Banker - a beautiful pub that used to be a bank. She visited here years ago when she was in Victoria and loved it. We had delicious oysters and calamari and drinks. Michelle & Becca had sandwiches and they loved them.

We stayed here for a couple of hours and then shopped a bit. We then found a bus that shuttles cruise passengers. We inquired about the cost, but the driver said to just hop on. Apparently at the cruise port you pay $13 for round trip, but the driver didn't have a credit card machine or accept money so he told us not to worry about it. We felt really bad, but I think he let on several passengers who walked and didn't pay. He did ask how we got downtown and I explained.

Once on board, we went to the Wine & Champagne bar for some last drinks with friends. Paul and I broke away from our friends and went to Azura for dinner around 830p. The food was ok, service was great. I was sure to get my last chocolate lava cake - it's still good!

We had drinks until around midnight then went back to the room for showers and final packing. What a fun cruise this has been! So many friends made and drinks had - it was a really good time. We had some bumps in the road with NCL in terms of service and non-specialty food, but it did not ruin a good time. Alaska is the destination so we kept that in mind.

**I forgot to mention our breakfast this morning at O'Sheehans - we had terrible service yet again. We were going to get our own table, but saw our friends Michelle and Becca, so we joined them (they had just ordered). Paul got so frustrated with waiting for coffee, that he was getting up to get his own. The waiter came at that same moment and went to pour the coffee - Paul happened to ask him if it's decaff and the waiter said yes. That was not the correct answer, sir! Who just pours decaff? I think I ranted about this earlier in the review, so I won't rant again. Either way, breakfast tasted good but service was terrible. I've talked to someone who is currently on the Jewel and he told me the service has been just fine here - so I'm thinking it was our cruise that had this service issue in O'Sheehans.

That's it for the cruise portion - I will write more about debarkation, my Vancouver tour, and Amtrak (cascades rail) soon. So much going on this week, I will try to wrap this review up soon!

I have loved reading your review so much. Thank you for taking the time to share. I have a Christmas cruise booked on the Jewel (Australia & New Zealand) and don't see too many reviews of her on here (lots on the larger/newer ships). I have loved your honest opinion on things & really enjoyed "going with you" to Alaska. Its a place on my list of cruises to do in the future!

I have loved reading your review so much. Thank you for taking the time to share. I have a Christmas cruise booked on the Jewel (Australia & New Zealand) and don't see too many reviews of her on here (lots on the larger/newer ships). I have loved your honest opinion on things & really enjoyed "going with you" to Alaska. Its a place on my list of cruises to do in the future!

Thank you so much for reading! I’m glad you enjoyed my journey. I have one day left to this trip and it’s a long one!

Take care and enjoy your cruise,

Alaina

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Day 10: Debarkation / Vancouver June 4, 2018

After a few hours of sleep, our alarms went off just after 6. We were going to get off the ship on our own first thing in the morning so Paul could get to the airport and through customs. My tour wasn't until 10, but I exited the ship with him so I could find where I needed to be.

Paul still had some packing to do, so he finished his packing and then we hit the buffet. I certainly do not miss looking for a table! I always found Garden Cafe hard to find a table, we rarely lucked out with a table and you could typically find us at the Great Outdoors. Our last morning was no different, we ate outside and enjoyed our last few moments aboard. The last day is always crazy.

We found it super easy to exit the ship - there was great signage pointing me where I needed to go (Canada Place is where my tour picked up). Paul grabbed a cab easily, one of the benefits of leaving early is no lines. I waited in the lobby of the Pan Pacific Hotel so I could hop on wifi and have a place to sit with all of my luggage. I had almost 2 hours to wait, so I waited the first hour or so inside, then I ventured outside to check in for the tour. I chose Landsea as the company for a half day tour of Vancouver. It's a great company, I had questions along the way and they always emailed me right back. Our guide was great - so I highly recommend this company.

Canada place - spent a lot of time out here. This is a very busy area, people waiting all over the place for rides and tour pickups. My tour was running late due to the other pickups before me.

