My one big disappointment NCL Jewel to Alaska

[kdzkatz]

We had a great time on our May 21-28 2016 Alaska cruise on the Jewel but there was one thing that was really disappointing. On the NCL website it showed us going on the east side of Vancouver Island on our northbound leg. If you have ever done this you know it is MUCH more scenic than a traditional sea day where you only see water and sky.

 

We inquired about this at the Meet & Greet and we were told the Jewel is too big to go up the east side of the island. If that is the case then how come NCL knowingly deceived us and advertised it as the route we would take?

 

Has anyone ever traveled up the east side of Vancouver Island in a Jewel class ship? In 2010 we went up the east side on the Star and it was beautiful.

 

The fact is either NCL is falsely advertising a route with no intention of ever taking it or a highly ranking officer on the ship fabricated the story to us. Neither one is acceptable and I plan on following up with NCL but I am hoping others on here can educate me with their experiences traveling or not traveling on the east side of Vancouver Island on the Pearl or Jewel (these are the only 2 jewel class ships that may take this route).

 

Thank you in advance for your input. :)

[Love.II.Cruise]

We have sailed on the east side, but it was on the Sapphire Princess - and she is not a small ship! It truly is scenic and beautiful! I wound follow up with NCL if they advertised that you would sail there.

[hawgwildterry]

I agree that NCL needs to show the correct itinerary/sailing course on their website. From reading reviews I knew at the time I booked our June 4th cruise on the Jewel that it would actually be going on the west side of Vancouver Island instead of the Inside Passage. We have done the Inside Passage out of Vancouver and it was pretty amazing. Pretty sure there are a lot of upset people aboard the Jewel when they find out they are not doing the Inside Passage.

 

The Pearl shows the correct itinerary/sailing course.

 

As noted from the NCL website: "Itineraries are subject to change at any time without notice." That does not make it right but it relieves NCL of responsibility for changing their "stated" itinerary. I personally do not buy the story that the Jewel is too large to sail the Inside Passage. There are some pretty large cruise ships that sail out of Vancouver that all take the inside passage.

Edited May 29, 2016 by hawgwildterry

[littlelulu01]

I've sailed the Pearl out of Vancouver and we sailed the inside passage. It was beautiful. But I think the Pearl and Jewel only do this first and last of the season. Have also sailed out of Seattle rt and it's pretty much out to sea and up so inside passage is missed. If you sailed out of Vancouver is there a chance you might have slept in the next morning and missed it? On the Pearl we were out to sea on day two by late morning. I luckily woke up and saw where we were/ how close we were to land and spent the morning sitting on balcony in awe.

 

I'll add that if I remember correctly I woke up before sunrise, which that far north is pretty early this time of year. Remember making my husband wake up and sit outside with me, which he didn't regret. Not really sure what time we went out to sea. Could have been earlier in the morning.

Edited May 29, 2016 by littlelulu01

[kdzkatz]

I agree that NCL needs to show the correct itinerary/sailing course on their website. From reading reviews I knew at the time I booked our June 4th cruise on the Jewel that it would actually be going on the west side of Vancouver Island instead of the Inside Passage. We have done the Inside Passage out of Vancouver and it was pretty amazing. Pretty sure there are a lot of upset people aboard the Jewel when they find out they are not doing the Inside Passage.

 

The Pearl shows the correct itinerary/sailing course.

 

As noted from the NCL website: "Itineraries are subject to change at any time without notice." That does not make it right but it relieves NCL of responsibility for changing their "stated" itinerary. I personally do not buy the story that the Jewel is too large to sail the Inside Passage. There are some pretty large cruise ships that sail out of Vancouver that all take the inside passage.

 

I do understand the itineraries are subject to change but with the good 'ol internet they are subject to being exposed for falsely advertising a route if it is determined there was never intent to use that route. It would be no different than posting a Seattle to Vancouver cruise that will go around the entire globe to get from point A to point B but then deciding to just take the direct path.

 

NCL and any other cruise line does a great job to legally cover their backsides but with sites like Cruise Critic we can let each other know about these situations and the cruise lines can deal with a possible backlash from such practices.

 

For now I am trying to determine if we were misinformed while on the ship at the Meet & Greet or if NCL falsely posted a fictitious route on their website.

