Did you enjoy Alaska on NCL?

[wkelly5688]

Doing initial planning for a cruise to Alaska. I have read that leaving from Seattle the first day and returning the last day are kind of a waste scenery wise since the cruise is in open ocean compared to Vancouver and the inside passage. Would like to hear from some people that have done this cruise.

Also, were the seas rough while in the open ocean? We are thinking of a late May cruise.

Finally, the time at port in Juneau seems awful short. Was this a problem? Thanks in advance for any replies.

Bill

[Toyz711]

you will have more daylight then we did, we went the mid of sept '06.

enjoyed leaving from seattle, may not be as nice as leaving from vancouver..cruising through the sound does have it's own views. yes, you go out ot sea that night..but for us is was dark and didn't matter, couldn't see anything any way. by noon the next day we were entering an area with small islands on the port side.

with the cruise ship being so much larger, these days, you don't cruise right along the shore...you need good binoculars to see too much.

yes, i would cruise from seattle again...getting to and from the airport is easy, price was right for flight tickets, etc.

for us the port time, in juneau, would have been fine if we had more daylight. that time of the year it's dark at 7pm. but we had plenty of time for our whale watch and that was all we had planned.

if you do the star or sun, make sure you do the small boat tour to tracy arms..don't rely on the ship making it close to the glaciers.

one thing, i enjoyed not having to hurry back to the ship to change for a set-time, dress-up dinner. coming back to the ship, cold and (in our case) wet..we could take our time and eat when it was right for us.

[DDMau]

We have sailed out of Seattle twice (NCL & HAL) both were good cruises and both were in Sept., 2002 & 2007. Once the first night was rough then smooth the rest of the trip and the second cruise was smooth the whole trip. Seattle has better rates to fly in and out than Vancouver, as for time in Juneau we found it to be fine.

[CC Help Michell]

Have you visited the Alaska board on Ports of Call here? http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

 

That's where you can find great Alaska advice regarding itineraries, Vancouver versus Seattle, cruise tour versus independent, etc.

 

We love NCL -- I've posted before that we pick cruises based on itinerary and price, and are always VERY glad when NCL wins that evaluation. We love Freestyle.

 

That said, NCL's Alaska choices until at least 2010 (and I'm not so "all that and a bag of chips" about their new "one way" itinerary offerings even then) didn't do much for us -- until at least that point NCL isn't in my future Alaska plans (though Alaska certainly is!).

 

Do some reading on the board I linked about Seattle v Vancouver, one way v round trip, glacier viewing, sea days, and so on. Only you can make this choice for yourself and your family, but relying on a few anonymous internet posts here strikes me as a poor choice. At the same time, there a lot of great info here about ships, itineraries, excursions, and so on.

[JessLCH]

Did the Pearl out of Seattle last August and loved every minute of it. Wasted scenery??? It was breathtaking all the way. It was my favorite cruise to date. We loved the whale watch in Juneau. Also loved spotting whales from the ship while working out at the gym.

[marysb]

Sailed on the Star out of Seattle. It was great! Get a balcony, though. It is really worth it for an Alaska cruise.

 

It is great if it is too cold. You can come in and warm up and you can sit on the couch or bed and always have great views. On many of our cruises we get inside cabins as we don't spend much time there, but I would highly recommend it for the wonderful views.

[rlmlcb6]

did seattle to seattle last sept and was perfect. as mentioned-cheaper to fly into and breathtaking views all the way, even open ocean was beautiful. and the pearl spent one day somewhere (?) REALLY close to the glaciers. not too cold-maybe 50's. we did heliocopter ride and landed ON a glacier and walked around. maybe $200 but worth every penny. had friends that did kayak trip and went right up to the glaciers. either way---you will love it. happy alaska.

[brunolvr]

Doing initial planning for a cruise to Alaska. I have read that leaving from Seattle the first day and returning the last day are kind of a waste scenery wise since the cruise is in open ocean compared to Vancouver and the inside passage. Would like to hear from some people that have done this cruise.

Also, were the seas rough while in the open ocean? We are thinking of a late May cruise.

Finally, the time at port in Juneau seems awful short. Was this a problem? Thanks in advance for any replies.

Bill

 

Hi, Bill! Yes, we have enjoyed Alaska on NCL the past 6 years and are cruising again to Alaska on May 30th on the NCL Star. We have done the Glacier Bay itinerary 4 times and Sawyer Glacier twice. For a first time Alaskan cruiser, I'd recommend the Glacier Bay itinerary even though it's a little more expensive on the Pearl.

 

The first full day of sailing is a good day for relaxing and getting to know the ship. It's true that there isn't much scenery that first day and it sometimes can be a little rough, but not always.

