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

[MacGuffin3]

14 hours ago, Happycrafter123 said:

more jalapeño and spices and tang in most of the margaritas whereas the martinis were more sweet.

Do all the bars have jalapeño's?  I don't drink sweet drinks, but I do like spicy food, so maybe I'll try a spicy drink for the first time.

[ChiefMateJRK]

22 hours ago, quack2 said:

No messing around with shuttles, which easily reduce your effective time in the port by at least two hours.

How long is the ride from Ward Cove to downtown?

[MacGuffin3]

3 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

How long is the ride from Ward Cove to downtown?

The NCL shuttle apparently takes 20 minutes.

[quack2]

2 hours ago, MacGuffin3 said:

The NCL shuttle apparently takes 20 minutes.

Not including time waiting in the queue and not including stressing over whether you will get where you're going in time.  Just a bad deal for the passenger.

[MacGuffin3]

3 minutes ago, quack2 said:

Just a bad deal for the passenger.

Yes, I've also heard it's quite a walk from their stop to Creek Street and NCL had the gall to charge passengers for their shuttle the first few months after they moved there.

[Happycrafter123]

4 hours ago, SeekingKillerWhales! said:

How much were the martini and margarita tastings? They look amazing.

 

47 days to being on the Sun, so I am especially loving this review. Thank you!

 

Am hoping shadowmenboy does his magic too! 

The martini and margarita tastings have specialty drinks you can’t get at the bars, and I have been told that as there are a couple of each offered they do different selections for each so if you go to two martini tastings you will get to try different items (you may want to ask to verify that). The tastings are $20 each and if you have Plus package you get 40% discount.

 

the Los lobos bar has drinks mama the best margaritas to order this is their menu

 

[Happycrafter123]

Gorgeous day in Victoria!

 

it was pride parade today and also a Mexican festival plus 3 cruise ships in town.  We went whale watching in AM (more on that later) then walked around town, took a ride on a harbour ferry and went to my favorite fish and place spot (red fish/blue fish on wharf street),  shopped a bit then back to ship.

 

good news, Uber is now in Victoria!  From Empress back to ship was less than $15CAD so way cheaper than a taxi and definitely worth saving the steps.  Uber driver took us on scenic drive by ocean for view which was nice too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 10, 2023 by Happycrafter123

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, MacGuffin3 said:

Yes, I've also heard it's quite a walk from their stop to Creek Street and NCL had the gall to charge passengers for their shuttle the first few months after they moved there.

They charged for only the first week after Covid shutdown, and that likely because they had to limit demand due to lack of available local resources.

[Happycrafter123]

Whale watching excursion through NCL in Victoria - review

 

Tour was scheduled at 8 am on the last day of the cruise, which in hindsight I should have skipped to allow a sleep in.  Lots of other whale watching tours you can book on the fly in port.

 

We were late clearing customs and allowing disembarkation due to a medical emergency.  We had to wait about 60 min in the theatre and then in hallway and then on  the dock for it to start (once again, wasted sleep in time)

 

On our excursion there was a large group of maybe 100ish people on a large boat that was three levels.  The ocean was pretty rough and a few of us were battling motion sickness.  We did see humpback whales.  Scenery was not as good as at the Alaskan ports, but still a good tour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

On 7/8/2023 at 7:17 PM, Happycrafter123 said:

I realized I never posted photos from Martini tasting the other day.  They were delicious but knocked me out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm loving the ripples in your drinks! I'm guessing this is because you're at sea and the motion of the boat is causing it? Whatever it is, I love it! 

[www3traveler]

Welcome Home

 

Safe travels wherever you may be heading.

 

Traffic is more than a nightmare for the next three days or so because of all the MLB All-Star game events being held today and tomorrow.  All-Star game to be played at 7:00 P.M. tomorrow night and the Home Run Hitting Contest is TONIGHT!!

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful cruise

[shadowmeboy]

1 hour ago, www3traveler said:

Welcome Home

 

Safe travels wherever you may be heading.