 

People that have cruised both sides of Vancouver Island know the difference is night and day for the view and overall experience.

 

Are you planning on attending the Meet & Greet? I may see if we can private message on here (I'm not sure how that is done) and I can ask you if you can give my contact info to the person who I spoke to at the Meet & Greet.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Most, if not all, of the ships sailing from Seattle sail on the West side of Vancouver island in the open Pacific Ocean and olnly enter the inside passage once the get closer to Ketchikan/Juneau/Skagway, etc. To me that is one of the big negatives about sailing from Seattle. To truly be guaranteed inside passage cruising the whole trip one needs to go from Vancouver.

 

The cruise lines will all state somewhere online, or in their brochures, that route maps are "for illustrative purposes only, actual routing may vary" - or something to that effect

Edited May 29, 2016 by AtlantaCruiser72

[tree.star]

Most, if not all, of the ships sailing from Seattle sail on the West side of Vancouver island in the open Pacific Ocean and olnly enter the inside passage once the get closer to Ketchikan/Juneau/Skagway, etc. To me that is one of the big negatives about sailing from Seattle. To truly be guaranteed inside passage cruising the whole trip one needs to go from Vancouver.

 

The cruise lines will all state somewhere online, or in their brochures, that route maps are "for illustrative purposes only, actual routing may vary" - or something to that effect

 

This my understanding as well, that if you are leaving from Vancouver you will be sailing on the east side of the island, and if you are leaving from Seattle you will be sailing on the west side. I was recently on the Pearl leaving from Vancouver and we sailed on the east side.

[punkincc]

We had a great time on our May 21-28 2016 Alaska cruise on the Jewel but there was one thing that was really disappointing. On the NCL website it showed us going on the east side of Vancouver Island on our northbound leg. If you have ever done this you know it is MUCH more scenic than a traditional sea day where you only see water and sky.

 

We inquired about this at the Meet & Greet and we were told the Jewel is too big to go up the east side of the island. If that is the case then how come NCL knowingly deceived us and advertised it as the route we would take?

 

Has anyone ever traveled up the east side of Vancouver Island in a Jewel class ship? In 2010 we went up the east side on the Star and it was beautiful.

 

The fact is either NCL is falsely advertising a route with no intention of ever taking it or a highly ranking officer on the ship fabricated the story to us. Neither one is acceptable and I plan on following up with NCL but I am hoping others on here can educate me with their experiences traveling or not traveling on the east side of Vancouver Island on the Pearl or Jewel (these are the only 2 jewel class ships that may take this route).

 

Thank you in advance for your input. :)

 

 

I compared the currently listed Alaska itineraries for the Jewel and the Sun, and as you said, the "map" itinerary does show the inside passage for the Jewel. The difference I see, and this was so for our Sun cruise out of Vancouver, is that the "printed" itinerary clearly states, "Cruising Inside Passage" for those particular days on the Sun, but not on the Jewel.

 

Now I agree that if you did not know to look for that, you might assume that you would be on the inside passage, and that itinerary "map" is clearly misleading. As a general rule, I don't think any of the NCL ships which leave from Seattle go via Inside Passage, only the ones which leave from Vancouver.

[kdzkatz]

It makes no sense to advertise the Jewel going on the east side of Vancouver Island as it can only upset passengers when they don't take that route. The Pearl shows it going on the outside both ways so why not show both ships going on the outside both ways. That way, if either ship happens to go on the inside it is a bonus instead of an unfulfilled expectation.

[kdzkatz]

I compared the currently listed Alaska itineraries for the Jewel and the Sun, and as you said, the "map" itinerary does show the inside passage for the Jewel. The difference I see, and this was so for our Sun cruise out of Vancouver, is that the "printed" itinerary clearly states, "Cruising Inside Passage" for those particular days on the Sun, but not on the Jewel.

 

Now I agree that if you did not know to look for that, you might assume that you would be on the inside passage, and that itinerary "map" is clearly misleading. As a general rule, I don't think any of the NCL ships which leave from Seattle go via Inside Passage, only the ones which leave from Vancouver.

 

So if it is the general rule to go on the outside they should have the map show that like they do for the Pearl. I do know it can happen as our 2010 on the Star to Alaska left Seattle and took the inside passage.