 

We did get close enough to see some land around 8:30 that first morning and by mid-afternoon, we were enjoying the view.

[terrymtex01]

Doing initial planning for a cruise to Alaska. I have read that leaving from Seattle the first day and returning the last day are kind of a waste scenery wise since the cruise is in open ocean compared to Vancouver and the inside passage. Would like to hear from some people that have done this cruise.

Also, were the seas rough while in the open ocean? We are thinking of a late May cruise.

Finally, the time at port in Juneau seems awful short. Was this a problem? Thanks in advance for any replies.

Bill

 

I don't know where you heard your info, but I am glad you came here to get advise. What you have heard is totally wrong. Leaving Seattle for that 1/2 day and the next "sea day" the scenery was beautiful. I do have to say that the last full sea day we actually slept in, and then spent most of the day in the casino so I could not tell you a lot of what was to be seen that day. I promise I do not want to offend anyone, but there are some people who just seem to be "snobbish" (for lack of a better word) about taking the "true inside passage". I do not doubt that it is beautiful,etc, but that doesn't mean you do not get to see beauty on other paths.

 

Personally we love the Star and as far as the Alaskan cruise we took on her it was our best vacation we have ever taken, bar none. We did not find the short time in Juneau to be any kind of a problem at all. We had plenty of time to go to Mendenhall glacier, then we came back to town and shopped for quite awhile then we boarded the ship and rested for a few minutes until we took the Tracy Arm Excursion. That is a MUST DO if you ask me. It was the most amazing excursion we have ever been on.

 

Also as toyz mentioned, you are going at a time of year when you will have daylight up until 11PM or later and so you will almost always have scenery to view from the ship. Sunrise is like 4AM.

 

No matter what you decide, you really can't go wrong with Alaska. I do not know what type of cabin you are looking at booking, but in my opinion, a balcony is worth every penny for this trip.

[wkelly5688]

Have you visited the Alaska board on Ports of Call here? http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

 

That's where you can find great Alaska advice regarding itineraries, Vancouver versus Seattle, cruise tour versus independent, etc.

Do some reading on the board I linked about Seattle v Vancouver, one way v round trip, glacier viewing, sea days, and so on. Only you can make this choice for yourself and your family, but relying on a few anonymous internet posts here strikes me as a poor choice. At the same time, there a lot of great info here about ships, itineraries, excursions, and so on.[/quote

 

 

Thanks for the response. I already subscribe to the Alaska board but what better way to get some opinions on the NCL cruises from Seattle than to ask the people on the NCL board that have actually done the trip? For you to state that I would make the choice based on "a few anonymous internet posts" is presumptive on your part. I plan on gathering information for several more weeks from a lot of sources before making a decision. This post was just one step along the path. But again, thanks to you and everyone who is taking the time to reply.

Bill

[wkelly5688]

Thanks to all who are taking the time to post. That is the great thing about these boards, you get a lot of different opinions and viewpoints. We just cruised on Pearl in December and I have to say, the Freestyle fit my style. I feel better about researching more on NCL. Any other thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated!

[Dukegirl5577]

Personally, I think Freestyle is a great way to do Alaska simply because I don't want to rush back from ports to get to dinner...and lots of times you may be wet from rain or cold, etc. So it's nice to be able to take your time and get ready for dinner on your own schedule.

 

We went to Alaska on the Sun out of Seattle in 2006. We loved it. Gorgeous scenery leaving Seattle and less expensive to get to than Vancouver (plus our friends lived in Seattle at the time, so we could go visit them).

 

If I went back to Alaska, I might do the Vancouver route next time, just to get to see Vancouver, but I don't intend to go back to Alaska in the next couple of years.

 

Good luck! I loved my NCL cruise to Alaska!

[canuckgal]

we did the sun out of vancouver the first week of july '08 and just loved it. we chose it because we are from bc and vancouver is just a four hour drive for us. the scenery is spectacular the first day- sailing under lion's gate bridge, etc., and there was virtually no motion at all, which was also important to us as we were first timers and my dad has problems with dizziness. we got all the way to the glacier, but were the first ones that season do so. i would say base your decision on the boat, if bigger/ newer is most important, because you will enjoy much beautiful scenery and "enough" great shore excursions on both intineraries.

[CC Help Michell]

Have you visited the Alaska board on Ports of Call here? http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

 

That's where you can find great Alaska advice regarding itineraries, Vancouver versus Seattle, cruise tour versus independent, etc.

