NCL Sun Northbound June 3rd review

[sue402001]

Thank you for your review omc239!

[omc329]

Really enjoying this! I have printed out a guide to the totems at Totem Bight; do you think that will help? I know you regretted not having a guide.

 

Also, jumping ahead here..what time were you able to get off the ship in Whittier? (We leave on this same ship, same itinerary July 15.) Our taxi driver is coming at 9:30.

 

Thanks.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

The best I can describe the difference between printing off the guides and having a real guide would be clear and crisp vs warm and inviting, stories vs textbooks,someone of whom you can ask questions. We saw and heard others with those guides and I was jealous, plain and simple.

 

I'm not certain what time they cleared the ship in Whittier. We were renting a car and doing the PWS tour that day, and were in no particular hurry to get off. I'm fairly certain it was whatever time was listed though, as there were no delays of which I was aware.

[omc329]

Glacier Bay Day! And what a day it was!

 

I awoke early, hoping to catch some whale viewing. I caught my only sunrise picts.

 

 

 

 

I caught a pict of the rangers headed for our ship.

 

We had clear skies as we sailed in to Glacier Bay.

 

Being on the front balcony, we noticed the commentary focused off the left side of the ship, as mentioned here. I had thought we would be fine on the front with the commentary, but that was not the case. Much of the commentary we had to recall on our own as we sailed back out later in the day. All the same, that front balcony was wonderful for Glacier Bay.

 

Amongst other things, it was definitely the vantage point for wildlife viewing, allowing one time to spot the specs that were supposed to be bears. Binoculars are a must, and if you want pics, make it a strong lense. Mine was a 30X optical, and these were my better bear pics in GB.

 

[omc329]

The scenery this day couldn't be beat. I could load pict after pict after pict.

 

 

And as we cruised in, glacier viewing also began.

 

 

The reflections on the water that day were unbelievable.

 

Doodlebunny was in heaven, enjoying all the scenery.

[omc329]

Sometimes we'd hide inside to warm up.

 

And then head right back out. It was hard to stay inside long!

 

I caught some calving.

 

 

And took picts of the blue, blue of the ice.

As well as the contrast of dark and light.

[omc329]

The glaciers were just so enjoyable and beautiful.

 

I took too many picts to post them all. It was almost impossible to take a bad one. I caught more reflections on the way out, and a storm cloud off in the distance that chased us back in after our whale watching.

 

 

 

 

We managed some whale viewing between 3-4pm on our way back out, but unfortunately, I could not get picts of them. Truthfully, the only way to enjoy them was with a good set of binoculars. They gave us a nice fountain show though, as there appeared to be a small pod of them blowing out water.

[omc329]

The next morning was Hubbard Glacier day. I awoke to a dense fog. The ship's horn would go off periodically. I doubted we would even see Hubbard Glacier that day. I decided to let everyone sleep in and did several walking sets around the promenade so as not to disturb anyone.

 

When I returned to the cabin later, dh had gone to the gym, and dil was making up the sofa. I opened up the curtains and low and behold....

 

 

The fog was gone!!! And I could see the glacier in the distance. I quickly called sis's room. She was just getting up and ds was still asleep. Dil ran to the gym to let dh know.

 

I must say, Hubbard did not impress me after Glacier Bay day. Maybe we didn't get close enough? I don't know. But it was still a thrill.

 

 

 

I was impressed with the size of the chunks of ice that had gone ashore as we headed back out.

 

And as we headed out we saw the next ship coming through the fog that we had sailed through. It was a solid wall!

[omc329]

We were sitting in the cabin, enjoying the views once the fog had cleared when I spotted movement. QUICK, grab the cameras! Grab the binoculars! Toss a jacket on!

 

 

And after the porpoises we even spotted whales! :D

 

We spent hours that day, running in and out. It was a blast.

[BlueJai]

I am loving your review and pictures! They are fabulous, thank you for sharing them!

[omc329]

And that brings me back to Monday, Whittier and disembarkation.

 

We had a nice leisurely breakfast and headed off the ship when we were ready, maybe 9:30 or so? We walked over to pick up our Avis rental.

 

As we entered, the guy ahead of us said to figure on an hour wait. He was right.

 

 

There was one computer, being run by a young teenager. The owner had a clipboard and was shoving papers in and slapping down papers for folks to sign.

