Just returned from a crazy Alaskan cruise on the Sun Oct 2-11!

[julig22]

38 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I really want to hear more about this.  Did they drag their mattresses out there?  Move loungers down from the pool deck?  Sleep on the bare deck?

Since they block access to the outside decks anytime there is foul weather, in my experience, how did they get there?

[julig22]

2 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

After six pages and 127 comments, I would say this dead horse has been tortured enough.

 

And quite a few "one time wonders" seem to be on this thread.

I'm not discounting the experience, just scratching my head on the attitude that somehow NCL was responsible for the weather and could/should have done better - and should compensate passengers because there vacation wasn't perfect.  It's Alaska for pity sake.

 

If an airplane pilot gets passengers through a rough storm, they passengers applaud.  The ship captain gets berated for piloting the ship through a bad storm and not communicating enough.

 

BTW, I was on the Sun in Alaska earlier this year and I'm quite skeptical when people say there wasn't any communication - unless they had a different captain. But if you are hunkered down in your cabin and don't have the TV on, it's easy to miss.

[duck_keeper]

They wrote a letter and left it in each stateroom letting them know about the excursion refunds for the missed morning dock in Ketchican...perhaps they ran out of ink and paper to let us know to hunker down and secure our belongings because of the impending storm?

Seems a little sus they couldn't take the time to notify us when a comment mentioned that they had around 24 hrs to decide what to do.

I didn't have any time left on my wi-fi to monitor the weather and I had no cell service out in the middle of the ocean. I was monitoring the weather the whole week before we left to see if anything nasty was coming our way and it only showed rain and cooler weather. I guess this system came out of no where and surprised everyone. I like to travel in the fall when there are less crowds in ports. I probably won't do any more Alaska cruising for sure. I bought cruise next before the storm and will have to decide when/where we can go with the least chance (knowing there isn't a zero chance) of repeating this experience.

[Tradewinds4u]

https://www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane/powerhouse-typhoon-bolaven-will-impact-alaska-and-have-downstream-impacts-on-us/1586836/amp?fbclid=IwAR1_s93X7B5LkdBSPHlC9kDqI-QzPere-cyF1Ycpjik3GKrGn6LrO1rSk9s

[IAcruising]

17 minutes ago, duck_keeper said:

perhaps they ran out of ink and paper to let us know to hunker down and secure our belongings because of the impending storm?

 

 

See? This is why you get the reaction you get, and others who have posted their experience get some respect. Learn how not to be an arse.

 

[Nicky Mouse]

21 hours ago, duck_keeper said:

I guess I have been told to run along because the adults are talking.

You guys are real peaches.

There were lots of scared passengers at the end of this voyage. We're any of you on this ship? So you have no idea how it felt. Do you know how big a 10 meter wave is... that is 32 ft. You tell me how it feels to be lifted and slammed down from 32 feet.

And yes I was on an Aft stateroom...I didn't choose the location because it was less than a month out and it was a balcony guarantee and was assigned later.

 

Once again I ask if others that were on the same trip to speak up.

The others of you who have been less than helpful go away because you have made yourselves more than clear that your opinion is superior because your so well traveled.

Some of us don't get to travel that often and it is quite expensive for us and want to get the best trip for our dollars.

 

I was on the same cruise, was the roughest I've been on so far.

 

Don't believe ship gossip, we didn't take on any water.

 

The announcement at 3:30am was about something had shifted in a store room and they need things secured for safety.

 

My friends tested positve for covid when we got back home.

[Nicky Mouse]

15 hours ago, PurpleKa said:

We were told this current week (the next cruise after ours) is the last week of the season and there are no more Alaska cruises after this. A lot of the attractions and stores were already closed for the season or open only short hours on certain days.

Not exactly correct. The Sun has two more Alaska sailings. The one on the 11th (after ours) and then one on the 20th (10 day) and then on the 30th she does her repositioning to Orlando. I had booked that but cancelled today due to some obligations that came up.

[Nicky Mouse]

14 hours ago, PurpleKa said:

Also, I don’t know if this is standard for cruises or not, but we had someone in our party got sick during the cruise and when we called the health center we were told it would cost about $350 for an exam and testing, and there was no way to get a Covid test or even Over-the-counter medication different than what was carried in the main ship store without doing that. And they don’t accept or bill any health insurance and couldn’t tell us whether our travel insurance would cover it or not. So our only option would be to pay out-of-pocket and then hope either our health insurance or travel insurance might reimburse us. There was no way to get any sort of testing or treatment  other than that. 
 