Do some reading on the board I linked about Seattle v Vancouver, one way v round trip, glacier viewing, sea days, and so on. Only you can make this choice for yourself and your family, but relying on a few anonymous internet posts here strikes me as a poor choice. At the same time, there a lot of great info here about ships, itineraries, excursions, and so on.[/quote

 

 

Thanks for the response. I already subscribe to the Alaska board but what better way to get some opinions on the NCL cruises from Seattle than to ask the people on the NCL board that have actually done the trip? For you to state that I would make the choice based on "a few anonymous internet posts" is presumptive on your part. I plan on gathering information for several more weeks from a lot of sources before making a decision. This post was just one step along the path. But again, thanks to you and everyone who is taking the time to reply.

Bill

 

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be "presumptive" -- what I was trying to say is that I recommended checking the Alaska board as well as this one, because relying on just a few posts "here" (on the NCL board) might not result in the best choice for you -- you could miss out on additional information on other lines/itineraries/options which are found on the non-cruiseline-specific Ports of Call board, and which might suit you better. Since you said you are checking that board as well, it sounds like you are doing the same type of research I like to do. We love NCL, and I was preparing to book NCL for Alaska, until I read the Alaska board extensively and realized that for what we wanted to do, one way itineraries would work better -- so I was trying to recommend that you check it out as well. Sorry to offend you.

[wkelly5688]

 

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be "presumptive" -- what I was trying to say is that I recommended checking the Alaska board as well as this one, because relying on just a few posts "here" (on the NCL board) might not result in the best choice for you -- you could miss out on additional information on other lines/itineraries/options which are found on the non-cruiseline-specific Ports of Call board, and which might suit you better. Since you said you are checking that board as well, it sounds like you are doing the same type of research I like to do. We love NCL, and I was preparing to book NCL for Alaska, until I read the Alaska board extensively and realized that for what we wanted to do, one way itineraries would work better -- so I was trying to recommend that you check it out as well. Sorry to offend you.

 

No offense taken. I certainly didn't post anything to say that I was already on the Alaska board so you had no way of knowing. And as I said, I do really appreciate your response. Different view points, (and sometimes differences of opinion), are what make these boards so great. Hope you find a great Alaska cruise.:)

Bill

[terrymtex01]

One other thing i would like to throw in the mix.. I was unaware that you have been on the Pearl already. Two things I want to say about that.

 

1. There is something, for us at least, to be said about being back on a boat you have already been on. We actually love sailing on boats that we have been on and liked. You don't have that problem the first few days of trying to find your way around the boat, just getting to know her again. For some people, if all things are equal would want to try a different boat, for us, we like going on the same boat. Fortunately for us, for the Alaskan itinenaries we have been on all three of the ships, Sun, Star and the Pearl and since the Star is our favorite, we tend to lean towards booking again with her.

 

2. We have friends we met while on our last cruise on the Star. They had sailed on the Pearl a few months before the cruise we met them on, and they were disappointed in the differences between the Pearl and the Star. They liked the Pearl better because it is newer, slightly bigger, had more "activities" to choose from, etc. Nothing wrong with them feeling that way at all. After we cruised the Pearl this past Oct, the Star is still our fav. Just posting this to say if you do book with the Star as opposed to the Pearl, be aware she is not as new or as big as the Pearl and doesn't have the bowling lanes, etc.

[mypleasure]

We did the Star last year towards the end of June. I wouldn't say the seas were at all rough at any time during our trip. May could be different though.

 

I thought the scenery on the first day out of Seattle was great albeit a long way away for most of the time but there were other things to do instead. Same on the last day.

 

On the Star we had about 7 hours in Juneau. We booked a Glacier and Whale Watch excusion and saw absolutely nothing of Juneau other than from the bus we were on. However we enjoyed that excursion a lot so did not feel we were cheated or anything like that. We knew it would take up all of our time.

 

This year we are travelling on the Pearl. It seems the Pearl itinerary has a lot more time in both Juneau and Skagway. We are looking forward to doing the things we didn't have time for last year. Also the Pearl goes to Glacier Bay which is a sea day with lots of scenery.

 

I cannot comment on which is the nicer ship until I have been on both but I did like the Star and I think I will like the Pearl too.

[Cruise_More_Often]

We sailed on the Sun out of Seattle a few years ago in early May, and the water wasn't rough at all.

 

If you're doing the Star, definitely do the Tracy Arm Glacier Excursion out of Juneau. It is awesome! I'm not sure how long the port time is in Juneau, but when we went, we had plenty of time to go up to Mr. Roberts in the tram and spend quite a while up there, take a local but to see the Mendenhall Glacier and then do the Tracy Arm Excursion. Of course, I don't think we ate that day!:D