Live from the Jewel May 2-16, 2022

[Tatertotslady]

Yvonne - you are such a talented writer. I love your review. Thank you for taking the time to do this. 
 

For some reason I think I read somewhere in a previous post that you said something about the little hashbrowns being replaced. Is that true or am I mistaken? If true, this is 1000 times worse than the soft serve ice cream machines being broken. 
 

Enjoy you final days.  
 

ps. If you feel like adding a daily, that would be most appreciated! 🙂

[YVRteacher]

3 hours ago, Tatertotslady said:

Yvonne - you are such a talented writer. I love your review. Thank you for taking the time to do this. 
 

For some reason I think I read somewhere in a previous post that you said something about the little hashbrowns being replaced. Is that true or am I mistaken? If true, this is 1000 times worse than the soft serve ice cream machines being broken. 
 

Enjoy you final days.  
 

ps. If you feel like adding a daily, that would be most appreciated! 🙂

Thank you! I really appreciate your kind words. The new hash browns are a different brand.  They are bigger than the previous ones and (in my opinion) taste even better.  I have to restrain myself to only have two!  I think you’ll like them!!  The soft ice cream machine is still broken.  I was really counting on Juan!

 

I’ll add the Freestyle Daily for tomorrow.

[YVRteacher]

Day 13

The clocks go back an hour tonight and we slowly transition back to the real world, a world in which there are no noon hour Mudslides (how fun would work be with lunchtime Mudslides?!) or evening trivia or having the bed made every day.  I do make my bed, but it doesn’t look as good as when Francis gets that duvet just right.

 

A 1:00pm arrival in Ketchikan made for a morning without announcements or early wake ups.  A few people on this ship are starting to look a little bedraggled from all the vacation fun! We enjoyed a lovely breakfast in Moderno followed by charades, Scrabble, ocean watching and a tiny bit of watermelon for lunch.  The ship arrived early at Ward Cove so we were able to take the excursion shuttle into downtown Ketchikan to explore before the Lumberjack show at 2:00pm.  We were in a 14 passenger  van with a driver who kept taking his hands off the wheel and pointing out buildings while gesturing wildly. Totally unsafe and yes we reported him.  

The moment we arrived downtown the clouds blew in and a torrential rainstorm soaked anyone not undercover.  Luckily we were inside standing beside a wood stove with a fire crackling and campfire smoke wafting by.  The rain lasted only a few moments then bright sun appeared and everyone took off their coats and hats.  The Lumberjack show was lots of fun.  Completely scripted and just the same as it was a few years ago but still fun.  I would have preferred to go kayaking or hiking but my dad didn’t feel comfortable with either of those.

We had time after the show to walk to Creek Street and we were the only people there.  It was quite sad actually.  Alaskan shops are clearly still deeply impacted by the decline in tourism.  We were the only ship in port today.  As much as we weren’t too affected by the change to Ward Cove, it is super ugly and I think NCL will receive a lot of negative feedback.  We opted to walk to pier 4 to take the free shuttle bus rather than the transportation provided through our NCL excursion.

Once on board we went to Maltings and there was a great crowd there as per usual for cocktail hour.

Dinner tonight was Teppanyaki.  We have eaten at Teppanyaki twice before and after such a positive experience tonight will definitely be adding it back into our regular rotation of specialty dining. It was kind of awkward because there were only 6 people in the whole room and the other family didn’t talk at all.  The chef did great, singing his songs, throwing his eggs and twirling his spatulas.  Dinner was excellent. My food was cooked in the back and the chef did a terrific job.  The wasabi cocktail was an added bonus.  Note: there is no actual wasabi in the wasabi cocktail.  The first time my mom and I went out for sushi she thought the wasabi was avocado and scooped it up and ate it all at once.  She still had tears steaming down her cheeks a few hours later!

Spinnaker was the site of my personal redemption story tonight.  Last week in the Yes or No game Sonny got me out with 9 seconds to go.  With determination and a little fuel from those wasabi cocktails I triumphed and earned an NCL T-shirt.  You know those boxy shirts that look good on absolutely nobody.  (If you happen to like them I’ve got an extra one to pass on…I gave mine to Alex tonight but my dad has one too.)

