Live from the NCL Sun June 30-July 10, Summer time viewing of whales, bears and eagles!

[Happycrafter123]

Our first Alaskan adventure!

 

Our cats are concerned as the suitcases are out in the dinning room again…..it’s almost time for our next cruise and we are back with another live review!!

 

We are excited (and a bit nervous) for our next cruise, it will be our first one to Alaska.  My NCL app tells me it’s 15 days to go!  We leave June 30 and will be spending our Canada day, as well as American Independence Day, and (more importantly?) my birthday too, on this cruise.
 

We’ll be sailing on the Sun, our first time on a smaller and older ship, out of Seattle.  We picked this one after heavy debate and analysis of a large spreadsheet assessing pros and cons and costs of different cruise options.  I wanted the Disney cruise out of Vancouver — the entertainment and enrichment programs looked far superior to NCL (and who doesn’t love Mickey Mouse??) but Hubby wanted the bonus NCL points and a trip with less kids.  They were actually cost neutral, but the NCL cruise had a better itinerary with 6 ports of call rather than 3. (10 days rather than 7) and was the winner of the debate.  (Clearly hubby hopes it goes ok and I don’t talk about the Disney cruise we didn’t do in perpetuity lol!!, but we have WDW booked for Jan so he tells me I can see Mickey then).

 

here’s the awesome places we’ll visit:

 

 

We are in our late 40’s and 50’s and while normally active, I’m recovering from a severe case of pneumonia and hubby just had a knee treatment so hoping we have selected the right types of excursions that will be interesting but not too strenuous.  

 

We love nature, living on the West coast of BC - I’m an avid skier and golfer and spend most of my “free” time in quiet nature environments.  We see bears often in our backyard and on the golf course, as well as deer, coyotes, bunnies, hawks, eagles, and wild birds.  When skiing I get magical views of the mountains and ocean and snow topped forests.  We held off on an Alaska trip for a long time figuring we wanted to focus our vacation time and dollars on things we don’t have at home, like palm trees, castles and ancient ruins, but this time we are going to check out things we know we love, with fresh air and inspiring views of the ocean, forest, mountains and wildlife.  We are curious—-will we LOVE Alaska?  or will it be too much the same as home?   Will this become a new annual vacation item (my visa shudders at the thought) or a one and done?

 

As for the smaller, older ship—we are hoping for less lines and crowds than on the breakaway class ships, and a more zen environment.  We got a great promo and price was shockingly low compared to the newer bigger ships.  A bit worried though as the last review on the sun I read had comments from the traveller wondering if the ship had stabilizers and noting a lot of movement.  Was that a one off?  Will I spend this trip drugged up on gravol and puking, or will it be fine?  Too late to cancel, so guess we will find out!!!

 

As for my biggest worry, it’s my health and the air quality. our last cruise was overrun by cigarette smoke which caused me to avoid significant areas of the ship and made me ill, I’m curious if Alaska caters to a healthier demographic and if this one will be better?  I will let you know!

 

We lucked out with what seems to have been an unusually early response to our upgrade bid (58 days before sailing!) so have managed to scoop a club balcony.  It looks to have a huge bathroom and walk-in closet!  I’m hoping the chairs on the deck are cozy as I want to spend a lot of quiet time there.  I’m so grateful we will have a balcony instead of the interior room we initially booked.

 

We’ve booked specialty dining for most evenings and are quite excited to try Los Lobos as that one will be new to us.  Hubby is excited for Cagneys and eating fillet as many nights as possible.  We would like to go to Moderno and Tepanyaki but this time they would not let us prebook without making a payment, for which we’d have to get refund onboard (oh that sounds fun) so they suggested we book other options and then shift some reservations once we are onboard.  Hmm.  Such great customer solutions.  We’ve also never eaten at the Italian and did make a reservation for it this time, hopefully it’s good!

 

For me, a bit anxious how it will go for food.  I submitted a gluten free diet restriction form before our last cruise and found they were much stricter on gluten than I normally am and it was a pain having to preorder each day—they all seemed to have different ideas about when and where I should go each day to make the requests, if I forgot they got mad the next day and they were kind of grouchy about it on a number of days.  I think if you are severely allergic this is great but mildly allergic I suggest you save them and yourself the grief and self manage.  I’ve tried to get them to take the note off my account so I could just self manage for this one but looks like once you submit it you are committed so we’ll see how it goes.  Hopefully I remember each day to do the preorder so I don’t get in trouble again!  (Not that I am normally forgetful but between the constant rush running to and from excursions and a few drinks here and there, it can be distracting 😉 )
 

 

We’ve booked a number of excursions, but debating on switching some (a) to bring the cost down a bit so we can save for the next (WDW) vacation, or (b) get a better experience… so many choices!  If you have recommendations I’m all ears as there are always chances to change options, so let me know what suggestions you have!

