CatsinShow 6/19/17 NCL Sun Alaska Sailing Entrees =)

Figure I will add to this each time instead of making separate topics:

Monday, June 19, 2017

Woke up at around 6:30 and took a shower at the hotel. Rearranged my duffel and took a walk to go to Tim Horton’s. I thought it would be like Starbucks's, but was more like an upscale Dunkin Doughnuts. Got coffee and a couple small pastries. One was called a Canadian douchie (something like that). Both were very light pastries. Tim Horton’ was my 2nd favorite thing about Vancouver.

I then walked to Safeway to get some small cans of soda to sneak into the cruise. I figured to get those really tiny cans and spread them around my duffel. I got 6 small cans and scattered them around. My fingers are crossed that at least 3 of them get saved. I also got a bottle of water and some maple leaf cookies. I was hoping to walk to Dollarama too but I realized it wouldn’t be open for awhile so I headed back to the hotel, made a phone call, brushed my teeth, went online, and did my hair.

After checking out I went on the 5 bus to get to the port. Somehow my Compass card overcharged me. I put $11 Canadian on the card which includes the $6 thing so I put in an additional $5 to make it $11. From the airport to the hotel it was $7.10 and I transferred to the 5 bus within the 90 minutes. That was the only time I road transportation before I took the 5 bus to get me to the port. The bus driver was a bit rude to me at first when my card kept saying insufficient funds or whatever it said. I told him that I know I had more than enough on there and his answer was something like “obviously not”. I sat down counting coins to pay for the fare. A nice English woman threw in $1 because she seemed to feel sorry for me. While on the bus, me, the driver, and 2 people were talking about how this sometime’s happens with the Compass. I should have had $3.90 left on the card. I ended up spending an additional $6.60 including the woman’s $1 coin. The driver had me check the scanner again and it said I had negative $2 something. ***? The Englishwoman told me to go to Waterfront Station to let them know what happened but I just didn’t want to have to run around town with all my stuff and to then get on another bus. I’ll emailed Vancouver transport about this but I really doubt that they will send me a refund of $6.60 especially since I paid with cash. I did check out their website and I know that I didn’t “tap out”. I don’t remember seeing signs that said to do this and know on the bus I took yesterday that the driver didn’t say anything about tapping out and I asked him how to use the bus. I guess this is my fault.

When I got off the bus I walked down to the port. 2 other lines were in. The signage was really poor. In any case you go from 1 line to another line, to eventually more lines. While the process was confusing because I was one of the first ones there, It took probably less than 45 minutes. Another thing was strange and I think because I’m just 1 solo traveler that I might have been overlooked. No one at check in took my bag. I didn’t know at what point that it would be collected. Eventually I asked a worker and they said that someone should have offered. They told me to find someone in overalls and ask them for help. One of the overall workers helped me and was surprised that no one took it.

Once I got on-board I walked around the ship. I went to see the pool area which was nice. They have designated adult areas which I appreciated as I don’t find hanging around kids to be relaxing. I wanted to go in but I didn’t want to go in by myself on my first day cruising. I decided to hit one of the buffets. The tuna salad croissant sandwiches were good, as was the brisket. The quesadilla was nothing special and there was no sour cream either. The chocolate cake with raspberry dessert was great whereas the sugar free lemon mousse was gross. Even though I did not elect to purchasing a soda or drink package, there were a variety of options- sugar free flavored waters, tea, coffee, hot coco, and standard water. I also got to go a pistachio ice cream cone. Keep in mind that the desserts are tiny. The ice cream scoop I got was basically a bit smaller than 1 standard scoop.

After eating I walked to the spa. Anyone can use the steam room which I will be using. The services like massages and facials were what I thought- very overpriced. Even on port days they were still a lot. I did get a demo massage for a few minutes. Great massage because it was free! I toured the gym since it was next to the spa.

Finally my room was ready. I was pleasantly surprised by how spacious it was for me. It was actually about the size of my hotel room. The bathroom was a bit small but standard for a cruise. I also have a partially obstructed ocean-view porthole. Overall I have a great view however, I see everyone walking by my window which is the jogging/walking path. Luckily the window is tinted. I placed a chair next to the window so that I have a poor man’s balcony.

I went online once in my room. It’s a bit slow however I am able to view Youtube just fine but I’m on the same level as the internet café. That being said, of course no Skype connection which I would have used for my interview that I no longer have!

After that I went to the mandatory drill. During it I saw that I had a couple missed calls. I knew it was for a possible interview. After the drill I Googled the number and sure enough it was for an interview. I called up after I played the voicemail. We were still in Vancouver but I’ve heard that often you get charged cruise roaming even when docked, but I still had to call since it was about a possible job. I asked about the school doing a phone interview and I was told that they need to check with the director. I got a call back saying that they will only do a Skype interview however, the only time that they will do it on is when we aren’t docked so I lost out on an interview. I normally wouldn’t travel in the summer since I’m trying to get a job again at a school however, typically the interviews don’t start until the end of July or August. For some reason schools have started much earlier than normal. I’m a bit sad about losing out so to make myself feel better I just keep telling myself that I most likely wouldn’t have gotten it anyway.

I then went back to my room and saw that every cabin on my floor got their baggage but me. I figured to still wait before inquiring.

I went back to the spa because I lost my raffle ticket for the drawing to earn spa credit. I also had spoken to these 2 nice salesmen (1 from Argentina and 1 from Brazil or Portugal) about roaming calls.

