Live from the NCL Jewel May 1-15, 2023 (caution: may contain grumpiness and sarcasm.)

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, laudergayle said:

It is for two…lol, I guess my thrifty gene kicked in.  That, and we’ve already purchased three other excursions on the pricey side…but not nearly this high.

Whenever we book an Alaska cruise, it's going to be a ridiculous amount of money given the excursions...and it's Alaska. My thrifty genes are kicking in now that I've taken a part-time morning baker job (like 4 - 7 AM) before my real job. The good thing is I've done this before and I absolutely love small production baking from scratch. But really, I think that might be the only time we spend so much for an excursion...except, that I do want to heli up to a glacier. That's gotta be pricey too! 

 

And this is why we love Great Stirrup Cay and Harvest Caye so much. Free beach days where we don't have to spend a car payment on an excursion!! 

[laudergayle]

7 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

except, that I do want to heli up to a glacier. That's gotta be pricey too! 

For your planning pleasure😊.  Gosh…4-7 am, that’s early.  I’m impressed you can scratch bake.  
 

[vacation44]

11 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Whenever we book an Alaska cruise, it's going to be a ridiculous amount of money given the excursions...and it's Alaska. My thrifty genes are kicking in now that I've taken a part-time morning baker job (like 4 - 7 AM) before my real job. The good thing is I've done this before and I absolutely love small production baking from scratch. But really, I think that might be the only time we spend so much for an excursion...except, that I do want to heli up to a glacier. That's gotta be pricey too! 

 

And this is why we love Great Stirrup Cay and Harvest Caye so much. Free beach days where we don't have to spend a car payment on an excursion!! 

 

1 minute ago, laudergayle said:

For your planning pleasure😊.  Gosh…4-7 am, that’s early.  I’m impressed you can scratch bake.  
 

Right now the three excursions we want to do next June on our extended family vacation are $749, $189 and $309.   The $749 one is the helicopter and dog sledding in Juneau.   The total for six is a whopping $5,734 right now with the discounts.   And I am afraid it will be higher as this is based on this years prices.   Also this amount does not include me on two of the excursions ($749 and $189).  

[laudergayle]

@vacation44 IKR.  With our discounts, our 4 excursion total for two is $1750, and we haven’t even added the post cruise for Seward to Anchorage.  We did FAS+ this time to get the extra $50 ($40 for Platinum) discount.  That plus two people with unlimited internet, and two more specialty dinners, it just made sense this cruise.  

[zqvol]

4 hours ago, laudergayle said:

@vacation44 IKR.  With our discounts, our 4 excursion total for two is $1750, and we haven’t even added the post cruise for Seward to Anchorage.  We did FAS+ this time to get the extra $50 ($40 for Platinum) discount.  That plus two people with unlimited internet, and two more specialty dinners, it just made sense this cruise.  

Why are you even looking at ship excursions in AK?  Figure out what you want to do and book on your own, there should be a nice savings. 

[laudergayle]

17 minutes ago, zqvol said:

Why are you even looking at ship excursions in AK?  Figure out what you want to do and book on your own, there should be a nice savings. 

I understand what you’re saying, and we do, at times, book our own excursions.  I did look at a couple similar to what we want to do in AK and the savings weren’t significant enough to book.  Perhaps I paid for my laziness this cruise. 🤷‍♀️

[ChiefMateJRK]

24 minutes ago, zqvol said:

Why are you even looking at ship excursions in AK?  Figure out what you want to do and book on your own, there should be a nice savings. 

No always.  I independently priced the Skagway train, and the difference was couch change.

[cruiseny4life]

5 hours ago, laudergayle said:

For your planning pleasure😊.  Gosh…4-7 am, that’s early.  I’m impressed you can scratch bake.  
 

 

5 hours ago, vacation44 said:

 

Right now the three excursions we want to do next June on our extended family vacation are $749, $189 and $309.   The $749 one is the helicopter and dog sledding in Juneau.   The total for six is a whopping $5,734 right now with the discounts.   And I am afraid it will be higher as this is based on this years prices.   Also this amount does not include me on two of the excursions ($749 and $189).  

 

5 hours ago, laudergayle said:

@vacation44 IKR.  With our discounts, our 4 excursion total for two is $1750, and we haven’t even added the post cruise for Seward to Anchorage.  We did FAS+ this time to get the extra $50 ($40 for Platinum) discount.  That plus two people with unlimited internet, and two more specialty dinners, it just made sense this cruise.  

Okee dokee....so it'll definitely be our most expensive cruise ever. Thanks for confirming y'all! Now to find the right cruise. Or...convince someone (guess who) that Uncruise is really the way to go. I'll miss the unlimited shrimp and filet too, but I so feel that Alaska must be done via small boat. If not, then I get my expensive excursions, but yikes! Right there that's $2k in excursions just for two! 