 

Here’s the itinerary of our trip:

 

 

Overall, I think hubby is looking forward to eating food we don’t cook at home, and taking the week off work, and for me, excited to be inspired by nature.

 

For those of you who are experienced Alaskan cruisers please pepper me with all your tips!!    Still debating what to pack and even what camera to bring.  Please visit Alaska with me vicariously here online and share your stories and wisdom 🙂

 

for those of you taking a similar itinerary later in the season, I’ll post the dailies, menus, photos, and answer as many of your questions as I can, so speak up!  
 

The live review will be more interesting with your voices, and it will be fun to have you traveling along with me!!

 

Edited June 15, 2023 by Happycrafter123

[cruiseny4life]

Oooolala you're cruising again, so soon. I'm so happy! Enjoy your experience and I hope you see tons of wildlife they say is out there. Can't wait to follow along. You've now made me be excited (somewhat) about working in early July. 

[vacation44]

3 hours ago, Happycrafter123 said:

Our first Alaskan adventure!

 

Our cats are concerned as the suitcases are out in the dinning room again…..it’s almost time for our next cruise and we are back with another live review!!

 

We are excited (and a bit nervous) for our next cruise, it will be our first one to Alaska.  My NCL app tells me it’s 15 days to go!  We leave June 30 and will be spending our Canada day, as well as American Independence Day, and (more importantly?) my birthday too, on this cruise.
 

We’ll be sailing on the Sun, our first time on a smaller and older ship, out of Seattle.  We picked this one after heavy debate and analysis of a large spreadsheet assessing pros and cons and costs of different cruise options.  I wanted the Disney cruise out of Vancouver — the entertainment and enrichment programs looked far superior to NCL (and who doesn’t love Mickey Mouse??) but Hubby wanted the bonus NCL points and a trip with less kids.  They were actually cost neutral, but the NCL cruise had a better itinerary with 6 ports of call rather than 3. (10 days rather than 7) and was the winner of the debate.  (Clearly hubby hopes it goes ok and I don’t talk about the Disney cruise we didn’t do in perpetuity lol!!, but we have WDW booked for Jan so he tells me I can see Mickey then).

 

here’s the awesome places we’ll visit:

 

 

We are in our late 40’s and 50’s and while normally active, I’m recovering from a severe case of pneumonia and hubby just had a knee treatment so hoping we have selected the right types of excursions that will be interesting but not too strenuous.  

 

We love nature, living on the West coast of BC - I’m an avid skier and golfer and spend most of my “free” time in quiet nature environments.  We see bears often in our backyard and on the golf course, as well as deer, coyotes, bunnies, hawks, eagles, and wild birds.  When skiing I get magical views of the mountains and ocean and snow topped forests.  We held off on an Alaska trip for a long time figuring we wanted to focus our vacation time and dollars on things we don’t have at home, like palm trees, castles and ancient ruins, but this time we are going to check out things we know we love, with fresh air and inspiring views of the ocean, forest, mountains and wildlife.  We are curious—-will we LOVE Alaska?  or will it be too much the same as home?   Will this become a new annual vacation item (my visa shudders at the thought) or a one and done?

 

As for the smaller, older ship—we are hoping for less lines and crowds than on the breakaway class ships, and a more zen environment.  We got a great promo and price was shockingly low compared to the newer bigger ships.  A bit worried though as the last review on the sun I read had comments from the traveller wondering if the ship had stabilizers and noting a lot of movement.  Was that a one off?  Will I spend this trip drugged up on gravol and puking, or will it be fine?  Too late to cancel, so guess we will find out!!!

 

As for my biggest worry, it’s my health and the air quality. our last cruise was overrun by cigarette smoke which caused me to avoid significant areas of the ship and made me ill, I’m curious if Alaska caters to a healthier demographic and if this one will be better?  I will let you know!

 

We lucked out with what seems to have been an unusually early response to our upgrade bid (58 days before sailing!) so have managed to scoop a club balcony.  It looks to have a huge bathroom and walk-in closet!  I’m hoping the chairs on the deck are cozy as I want to spend a lot of quiet time there.  I’m so grateful we will have a balcony instead of the interior room we initially booked.