I went back to my room and still saw that no bag was delivered. To get my mind off it I went to the spa drawing. Many people showed up and maybe 5 names were drawn. I wasn’t called. After that I went back to my room and my stuff finally showed up. At this time I also tried to call to go to the solo cruisers’ dinner but had difficulty calling so I got the steward. He had difficulty too but just called the restaurant. The restaurant had said not a single person signed up lol. I was hoping to meet other solo travelers. The restaurant did say that they will just put me with a table of people who didn’t sign up but I passed as I wanted to meet like minded people who are a bit misanthropic like myself but apparently if there were solo cruisers, they were even more misanthropic than I thought. I had the steward empty out the minibar so that I could throw my stuff inside. The structure of the minibar wasn’t well played. When you open the door you have to lean it lifting it up just to get things in/out since the drawer thing that it is in is just slightly larger than the fridge. The steward wasn’t particularly friendly or helpful either. The good thing is that all my 6 mini sodas also made it in my duffel!

On and off I returned to my room. I’m sort of forgetting some things in between now that I think of it. I later went to a couple of bars to see if they do any happy hours or 2 for 1- none do. They do have drinks of the day which I believe is $8 plus the 18% gratuity. It’s not too bad IMO for a cruise ship. I did attend a “liquor tasting” which was kind of a joke. A guy in the duty free just had a few bottles of coffee flavored liquor and gave a couple tiny samples. I guess I was expecting something a bit more fun. I decided then to get dinner at around 7:45 at the buffet again. Like how it was before, it’s very hit or miss. The French onion soup was gross but the prime rib was good and I just ate around the fat. I had some salad I made too with that. I tried a couple small desserts-Fantasy Cake which was like a raw dessert…It was okay but not worth the calories. I also had the crumble which tasted like it just got defrosted.

I later changed into something a bit nicer. No one on this cruise seems to dress up which is nice. I felt a little overdressed. I went to another raffle drawing at the jewelry store. Didn’t win either but saw the 2 nice Latino guys again who remembered me.

It’s now 9:30. I sort of wanted to go to the welcome aboard show, but I’m too lazy. My bed is surprisingly comfortable for 2 beds being pushed together.

I also gave up on meeting other solo cruisers. I have not seen a single person alone on this cruise!

I will work on taking pictures of the dailies and other things a bit later. Feel free to ask me any questions =)

One thing me and another cruiser noticed was in regards to fitness classes. Some have fees which I figured (no idea why cycling or yoga would require extra fees) but all of them have an 18% gratuity added. What I don't get though is if a class is free, what is the 18% gratuity? $5? $1,000? $1,000,000 lol? A lot of the forms that NCL gives out just says something about gratuity or an added fee, but there's no straight pricing.

One thing me and another cruiser noticed was in regards to fitness classes. Some have fees which I figured (no idea why cycling or yoga would require extra fees) but all of them have an 18% gratuity added. What I don't get though is if a class is free, what is the 18% gratuity? $5? $1,000? $1,000,000 lol? A lot of the forms that NCL gives out just says something about gratuity or an added fee, but there's no straight pricing.

What I don't get though is if a class is free, what is the 18% gratuity?

ONLY on NCL will you get a 18% charge on something that is FREE.

Something times nothing is still nothing but leave it to NCL to use the best of Fawty Math !

Glad that your mini-can beverages made it pass the keystone cops security station !

At least something flew over the cuckoos nest !

Thanks for you review - take care of the SUN - sailing the last trip of the season 9/25 !

Very interesting review!

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Forums mobile app

When you can would you post who are the members of the Senior Hotel Management staff. I have a couple of friends on board as part of that staff.- the Executive Chef and the Restaurant Manager.

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Woke up at around 7:00 with room service from the order Iplaced earlier last evening. I received a couple slices of melon, a littleyogurt container, a banana, coffee, a small carton of fat free milk, a tiny croissant,and a tiny cinnamon roll. I gobbled some things down but placed the rest in myfridge because I wanted to check out the buffet for breakfast. I hit up thebuffet at around 8ish. It was busier than I thought. I grabbed a seat to stareout at the scenery. I woman near me shouted out that she just saw some dolphinsor a porpoise. I didn’t see anything.

I had a made to order omelet which was excellent. I had alittle turkey sausage which was terrible and overcooked, tried a couple smallpastries which were a bit dry, tried a slice of the mango French toast whichwas good, and grabbed to throw into my fridge a couple hard boiled eggs. So farI have in my fridge a bottle of water that I realized I was supposed to pay forearlier (I grabbed it in the hallway…), my mini Diet Coke cans that I brought,2 green apples, 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 banana, and 1 small carton of fat freemilk. I also have 2 cracker packets that I left on top along with some maplecookies I brought from Canada.

I’m still having trouble with my phone or guest servicesjust always has a busy line which is possible. I wanted to get the fees for thethings that I want to do. There’s a few things I may do today… Alaskapresentation, Beatles tribute, painting (fee), Deal or No Deal (fee), champagneart auction, Wine and chocolate pairing (fee), martini tasting (fee) eveningstretch (I don’t think there’s a fee but I think there is an extra 18% gratuityfor free classes?), and Rock me Tonight. In the mean time, I also need to preparefor my phone interview! I have to study the school’s website!