We at least self-isolated as much as possible and took precautions to try to avoid infecting others. But there were so many people all over the ship and excursions that were very obviously sick and coughing and taking no precautions.
 

We all tested as soon as we got home and three of the four of us tested positive for Covid.

 

On the bright side we thought the food was amazing, the staff were kind and friendly and generally mostly helpful, and our housekeeping staff made daily towel animals for the child in our party, which was greatly appreciated.

Three of the four of us also tested positive after getting home.

 

As for the ship 'health center' that's not uncommon, and why I always get separate travel insurance for stuff.

[Nicky Mouse]

15 hours ago, PurpleKa said:

Also, the communication from Norwegian cruise lines to the passengers was not great. For example, we departed from and left our vehicles at Pier 66, but when we arrived back in Seattle, they just dropped us off at Pier 96 without even telling us we were at a separate pier, or giving us information about where to go or how to get back to our vehicles. There was no mention of the fact that we were arriving at a separate pier than we had departed from at all. And I listened carefully to all the announcements and read everything we were given. 
 

it was a 15 to 20 minute drive from where we were to where our cars were, and we spent a long time trying to figure out how to find our vehicle before we finally asked around among people milling around and found out there was a shuttle from where we were back to Pier 66. It was a couple of hours ordeal in cold, rainy, windy weather with my grandmother in her 90s to get to our car from where the Norwegian Sun dropped us off with no information or instructions about how to get back where we started.

They had to do pier 91 in order to use the crane. (66 does not have one) This might have been to fix something caused by the rough seas, so it was not known they wouldn't be returning to pier 66 when we sailed.  The port of Seattle website also showed that we were supposed to return to 66, so I'm thinking this was unexpected and uncontrollable.  I had heard there were shuttles to take people to 66, but it was confusing. We ended up in a shuttle that ran all over the place.

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, julig22 said:

But if you are hunkered down in your cabin and don't have the TV on, it's easy to miss.

Or huddled up under a lifeboat out on deck during a raging storm.  You probably can't hear a thing. 

[Nicky Mouse]

13 hours ago, PurpleKa said:

Although they were already boarding people for the next cruise by 8:45 AM when we were getting off in Seattle yesterday, so there must not have been very extensive repairs needed to the ship. Hopefully.

They were boarding new crew arrivals. Passengers aren't allowed on that early.

[ChiefMateJRK]

18 minutes ago, Nicky Mouse said:

Don't believe ship gossip, we didn't take on any water.

 

The announcement at 3:30am was about something had shifted in a store room and they need things secured for safety.

Thank you!!  

[Nicky Mouse]

4 hours ago, phillygwm said:

I know as much about sailing as I do brain surgery.  I try not to second-guess the captain (or the neurosurgeon.)  I assume they know more than I do.  Should there have been a shipwide announcement, as opposed to the captain's daily briefing which some people don't hear?  Yeah, probably.  But I'm otherwise inclined to give the captain the benefit of the doubt; he's probably choosing from a series of sub-optimal scenarios.

Thank you for this, I agree completely. Lots of armchair quarterbacking going on.

[Ken the cruiser]

I just checked if the wave action around Alaska has calmed down yet. Nope!

 

 

Click on the photo to see the current status.

 

[Nicky Mouse]

55 minutes ago, duck_keeper said:

 

I didn't have any time left on my wi-fi to monitor the weather and I had no cell service out in the middle of the ocean. I was monitoring the weather the whole week before we left to see if anything nasty was coming our way and it only showed rain and cooler weather. I guess this system came out of no where and surprised everyone. I like to travel in the fall when there are less crowds in ports. I probably won't do any more Alaska cruising for sure. I bought cruise next before the storm and will have to decide when/where we can go with the least chance (knowing there isn't a zero chance) of repeating this experience.

The weather did kinda come out of nowhere, I was watching it onboard on the wifi. It didn't have much in the way of rain on radar, but the winds were doing a very large rotational pattern.

 

Even in Juneau while docked I could see the winds pick up and the water surface get worse before we left. I heard the crew talking about the incoming weather, so I'm inclined to believe this was not expected.

[schmoopie17]

21 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Or huddled up under a lifeboat out on deck during a raging storm.  You probably can't hear a thing. 

Didn't you know that the safest place to be on a ship "taking on water" in a raging storm is an open deck?

 

OOPS...there I go, adding to this seemingly endless discussion. 

 

Edited October 13, 2023 by schmoopie17

[Kgodin]

On 10/12/2023 at 10:21 AM, Homosassa said:

Where was your cabin located?