 

We’ve booked specialty dining for most evenings and are quite excited to try Los Lobos as that one will be new to us.  Hubby is excited for Cagneys and eating fillet as many nights as possible.  We would like to go to Moderno and Tepanyaki but this time they would not let us prebook without making a payment, for which we’d have to get refund onboard (oh that sounds fun) so they suggested we book other options and then shift some reservations once we are onboard.  Hmm.  Such great customer solutions.  We’ve also never eaten at the Italian and did make a reservation for it this time, hopefully it’s good!

 

For me, a bit anxious how it will go for food.  I submitted a gluten free diet restriction form before our last cruise and found they were much stricter on gluten than I normally am and it was a pain having to preorder each day—they all seemed to have different ideas about when and where I should go each day to make the requests, if I forgot they got mad the next day and they were kind of grouchy about it on a number of days.  I think if you are severely allergic this is great but mildly allergic I suggest you save them and yourself the grief and self manage.  I’ve tried to get them to take the note off my account so I could just self manage for this one but looks like once you submit it you are committed so we’ll see how it goes.  Hopefully I remember each day to do the preorder so I don’t get in trouble again!  (Not that I am normally forgetful but between the constant rush running to and from excursions and a few drinks here and there, it can be distracting 😉 )
 

 

We’ve booked a number of excursions, but debating on switching some (a) to bring the cost down a bit so we can save for the next (WDW) vacation, or (b) get a better experience… so many choices!  If you have recommendations I’m all ears as there are always chances to change options, so let me know what suggestions you have!

 

Here’s the itinerary of our trip:

 

 

Overall, I think hubby is looking forward to eating food we don’t cook at home, and taking the week off work, and for me, excited to be inspired by nature.

 

For those of you who are experienced Alaskan cruisers please pepper me with all your tips!!    Still debating what to pack and even what camera to bring.  Please visit Alaska with me vicariously here online and share your stories and wisdom 🙂

 

for those of you taking a similar itinerary later in the season, I’ll post the dailies, menus, photos, and answer as many of your questions as I can, so speak up!  
 

The live review will be more interesting with your voices, and it will be fun to have you traveling along with me!!

 

I will most definitely be following along on your first Alaskan adventure!   We too will be going on our first Alaskan cruise and the first time sailing on a smaller, older ship which will be the Jewel this August.    It is something my husband has wanted to do and the rave trip reports from @YVRteacher gave me the push to go ahead and book.

[Happycrafter123]

5 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

I will most definitely be following along on your first Alaskan adventure!   We too will be going on our first Alaskan cruise and the first time sailing on a smaller, older ship which will be the Jewel this August.    It is something my husband has wanted to do and the rave trip reports from @YVRteacher gave me the push to go ahead and book.

Yes after her awesome reviews I wished we booked the Jewel it sounds like such a great ship!  When do you sail?

[Happycrafter123]

2 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

Oooolala you're cruising again, so soon. I'm so happy! Enjoy your experience and I hope you see tons of wildlife they say is out there. Can't wait to follow along. You've now made me be excited (somewhat) about working in early July. 

@cruiseny4life my curiosity knows no bounds!  How have I inspired you for work not vacations?  Do you work in parks or something cool like that?

[vacation44]

54 minutes ago, Happycrafter123 said:

Yes after her awesome reviews I wished we booked the Jewel it sounds like such a great ship!  When do you sail?

August 28th.   My husband is so sure we are going to love it, while we were on the Epic this past March with his extended family, we went ahead and booked the Encore with said extended family for June 2025.   

 

Did you go with the Sun instead of the Jewel for the longer itinerary?    

[cruiseny4life]

28 minutes ago, Happycrafter123 said:

@cruiseny4life my curiosity knows no bounds!  How have I inspired you for work not vacations?  Do you work in parks or something cool like that?

Haha I wish! Human Resources. My job is boring until it's not. Thankfully it's normally boring, hence my preponderance (quantity, not quality) of posts on the Cruise Critic forum. This way I'll be able to follow along on your adventure, imagining myself sipping a refreshing beverage while watching the sunset...through your posts. 🙂

 

For what it's worth (not a lot): I did work in Yellowstone for five years, so I suppose that would be park like haha

[JIMESOPUS]

@Happycrafter123 Was on the Sun back in May, we had a great time. 

Some random thoughts

Great Outdoors was the place to eat or have a drink. 

Cagneys we had a fantastic waiter - Minguel Silva.

We canceled whale watching, seeing so many alongside the ship we felt it was a waste of money.

The lower section of the theater has the best viewing, the maroon bench seats are the best.

Sitka and Ketchikan we did our own thing. At Ketchikan, the ship will dock at Wards Cove, a free shuttle to town.

Have a great time.