 

When our turn came I noticed the total was off by $10. He pointed on "estimated" and shooed us out the door with out further ado. This came back to haunt us later. DOUBLECHECK ALL YOUR PAPERWORK AT THIS AVIS RENTAL!!!

 

At any rate, a the time I was pleasantly surprised to get a larger vehicle than we had ordered, "for only $10 more". We loaded our luggage into the car and walked back to wait for our PWS tour with Major Marine.

 

We checked in to Major Marine, and with time to kill, we sat down at the outdoor portion of the local eatery. We ordered up some hot cocoa and enjoyed the view and weather.

 

 

 

A short while later we walked over to the marina. The Phillips cruise headed out before us.

[subtchr]

Your review is great - thanks!

 

And your photos are stunning, but they are SOOO small...could you either post bigger ones or make your flickr album public so we could see them there?

 

I find the Medium 800 to be just about the right size for the forums:

 

 

thanks in advance!

[omc329]

Did I mention this trip got better and better? Well just in case I didn't, I'm saying it now!!! This trip was FANTASTIC!

 

We bought our tickets with the buy one get one coupon, and skipped the $20 meal because we were doing another Major Marine in Kenai the next day and were ordering up the meal for that one.

 

I assume because we were likely the first to book, we were given the first bench forward, no dining table, with a full forward view. Wow! It seemed like the best seat in the house at the time. Not so much later when the sun was baking us. Oh well. It simply encouraged us to spend more time topside.

 

Other note, because we did not buy the meal, we did buy refreshments. The other options were mac & cheese, hot dog and vegetarian chili. I don't really recommend any of them highly. Also, if you want a hot dog, don't wait too long like my ds did, they run out.

 

On with the day. We headed out for our glacier adventure.

 

This was supposed to be a Glacier cruise, and it did NOT disappoint.

 

 

 

 

The Phillips cruise was still out and about.

[omc329]

The views on this cruise were wonderful.

 

 

We also got to enjoy the local wildlife. The sea otters were nice enough to pose for us.

 

 

The birds at the rookery were a little more animated, but that made the challenge of getting good picts all the more fun. ;)

 

 

 

And we got to see whales.

 

[omc329]

I tried and tried to find that medium thing, and it wouldn't show. All of a sudden, I can see it again. No promises though, if I'll find it again when I get back at this over the weekend. I try reposting a few quickly while I can though.

 

[omc329]

[omc329]

[omc329]

 

That's all for now folks. Hopefully I'll remember how to find that medium stuff again when I finish up the review. I'll try and recopy of few more when I'm done with the review.

[subtchr]

That's all for now folks. Hopefully I'll remember how to find that medium stuff again when I finish up the review. I'll try and recopy of few more when I'm done with the review.

 

Thanks so much - your pics are just too good to have to squint! ;)

[jarand]

Excellent review and fantastic pictures. Thanks!

[sue402001]

Love all the pictures, thanks for sharing!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Your review is excellent -- love the pictures.

Thank you for taking the time to do this review.

Looking forward to more.

[disneywacker]

Your review only makes me that much more excited to go! I am going to start packing today!

 

Thank you!

 

Just a quick question: Did you bring binoculars? Could you see easily or would you suggest having a good pair?

 

Also, did the ship have the typical white party and stuff like that? It seems like not too many people would go? Just curious?

 

Did you do any on board entertainment? I figure I will just want to look over the side of the boat?

[omc329]

Your review only makes me that much more excited to go! I am going to start packing today!

 

Thank you!

 

Just a quick question: Did you bring binoculars? Could you see easily or would you suggest having a good pair?

 

Also, did the ship have the typical white party and stuff like that? It seems like not too many people would go? Just curious?

 

Did you do any on board entertainment? I figure I will just want to look over the side of the boat?

 

 

Yes we brought binoculars. The most useful set was dh's bushnell 8x42, waterproof, fogproof and were arount $80 I believe when we purchased them. I had a handmedown pair that was like 8x35 I think. I used them rarely as ds seemed to inherit them when he found his cheap pair wasn't worth the space used to pack them. It worked out as I was enjoying myself, attempting to take all the picts. Yes, binoculars are much needed on this cruise if you wish to catch wildlife, as is a really strong lense on the camera.