 

Passengers who booked cabins on low decks and amidship probably had a peaceful night sleep.

I spoke with the crew and they had a terrible night on deck 3. Many were sick and shaken up.

[Tally Cruiser]

I was on this sailing and I had a lovely time. Yes we encountered rough weather/water but I was expecting as much sailing that late in the season. I was on deck 4 and there was some sort of leak but it was not caused by the weather as the fans were in the hallways days before we encountered the roughest Seas. Sick bags were located on all the stairwells. Those who didn't leave their cabin to get one had 2 trashcans and a toilet to puke in if need be.

 

I've sailed in much rougher waters and while unfortunate, the captain didn't do anything wrong. For those who said we missed Ketchikan, you are incorrect; we sailed late into Skagway and my excursions I did not take were refunded.

 

I found the Sun to have some of the friendliest staff. There were a lot of solo travelers on the trip and it was a lovely group.

 

The only "oh crap" moment I had was trying to get into my cabin while the ship was rocking pretty good. My closet doors flew open thus inhibiting my ability to fully open my door. I thankfully was able to squeeze through; just hope I wasn't caught on film because THAT would be a viral video! 😄 

[Kgodin]

I believe they were negligent in more than one situation.The  communication was poor and we were left in the dark not knowing our position. It was a terrible experience in rough seas. The captain had a duty to inform and update but he chose to turn the nav screen off to keep us in the dark. I was not impressed. There is another storm worse than ours heading towards Alaska right now. I hope they stay safe.

[yakcruiser]

I'm sure the "L's" will be contacting passengers and advising them to get the money they deserve.

[PuertoPollo]

5 minutes ago, Kgodin said:

There is another storm worse than ours heading towards Alaska right now. I hope they stay safe.

7 days at Sea Alaska cruise? Are they giving tickets away? Free beverage package at least?

[Kgodin]

On 10/12/2023 at 11:46 AM, duck_keeper said:

I guess I am just whining according to y'all.

I feel bad for the people who are first time cruisers that was on the ship because they will never cruise again I'm sure.

 

When we tried to go into Ketchikan the day before the wind was so bad that the boat was listing to one side and we had to go out and come back. So instead of getting in at 7am we weren't in until 1:30pm.

During the really bad weather I checked the scrolling details on the navigation channel as we were leaving Juneau and it said wind at 35kph and 18m swells for a bit and then it just stopped reporting anything...as if we were not moving.

As a visual think of sitting in the main dining area on the back of the ship and seeing all sky and then all ocean within a minute. That is what I saw.

 

I've been on the Bliss before in Sept and only had one rough sea day so I'm not a newbie to what it's like up there late in the season.

 

At this point it feels like a pile on to bring up anything negative about NCL since I'm being told what did I expect?

I thought maybe a little more communication? An apology for the rough weather and asking passengers if they are OK? I can't imagine there wasn't someone injured because I had to hold on to the bed/couch just to walk without falling down or slung into something.

 

I hope others will chime in, but doubt it now that I've be chastised about having a bad experience.

 

 

 

I'm with you 100%! Thank you for speaking up.

[G-DawgMN]

24 minutes ago, Kgodin said:

I believe they were negligent in more than one situation.The  communication was poor and we were left in the dark not knowing our position. It was a terrible experience in rough seas. The captain had a duty to inform and update but he chose to turn the nav screen off to keep us in the dark. I was not impressed. There is another storm worse than ours heading towards Alaska right now. I hope they stay safe.

 

 So you have proof they disabled the navigation screen? Pretty good chance they had a software issue. I've seen it go out quite a few times especially on older ships.

 Rough seas can happen any time you are part of cruising, you are in the ocean. Unless you have a Captains certification you really have no right to second guess the Captain's decision. Passenger safety is always at the top.

 

 

 

[PurpleKa]

4 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I really want to hear more about this.  Did they drag their mattresses out there?  Move loungers down from the pool deck?  Sleep on the bare deck?

I’m sorry, I probably worded this badly.

 

I saw several comments from other people saying that crew members and passengers were sleeping in the hallways and lounges closer to the lifeboats and/or the interior of the ship because they didn’t feel safe in their rooms, and that at least one balcony room and another place in the ship had a window broken. People were not reported to have been sleeping out on the decks in the lifeboats, as far as I know. I did not personally see this, just saw comments about it from several different sources.
 

I did see a lot of people in the lounges on the middle levels around midnight, some sleeping. I didn’t go in the halls on all the levels.