After breakfast I went to guest services to find out thefees for doing things like the alcohol tastings and art class. The workers wereclueless on the pricing and would just “I think it’s around $35”. They don’thave this information at the front desk? I cannot imagine that I’m the onlycruiser who would like to know pricing ahead of time. I also brought up thething with fitness classes where the paper says that they are free however thatthere would be an 18% additional charge.She called up the fitness center/spa and put me on the phone with them. Theysaid that there is no fee whatsoever for those classes unless they had themarking next to it. Again the form that was given at the raffle with theclasses was so poorly written and unclear. I decided to skip the fee basedthings altogether.

After that I changed into a bathing suit in order to use 1of the hot tubs. The hot tubs were a joke. None of them were hot. I wouldn’teven consider them warm. All of us had asked each other if their tub was hotand it was the same for everyone. I was looking forward to relaxing in a hottub while looking at scenery but I’m not sure if that will be possible duringthis trip. I spoke to the towel guy asking if the water heater was broken. Hesaid he didn’t think so but that the water doesn’t get warm for awhile. Ilooked at some reviews on here and people also seemed to have experienced thesame thing with the water temperature. Also even though the hot tubs are allclearly marked ADULTS ONLY, there were families using them when there is afamily pool ad hot tub that they can pee in.

Shortly after the hot tub I went to the Alaska presentationin the Stardust Theater. I will give NCL credit in that their actual interiordesign; the set up was great and there’s a 2nd story of the theaterthat was really comfortable with great views. The presentation was a bit dry. ANCL worker just played a DVD about Alaska and then tried to seem like he was “talking”to someone on the screen (hard to explain). It was a bit of a let down and youcould see people slowly leaving the theater.

I ended up leaving the theater early because it was thatboring. I went to the spa to use the steam room. When I went to check in I flatout said that I’m there to use the steam room. The worker walked me there and Iasked about putting my stuff in 1 of the lockers. She said yes but that theydon’t give out keys (***?). There were key holes in each locker too. I undressto go to the steam room. I sat there for a few minutes for it to start andnothing happened. I threw on a robe and asked a worker (same one since she wasnearby) if it was turned on. She said it was probably still broken. Can I getanother ***? First of all, aren’t they supposed to inspect things to say ifthey are broken or not? Also I flat out said “I am here to use the steam room”.I never would have considered saying “We had problems with it so let me checkif it is working” to be that much of an innovative thought. I used the saunafor a few minutes but that was it.

I walked to guest services to see if they knew anythingabout the steam room. All they did was call the spa and the spa just said thatthey put a request in but that they don’t know when it would work. I asked theNCL worker if they would give me a courtesy call when it is working and shesaid okay. Again, it would have made sense if she would have offered thatinstead of waiting for me to ask….

I returned to my room to shower and relax. I then went tograb lunch at the buffet which was packed. Sadly, no tuna croissants. I hadmini chicken salad sandwiches which were okay and another little salad that Imade. For dessert I tried the mini cakes again. The lemon mousse was gross. Theflourless chocolate cake was good and the strawberry shortcake was good.

I went back to relax for a little bit before heading off tothe art auction. The art auction was a really long event. It was something like2 hours. They also don’t give you the complimentary champagne right away andmake you sit there for awhile. Despite it feeling a little too much like atimeshare presentation, all the workers through Park West though were verynice. The host was a cute South African guy and actually got me somewhatinterested in art. I was one of the few people who was able to actually get a 2ndglass of champagne. The couple who bought a ton of art got a 2ndglass. I only got the 2nd glass I think because I asked one of theworkers right away where the champagne was lol. I actually ended up winning oneof their raffles but sure enough it wasn’t for something I would use and youaren’t able to use it on another NCL ship. I won a $100 credit towards a portraitsession. I’m not someone who wants to see more pictures of myself lol. If Imeet some nice people on the ship I’ll just give it to them.

I laterreturned to my room to go back online. I started to feel a bit nauseous- eitherfrom the food, or feeling every wave that the ship was going over, or both. I laiddown and took 2 Bonine chewables and drank water. I did start to feel a bit better.

I then wenton my way to listen to The Beatles tribute. I go to the theater and hardlyanyone was there. I asked a guy working there what time it would start and hesaid 7:30. The Daily said it would be at 7:00. I then went back to my roomuntil I walked over there again. I passed by a pianist playing Beatles’ songsin a different venue, but figured he would be there at the new time. I go tothe venue and it was the Rock show. I don’t have any problems with gay peoplebut this was one of the gayest things that I have ever seen. I walked out. Justtoo cheesy to me. That being said, the dancers were very talented. It was myfault that I mixed up the venues however the NCL who I spoke to originally saidthe Beatles thing was delayed…The crew all knows English, but I don’t thinkthey comprehend what I am asking. I then went to the 4 Seasons to have dinner.The waitress there was very nice despite nearly dropping water next to my phone(it just got my papers wet). I had a garden salad which was nothing special andthe salmon with mashed potatoes. The salmon was a little overcooked and had toomuch black pepper on it. I still ate it as the sauce was pretty good andactually tasted good with the salmon. The mashed potato was also good. Fordessert I had the chocolate lava cake with raspberry and another chocolatecake. Neither was very good. I don’t know what it is, but NCL just doesn’t dodesserts that well.