 

Traffic is more than a nightmare for the next three days or so because of all the MLB All-Star game events being held today and tomorrow.  All-Star game to be played at 7:00 P.M. tomorrow night and the Home Run Hitting Contest is TONIGHT!!

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful cruise

we did!

[MacGuffin3]

2 hours ago, www3traveler said:

Traffic is more than a nightmare for the next three days or so because of all the MLB All-Star game events

When isn't traffic a nightmare in Seattle?  They're just using that as an excuse. They already have 81 baseball games near downtown each year, what's a few more?

[cajun-crazy]

@Happycrafter123 I'm loving your review and following along each night.  We board the Sun at end of July.  I'm wondering about the hair dryer in the bathroom.  Is it about the equivalent of those cruise ships that have the hair dryer in the drawers?

Even if I did bring my own, do they have an outlet near the desk to plug it in?  I thought I read where outlets were very few and far between.

[shadowmeboy]

27 minutes ago, cajun-crazy said:

@Happycrafter123 I'm loving your review and following along each night.  We board the Sun at end of July.  I'm wondering about the hair dryer in the bathroom.  Is it about the equivalent of those cruise ships that have the hair dryer in the drawers?

Even if I did bring my own, do they have an outlet near the desk to plug it in?  I thought I read where outlets were very few and far between.

we did not use the hairdryer, but I don’t believe they will let you bring your own. 
 

outlets - we had a balcony and had the following: 1 US style in the bathroom; one European style next to the closet; 1 US and 1 European under the TV

 

there are also usb ports on both sides of the bed.

 

HTH

[www3traveler]

1 hour ago, MacGuffin3 said:

When isn't traffic a nightmare in Seattle?  They're just using that as an excuse. They already have 81 baseball games near downtown each year, what's a few more?

(1) Baseball Executives from around the world

(2) News media from around the world.

(3) Baseball Scouts (all levels) from around the world

(4) All the Managers 

(5) All the players either particapating in the Run Home Derby (and thier picthers) 

(6) All the players in the All Star Game plus thier family and friends

(7) All those involved in the HBCU game Friday, the Futures game Saturday and the Celebrity Softball Game on Saturday.

(8) All the vendors for the Fan Fest

Not to mention all the folks coming to particpate, or watch all of the events.

People, people and more people.

[Happycrafter123]

We left our room carrying off all our luggage at 8:30, got off the ship, took Uber to Warwick hotel and were packing up our car by 9am.  Got home at 12:30.  Next to no traffic through Seattle and only 5 minute border crossing.

 

disembarkation was smooth and easy.

 

home now, the chore now is to unpack and feed myself.  Will post any missing daily’s and final thoughts later, after I’ve remembered how to cook.

 

ps in sad news my scale shows that I gained 7lb 😞

Edited July 10, 2023 by Happycrafter123

[MacGuffin3]

2 hours ago, www3traveler said:

(3) Baseball Scouts (all levels) from around the world

My mistake I forgot about the scouts.
(there might be some real hidden talent in that all-star game)

[www3traveler]

1 minute ago, MacGuffin3 said:

My mistake I forgot about the scouts.
(there might be some real hidden talent in that all-star game)

From what was reported about the HBCU game and the Futures game, they found lots of talent.  The Futures game had sons and grandsons of retired Major League players playing.  By the end of all of this, there might be some young players signing contracts.  Exciting time if you are a baseball fan which I am.

[B+S]

HappyCrafter,

 

Thank you for memorializing (y)our cruise! I enjoyed reading your accounts and appreciate all your effort. I'm reminded of the vast varieties of ways to enjoy a cruise and the multiplicity of reasons to do so as well. While it appears we did not share many of the same activities we did share July birthdays - your birthday on the 6th followed mine on the 5th and preceded my Father In Law's (90th) on the 7th. Glad you had a good time, despite the rocking boat.

