The Alaskan Jewel! Welcome Aboard….You don’t Exist!

Hi all!

For those that don’t know me, I am Jen. For those that do…well hi again!

I am a mom of 3, 2 grown kids and then my baby who is 10 and a grandmother to a now 10 month old.

For those that know me, you know I am a pretty big Disney fan..nerd..geek…whacko….whatever term you want to use is fine. I’m cool with it. I tend to try and go to Disney World once a year, though it doesn’t always happen and then there are years when I go more than once, so it all evens out in the end.

This year is a non-Disney year believe it or not! We decided to sail on Norwegian (NCL)....to Alaska…. as you can tell my by title.

What? Disney sails to Alaska, so why did you sail with them?

Well long story short, we found going out of Seattle was going to work better for us and Disney sails out of Vancouver. And then price and availability was another factor. When I started looking at the week we wanted to cruise, Disney was pretty much sold out. Every so often a stateroom would pop up but the price was sky high. In the end we went with NCL which was almost half the cost of DCL and we got a bigger stateroom category.

When did you go? July 31 we flew into Seattle and set sail on the NCL Jewel on Aug. 1.

Who went?

Well that would be me…obviously…and my husband Skip and my youngest, Claire.

797765 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr

I often travel with Claire and my husband comes most times, but he is what I like to call a resister. He complains a lot about vacations, even though I know he has a good time. Things have changed around here a little bit and it was easier for Skip to get away and believe it or not he was excited about this trip!

I will be sharing the good, bad and the ugly….and the beautiful. There was a lot of good and a lot of beautiful…unfortunately there were some bad and ugly as well and I will tell all the details.

I also will also be comparing my experience to Disney Cruise line. I have sailed them 4 times in the past and they are still ranked number 1 to me. I also sailed Princess for the first time last year and I may do some comparisons to them as well.

Please bear with me as I am slow at writing. I edit my pictures as I go and it is time consuming and I am also busy with work and life, so it takes me a while. I know a lot of people here like fast updates, but that is just not me. I took over 3,000 pictures and will post a majority of them. My goal is to write a couple of updates a week, so it will take me several months to get this completed. I tend to write it like a story as the events happen. I like to include details....that is when I can remember them! :D

If you are researching an Alaskan cruise for the remainder of this year, my report is probably not going to help a whole lot as it will take me quite a bit to get to those days. However this should help many people for the 2016 season or sailing on the Jewel to other destinations later this year and next.

If you have any questions beforehand I can try to answer them as long as they don't take away from my story or surprises I may write about.

I do promise that if you stay with me you will see a lot of pictures of both the Jewel and Alaska...and Seattle too.

I know not everyone likes this type of review and that is fine. If it's not for you, then just browse right past my posts. If you like it but don't like how slow I post, then I suggest checking every 2 weeks so you can read a lot at one time.

Let's get this baby started!!!!

Coming up…I will clue you in how this cruise came about…it was not the vacation I had been planning on originally.

following :)

Hi Jen,

Looking forward to your review. Take all the time you need - I know that it is very time-consuming.

Johan

Thanks for the invite to the NCL board-I am very interested to read all about the Jewel and your Alaska Cruise.

Following along...

Norris

I'm also following, and happy to be patient. Thanks so much for taking the time to be thorough!

Boarding the same itinerary next week... also a huge Disney fan... :)

I think I've even seen you on the "other board"... which I don't frequent much anymore.

following :)

Welcome!!!

Hi Jen,

 

Looking forward to your review. Take all the time you need - I know that it is very time-consuming.

 

Johan

Thanks for joining in. Yes they are very time consuming, but it is also fun to relive your trip over and enjoy it once again!

jenseib,

Enjoyed reading the first part of your review and looking forward to the rest of it. I will be sailing on the Jewel in September for my 4th time.☺

Thanks for the invite to the NCL board-I am very interested to read all about the Jewel and your Alaska Cruise.

 

Following along...

 

Norris

Hi Norris! Great to see you! I always love your reports and I need to get over and read your most recent.

I'm also following, and happy to be patient. Thanks so much for taking the time to be thorough!

Welcome...and thanks for coming along. I wish I had about 2 extra hours a day that I could just use for working on trip reports and reading others! ;)

Boarding the same itinerary next week... also a huge Disney fan... :)

 

I think I've even seen you on the "other board"... which I don't frequent much anymore.