So far Ihave just been on the cruise 2 nights. If I had to rate it between 1-5, I wouldgive it a solid 3 based on my current experiences. My cabin is surprisingly comfortable,they have quite a variety of entertainment, there’s some food that I like, andthat NCL seems to treat solo cruisers better than other lines in terms of asingle supplement. What I don’t like so far is the staff overall. Many of themlook bored, don’t really know anything about the ship, and give answers wherethey aren’t certain that they are given the correct information. Just no onehas been particularly helpful. I have cruised before but have never done this….I prepaid the gratuity/service charge thing. When the cruise is over I think I’mgoing to just email NCL and have it removed. Had the staff been overall good, Iwould never even think of doing that. The desserts are also pretty bad wheneating. Another thing I didn’t like is the misinformation in the dailies. Whatthe daily may say is completely different than the screen thing by the elevatorwith what’ going on. The daily also doesn’t state at all what the fees are.Additionally, the spa wasn’t anything special and of course the steam roomdoesn’t work and probably will be out of order throughout the cruise. With that,the hot tubs have no hot water. Think about drinking coffee or tea. Do you likedrinking it at room temperature? If you do, you will love the hot tubs on theSun!

That beingsaid, I would still have no problem sailing with NCL again. I know every crewis different and if this was just a so so cruise, I think if I had a good crewit would make for a better cruise. Lastly, again with solo cruisers, they seemto be the only real reasonable one without charging an arm and a leg for singlesupplements on selected sailings. I went on their websites just to look upfuture cruises to see if they have the solo traveler discounts. I would saymaybe 20% of the cruises do offer very reasonable supplements. I consider 20%to be pretty good.

I'll take a picture of the senior staff thing. They have a photo of all of them on deck 5

Oh and forgot to mention that cruisers got a flier that for $20, we could have laundry done with as many clothing that you can fit i the NCL laundry bag. I don't need it at least right now, but naturally there doesn't seem to be a bag in my cabin. In any case, IMO it's a reasonable offer especially if you flew for your cruise and didn't check anything in. $20 for what I assume could be 3 days worth of clothing is better than spending $25 each way to check in a suitcase (assuming you don't get free or included baggage with credit cards or anything).

Oh and forgot to mention that cruisers got a flier that for $20, we could have laundry done with as many clothing that you can fit i the NCL laundry bag. I don't need it at least right now, but naturally there doesn't seem to be a bag in my cabin. In any case, IMO it's a reasonable offer especially if you flew for your cruise and didn't check anything in. $20 for what I assume could be 3 days worth of clothing is better than spending $25 each way to check in a suitcase (assuming you don't get free or included baggage with credit cards or anything).

Is the offer valid for any day during the cruise? If not, what cruise day is it valid on?

Thanks

Oh and forgot to mention that cruisers got a flier that for $20, we could have laundry done with as many clothing that you can fit i the NCL laundry bag. I don't need it at least right now, but naturally there doesn't seem to be a bag in my cabin. In any case, IMO it's a reasonable offer especially if you flew for your cruise and didn't check anything in. $20 for what I assume could be 3 days worth of clothing is better than spending $25 each way to check in a suitcase (assuming you don't get free or included baggage with credit cards or anything).

Look around in your cabin for that flimsy paper laundry bag. Maybe be in storage drawer but more in likely it is

hanging on a skirt hanger in the closet. Skirt hanger is the one with two clips that slide on a small metal rod.

The Laundry Deal is offered usually mid-cruise like Wednesday on a S-S 7 day cruise.

Look for the coupon - read about in the daily newspaper - ???s ask your cabin attendant about it BUT foremost

inquire about it in advance so you don't miss it. Laundry is picked up i.e. early and returned the next day in the

afternoon. When you get it back check for the scratchy itchy ironed on ID tags NCL used to identify your items

from others.

Suggestion the flimsy paper laundry bags really badly need an upgrade so bring along your own plastic bag

sufficient to hold your laundry and tape or tag it to the NCL bag with the laundry itemized list - still the same bulk pricing

$19.99. With NCLs paper bag - 2 bvds and a couple of "t" shirts and polo are about as much as you can stuff

in the bag without tearing it apart.

When you can would you post who are the members of the Senior Hotel Management staff. I have a couple of friends on board as part of that staff.- the Executive Chef and the Restaurant Manager.

I posted this on 5/31 after our Sun sailing.

Sun - 5/15/17 sailing (2 weeks San Francisco/Vancouver)

Captain: Richard Svardmark

Hotel Director: Brian Walters

F and B: Rumi Khatao

Restaurant Mgr: Mihaela (Micky) Mocan

Beverage Mgr: Winchester Barracks

Concierge: Carlos Zarate

Cruise Director: David Klooster

Guest Services Mgr: Jose Piedra

Executive Chef: Prakash Correia

Executive Housekeeper: Angel Reid

Group Service Coordinator/Access Officer: Giannina Pedraza

Look around in your cabin for that flimsy paper laundry bag. Maybe be in storage drawer but more in likely it is

hanging on a skirt hanger in the closet. Skirt hanger is the one with two clips that slide on a small metal rod.

 

The Laundry Deal is offered usually mid-cruise like Wednesday on a S-S 7 day cruise.

Look for the coupon - read about in the daily newspaper - ???s ask your cabin attendant about it BUT foremost

inquire about it in advance so you don't miss it. Laundry is picked up i.e. early and returned the next day in the

afternoon. When you get it back check for the scratchy itchy ironed on ID tags NCL uses to identify your items

from others.

 

Suggestion the flimsy paper laundry bags really badly need an upgrade so bring along your own plastic bag

sufficient to hold your laundry and tag the NCL bag with the laundry itemized list - still the same bulk pricing

$19.99. With NCLs paper bag - 2 bvds and a couple of "t" shirts and polo are about as much as you can stuff

in the bag without tearing it apart.