We tried to enjoy Rock You Tonight in Stardust but we enjoy leaving cruises with our ear drums intact so that didn’t work out too well.

The casino was fun with that Double Diamonds and those Lucky 7s then we ended up back in Maltings where Alex was making a new kind of shot he has perfected but will not release the recipe.  It looks like beer but is concocted from 43 and heavy cream.  Pretty sure it’s calorie free just like those Old Fashioneds I’ve  been drinking for the last two weeks.  I told my dad to eat the orange garnish in his drink so he wouldn’t get scurvy.  He does not appreciate the way I look out for his welfare and well-being!

I’ll post that Freestyle Daily for tomorrow.  Which activities would you most enjoy?

Any more questions I can answer or are there any photos of anything you’d like to see?  We have a sea day tomorrow and I have lots of time.

[YVRteacher]

Looking like spring in Ketchikan

 

[YVRteacher]

Today’s wildlife sighting

 

[YVRteacher]

My dinner at Teppanyaki.  The server came to me to tell me that the vegetarian food would be cooked with chicken stock.  In what was not my best moment on this cruise, I said “let’s find a way to cook it without the chicken stock.”

They did, and it was wonderful.

 

[YVRteacher]

Freestyle Daily for Sunday May 15.  This is our last full day on board before disembarking in Vancouver.

 

[magicsoccer]

Are they offering COVID testing for those who need it for flying?

[FabFam]

I too noticed that the ship did not have enough vegetarian and vegan options. It's odd in this day that there aren't more options readily available, it doesn't seem like you should have to be treated differently for that. 

 

Yvonne, did you go to the arial show on the ship?  They were outstanding!  (can't remember their names). Your review of Rock You Tonight was the same as some in our party who attended. Ha.

 

Enjoy the last day or so on the ship, you and your Dad deserve all the best!  

[Miffy2003]

What a delightful trip report! You are a scream, Yvonne 🙂

 

[YVRteacher]

6 hours ago, magicsoccer said:

Are they offering COVID testing for those who need it for flying?

Yes.  It’s free.

[YVRteacher]

2 hours ago, FabFam said:

I too noticed that the ship did not have enough vegetarian and vegan options. It's odd in this day that there aren't more options readily available, it doesn't seem like you should have to be treated differently for that. 

 

Yvonne, did you go to the arial show on the ship?  They were outstanding!  (can't remember their names). Your review of Rock You Tonight was the same as some in our party who attended. Ha.

 

Enjoy the last day or so on the ship, you and your Dad deserve all the best!  

We did!  The aerialists are outstanding!

[kdmbluerzr]

1 hour ago, YVRteacher said:

Yes.  It’s free.

I was hoping this would be available on board. Do you know if they give the passengers that need to do a covid test a specific time on the last day to get tested?  Thank you.  And thanks for the wonderful details of your journey!  We sail on the Jewel southbound trip July 4th, very excited. 

[kdmbluerzr]

8 hours ago, magicsoccer said:

Are they offering COVID testing for those who need it for flying?

Glad you asked this. I was just about to. 

[YVRteacher]

5 hours ago, kdmbluerzr said:

I was hoping this would be available on board. Do you know if they give the passengers that need to do a covid test a specific time on the last day to get tested?  Thank you.  And thanks for the wonderful details of your journey!  We sail on the Jewel southbound trip July 4th, very excited. 

They do the Covid antigen testing on the second to last day of the cruise.  There is a window of time for this.  On the Bliss in March it was 9am-2pm and on the Jewel last week (we had to get tested as Back to Back passengers) it was something like 10am-noon. On the Bliss the Eurofins centre was poorly staffed and I had to wait an hour.  On the Jewel it was well staffed and we were in and done in three minutes.  Some of the Cruise Critic friends we made on this trip waited the 15 minutes for their results.  We received results by email about an hour later and paper copies of the negative test results (which we did not need) were delivered to the cabin at 6:00pm.  Just make sure you have registered for your Eurofins account before the cruise.