[zqvol]

OP sorry that you were disappointed in the route that the captain choose to sail, but I am not sure that I see an issue. I have never known a cruise line to publish the actual map of the route that they are going to take to a particular port. (The map on the b ooking page is just an approximation of where the ship is going.) Experienced cruisers know that cruises from Seattle to AK go to the west of Vancouver Island. As far as falsely advertising an itinerary you went to the ports that were scheduled, that is all that they are required to do. The specific route you take to get there is not part of the itinerary. Most Caribbean itineraries vary from what the little lines on the maps show. The map though is not part of the itinerary.

[mypleasure]

I have done Seattle to Alaska twice. One on the Star 2008 and One on the Pearl 2009. Neither ship went the advertised route they both stayed West of Vancouver Island. I too was disappointed as even back in 2008 and 2009 they were showing the Inside Passage as being the route.

They have been getting away with this for years.

[kdzkatz]

OP sorry that you were disappointed in the route that the captain choose to sail, but I am not sure that I see an issue. I have never known a cruise line to publish the actual map of the route that they are going to take to a particular port. (The map on the b ooking page is just an approximation of where the ship is going.) Experienced cruisers know that cruises from Seattle to AK go to the west of Vancouver Island. As far as falsely advertising an itinerary you went to the ports that were scheduled, that is all that they are required to do. The specific route you take to get there is not part of the itinerary. Most Caribbean itineraries vary from what the little lines on the maps show. The map though is not part of the itinerary.

 

I consider myself an experienced cruiser and I am aware of the liberties cruise lines have taken with the flexibility of itineraries and the routes to get to port.

 

We need to let the cruise lines that it is not alright to post a map or itinerary if there is no intent on taking that route or itinerary. If they were to deviate for a valid reason such as extremely low tides, that is completely different.

 

I do know first hand that NCL has taken the east side of Vancouver Island out of Seattle but I did figure it was fairly rare.

 

It makes absolutely no sense and I consider it unethical to intentionally make a map showing a route if there is no intent to take that path. They were able to show the accurate path of the Pearl so why could/would they not do the same for the Jewel. I called NCL prior to our cruise and they could not confirm the route to be taken on our cruise. I checked the location of the Jewel for this week and it has also taken the outside of Vancouver Island.

 

Cruise Critic carries a good amount of cache with NCL (I can't speak for other cruise lines) and I think it is a valid concern that they take the time to accurately show the intended path the ship will be taking.

 

Comparing the Alaska Inside Passage route to a Caribbean route is ridiculous. I am guessing you are not an experienced Alaska cruiser otherwise you would know the difference in the experience and see how my concern is valid.

 

I do hope other cruisers express their concern at the Meet & Greet on the Jewel about this misrepresentation. All that NCL has to do is change the map and no one could complain about this.

 

If there is a deviation from the route or ports I expect an explanation to accompany it. I do not believe the reason given to me on the ship was accurate and I intend to follow up with the person that told us that. We were told the Jewel was too big to travel through the lower inside passage (east side of Vancouver Island). I am hoping to confirm that the Jewel class ship can indeed travel this route and so far there is one person that has confirmed the Pearl traveled the inside passage so it looks like I will be following up to find out why I was given a fictitious reason. They should have told me they don't know but they will find out and then get back to me.

[VideoTech]

We had a great time on our May 21-28 2016 Alaska cruise on the Jewel but there was one thing that was really disappointing. On the NCL website it showed us going on the east side of Vancouver Island on our northbound leg. If you have ever done this you know it is MUCH more scenic than a traditional sea day where you only see water and sky.

 

We inquired about this at the Meet & Greet and we were told the Jewel is too big to go up the east side of the island. If that is the case then how come NCL knowingly deceived us and advertised it as the route we would take?

 

Has anyone ever traveled up the east side of Vancouver Island in a Jewel class ship? In 2010 we went up the east side on the Star and it was beautiful.

 

The fact is either NCL is falsely advertising a route with no intention of ever taking it or a highly ranking officer on the ship fabricated the story to us. Neither one is acceptable and I plan on following up with NCL but I am hoping others on here can educate me with their experiences traveling or not traveling on the east side of Vancouver Island on the Pearl or Jewel (these are the only 2 jewel class ships that may take this route).

 

Thank you in advance for your input. :)

 

We have been on the Pearl to Glacier Bay many times. We have never once traveled up the east side of Vancouver island.