Jim

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

8 hours ago, Happycrafter123 said:

and who doesn’t love Mickey Mouse??

You might be surprised.  The world has changed....a LOT!

8 hours ago, Happycrafter123 said:

They were actually cost neutral, but the NCL cruise had a better itinerary with 6 ports of call rather than 3. (10 days rather than 7) and was the winner of the debate. 

Does Disney even have a drink package?  Cost neutral doesn't sound right.

[Happycrafter123]

13 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

You might be surprised.  The world has changed....a LOT!

Does Disney even have a drink package?  Cost neutral doesn't sound right.

Yes so much controversy today, but I still love the mouse 😉

 

They had a promo for Canadians of 35% making it cost neutral (for us based on subjective selection of options//without drink package — we aren’t big drinkers)

[ChiefMateJRK]

36 minutes ago, Happycrafter123 said:

(for us based on subjective selection of options//without drink package — we aren’t big drinkers)

That explains it! 🤣  Enjoy your cruise.  We'll be on the same Sun itinerary soon.😎

[YVRteacher]

6 hours ago, vacation44 said:

August 28th.   My husband is so sure we are going to love it, while we were on the Epic this past March with his extended family, we went ahead and booked the Encore with said extended family for June 2025.   

 

Did you go with the Sun instead of the Jewel for the longer itinerary?    

I did the Encore for two separate weeks to Alaska last summer.  She is a beautiful ship with an excellent management team and crew.  You will love it.  Some of the port times are short so your cruise will be a little more about the amazing ship and gorgeous views than about long hours in port and you will have a wonderful experience. The Encore has terrific restaurants!

[YVRteacher]

@Happycrafter123 I’m so looking forward to your trip review! How have you been feeling the last couple of weeks? Pneumonia can take awhile before you really feel 100%.
 

The first time I went to Alaska was on the Sun. We had a wonderful cruise.  We also did the Baltic on the Sun and that cruise was spectacular.  I don’t know who the cruise director is these days but we had the same one both times. Anyone else cruise with Richard Matic?
 

You asked about which camera to take. I used to travel with an expensive fancy schmancy Canon camera. I wrecked that camera in Ketchikan watching and photographing a bear in the rain.  I also took that camera to Europe and wore it around my neck all day every day. Now I only take my phone and am perfectly happy with the photos I capture. One piece of advice I can offer is to purchase a waterproof phone pouch with a neck strap. This is especially helpful when whale watching.  Small boat operators can all tell you stories about people dropping their phone overboard. I put my phone in the waterproof pouch and wear it around my neck on all water-related excursions.  Plus, it often rains in Alaska so the pouch keeps the phone dry. The clear plastic pouch does not impact the quality of photos.  I ordered mine from Amazon and it was $13.

 

Another tip is when whale watching, set your phone to video instead of photos.  You have a better chance of capturing a moment and can screen shot from your video.

 

Take a toque and really comfortable, waterproof walking shoes. Don’t pack too much stuff and don’t pack fancy clothes. People dress very casually (and comfy) on Alaskan cruises.  Dress in layers: t-shirt, fleece, waterproof outer layer.  If you need any outdoorsy clothing or Alaskan-suitable shoes, the Tongass Trading Compan in Ketchikan is the place to go. Head upstairs.
 

Ask your tour guides to tell you their stores about what brought them to Alaska.  We have heard so many sweet stories.

 

When in Juneau, go to the Alaskan Fudge Company. Buy truffles for now and truffles to bring home.  They are pricey but worth it.

 

Lastly, where do you live? I’m in Bby.

Edited June 16, 2023 by YVRteacher

[YVRteacher]

Oops. I meant stories. Not stores.  

[JIMESOPUS]

@Happycrafter123Should have added this, noticed most of the Canadians get off at Vancouver instead of Seattle, makes sense to me but don't know if a normal thing to do.

[Sj cruiser 1]

We’re doing the exact cruise on the sun the week before you. I’m nervous about the older ship but excited about Alaska 

[YVRteacher]

5 hours ago, JIMESOPUS said:

@Happycrafter123Should have added this, noticed most of the Canadians get off at Vancouver instead of Seattle, makes sense to me but don't know if a normal thing to do.

No. This cruise doesn’t go to Vancouver and it is not typical for cruisers to disembark in Victoria.

[Happycrafter123]

37 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

No. This cruise doesn’t go to Vancouver and it is not typical for cruisers to disembark in Victoria.