 

I know the Covid testing situation can be stressful and I’m happy to answer any other questions anyone may have.

[magicsoccer]

Do you have instructions for registering for the Eurofins account? 

[YVRteacher]

1 hour ago, magicsoccer said:

Do you have instructions for registering for the Eurofins account? 

When Is your cruise? If I remember correctly NCL sent the instructions at the time of online check-in.  I will look around when I get home tomorrow and come back to this to provide a more detailed response.  

[YVRteacher]

Day 14

Alaska’s Inside Passage and Seymour Narrows

 

Things I will miss when this cruise is over:

-new Cruise Critic friends.  You know who you are.  I loved meeting you and getting to know you.

-Waking up each morning somewhere new, opening the balcony curtains and saying “wow.”

-All of Alaska.  Alaska, you are a gift.  You are changeable, stunning and wonderful.  

-Trivia.  Yes, there’s Jeopardy but it’s not the same when cheap plastic prizes aren’t at stake.  Today we cashed in this week’s signatures and I selected a clear plastic NCL travel pouch.  Being classically trained as one of Canada’s Girl Guides, I am highly resourceful: I took that clear plastic travel pouch to the buffet and turned it into a portable-cookie-carrying-sack.  I didn’t learn to cook a grilled cheese on a buddy burner for nothing!

-Spending the late evenings in Maltings with Alex and all the fun passengers. 

-Crisp white linens on a freshly made bed.  

-Yoghurt parfaits with perfectly proportioned, equally distributed, alternating layers of yoghurt and compote.  My house has a definite lack of compote.

-Moderno almond croissants.

-I would say the soft ice cream machine but one can’t miss what they didn’t have.  Sigh.

-The ship.  It’s not the metal sides and swirly patterned carpets.  It’s the feeling on board with a remarkable, kind, spectacular crew.  This is why we cruise NCL.

-Rumi.

-Old Fashioneds.  I have the ingredients.  I have the round ice cube makers.  I have the NCL tumblers.  It’s just not the same at home.

-Hot tubs.  Tip:  I bought a new bathing suit in March and have used it on two NCL cruises.  It’s now wrecked from the chlorine.  Bring your old suits on board.  One time my dad stood up to get out of an NCL hot tub and his bathing suit spontaneously disintegrated. This was on a very crowded cruise through the Panama Canal where the hot tubs were very popular and very crowded.  You get where I’m going with this…

-The Freestyle Daily.  I am a planner and a list maker.  The opportunity to plan each day the night before and wake up with a schedule is a gift for a Type-A teacher.

-Unlimited M&Ms and gummy bears that appeared as if by magic in a never empty bowl.

-Scrabble with my Dad.  This has been our thing since I was a little kid.  He is a former world Scrabble Champion.  When I say Scrabble with my dad I really mean time spent with him.  I’m grateful.

 

Things I will not miss:

-Morning announcements that wake me up too early.

-Toilet paper that does more damage than good.  Seriously.  Does NCL pay a company to make the world’s crunchiest toilet paper?

-18 crew members asking me how I slept when I am not yet functional at breakfast in Moderno.  Not a morning person, people!

-Washy washy all the time.

-Sleeping on a pull-out couch with a crack down the middle and one side higher than the other.  I taught grade 4 for years and one of the required science units is Simple Machines. Every night for the past 14 nights I’ve rolled into the crack and slid from one side of the bed to the other.  Every time I do this I think “inclined plane.”

-Toilets that feel like they’re going to suck valuable and necessary organs right out of your body even though you have closed the lid, stepped back sufficient distance and (for good measure) held your breath for the entire duration of the suction action.

-People who meander slowly down the corridors with their significant others at their sides, blocking all attempts from other passengers who want to walk at a normal pace.  Insert passive aggressive growl here.  Then move over.

-That guy who sat at the bar each night cleaning out his ears then rolling the ear wax between his fingers, sculpting miniature wax figurines.  Dude, that was just wrong on so many levels.

