I got this email from NCL today.

[Topdog52]

Dear Valued Guests and Travel Partners: Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has important information regarding Norwegian Bliss' 7-day Alaska sailings from Seattle from May 7, 2022 through and including September 3, 2022. Travel partners should share the below information with guests who may be affected. Due to port availability, the abovementioned itinerary has been changed. The revised itinerary is outlined below
Original Day Destination Arrive Depart   Sat SEATTLE, WA   5:00 pm   Sun AT SEA       Mon KETCHIKAN, AK 7:00 am 3:00 pm   Tue ENDICOTT ARM & DAWES GLACIER       Tue JUNEAU, AK 7:00 am 1:30 pm   Wed ICY STRAIT POINT, AK 7:00 am 5:00 pm   Thu AT SEA       Fri VICTORIA, BC, CANADA 12:00 pm 7:00 pm   Sat SEATTLE, WA 6:00 am	Revised Day Destination Arrive Depart   Sat SEATTLE, WA   5:00 pm   Sun AT SEA       Mon SITKA, AK 11:00 am 6:00 pm   Tue JUNEAU, AK 7:00 am 1:30 pm   Tue ENDICOTT ARM & DAWES GLACIER       Wed ICY STRAIT POINT, AK 7:00 am 3:00 pm   Thu KETCHIKAN, AK 6:30 am 1:15 PM   Fri VICTORIA, BC, CANADA 7:00 am 11:59 pm   Sat SEATTLE, WA 6:00 am
All shore excursion reservations booked through NCL will be automatically canceled, and a full monetary refund of the fare paid will be automatically returned to the form of payment provided at the time of reservation. No further action is required; your refund will be automatically processed within 30 business days. The visibility of the funds is dependent on each financial institution's internal policies. Please note, shore excursions for the new itinerary will be available for purchase in two weeks. If you are interested in booking new excursions for your upcoming vacation, please login to your MyNCL account or contact us directly at (866) 625-1167. Guests residing outside of the U.S. or Canada should visit www.ncl.com for local contact information

[shof515]

ketchikan seems like a wasted day with those hours..wow

[Named-Tawny]

Oh, a full day in Victoria, nice!

[BirdTravels]

It does not make a lot of sense. Don’t know how you get from Ketchikan to Victoria that fast. 

[styxfire]

The revised itinerary is BETTER than the original!!!!!  Congratulations.   You get 1 extra city (Sitka), AND you get an EVENING in a port... a civilized port with a ton of options, and $0 port fees!

I think you get a WIN-WIN-WIN with this revision.  I hope you have a good time.

 

I am sailing on Bliss in January 2022 (booked spring 2021) and am 100% confident in being satisfied.  Love the Jersey Boys, thalassotherapy pool, teppanyaki, Beatles cover band, SO MANY eateries, and am curious about the racecars!  I don't care at all about the bars.

Edited August 18, 2021 by styxfire

[gregmarty]

It’s probably a typo, I bet arrival in Victoria is 7PM

[ChiefMateJRK]

39 minutes ago, styxfire said:

AND you get an EVENING in a port... a civilized port with a ton of options

Yep.  Good to know.  I generally try to avoid those nasty uncivilized ports.  Which ones are those again?

[KruzPrincess]

@gregmarty is correct. The ship arrives in Victoria at 7pm. Not much time in Ketchikan when you have to bus in from Ward Cove. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

9 minutes ago, KruzPrincess said:

Not much time in Ketchikan when you have to bus in from Ward Cove. 

How much time does one need to shop at the tourist shops in Ketchikan?  After about 30 minutes my head was about to explode.

[Old & Retired]

2 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

How much time does one need to shop at the tourist shops in Ketchikan?  After about 30 minutes my head was about to explode.

For some a lot.  The better question is how much time to you need to walk around the beautiful city, Creek street, see all the attractions and have some lunch?  With the Ward Cove disaster in place now, you really have to hustle to even attempt to enjoy Ketchikan.

[bonvoyagie]

Sitka in addition to Juneau will be a nice change. 

Edited August 18, 2021 by bonvoyagie

[Topdog52]

6 hours ago, KruzPrincess said:

@gregmarty is correct. The ship arrives in Victoria at 7pm. Not much time in Ketchikan when you have to bus in from Ward Cove. 

What a shame. Last year it took almost till 8:00 PM before the the ship cleared customs. Plus it is hard to tour the Gardens in the dark. I talked to someone in the Excursion dept. and told them this port was basically a waste at this time at night. There is so much to do in Victoria, I was very happy when they emailed me that Victoria was a 7:00 AM arrival but it looks like it was a typo.

[billslowsky]

6 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

How much time does one need to shop at the tourist shops in Ketchikan?  After about 30 minutes my head was about to explode.

I went to Walmart in Ketchikan.  Saved a fortune on t-shirts for kids at home.  There were two buses - one free and the other was not expensive.  Time well spent, you see a little of the town as well.

[Markanddonna]

There are some nice short tours from Ketchikan but I agree that Sitka is a bonus. We went to the wildlife rescue center there. Nice walking town too.  BTW- don't even try to go to Butchart Gardens with so little time, esp at night. Just walk around the lovely city of Victoria.

 

[Michigan123]

Is this an itinerary change for the Bliss?  I am on the Encore in May of 2022 and have not received information about an itinerary change yet. I actually wouldn't mind this new itinerary if the Encore could still go to Glacier Bay.

[jkrislc]

Is Canada allowing cruise ships to dock? I thought they had suspended large ships from stopping in their ports this year. Maybe I'm just out of the loop!