 

Is the Jewel to big for that channel? No, since Jewel class ships have done this. However, many portions of the inside passage are very restricted waters, and it is ultimately up to the ship's captain to decide on the route the ship will take. Their may have been other issues affecting the choice of route. Since there are no port stops on the east side of Vancouver island on any itinerary, the captain or NCL could have chosen to go west about at their discretion without affecting the itinerary. None the less, the officer should not have told you this if it was not true...although I will say that if the "officer" was from the ships hotel staff, he may not really have been familiar with navigational issues.

 

Finally, if you look on the NCL website today, you'll see two different route maps for the Jewel on her Alaska runs. The Glacier bay run shows out and back on the west side of the island. The Sawyer bay run shows outbound via the east side, return via the west side. You did not specify which itinerary you were on...if you were on the Glacier Bay itinerary, then the west side route is as advertised.

Edited May 29, 2016 by VideoTech

[hpecorari]

I am going on the Jewel leaving September 23, 2017 10 day ultimate Alaska cruise leaving from Seattle.

Are you saying I won't be traveling the inside passage?? It does end in Vancouver. I just don't see anywhere in MyNcl where it says Inside passage". I wanted a longer Alaska cruise - more than 7 days but do want to sail the inside passage.

 

Thanks

 

Harriet

Edited May 29, 2016 by hpecorari

[hpecorari]

 

 

i am going on the jewel leaving september 23, 2017 10 day ultimate alaska cruise leaving from seattle.

Are you saying i won't be traveling the inside passage?? It does end in vancouver. I just don't see anywhere in myncl where it says inside passage". I wanted a longer alaska cruise - more than 7 days but do want to sail the inside passage.

 

Thanks

 

harriet

[kdzkatz]

We have been on the Pearl to Glacier Bay many times. We have never once traveled up the east side of Vancouver island.

 

Is the Jewel to big for that channel? No, since Jewel class ships have done this. However, many portions of the inside passage are very restricted waters, and it is ultimately up to the ship's captain to decide on the route the ship will take. Their may have been other issues affecting the choice of route. Since there are no port stops on the east side of Vancouver island on any itinerary, the captain or NCL could have chosen to go west about at their discretion without affecting the itinerary. None the less, the officer should not have told you this if it was not true...although I will say that if the "officer" was from the ships hotel staff, he may not really have been familiar with navigational issues.

 

Finally, if you look on the NCL website today, you'll see two different route maps for the Jewel on her Alaska runs. The Glacier bay run shows out and back on the west side of the island. The Sawyer bay run shows outbound via the east side, return via the west side. You did not specify which itinerary you were on...if you were on the Glacier Bay itinerary, then the west side route is as advertised.

 

 

We did the Sawyer Glacier itinerary (which ended up doing the Endicott Arm alternate route due to heavy ice in Tracy Arm)

[kdzkatz]

I am going on the Jewel leaving September 23, 2017 10 day ultimate Alaska cruise leaving from Seattle.

Are you saying I won't be traveling the inside passage?? It does end in Vancouver. I just don't see anywhere in MyNcl where it says Inside passage". I wanted a longer Alaska cruise - more than 7 days but do want to sail the inside passage.

 

Thanks

 

Harriet

 

I am not sure anymore....:(:confused: We are also booked on the same cruise as you and a big bonus for this cruise was it showing us doing the east side of Vancouver Island coming and going.

 

If I cannot get verification that we will be doing this (unless of course there is a valid reason to deviate) I will more than likely be cancelling this cruise. I will also begin to investigate how much other cruise lines deviate from their advertised route without just cause. The map counts as a valid sales example of what you should expect as far as I am concerned. If I find another line that is more transparent in this area I will be giving them much more consideration on giving them my business.

 

I do hope NCL reads this thread and sees the negative light they put themselves in. I know they can't fix it if they don't know it's broken and this website offers a chance to let them know something isn't right.

[kdzkatz]

That officer clearly told you a whopper. There is no way an officer on a large cruise ship would think the Jewel is 'too' big to travel that route. He/she just basically gave you an answer to shut you up knowing you will be gone in a week and that's the last they will hear from you. The staff on NCL ships do this 'pass the buck' strategy constantly.

 

On the other hand, NCL has knowingly been advertising this false route for years and uses legal language to evade any responsibility and maintain deniable plausibility. Disgraceful.