[laudergayle]

17 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

 

 

Okee dokee....so it'll definitely be our most expensive cruise ever. Thanks for confirming y'all! Now to find the right cruise. Or...convince someone (guess who) that Uncruise is really the way to go. I'll miss the unlimited shrimp and filet too, but I so feel that Alaska must be done via small boat. If not, then I get my expensive excursions, but yikes! Right there that's $2k in excursions just for two! 

You will just have to continue to bake the biscuits and bagels.  😂

 

In all seriousness, I think AK deserves both a cruise and an “uncruise”.I don’t believe the coastal cities of AK are easily done without a cruise.  Even after our upcoming cruise, I still have staying in an igloo and seeing the Northern Lights on my bucket list. 
 

Edit:  so is Uncruise an actual thing??  I need to Google.  Even so…AK deserves a by land and by sea visit.

Edited January 23 by laudergayle

[cruiseny4life]

14 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

You will just have to continue to bake the biscuits and bagels.  😂

 

In all seriousness, I think AK deserves both a cruise and an “uncruise”.I don’t believe the coastal cities of AK are easily done without a cruise.  Even after our upcoming cruise, I still have staying in an igloo and seeing the Northern Lights on my bucket list. 
 

Edit:  so is Uncruise an actual thing??  I need to Google.  Even so…AK deserves a by land and by sea visit.

Hahaha....scones, muffins, breads, cookies, croissants, cinnamon rolls, and oh so much more! 

 

Uncruise is a cruise line that offers small ship experiences. They don't have itineraries. It's more we think we're going in this direction, but it depends on weather, wildlife sightings, and what passengers want to do. The rooms are certainly not luxurious and crew won't dote over passengers. This would be my ideal way to see Alaska's coastlines. Not sure about him. 🤪

 

You must go to Fairbanks in February or March for the Ice Carving World Championship! Those creations are stunning. Maybe they'll make you an igloo! 

 

That winter trip I took to the interior (Anchorage, Seward, Denali, Fairbanks) in March was amazing. I still need to see Alaska in the summer. I'm waiting until 2026 or 2027 to ensure the road through Denali has been fully repaired. I just have to get to Wonder Lake. The photos are sublime. 

 

And, our ten mile cross country ski to Exit Glacier...well, I want to see them from the sea too. Only time I really had hypothermia and I certainly don't encourage folks to get that! 

Edited January 23 by cruiseny4life

[laudergayle]

49 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Hahaha....scones, muffins, breads, cookies, croissants, cinnamon rolls, and oh so much more! 

 

Uncruise is a cruise line that offers small ship experiences. They don't have itineraries. It's more we think we're going in this direction, but it depends on weather, wildlife sightings, and what passengers want to do. The rooms are certainly not luxurious and crew won't dote over passengers. This would be my ideal way to see Alaska's coastlines. Not sure about him. 🤪

 

You must go to Fairbanks in February or March for the Ice Carving World Championship! Those creations are stunning. Maybe they'll make you an igloo! 

 

That winter trip I took to the interior (Anchorage, Seward, Denali, Fairbanks) in March was amazing. I still need to see Alaska in the summer. I'm waiting until 2026 or 2027 to ensure the road through Denali has been fully repaired. I just have to get to Wonder Lake. The photos are sublime. 

 

And, our ten mile cross country ski to Exit Glacier...well, I want to see them from the sea too. Only time I really had hypothermia and I certainly don't encourage folks to get that! 

You are certainly a far more experienced AK trekker (oh yeah and baker) than I realized.  How awesome you’ve done this when you are physically able.  Lol, even at my most fit, my “adventure” vacation begins and ends each day in a room with a comfy mattress!  Re: the ice carving, I would live to see that.  We did see the 400th Year Celebration in Quebec where they featured a snow carving exhibition.  

Edited January 23 by laudergayle

[YVRteacher]

Hi @laudergayle doing the Hubbard small boat excursion transforms Hubbard from “meh” to “marvellous!” 10/10 recommend! You won’t regret it (unless you forget your warm clothes in which case you will be rueing the day you stepped off the Jewel and onto the little metal boat from Allen Marine.)

 

In addition to the $50 per excursion discount you’ll also get the latitudes discount which helps a lot with these pricey excursions. Last year for my Iceland/Norway cruise I canceled the beverage package and used the money that was refunded (over $700 for the B2B) to pay for shore excursions.