You will have fun...now it's not DCL ...if you have been on them...but it was a good time and the ports are the most important part of Alaska anyways!

And yes..I am sure you do know me for the "other board"...I actually am on 2, but lately barely there either. :)

jenseib,

Enjoyed reading the first part of your review and looking forward to the rest of it. I will be sailing on the Jewel in September for my 4th time.☺

Do you have room in your suitcase to pack me? :p I want to go back!

I am doing this cruise next yr, so following along and looking forward to your review

A reminder folks, there is no need to post 'following' unless you want the OP to know. To keep track of the thread you can Subscribe to it from Thread tools in the right side and request either email notifications on new posts (immediately or digest format) or just have it appear in the top of your User CP when new posts are avail.

A reminder folks, there is no need to post 'following' unless you want the OP to know. To keep track of the thread you can Subscribe to it from Thread tools in the right side and request either email notifications on new posts (immediately or digest format) or just have it appear in the top of your User CP when new posts are avail.

thanks, I did not know this

Alaska is on my bucket list.. Can't wait to read more!

I am doing this cruise next yr, so following along and looking forward to your review

I hope my report is of some help for you then!

Alaska is on my bucket list.. Can't wait to read more!

It's been on my list since my very first cruise in 1998 so I was thrilled to finally get there. And it met my expectations and more.

So let’s get this boring non picture part done with so we can get on to the fun stuff!!!!!

A little background…

Last year I was very fortunate to travel 4 times throughout the year. In Feb. 2014 I went to Disneyland (for the first time) for a work conference. I had a wonderful time with a co-worker and hope to meet up again with her next year.

In March Claire and I went to Disney World and Sea World and then Skip flew down and met up with us to go on the Disney Magic and we also went to Universal Studios and Legoland. Another pretty darn good trip.

In August I had a 1 day conference located at Disney World. I flew down Friday, went to the conference most of the day Sat and then hit the Villain’s party at Hollywood Studios. On Sunday I went to the Magic Kingdom then over to Universal Studios and flew home Monday. I was solo that trip but did meet up with another co-worker for some of my park time. It was a nice little break from the real world.

Finally in Sept I cruised on the Caribbean Princess out of Ft. Lauderdale with my Mom. This was actually work related, but it was mostly pleasure on our part.

I was lucky and Skip did not gripe too much at all about my travels but he did gripe about any plans I wanted to do this year. He wanted to do another family vacation but he wasn't sure on the timing. Ever since I had come back from California he kept talking about wanting to go. It then kind of faded away but it was always there that we would be going to Disneyland this year. I was aiming for Feb and that got brushed aside because of work reasons at home for Skip. Then April was tossed around…well tossed by me, but it got thrown back in my face.

So in April we took a quickie weekend trip a few hours away from home to help satisfy our travel urges.

By the end of April though I was really wanting to get something planned. It is Disneyland’s 60th anniversary and I wanted to stay onsite to make the most of it. Skip is famous for deciding last minute…yes we have planned trips to Disney World with less than 2 weeks to go.

I started doing a little more pressing about what time frame he was planning on going and he finally said the first or second week of Aug. The first would have to work for us because if we went the 2nd it may run into Claire starting school.

Then he sprang it on me…I don’t want to go to Disneyland. Yeah my heart sunk. Where would you like to go? I asked?

You won’t want to go there but I want to go somewhere that starts with an A. Well my first thought was Aulani, Disney’s resort in Hawaii, but Skip had no clue what I was even talking about there.

Finally he said Alaska! Yes…Yes!!!!! I would love to go to Alaska and there are cruises there. I have no idea why he thought I wouldn’t want to go. I had asked several years ago about going and his comment was “who in their right mind would ever go to Alaska for a vacation?”

Well I have shows like Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers and Gold Rush, to name a few, to thank now because Alaska now was at the top of his list and he very much wanted to go.

So the searches began. Like I said, Disney wasn’t giving us many options and the prices were high, but surprisingly Skip wasn’t saying no to Disney. In the end going out of Seattle was just going to work out better and we had many more choices and a much better price range. So on the last day of April I put the NCL Jewel on hold to get the free beverage package and then I also put a Princess cruise on hold as well. The prices were pretty neck in neck so I then had to decide which line would work better for us as a family.