 

Legal and ethical are very different in the eyes of the law but if enough of the public express their concern we can get them to change their ways. i.e. no more food was supposed to leave the restaurants and that was very short lived.

 

It would be nice if NCL could take the time to advertise what they are selling with more accuracy and not rely on the small print to cover their backsides.

[hpecorari]

If nothing unforeseen occurrs I would hope I would be cruising the inside passage. I would hope that this ship is not too large for the inside passage. And I would hope that this trip is scheduled to do the inside passage. If that's not the case from the get-go, then I also will be canceling this cruise. Basically… I want and expect to sell the inside passage on this cruise. If something unforeseen occurs, that's another story. But from the get go I expect to cruise inside passage. If that is not the case and is known to be not the case, then I would like them to notify me as I would not choose knowingly to sale on this date and ship.

 

Harriet

 

 

I am not sure anymore....:(:confused: We are also booked on the same cruise as you and a big bonus for this cruise was it showing us doing the east side of Vancouver Island coming and going.

 

If I cannot get verification that we will be doing this (unless of course there is a valid reason to deviate) I will more than likely be cancelling this cruise. I will also begin to investigate how much other cruise lines deviate from their advertised route without just cause. The map counts as a valid sales example of what you should expect as far as I am concerned. If I find another line that is more transparent in this area I will be giving them much more consideration on giving them my business.

 

I do hope NCL reads this thread and sees the negative light they put themselves in. I know they can't fix it if they don't know it's broken and this website offers a chance to let them know something isn't right.

[swedish weave]

OP -- You were given a false reason for not sailing inside. The Jewel is the same length and draft as the Star. The Jewel is six inches wider than the Star. Both were built with Panamax hull design, so the six inch difference in width would not matter for the Inside Passage.

Edited May 29, 2016 by swedish weave

[littlelulu01]

I am going on the Jewel leaving September 23, 2017 10 day ultimate Alaska cruise leaving from Seattle.

Are you saying I won't be traveling the inside passage?? It does end in Vancouver. I just don't see anywhere in MyNcl where it says Inside passage". I wanted a longer Alaska cruise - more than 7 days but do want to sail the inside passage.

 

Thanks

 

Harriet

 

I would call. If it doesn't say inside passage in your itinerary there's a good chance you won't be sailing inside passage at a time you can see it.

Edited May 29, 2016 by littlelulu01

[hawgwildterry]

Are you planning on attending the Meet & Greet? I may see if we can private message on here (I'm not sure how that is done) and I can ask you if you can give my contact info to the person who I spoke to at the Meet & Greet.

 

Wife has a spa appointment around the time a Meet & Greet should be taking place. I plan on attending if a M&G has been set up but as of right now not 100% its a go.

 

I don't believe we can message each other on CC so I will provide my alternative email if you wish to provide me the info. Pretty sure there will be no straight answers given though. "Song & Dance" is standard practice in hope you will just accept their reply and move along.

 

hogwildterry@hotmail.com

[punkincc]

I am going on the Jewel leaving September 23, 2017 10 day ultimate Alaska cruise leaving from Seattle.

Are you saying I won't be traveling the inside passage?? It does end in Vancouver. I just don't see anywhere in MyNcl where it says Inside passage". I wanted a longer Alaska cruise - more than 7 days but do want to sail the inside passage.

 

Thanks

Harriet

 

I couldn't enlarge your thumbnail picture enough to read it, but looking at the printed itinerary on the booking page, it shows the first day out of Seattle to be "At Sea", while the last day before Vancouver is shown as "Cruise Inside Passage". So I think it's safe to say you will have one day Inside Passage only. If you take a look at a Sun itinerary out of Vancouver, the itinerary will show two days as "Cruise Inside Passage". If it doesn't say that, you're not getting it.

Edited May 29, 2016 by punkincc

[hawgwildterry]

The one consideration I just remembered from our past Inside Passage was the timing of going through the narrow north end. The tides are pretty extreme and tugs/log booms/barges have priority. I wonder if sailing out of Seattle at 4pm catches the slack tides or tug traffic at the wrong time versus leaving Vancouver at the same time.

 

It also looks like there will be no M&G as not enough people are signed up for the Jewel June 4th CC Roll Call.