My tour of Vancouver begins - you can see the Jewel parked next to the Disney Wonder.

Lunch - this was not a covered item for our tour, however, the driver gave us over an hour at Granville Island market. The market was incredible and I bought a couple of snacks. I was more interested in finding wifi, so I did a bit of walking before heading back to the bus. The market was incredible - soooo many options and ethnic foods. I would spend a lot of time here if I lived nearby.

I was dropped off at Pacific Central Station along with one other couple. Drop off was included in the tour. It is so beautiful inside of the station, but I felt so flustered trying to figure out what to do. They had not formed lines yet, but I ended up being first in line for business class. Then someone behind me said we had to weigh suitcases, so I went to get my bigger bag weighed. I was right at 50 pounds - woohoo!!!

Boarding was pretty quick, you turned in your customs form and had your passport in hand.

I was the first one on board!

Yay, a single seat!

I was so hungry that I ended up buying a bunch of snacks and a sandwich -

By this point in the day, I just wanted to be home. I had zero desire for a train ride because I was exhausted. I am glad I chose this route home because it was beautiful!

And my last photo from the trip -

I can't believe my review is actually over! I loved this itinerary, but I will say it was exhausting! I'm so glad we visited Sitka and ISP in addition to the standard Alaska route. 6 ports kept us busy, but we wouldn't change a thing about the itinerary.

Please let me know if you have any questions or if you need any elaboration.

Thank you for reading - I hope you found at least one piece of information helpful through this journey.

Thanks for your excellent review. You've given me a lot of good ideas for the next time we cruise to Alaska, which I'm sure we will do.

Great review Alaina!

I will get my review going in a few days!

Thanks for your awesome review! Going next week and it was so fun reading about your trip. We also booked a post tour with Landsea and it was good to see they treated you so well.

I have been following your posts from the beginning... waiting for the last one to thank you for taking the time to share your experience. It was a huge investment on your part but has helped so many people. I am cruising Alaska on the Jewel in August. I haven't been on a cruise ship in 18 years and don't remember much about it, and I have never been to Alaska. I will be traveling with my family, including my Autistic daughter, so I plan plan plan plan trips to help improve the chance of success. So I've been gobbling up whatever information I can find to prepare me for the trip. Your thread was just the ticket... very honest and informative. And you seem to be just the most delightful person. Congratulations on your marriage and I wish you all the best...

Thanks for your excellent review. You've given me a lot of good ideas for the next time we cruise to Alaska, which I'm sure we will do.

Thank you so much for following along! Reviews help so much with my planning as well. For instance - the arctic cat tour in ISP from the review I read. I would have never discovered that on my own!

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Thanks for your awesome review! Going next week and it was so fun reading about your trip. We also booked a post tour with Landsea and it was good to see they treated you so well.

They were awesome to work with. They did run a little late, but I had no place to be! Thanks for reading and have an awesome trip!!

I have been following your posts from the beginning... waiting for the last one to thank you for taking the time to share your experience. It was a huge investment on your part but has helped so many people. I am cruising Alaska on the Jewel in August. I haven't been on a cruise ship in 18 years and don't remember much about it, and I have never been to Alaska. I will be traveling with my family, including my Autistic daughter, so I plan plan plan plan trips to help improve the chance of success. So I've been gobbling up whatever information I can find to prepare me for the trip. Your thread was just the ticket... very honest and informative. And you seem to be just the most delightful person. Congratulations on your marriage and I wish you all the best...

Thank you for the kind wishes! You are too sweet.

I am so happy this review helped guide you in some way. You will have an amazing trip and you will have memories to last you a lifetime! Enjoy!

Great review Alaina!

 

 

 

I will get my review going in a few days!

I’m shaking with excitement waiting on your review!!! Thanks for following along, I’m so glad you experienced better service and overall food quality than we did. I knew it would only get better!

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What a great review Alaina, thanks for putting in the time to do such a great one. You have a talent for writing. Thanks again!