 

The cost of excursions in Alaska has increased significantly since the pandemic. You can save money by only buying a 36 pack of huckleberry and salted caramel truffles from the Alaska Fudge Company instead of a 72 pack.  It all evens out in the end!

 

it snowed so much today in Juneau that the Alaska Fudge Company had to close!

[YVRteacher]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[vacation44]

15 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

 

 

Okee dokee....so it'll definitely be our most expensive cruise ever. Thanks for confirming y'all! Now to find the right cruise. Or...convince someone (guess who) that Uncruise is really the way to go. I'll miss the unlimited shrimp and filet too, but I so feel that Alaska must be done via small boat. If not, then I get my expensive excursions, but yikes! Right there that's $2k in excursions just for two! 

And I did not include the $1,494 cost for the six Vibe passes that you persuaded me to reserve!

 

Seriously, I think whatever you plan will be wonderful as you are very good at planning your trips and experiences.    

[vacation44]

9 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Much more beautiful pictures than the ones we took.  Thank you for posting them.    When I first booked this excursion, I was hesitant to tell my husband the price.  When he finally asked, I just said it was on the expensive side and that he would rather not know.   Right after the excursion he asked how much was it and I then told him.   He said it was definitely worth it.

[cruiseny4life]

9 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marvelous! Absolutely stunning and any other superlative you can think of. Thanks for sharing these photos again.

[laudergayle]

9 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh my.  I cannot wait to be up close to this natural beauty.  We did book the excursion yesterday (and I got to keep my drink package 😁).  I’ll be following along on your B2B adventures in April/May.  Thanks for all your posts…funny, informative, and creative! 

[vacation44]

22 hours ago, zqvol said:

Why are you even looking at ship excursions in AK?  Figure out what you want to do and book on your own, there should be a nice savings. 

 

I just want to thank you for suggesting to price out the excursions.    As we always book excursions directly with the vendor for Caribbean cruises, we went directly with NCL this past August/September since it was our first-time experiencing Alaska.   Now with one Alaska cruise under our belt, I just did price out using the vendors directly.   

 

We will save $309.70 by booking two excursions directly.   This savings will pay for one Vibe pass!

 

[libtrek]

I am still debating about going directly with the vendors. As I mentioned on last year’s Alaska cruise, my hubs has dementia, so I felt more comfortable booking direct with NCL. Just in case. I think I will maybe follow the same philosophy on our upcoming B2B in April/May. I am still thinking about the small ship/boat for the glacier. We will be in Seward for the turnaround day, and I am wondering if one of their cruises would be just as good. Any ideas? Mary Lou 

[YVRteacher]

Hi Mary Lou

I have ideas!

 

The NCL small boat glacier excursion and the boat trip into Kenai Fjords are quite different. We have done the Kenai Fjord trip 4 times using Major Marine and Kenai Fjords tours. Both companies provided incredible on board experiences. If you want to see marine animals the Kenai Fjord tour is the way to go. We saw mountain goats (yes, I know these aren’t marine mammals!) orcas, humpbacks, puffins, sea lions, seals and otters. The glaciers are beautiful and you get really close but they are small-ish glaciers and aren’t breathtakingly spectacular. The food with both companies was great. There was a lot of time spent in the relatively open ocean with nothing to see but water and cliffs. If you like being on a boat, you’ll enjoy the boat trip in Kenai Fjord.

 

As much as my dad thoroughly loved the Kenai Fjords trips, when I asked him if he wanted to do this again he said no. (For anyone just reading this, my dad also has dementia.) He felt that the excursion was too long and I remember that he was starting to get grumpy the last time we did this boat trip. It’s a lot of repetitive views. It can also be quite rough and bouncy.

 

On the NCL small boat glacier excursion the scenery is spectacular. You go through ice floes, are close to land and the whole trip I was in absolute awe of the beauty of Alaska. I think the only wildlife we encountered were seals and seagulls. The day we did Hubbard glacier last year it was like glass. Also, the hot chocolate was superb. Unfortunately this excursion isn’t offered on our April 29 or May 6 cruises.

 

Have you been to the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward? 

 

As far as pricing with local vendors, I spent hours researching and comparing every excursion for our upcoming two week cruise. In every situation except a bus trip to the Yukon in Skagway it worked out cheaper to book through NCL with the $50 shore excursion credit and the Diamond Latitude discount. Please note that I did not research helicopter excursions because I am terrified of helicopters. 

 

Mary Lou and her husband and my dad and I will be on the same cruise B2B! 

[libtrek]

I think we won’t be doing a cruise in Seward. Too long for us. Never been to Sea Life Center, so might do that. There is a hardware store by the docks that Rich loved and the bar near Breeze Inn had a really good halibut snack. That should fill our day nicely. We want to do a whale watch so looking in Juneau. Done the Icy Straight one several times. I couldn’t find the small boat glacier tour, now I understand why. ML

[MohrPfun]

WOW.