 

[Topdog52]

4 hours ago, Michigan123 said:

Is this an itinerary change for the Bliss?  I am on the Encore in May of 2022 and have not received information about an itinerary change yet. I actually wouldn't mind this new itinerary if the Encore could still go to Glacier Bay.

I just got another email from NCL. They have corrected the typo for Victoria.                                                  

Dear Valued Guests and Travel Partners: Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has important information regarding Norwegian Bliss' 7-day Alaska sailings from Seattle from May 7, 2022 through and including September 3, 2022. Travel partners should share the below information with guests who may be affected. Due to port availability, the abovementioned itinerary has been changed. The revised itinerary is outlined below
Original Day Destination Arrive Depart   Sat SEATTLE, WA   5:00 pm   Sun AT SEA       Mon KETCHIKAN, AK 7:00 am 3:00 pm   Tue ENDICOTT ARM & DAWES GLACIER       Tue JUNEAU, AK 7:00 am 1:30 pm   Wed ICY STRAIT POINT, AK 7:00 am 5:00 pm   Thu AT SEA       Fri VICTORIA, BC, CANADA 12:00 pm 7:00 pm   Sat SEATTLE, WA 6:00 am	Revised Day Destination Arrive Depart   Sat SEATTLE, WA   5:00 pm   Sun AT SEA       Mon SITKA, AK 11:00 am 6:00 pm   Tue JUNEAU, AK 7:00 am 1:30 pm   Tue ENDICOTT ARM & DAWES GLACIER       Wed ICY STRAIT POINT, AK 7:00 am 3:00 pm   Thu KETCHIKAN, AK 6:30 am 1:15 PM   Fri VICTORIA, BC, CANADA 7:00 pm 11:59 pm   Sat SEATTLE, WA 6:00 am

 

[KruzPrincess]

17 minutes ago, jkrislc said:

Is Canada allowing cruise ships to dock? I thought they had suspended large ships from stopping in their ports this year. Maybe I'm just out of the loop!

 

This is Bliss 2022. 

[KruzPrincess]

4 hours ago, Michigan123 said:

Is this an itinerary change for the Bliss?  I am on the Encore in May of 2022 and have not received information about an itinerary change yet. I actually wouldn't mind this new itinerary if the Encore could still go to Glacier Bay.

Yes, Bliss. 

[Shellbelle28]

7 hours ago, Topdog52 said:

What a shame. Last year it took almost till 8:00 PM before the the ship cleared customs. Plus it is hard to tour the Gardens in the dark. I talked to someone in the Excursion dept. and told them this port was basically a waste at this time at night. There is so much to do in Victoria, I was very happy when they emailed me that Victoria was a 7:00 AM arrival but it looks like it was a typo.

In my experience, the Victoria stop has always been a waste on NCL sailings. They're just checking the box for "foreign port." But, we've always sailed in September when the days are shorter. In mid-summer it would be nicer. I don't think I've ever even gone ashore at Victoria, but I never minded, it's nice to stay aboard and relax. 

[KruzPrincess]

14 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

How much time does one need to shop at the tourist shops in Ketchikan?  After about 30 minutes my head was about to explode.

I have taken time to walk around Ketchikan and found a lot to do in addition addition to shopping. You can walk to the Alaska Discovery Center, the Tongass Historical Museum, the Totem Heritage Center, and Creek Street. You can walk to the lumberjack show and buy your own tickets. You used to e able to go to the hatchery, but it’s not open to the public now. There are seafood restaurants. Ketchikan has an artist community that sells great things in the shops. There’s a lot to do there without taking an excursion. Now, though, you can’t get off the NCL ships downtown. Most of your time will be waiting in line at Ward Cove. 

 

[billslowsky]

25 minutes ago, Shellbelle28 said:

In my experience, the Victoria stop has always been a waste on NCL sailings. They're just checking the box for "foreign port." But, we've always sailed in September when the days are shorter. In mid-summer it would be nicer. I don't think I've ever even gone ashore at Victoria, but I never minded, it's nice to stay aboard and relax. 

Unless you want to take a short tour of the gardens, it is a waste of time.  On our stop, some took the gardens tour and the others walked into the city.  The garden group had a much better time.  About the only things open in town were junky souvenir shops and fast food.  The outside of the government building was lovely, but a photo on the internet would have sufficed.

[Topdog52]

13 minutes ago, KruzPrincess said:

I have taken time to walk around Ketchikan and found a lot to do in addition addition to shopping. You can walk to the Alaska Discovery Center, the Tongass Historical Museum, the Totem Heritage Center, and Creek Street. You can walk to the lumberjack show and buy your own tickets. You used to e able to go to the hatchery, but it’s not open to the public now. There are seafood restaurants. Ketchikan has an artist community that sells great things in the shops. There’s a lot to do there without taking an excursion. Now, though, you can’t get off the NCL ships downtown. Most of your time will be waiting in line at Ward Cove. 

 

NAILED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ChiefMateJRK]

16 minutes ago, KruzPrincess said:

Most of your time will be waiting in line at Ward Cove. 

Based upon a single data point that happened to be the first cruise after 18 months.  Let's see what folks are reporting after a few more weeks.

[Topdog52]

10 minutes ago, billslowsky said:

Unless you want to take a short tour of the gardens, it is a waste of time.  On our stop, some took the gardens tour and the others walked into the city.  The garden group had a much better time.  About the only things open in town were junky souvenir shops and fast food.  The outside of the government building was lovely, but a photo on the internet would have sufficed.

For me being that late, I will just eat dinner and continue drinking!!! Victoria is a great port to just stay on board and watch the big show in the theater.