I always reinforce the bag with tape. And, if you roll each garment, you can get in lots of clothing. At least 2 pair of jeans, shirts, underwear, socks, etc. Just keep in mind, it won't be ironed when it's returned, but it will be folded and returned in a wicker basket.

I love your review so far..funny and from a different perspective!

I looked everywhere for that bag and nope, not in the cabin! I got it at guest services. They are running the special from today the 21st, to the 23rd. For a cruise, it's pretty generous for $20 because you can honestly throw in quite a lot in the bag.

It's right now almost 10pm. I missed 2 things that I wanted to do- a game show and to see the comedian. I fell asleep from 4:30-9:30. Didn't realize I was so tired =(

Wednesday, June 21 2017

I woke up naturally super early at around 5:30AM. I headedto the buffet at around 6. The hot food section was not open yet (opened ataround 6:30). Took it some views of Ketchikan and spoke with a couple old mensitting at a table near me. Breakfast was good- omelet again, mocha Frenchtoast (you don’t really taste mocha or coffee) and some yogurt. I then headed to my room to change and getorganized. I opened my door up a crack once I realized that the captain was announcingsomething. You do not hear his announcements in the cabin.

Was one of the first people off to go to Ketchikan. Ithought I would leave the ship later but due to waking up so early, I had anearly start. Off the ship it was overcast and a bit drizzly. I went walking tothe town on Front St. Nearly everything was closed since it was so early. Iheaded to the visitor center to figure out how to get to Married Men’s Trailbecause it seemed like there were a few ways walking distance to get there. Gotdirections and walked there heading up Creek Street. Creek Street was cute andall Main Town U.S.A like but it was just your run of the mill touristy stores.I took some pictures on the outside of some shirts I liked. One said “Trespasserswill be shut. Survivors will be shot”. =D I continued to walk up to Married Men’s Trail.

Married Men’s Trail was a beautiful little walk. Got in somenice pictures and just stared at the creek. I later walked up to the salmonladder. Sadly I spotted no fish. It was pretty empty up the trail since it wasso early. On my way down more people were coming up. There were a number ofcruise ships in port- Norwegian, Celebrity Crystal, and Holland America.

I walked back down going towards Creek St. Stopped to read abunch of little signs about the history of the town which was interesting.Stopped at Dolly’s House. They had a “special” of $7.50. Walked throughout thehouse and stopped at each room. The woman was a character and lived aninteresting life. I somehow missed the used condom shower which I wanted tosee! It was fun and I was only there maybe 30 minutes.

I then walked towards the Discovery Center because I heardabout the free shuttle that takes you to Walmart. I only had to wait a fewminutes until it showed up. The van took me straight to Walmart. The bathroomthere was the cleanest Walmart bathroom that I have ever seen in my life. Inaddition, most of the things in that Walmart were not significantly higher thanin the Continental U.S. which was a surprise to me. I just bought a couple ofcandy bars before I waited a few minutes to get back on the shuttle.

By this time my interview was too start in around 45minutes. As I was walking by the pier I saw a number of kiosks for tours. Istopped at one for Northern Tours. Their ticket value is $58 but I think onaverage people get them for $50. I got them down to $45 because I said I wouldpay cash. They had a bus that was to leave in less than 10 minutes nearby. I askedif I would get cell service. Some employees said yes others said no. It was toorisky so I asked when the next tour would be and it was only an hour later butinstead of a bus, it was done via trolley and instead of going to the usualIndian village, they would go to Saxmon Village. The only reason I wasattracted to this particular tour was that they stop at Herring Cove which Iwas thinking about taking a taxi to/from. I decided to go on the trolley tour.

I continued to walk until I found a quiet place to do myinterview. I walked around the lower pier where the small boats are for thingslike tours. I saw a ton of jelly fish and took pictures. They were alldifferent sizes. Most were the clear, whitish looking ones, and others werelarge and orange. Had my interview and it was okay. I know I spoke to fast andwas nervous as it was my first interview in a year. It ended up being for apart time job which I didn’t know since it wasn’t listed as that online. In anycase, I got some good interview practice as I have another one tomorrow.

After my interview I walked back towards the dock where the kioskswere. I spoke to a number of the employees there for awhile before the tour wouldget started. I believe 3 out of 4 of them were Alaska natives. Had someinteresting conversations with them as they were all characters and friendly. Oneof them had told me that I Juneau I could just take the city bus to Mendenhallhowever, I heard you could only take the private blue or white shuttle thereand it is $17.50 each way. He insisted that the city bus takes you right there.I guess I will find out. One of the other workers told me to go to a bar calledHumpy’s when I go to Anchorage (told her I was spending the night there at theend of my trip). I might check that out.

Hoped on the tour and got started. The trolley came with blankets for everyone and umbrellas..The trolley is more like an opened bus. It's not the most comfortable but wasgood enough.

I did see a few bald eagles in the distance, salmon in thecreeks (hard to see though), 2 seals in the distance (although the driverdidn't stop...she just pointed out that she sees a couple of seals), and 1 bearcub eating grass from a distance.

Many of the reviews for this company are mixed on Tripadvisorand on Yelp. I could sort of understand why based on expectations. Theirdisplay poster and brochures show up close pictures of animals. I knew youwouldn't see wildlife that up close and they don't specify that they guaranteewildlife. I personally just wanted to take this tour because they stopped atHerring Cove where you have a decent chance of seeing bears. Because I plannedmy cruise last minute, all the car rentals were sold out and there is no publicbus which takes you to Herring Cove. I believe if I took a taxi each way itwould have cost a total of maybe $45-$60. I treated this tour more as a cheaperway of getting to Herring Cove as there is no public bus that takes youstrictly to the cove.