I did find it believable because even in an internal room on the 10th floor it was impossible to sleep and the crashing sounds and sensations of impact on the back of the wall I was sleeping against were severe, and family members in view rooms on the 5th floor and passengers I spoke to on the 8th floor were also kept awake by the sound and movement of impacts in the night.

 

 But this particular detail is not something I personally observed or can verify.

 

I did personally see water dripping in through the ceiling and coming in through doors in several places, but assumed this was normal in a storm with heavy rain.

The door out onto the pool deck was disabled from opening from the outside on the buffet end when winds got high, and there were at least two places on the ship where the doors to the outer deck were open during times the outer decks were supposed to be closed because water dumping from a higher level of the ship was hitting the sensors so hard the doors wouldn’t stay shut, from what I could tell/guess. That was earlier in the day though. I didn’t go out there but I peeked out and the wind and rain was intense.

 

On the upper level observation deck around midnight I heard some passengers suggesting to others to try going to a lower level for less movement and noise if they were on an upper level, and some saying they were up there because they figured it was probably safest near the top of the ship in conditions like that, or were trying to find out what was going on.

Edited October 13, 2023 by PurpleKa

[Tally Cruiser]

20 minutes ago, PurpleKa said:

I’m sorry, I probably worded this badly.

 

I saw several comments from other people saying that crew members and passengers were sleeping in the hallways and lounges closer to the lifeboats and/or the interior of the ship because they didn’t feel safe in their rooms, and that at least one balcony room and another place in the ship had a window broken. People were not reported to have been sleeping out on the decks in the lifeboats, as far as I know. I did not personally see this, just saw comments about it from several different sources.
 

I did see a lot of people in the lounges on the middle levels around midnight, some sleeping. I didn’t go in the halls on all the levels.

I did find it believable because even in an internal room on the 10th floor it was impossible to sleep and the crashing sounds and sensations of impact on the back of the wall I was sleeping against were severe, and family members in view rooms on the 5th floor and passengers I spoke to on the 8th floor were also kept awake by the sound and movement of impacts in the night.

 

 But this particular detail is not something I personally observed or can verify.

 

I did personally see water dripping in through the ceiling and coming in through doors in several places, but assumed this was normal in a storm with heavy rain.

The door out onto the pool deck was disabled from opening from the outside on the buffet end when winds got high, and there were at least two places on the ship where the doors to the outer deck were open during times the outer decks were supposed to be closed because water dumping from a higher level of the ship was hitting the sensors so hard the doors wouldn’t stay shut, from what I could tell/guess. That was earlier in the day though. I didn’t go out there but I peeked out and the wind and rain was intense.

 

On the upper level observation deck around midnight I heard some passengers suggesting to others to try going to a lower level for less movement and noise if they were on an upper level, and some saying they were up there because they figured it was probably safest near the top of the ship in conditions like that, or were trying to find out what was going on.

 

20 minutes ago, PurpleKa said:

I’m sorry, I probably worded this badly.

 

I saw several comments from other people saying that crew members and passengers were sleeping in the hallways and lounges closer to the lifeboats and/or the interior of the ship because they didn’t feel safe in their rooms, and that at least one balcony room and another place in the ship had a window broken. People were not reported to have been sleeping out on the decks in the lifeboats, as far as I know. I did not personally see this, just saw comments about it from several different sources.
 

I did see a lot of people in the lounges on the middle levels around midnight, some sleeping. I didn’t go in the halls on all the levels.

I did find it believable because even in an internal room on the 10th floor it was impossible to sleep and the crashing sounds and sensations of impact on the back of the wall I was sleeping against were severe, and family members in view rooms on the 5th floor and passengers I spoke to on the 8th floor were also kept awake by the sound and movement of impacts in the night.

 

 But this particular detail is not something I personally observed or can verify.

 

I did personally see water dripping in through the ceiling and coming in through doors in several places, but assumed this was normal in a storm with heavy rain.

The door out onto the pool deck was disabled from opening from the outside on the buffet end when winds got high, and there were at least two places on the ship where the doors to the outer deck were open during times the outer decks were supposed to be closed because water dumping from a higher level of the ship was hitting the sensors so hard the doors wouldn’t stay shut, from what I could tell/guess. That was earlier in the day though. I didn’t go out there but I peeked out and the wind and rain was intense.

 

On the upper level observation deck around midnight I heard some passengers suggesting to others to try going to a lower level for less movement and noise if they were on an upper level, and some saying they were up there because they figured it was probably safest near the top of the ship in conditions like that, or were trying to find out what was going on.

I closed down the casino every night and I saw none of this walking the ship....