-The burly NCL gym trainer  from the fitness centre stationed on deck 12 right above our cabin who came out from the gym and flexed every time I was heading to the buffet.  Yes you have buns of steel while I have buns of cinnamon.

-The representatives from the art gallery with extra long arms made for thrusting brochures, tickets and guess the price forms in the way of the slow walking people, thus impeding my access to said buffet even further.  I am an expert brochure dodger and have learned how not to fall prey to their relentless pursuits of selling overpriced images by Peter Max.  One time I was walking by and there was a golden, bejewelled camel that looked like it was regurgitating breakfast.  “Oh look!” I exclaimed.  “That camel is throwing up!” With clenched teeth and a pained expression the art representative said “It’s a camel drinking water.”  For the whole rest of that cruise no one tried to give me a ticket to guess the weight of the camel statue.  
Yvonne 1, art gallery zero.

Edited May 16, 2022 by YVRteacher

[sunkey1]

OMG, Yvonne, I have enjoyed your review so much! You seriously should think about writing a book. We're sailing on the Jewel next month and your review has made me even MORE excited, if that's possible. I did have one question, although with the butler service you had you may not know. On the daily it lists a service called SWIFT!, for having snacks and drinks delivered to your stateroom. I've not heard of this before and it sounds perfect given that we plan to spend so much time on our balcony enjoying the scenery. Would you have any idea if there was a charge for using SWIFT! and if so, how much? We'll certainly manage if we have to make drink/food runs but sure would be nice! 

 

[magicsoccer]

4 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

When Is your cruise? If I remember correctly NCL sent the instructions at the time of online check-in.  I will look around when I get home tomorrow and come back to this to provide a more detailed response.  

Our cruise is May 23.  If I did receive any instructions I do not have them now.  Any help would be appreciated.  Thank you so much for your review.  This makes me even more excited for our trip.

[kdmbluerzr]

8 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

When Is your cruise? If I remember correctly NCL sent the instructions at the time of online check-in.  I will look around when I get home tomorrow and come back to this to provide a more detailed response.  

On our last two cruises, Dec & Feb, this Covid testing registration process was part of the check-in process. NCL was still requiring testing at the pier prior to boarding at the time.  We sail July 4th, so have a couple of weeks before we can check-in.  Thanks much. 

[don't-use-real-name]

On 5/15/2022 at 1:34 PM, YVRteacher said:

We did!  The aerialists are outstanding!

Was that - aerialists show ?

Flyadage by Gilles & Laure ?

 

Have a signed DVD from their act -

 

Really Outstanding presentation

 

 

[fethiyeden]

Loved your review. I looked forward to reading it everyday.

Thanks for taking the time to do it.

Alaska is on my bucket list but as we live in Turkey & work in tourism we have no time off in Summer.  

[WindinmySails]

What a wonderful review, Yvonne! I just read it, sipping coffee in the real world. My internal clock is all messed up with the travel and time changes, however, the memories of this cruise will stay with me a life time.  So wonderful meeting you and your Dad, along with so many others.  Having fewer passengers on the ship both legs was a gift as well, knowing that a cruise like this will probably never happen again.  I felt completely spoiled for 2 weeks.  

Just a side note to anyone reading....

If you are leaving from Vancouver, I would highly suggest spending some time in this amazing city.  This is a place I would love to see again.  Vancouver is absolutely stunning...mountains and water, gorgeous parks and walkways.  Compared with Denver, and I live downtown, Vancouver was so clean, locals were so helpful, public transportation was easy to navigate.  

Although we are working on "Scott's bucket list", this is certainly one we'd like to repeat, God willing.  Scotland is next on the list....thinking maybe a cruise....

 

[YVRteacher]

@WindinmySails I’m so glad we got to meet and spend so much time chatting.  This cruise would not have been the same without those Cruise Critic meetings at Maltings.  I hope you and Scott have time to ease back into real life.  I’m so tired I just want to sleep but work is getting in the way of that.

Vancouver is a beautiful city, especially in September.  
I hope we cruise together again!!!  Just saying that the NCL cruise to Scotland, Iceland and Norway is pretty darn fabulous…

I just sent you an email.