 

 

Edited July 12, 2023 by B+S

[Happycrafter123]

13 hours ago, B+S said:

HappyCrafter,

 

Thank you for memorializing (y)our cruise! I enjoyed reading your accounts and appreciate all your effort. I'm reminded of the vast varieties of ways to enjoy a cruise and the multiplicity of reasons to do so as well. While it appears we did not share many of the same activities we did share July birthdays - your birthday on the 6th followed mine on the 5th and preceded my Father In Law's (90th) on the 7th. Glad you had a good time, despite the rocking boat.

 

 

Going on a cruise really is like a “choose your own adventure” lol!  So many options. What did you guys wind up doing/what were your highlights, @B+S ?

[Happycrafter123]

When you are in Ketchikan you can take a free shuttle from ship in Ward Cove to the city centre (15-20 m scenic drive) and there is a long scenic walk you can take.  Pick up a map / guide along the way!  

 

 

We ran out of time so did not go to the Totem poles which I was sad about, but did enjoy the red light district, tour of “Dolly’s” and I LOVE my handmade Alaskan doll, my main souvenir from the trip.  They had these in many price points and sizes, from about $50 to $300, wish I’d taken a photo of the shelf to show them all.  I love getting unique things that are not found everywhere and are made in that place, supporting local artisans.  I chose this one because it is porcelain, and I really like her eyes and eye lashes.  I plan to get her a “sister” on my next trip 😉

 

 

the shop was in that red light district, here’s the card:

 

 

 

 

[Happycrafter123]

Daily from day 10 in Victoria 

 

 

 

 

[Happycrafter123]

Departure info

 

watch out, talked to a few people who did not know either that (1) if you don’t want to carry off luggage it has to be outside your door with new tags by 9pm the night before

and (2) you must be out of your room (totally vacated) by 8:30 am on arrival

 

also, a reminder to fill in the comment cards for staff.  They do get recognition based on these.  We completed 5 and put them in box the last night and there were only a handful of others there.  You can find the cards and box on the desk by guest services usually 2 days before end of cruise to last day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Happycrafter123]

Final thoughts

 

This was my favorite cruise yet.  Alaska was beautiful, peaceful and interesting.  The Sun was personable and intimate feeling.  We had a lot of fun and came home feeling refreshed.

 

The week was activity filled 

• - Behind the scenes ship tour
• - Margaritas tasting 
• - Martini tasting
• - Whiskey tasting
• - Adult only comedy show
• - Elton John piano show
• - World beat show
• - What the world needs show
• - Listening to musician Matthew whenever we could find him 
• - Two spa visits
• - Hanging out in hot tub 
• - Swimming in pool and sun bathing!
• - Making new friends
• - Whale watching in Juneau
• - Best of Skagway excursion including train ride and salmon bake
• - Boat tour and museum in Sitka
• - Wildlife viewing and crab feast in Icy straight point
• - Walking through trails and taking gondola in Icy straight point
• - Wildlife viewing and crab feast in Ketchikan 
• - Shopping and city walk in Ketchikan
• - Whale watching in Victoria
• - Shopping, water taxi and city walk in Victoria 
• - Eating, eating eating
• - maybe a few naps 😉
• - itinerary allowed us to sleep 🛌 n several days
• - eating a slow and calm breakfast on the back deck of the great outdoors most mornings with magnificent views 

 

I didn’t even have time to read a single page of a single novel!

 

Despite the many activities it all felt calm and unhurried.  It seemed we rarely waited, stood in line, or were stuck in a crowd, it was very easy going.

 

Very importantly to me, I rarely smelt any cigarette smoke. I could breathe easy and actually felt healthier coming home than leaving.

 

Only downside on this cruise was the rocking of the boat and the motion sickness / nausea.  

 

Would I sail the sun again on this same itinerary (maybe next summer 😉 ), YES.  I found that the staff really tried hard to be accommodating and it was nice being on a smaller less crowded ship, not having to make reservations for shows or to see music.  I liked the more intimate feel of it, you tended to run in to the same people all the time which made it easy to make new friends.  The rooms were larger and there felt to be a lot more space.  Alaska was interesting and beautiful and the air was good.  

Edited July 13, 2023 by Happycrafter123