Yes we stop in Victoria and my car will be in Seattle so won’t be planning to ditch early 😉

[Happycrafter123]

54 minutes ago, Sj cruiser 1 said:

We’re doing the exact cruise on the sun the week before you. I’m nervous about the older ship but excited about Alaska 

@Sj cruiser 1 is this also your first Alaska trip?

[Happycrafter123]

16 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

@Happycrafter123 I’m so looking forward to your trip review! How have you been feeling the last couple of weeks? Pneumonia can take awhile before you really feel 100%.
 

The first time I went to Alaska was on the Sun. We had a wonderful cruise.  We also did the Baltic on the Sun and that cruise was spectacular.  I don’t know who the cruise director is these days but we had the same one both times. Anyone else cruise with Richard Matic?
 

You asked about which camera to take. I used to travel with an expensive fancy schmancy Canon camera. I wrecked that camera in Ketchikan watching and photographing a bear in the rain.  I also took that camera to Europe and wore it around my neck all day every day. Now I only take my phone and am perfectly happy with the photos I capture. One piece of advice I can offer is to purchase a waterproof phone pouch with a neck strap. This is especially helpful when whale watching.  Small boat operators can all tell you stories about people dropping their phone overboard. I put my phone in the waterproof pouch and wear it around my neck on all water-related excursions.  Plus, it often rains in Alaska so the pouch keeps the phone dry. The clear plastic pouch does not impact the quality of photos.  I ordered mine from Amazon and it was $13.

 

Another tip is when whale watching, set your phone to video instead of photos.  You have a better chance of capturing a moment and can screen shot from your video.

 

Take a toque and really comfortable, waterproof walking shoes. Don’t pack too much stuff and don’t pack fancy clothes. People dress very casually (and comfy) on Alaskan cruises.  Dress in layers: t-shirt, fleece, waterproof outer layer.  If you need any outdoorsy clothing or Alaskan-suitable shoes, the Tongass Trading Compan in Ketchikan is the place to go. Head upstairs.
 

Ask your tour guides to tell you their stores about what brought them to Alaska.  We have heard so many sweet stories.

 

When in Juneau, go to the Alaskan Fudge Company. Buy truffles for now and truffles to bring home.  They are pricey but worth it.

 

Lastly, where do you live? I’m in Bby.

Hi @YVRteacher!  Happy Friday!  
 

good tips, thank you!  I’m especially worried about hubby losing his phone he tends to dangle it over balcony railings etc, got him a neck strap but how do I make him wear it??? Lol!

 

I've been debating for awhile about a go pro.  I have a +10 year old larger camera but hate carrying it around and barely used it in the past 10 years.  It’s now a pain to get photos off of it given technology changes, and don’t intend to replace it as I just can’t see myself lugging it about.  Will dust it off and bring it, and plan to bring my phone, but dithering about the GoPro, which I could also use later on in the winter for skiing.  Hmmm.  It is expensive and yet another technology thing to master so not sure.  Have any of you used a GoPro??

 

recovery from Pneumonia was slower than I ever imagined, I was on mega doses of antibiotics for 17 days!  have you had it?  
 

Good news, my doctor has cleared me for travel now.  However my stamina won’t be the same as normal, as I usually walk 10-15k steps per day (more on any lead up to ski season or Disney vacation) and now I’ve likely been less than 2k steps per day for a month, so have to review the excursions to remove any that will require too much walking as my muscle tone has surely diminished.  I don’t want to be dealing with sore calves or burning thighs if I can avoid it.

 

we are in MR at the base of Golden Ears park hence all the wildlife out here.  I’m hoping on this trip maybe to see a moose though seems not that likely, and of course whales!!

I love the idea to ask about what brought folks to Alaska!  I will share the stories I hear.

 

 

 

[jayseadee]

I'll be following as we are getting ready to book our first Alaska cruise next summer - 9 days on the Sun.

[Happycrafter123]

29 minutes ago, jayseadee said:

I'll be following as we are getting ready to book our first Alaska cruise next summer - 9 days on the Sun.

Hi @jayseadee!  What made you pick this one, and what are you most looking forward to?

 

 

[Sj cruiser 1]

Yes first Alaska trip for us. We planned this for our 20th anniversary and bringing our 3 kids. We got a balcony for us and a inside cabin for the kids 

[jayseadee]

5 hours ago, Happycrafter123 said:

Hi @jayseadee!  What made you pick this one, and what are you most looking forward to?

 

 

Wanted more than 7 days and the cruise with the Denali land tour was a bit over budget.  Coming from the east coast we'll spend a day or 2 around Seattle since I've never been in that corner of the states.  Looking forward to glaciers.  

[new-to-cruising22]

Looking forward to following!  We are going on this same itinerary next May!