The trolley driver was a wealth of information. She was moreof a driver than a guide but if you asked her any question, she would tell you.The tour is also more like 1.5--2 hours which was fine with me again for theprice. It was plenty of time to see 1 bear. I saw a bear cub eating grass.Wasn't particularly exciting, but I got to see a bear.

Again for my purposes the company did what I wanted. The onlything I wish that they did differently was to actually do a stop where theseals were. We just drove past it so that was a bit annoying.

I hoped back onthe cruise as it was now maybe 2:00 and I was hungry. The buffet was packed.The most crowded that I have ever seen it. I snuck in my 2 mini bottles of DietCoke. I was trying to be all slick about it and no worker noticed or cared tosay anything. Lunch was a mediocre roast beef sandwich, salad, and some chickenparm. (it wasn’t really chicken parm. As there was no sauce or cheese on it…itwas served with rice too). The chicken was good but it needed those things tomake it great. For dessert I tried the pineapple upside down cake and raspberrymouse. Both were gross and I only took a couple of bites of each.

Headed back tothe room and napped. My plans for the night was to go back to 4 Seasons to eat,see the comedian, and go to Battle of the Sexes. I missed everything. I fellasleep at 4:30 and woke up at 9:30. Oops.

Headed down tothe outdoor late night buffet. Hardly anything that was there. Had a few bitesfrom disgusting, dry pizza, and ate a couple okay egg salad sandwiches on asmall roll. Had iced tea with it. I only have 4 small things of Diet Coke left!

Went back tothe room to shower and went online.

Juneautomorrow.

Thursday, June 22, 2017

I’m writing this now on 6/24 so I am trying to type what Iremember. My day in Juneau was one of the longest days in port, but I didn’thave that much planned. I just wanted to see Mendenhall, have my interview, andgo to the fish hatchery. If I could get a whale watching trip cheap enough Iwould do it but I’ve done several whale watching trips in the past alreadyseeing blue, gray, and Humpbachs that the idea of spending $100 to be out atsea for 2 hours, just didn’t appeal all that much to me anymore. In fact, Ifind it kind of boring.

I woke up early again and hit up the breakfast buffetgetting my usual. The captain got in early and let us get off the ship at a quarterto 10 instead of 11 which was great because it meant I didn’t have to spend$2.99 a minute to roam for my interview!

In Juneau NCL got us buses to get into town because I wantto say it was nearly a 2 mile walk each way. Before I got on the bus, I did see1 vendor at his booth. I told him I’m looking for a cheap whale watching tripand will go as cheap as possible and stand the whole time. He laughed and saidno. He did negotiate with me as I told him I planned to take the city bus tosee Mendenhall after a local in Alaska told me that it’s maybe a 1 mile walkeach way to see it but a nice walk. He said it’s more like 2 miles each way andthen the bus ride would take 90 minutes each way. I figured he was just makingthis up to get me to buy the trip. In any case he did give me a prettyreasonable offer. He said he would do $115 for a whale watching trip includingMendenhall instead of the regular price of $150 or whatever it was. I passed sinceI knew I could find more vendors closer into town so I got on the bus.

Sure enough there were a ton of vendors in town but allreally were about the same price after negotiating. I was able to negotiatewith this cute guy who grew up near me in San Diego for a roundtrip GlacierExpress bus for $31. He along with a few other vendors were willing to give methe kids’ price for whale watching of $90 for a 3 hour trip (2 hours on thewater) but I passed again.

In any case I just walked around Juneau trying to find aquiet place to do my interview. As I’m walking, it started to pour. Stupid medidn’t bring an umbrella as I was told no rain in Juneau. Luckily along all thelittle stores they are somewhat covered. I ended up walking to the 4 PointsSheraton walking around trying to find some quiet part of the hotel without anemployee seeing me. Sure enough I was spotted by a young worker. I was honestlyand explained that I need a quiet place for a quick interview. He let me usethe break room which was a little closet but quiet. While in there a fewemployees came in and out and were shocked that was there but didn’t sayanything. Had my interview which went pretty well. I thanked the people at thefront desk for their generosity and told them that I am a part time travelagent and handed them my card saying I would refer clients to them. They were appreciativeof it.

The hotel is actually right next to the downtown bus stationso I waited there to get on the bus for the fish hatchery. It’s $2 cash eachway. The drivers here are the most helpful and friendliest drivers that I have encounteredin my times of riding public transportation in particular as a tourist. Manypeople were on there to get to Mendenhall. I was thinking it’s too late now toswitch so I just stuck with the hatchery. To get to the hatchery you get offmaybe about ½ of a mile near it by a hospital. The bus driver told me how towalk there. It’s a pleasant little walk once you walk pass the highway.

Once I arrived, I saw the fish ladder and then a huge, openoutdoor tank with a ton of salmon. I paid the $5 entrance and looked aroundbefore my tour. They have a small but really nice little section with fish,starfish, and other things. They also have a touch tank as well. They give youfree coffee too but I didn’t have any. I asked a worker there a good place intown for salmon and she didn’t know. I’ve been meeting a lot of locals who don’tlike salmon! She told me to ask this other worker. He told me a place that’snear pier but it seemed like he hadn’t been there in years. Right after thetour started. The tour really isn’t too much of a tour. This college studenttold us about the fish hatchery in Juneau, showed us how the process worked,and answered questions. He showed us the tanks where they spawn but because itjust being the end of June, we just saw the tanks with all the fry. Thisprobably isn’t a must see in Juneau, but I enjoyed it.