 

What an incredible report!!!  Actually, all of yours that I've read so far.  I'm doing the southern AK from Seward on 6/3 (my actual birthday, I love how you and Dad celebrate yours!) on the Jewel, so stumbled across your '22 report first.  Then Mexico. Then back on the Jewel last May! 

 

As everyone else has said, you have a great writing style, and the care and love for your Dad is so beautiful to read.  It also helps that you're hilarious, and I love all the details you include!

 

I've literally spent all day (with several snack breaks) reading these, and then you sending me off into rabbit holes of research (especially the Aleutian Ballad/Bering Sea Crab Tour/Ketchikan and Yakutania Point/Skagway) which is the fun part of cruise planning.

Here's an easy question, but one I've never seen answered:

 

In the Stardust Theater they have Haven reserved seating, but is that available for Suite guests who have butler & concierge access as well?  I would assume since suites get Haven breakfasts (Moderno's) & lunches (Cagney's), the answer must be yes.  Is that where you and Dad usually sit?  And if yes, is it just one section in the balcony, which another poster said wasn't ideal seating?  It's such a minor part of the cruise, it's almost irrelevant, but I am curious.

 

I also assume the suite classification is what's getting your invite letters to view the glaciers from the Haven's sun deck too?  You also have the diamond latitudes though, which clearly drives many of your other perks (officers dinner, for example).

 

Can't wait to read your next one, which I think will bring me up to last July on the Spirit!

 

[YVRteacher]

Hi @MohrPfun

thanks so much for reading! It means a lot to me!

 

I have a couple more trip reports written in the last year: the Star for Iceland and Norway and the Breakaway a few weeks ago from Spring Break.

 

My dad and I board the Jewel in 16 days for this year’s birthday cruise and we are both looking forward to being on board and cruising southeast Alaska.

 

Today I asked my dad what he was most looking forward to in our upcoming adventure.

He said, “getting away from it all.”  Keep in mind he is retired, gets all his meals in a main dining room and has near daily excursions and activities.

 

For seating in the Stardust theatre, the reserved section is up on the port side balcony. This section is for Haven and Suites guests. NCL ropes off a section of the Haven seating for the deluxe owner’s suite and they are not good seats. 
 

We love the view from the balcony seating and it’s easy to leave if the shows are not to our liking or are too darn loud (often!) We always use the Haven and Suites seating on the Jewel class ships but not always on the Breakaway and away+ ships.

 

Yes, our invites to the Haven sundeck are due to being in a suite and are not connected to latitudes status. I will become an Ambassador on this upcoming cruise and will likely be writing about how they bring me champagne in bed and provide private foot massages while gently strumming a ukulele as adorable puppies nuzzle my neck.  Stay tuned!

Edited April 14 by YVRteacher

[MohrPfun]

22 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Hi @MohrPfun

thanks so much for reading! It means a lot to me!

 

I have a couple more trip reports written in the last year: the Star for Iceland and Norway and the Breakaway a few weeks ago from Spring Break.

 

My dad and I board the Jewel in 16 days for this year’s birthday cruise and we are both looking forward to being on board and cruising southeast Alaska.

 

Today I asked my dad what he was most looking forward to in our upcoming adventure.

He said, “getting away from it all.”  Keep in mind he is retired, gets all his meals in a main dining room and has near daily excursions and activities.

 

For seating in the Stardust theatre, the reserved section is up on the port side balcony. This section is for Haven and Suites guests. NCL ropes off a section of the Haven seating for the deluxe owner’s suite and they are not good seats. 
 

We love the view from the balcony seating and it’s easy to leave if the shows are not to our liking or are too darn loud (often!) We always use the Haven and Suites seating on the Jewel class ships but not always on the Breakaway and away+ ships.

 

Yes, our invites to the Haven sundeck are due to being in a suite and are not connected to latitudes status. I will become an Ambassador on this upcoming cruise and will likely be writing about how they bring me champagne in bed and provide private foot massages while gently strumming a ukulele as adorable puppies nuzzle my neck.  Stay tuned!

HA!  The puppies sound like the best part!

Thank you so much for the info., and now I know how I'll be spending tomorrow (catching up on your other reports).  I'm also more excited than I was to be having my first cruise on the Jewel after reading these last ones!

 

 

[KACTravels]

Congratulations on achieving Ambassador Status on your BIRTHDAY cruise!  That's awesome!  Quick question, do Club Balcony Suites also get invites to "Haven Sundeck" and theater seating?