 

Yes, they had a white hot party. Ds attended and seemed to have a good time. They had all the usual shows. The best show, imo, we missed because of winning the 'officer's dinner', (NOT). That would be the cirque style show the night leaving Ketchican. They also had two production numbers. I caught one and sis and dil caught both. We also enjoyed the strings in the atrium with before dinner drinks a couple of times. Dil joked that she felt like she was on the Titanic, (first cruise).

 

It really is more about the scenery and wildlife viewing than the entertainment on this cruise, but to answer your question, yes they still have the typical shows and parties.

[omc329]

Glad folks are appreciating the review. I eat these types of things up when I'm in planning/waiting phase and like to give as I receive.

 

I took over 2500 photos on this trip, and have tried to whittle it down to the most useful and helpful to the feeling of an entire experience. On with the tale.

 

We arrived back a little late on the Major Marine tour. I'm afraid in their efforts to maximize viewing of some of the wildlife, (which we appreciated), they got in a bit tight for that tunnel, at least for us. We were parked blocks away at the car rental place, as they said we could leave the car for the day without paying. We REALLY had to hoof it back. Poor sis gave herself a mild asthma attack, and wasn't even keeping up.

 

We opened up the car and got it started, sis hopped in and off we went for the tunnel. We did it with less than 5 minutes to spare before the 1st lane opened up. That said, we were in the 3rd lane of cars, so we could perhaps have allowed a few more minutes for that mad dash, but it was just entirely too close for comfort imo.

 

We were due in Seward by 8pm, but I had emailed the B&B ahead of time to let them know about our tour, and 'should' we miss the tunnel would we be ok. She had said yes and marked us down for late arrival, so we would have been ok had we missed the tunnel, but I'm the type that likes to run on time, even when 'on time' is lenient.

 

About halfway to Seward a bathroom break was seriously needed so we decided to eat at Moose Pass. There are no restroom break areas on this routing. First we tried the deli, but they had just closed down for the day. I guess they don't expect folks to travel that late? It worked out in our favor anyway.

 

We drove straight across the street to the Trail Lake Lodge.

 

Here we ordered up philly cheesesteak sandwiches and ds a chicken sandwich of some sort, all served with fries.

 

Oh was that food GOOD!!!!!! I absolutely recommend this place if you need a stopover between Whittier and Seward. Simple food that can't be beat. Dh's and my bill came to $31 plus tip. Most entrees seemed to be around $12, there and on the Seward menus we saw at our B&B as well. It felt like a preset amount or something. Regardless, it was GOOD and rested and full we were ready to get under way again.

 

We arrived around 8:30 or 9pm at the Brass Lantern. The family lives in one half and rents the other half. She provides muffins, fruit, milk, cereal, and misc and you feed yourself when you want. I wish we had taken the time to pick up a dozen eggs on the way in, but did not. It had a fully functional kitchen, sitting area, one bathroom, a hallway bedroom that included twin plus trundle and a private bedroom with a queen. It was back in a Seward neighborhood.

 

They have a balcony set up on the second floor to sit out and enjoy if you wish.

The views as seen from the balcony.

 

 

The second floor interior. I did not take picts of the bedrooms, but can be seen at their website if interested.

 

We paid $399.60 for two nights, including taxes and 2 extra person charge. When we divied it up, it was as cheap or cheaper than a hotel, and it was MUCH more inviting and relaxing. The food that was left for us was sufficient to our needs, though again, I advise picking up some eggs on the way in.

 

If you are interested, book out a ways. They fill up early.

[omc329]

We relaxed the rest of the evening and headed off to bed for our next Major Marine tour, again with the buy one get one coupons. We got up, helped ourselves in the kitchen and walked down to the marina, maybe a 20 minute walk or so?

 

We checked in and headed down to wait around.

 

Now, this is where I state, again, and repeatedly I know, I REALLY liked the northbound experience. This was by far the BEST day of our entire trip. It was the full 7 hour tour and we prepurchased the $20 dinners for this one. The food was good, but man I hated sitting and eating it instead of being up top taking picts and viewing! We saw all sorts of wildlife.

 

 

 

Glaciers again. Note the other boat in the water ahead of us, again for perspective purposes.

Glacier calving.

 

Fantastic scenery.