After that I waited at the bus stop for around 20 minutes. Ibelieve the buses are 2 per hour so it’s not that super convenient if you havea lot planned for your day. I used that time to just make some phone callsbefore I got on the bus. Once I arrived back at the station, I walked to get onthe Glacier Express (yes I know that the city bus is on the way to theGlacier!). Just had to wait a few minutes until boarding. Our guide was anelderly man who just recently moved to Juneau. He gave us some interestingtidbits on the town and told us when he saw bald eagles. I felt bad that no oneseemed to tip him so I threw him some money.

Once we got dropped off, I went on a little trail. While Mendenhallis beautiful, they have a ton of great trails of all preferences. I for one amfairly lazy despite my youth and took one that was less than a mile. Didn’tspot any wildlife aside from some birds, but I did spot some bear droppings! Ithen headed towards the center to use the bathrooms. If you are weird withpublic bathrooms like me, keep in mind that in Alaska they don’t have the papershield things to cover the toilet. I only saw that in Walmart. Once I used thebathroom I headed closer to the glacier and took photos and walked around. Youcould see people kayaking which looking back on it now, I wish I did. Manypeople went inside the center/store place but I skipped it. I didn’t reallystay too long and just did another short trail before I ended back on the bus.The driver recognized me and said I didn’t stay too long. I told him I dideverything I wanted. While waiting for the bus, I got a call from NCL. This hashappened to me a couple of times. When you go to their website and just put atrip in your card (despite no intentions on purchasing) they call you. I toldthe representative that I was on my cruise and he asked me about it. I told himthat the cruise itself was a bit of a let down. I said it’s not terrible butthat it wasn’t at all like other cruises that I have been to. I told him thestaff is basically useless whenever you have a question and mentioned about thespa. I did tell him I will be requesting a refund on the prepaid gratuity thatI paid for and he understood saying to just contact him after the cruise and hewould send me the form. Again I don’t want to seem like I’m a huge complainerbut I feel like my complaints were valid as guest services and other workersshould known how to answer basic questions.

Got back on the bus and the driver mentioned a place forgood fish and chips. I asked him aloud on the bus to point it out and he saidhe would but he forgot (I feel bad..I think the man showed some signs of memoryless like I’ve seen with my grandparents). He did drop me off nearby after helet everyone off the bus.

Ate at Pappa Rod’s halibut fish and chips. It was not cheap.Just under $20 for 2 fish and chips (no drink) however, this was the best fishand chips that I have ever had-not so much the chips, but the fish. It wasfresh fish at its simplest and finest. I know Tracy’s Crab or whatever is themost popular place but I don’t eat anything with a shell.

After eating I walked around town a little bit and theheaded back to the meet up spot to take the bus to get back to the ship. Thespot is not clear and me along with other cruisers were confused. There’s like3 mini wharf things that all look the same so that’s where the confusion was.Once I got back off the bus, I saw a bald eagle high on the tree and wastalking to a customs guy (or NCL guy?) about it. Got back on the ship.

I don’t remember much after. I fell asleep for a nap shortlyafter getting back on the ship. My nap turned into waking up at 3:30AM LOL.Sadly missed some shows and dinner again. I have never slept so much on anycruise. Not sure why…the air, the coldness, the time change etc.

Friday, June 23, 2017

Woke up at 3:30AM with the sun already out! Walked aroundthe ship a little bit. Only saw a few workers around who looked at me like theysaw a ghost since no other guest was around. I tried to go online but couldn’tget the wifi to work so I just read and then hit up the buffet when it openedand had my usual until we would arrive in Skagway. Like with Juneau, thecaptain got us in early. My only plans in Skagway was at 9 to do the Red Onion2 hour walking tour and then at 12:45 to do the White Pass Railway.

The other ship in town was a Carnival. The Sun was thefurthest from the dock and it was a bit of a pain to get to town. There werelittle buses that said $2 to ride into town. There was a sign for complimentaryrides for handicapped NCL guests to the end of the pier but not into town. NCLshould have had complimentary rides into town IMO. It wasn’t that short of awalk but in any case I did walk it.

I walked first to the train station to pick up the ticketthat I ordered online. It was empty there because nearly everyone bought theirticket at a kiosk right next to the pier versus coming to town. Once I pickedup my ticket I walked around town a little bit and then waited for my Red Oniontour.

The tour was really good. It was interesting history about prostitutionin the town, the gold rush, and some ghosts (not that many ghost storiesthough). It was just under $43 for 2 hours and they gave us a free garter andglass of champagne at the end which was a nice touch. Thought it was a bitoverpriced but I enjoyed it. The guide on the tour suggested I take food on thetrain saying it’s a long ride and I’ll need a snack. I listened to her anddecided to quickly go back to the ship and eat something.

Again add in the walking time took up some of my eatingtime. The lunch buffet was not that good. Cannot remember anything that I atethat was good. I quickly walked back and saw that NCL changed their handicappedsign and using a marker wrote “AND EVERYONE ELSE’. Apparently people thought itwas strange too. I caught the little ride to the end of the pier. Train ridepassengers who bought their tickets through the cruiseline got to board thetrain right at the pier which was nice, but I would rather save the $. I saidat least $27 booking on my own.

The ride was very comfortable. The scenery was beautiful.Saw no wildlife but great scenery. I was told to book the afternoon traininstead of the morning train due to morning fog which makes sense as we hadclear skies. The guide said that we saw a mountain range that you rarely see onthe tour. Halfway down the tour, you flip your seats up and switch sides. Theleft side is the best side which is why they do it. While I don’t regret thisexcursion I would recommend that people take the ride on the train 1 way and doit on the bus or van the other way. Wildlife is not guaranteed on the trainhowever, you obviously wouldn’t stop to look at it. At least on a bus/van touryour driver would probably stop for a few minutes not to mention it beingcheaper. I had the left side on the way to White Pass so on the way back I wassort of already done with it. I’m glad I didn’t spend more $$$ to do the ride inCanada. I started to get a migraine on the way back to town so I nodded off abit. I just would have rather had a faster way back into town. The guide wasgood though telling us where great photo ups were and then told us about allthe horses that died for greedy people wanting gold. It was really sad for meto hear as an animal lover. One thing worth mentioning is that on the returningtrip they have 2 stops- 1 either at the station or one at the pier. They saidthat the pier stop was for Carnival guests but no mention of Norwegian so Ijust got off at the pier anyway. I think the guide just meant cruise shipguests. My parents did the train ride into Canada years ago along with the dog sledding.As much as I would have loved to have played with puppies, I don’t thinkanimals should be used for entertainment or for people to ride them for fun. I’min the minority though for that.

Once we were back in town I went into the lukewarm hot tub. Ihad it to myself until I was shortly joined by these 2 nice guys who werefriends. Had long conversations with each of them. I discovered that they wentto a solo cruisers’ event and wondered why I didn’t go. I explained I calledfor the 8:00 one and was told no one signed up. They were there for the 6:00one and said it wasn’t much of a turnout as it only was them and 2 otherpeople. One of the guys said he regularly cruises solo on NCL and gets thestudio rooms. He said though on this cruise the solo events weren’t done welland that on the other ships that they don’t require reservations and that it’snot usually dinner but more so drinks, entertainment, and on boar activitieswith a coordinator. He said while there was a coordinator they didn’t want theywere doing (this is what I mean about the Sun’s crew…they don’t know much). Wekept talking about life and everything and they invited me to have dinner with themat 8 and I accepted because I enjoyed talking to them and it was nice to havecompany. Both were from the Midwest and really professional types- doctor andreal estate developer. I didn’t expect that on a Norwegian Cruise. Somethingfunny kind of happened. We were talking about pools and hot tubs and I said I’mhappy this one was marked for adults because I don’t like being in piss pools. Theylaughed and understood. Right after I said that, a super hyperactive littlegirl who was completely unattended (the girl was probably 5 or 6) JUMPED intothe hot tub. The girl kept throwing water around, splashing us, and interruptingconversations. Eventually the girl’s father came by but didn’t even payattention to her as he was busy drinking and smoking. The guy looked like areal redneck. Eventually the girl left and joined her father as we all shortlyleft the hot tub of piss.

I showed one of them where the spa was and told him thatthere are steam rooms and saunas and that the steam room was down for women. Wesaid bye and said we’ll see each other at dinner. To my surprise the steam roomworked. I had gotten a voicemail a day earlier in broken English that said thesteam room was still down. Nice to have gotten a call that it was working…

Used the steam room and then showered and got ready fordinner. Before dinner though I took my laptop to the internet director (that’sactually her title lol). She said the wifi was down all day and that they arerefunded the unlimited guests $25. That’s it- $25… An apology would have beennice. When I’ve cruised before, people didn’t expect the guest to be the one toinitiate things like this. I really hope NCL hasn’t become like this and thatit’s just this particular crew.

I joined my new friends for dinner at 1 of the sit downrestaurants. We were shortly joined by one of the guests they met in the sologroup. She was a bit rude to me. I don’t know if it was the whole female thingor not. I ordered the strip steak at dinner and it was excellent. Probably thebest meal I have had on NCL since I boarded. One of the guys remembered that Isaid that the desserts on NCL are gross so he actually went back into town andbought chocolates for us. Really nice gesture. Didn’t expect that.

The guys’ had a balcony and we were trying to figure out tosee a show or chocolate and balcony so we did the balcony and then caught alittle of a show. I loved their balcony. If I had that balcony I would beplaying classical music or something while staring at the scenery. That being said, I think I actually did betteroff not getting it. It’s cold as **** out their! I have a pretty nice view outmy window and I’m warm!

Naturally I was the only one who wore a dress and had nojacket so they gave me 2 jackets to wear over my dress and then 1 of themwrapped me from the waist down and clipped it tight. I looked like a homelesswoman but I was warmer.

We then walked around the cruise to see other views and thendropped by to see the end of the show. We later met up with another solocruiser who was friendlier than the other one. I shortly left them because Iwas ready to call it a night. I had the business card of one of the guys whotold me to feel free to call or email him. I’m not sure if that guy was marriedor not. He’s probably 15-20 years older than me, but was attractive, had a goodpersonality, and was interesting. The other one gave me a hug. We neverexchanged room information. All I remember is their floor. I emailed one ofthem because I know he is checking his voicemail but I’m not sure about hisemail. I’d like to meet up with them again but because we have no way ofcontacting each other during the cruise (that’s not $$$) it’s hard.

I went to bed shortly after coming back.