I reached out on Cruise Critic and asked some questions. Of course I got a lot of mixed answers. But I worked through it and I decided to go with NCL for a few reasons. Skip and I have sailed NCL before for our honeymoon 12 years ago…and actually I have sailed with them once before as well. The drink package was a big perk. We are not big drinkers but on vacation Skip likes to have some beers or other drinks and they can be pricey. This would be nice not to worry about how much they cost. And I just felt the whole freestyle thing would be more to Skip’s liking. He likes to be pretty casual and dressing up is usually a challenge.

Then I did some more looking and saw that the price of a Penthouse Suite was really not all that much more than the mini suite I had put on hold. It would be more room…..location was a huge plus to me…AFT…and it would include the beverage package, the specialty dining package, gratuities for he and I and $75 shore excursion credit for each port. Those perks were almost an even match for the price increase and it was well worth it in my opinion. I called in early May and asked about upgrading and was sure to ask if those perks would be with it and yes it was, so I made the change and put our deposit down.

Then the search for a hotel started. At first I was looking near the airport because they had shuttles, but then to do anything worth wild it was going to cost and arm and a leg to get there, so I turned my search to Downtown. I really wanted the Marriott but at this time the price was already close to $500 a night with taxes. Wow! I searched all the downtown hotels that peaked my interest or was recommended by others and the bottom line was we were going to be paying $400 plus for the night. I then looked to see what NCL offered and I found it. The Crowne Plaza. It was going to be $313 for the night. Not cheap, but compared to the booking directly with them it was a bargain and I added that to the reservation, which then included transfers from the hotel to the port.

I then searched out shuttle options and was given many suggestions but in the end I went with the Shuttle Express. I called to make a reservation as I wanted to prepay and the girl I got was a total idiot. She told me they don’t take reservations and just where to find them at the airport and I can schedule my return at that time. I really didn’t like that idea. I know I read others had made reservations so about a week or so later I called back and got someone who actually took my reservation and allowed me to prepay.

We looked over excursions, but Skip wouldn’t commit to any. He really liked the Deadliest Catch themed one in Ketchikan, but he didn’t like the price…oh by the way….all excursions for the most part are pretty costly in Alaska. Since we were new to the area and also since we had shore excursion credit we decided we wanted to book straight through NCL. Finally I made a decision and called about 2 weeks before the trip and made them. Since we had the credit we were told we don’t prepay, but that they will bill it to our onboard account and each day the credit would be applied. I booked for the 3 Alaskan ports and left Victoria go for now and we would decide later.

I also set to the task of making specialty dining. I decided the first night we would go to the main dining room, as well as the last night since we would be in Victoria that night and the rest I made reservations.

Not too far before our actual vacation NCL changed port times on a lot of cruises and mine was no exception. The only change was for Victoria though. It really was no biggy to me for the most part. We would be arriving later and leaving later, but we didn’t have anything specific planned…though I thought about Butchart Gardens.

All was set.

Now on to packing. I started putting things I thought we would need in piles in a spare bedroom all summer long. At one point I pulled out sweatshirts and jackets. I told Skip to try some on and he said he would not need any. I told him it could be chilly and it could be rainy. He said “If I need something, I’ll buy it there”. Ok then. I did pack a zipped up sweatshirt and that was it for him.

I got finished packing for the most part about 2 days before leaving. It really was a challenge as I just wasn’t sure what types of clothes to bring and how much of it we would need. I actually did a good job and only ended up bringing home a few clean clothes…most of everything was worn at least once.

I took the day before we flew off of work officially though I did finish up some last minute things. We cleaned out the fridge, double checked we had all we needed, packed the back packs , mowed the grass and did all those fun last minute things you need to do before vacationing.

And then we all tried to sleep. We had to get up early for our flight and it was going to be a long travel day, but excitement was settling in. Even Skip was excited and he was a chatter box about all our upcoming activities.

On to the fun!!!!

So happy to sign up for the journey here! I've read you on DCL. I wish you had talked to me before you went! We went on the Jewel in August of 14. Not sure where this will go but I had read how bad the food was so I paid the extra to eat in a specialty dining room each night. Loved the Steakhouse and French Restaurant!

I can't believe how much Claire has grown! By the time I find your next TR she will probably be as tall as you!

So happy to sign up for the journey here! I've read you on DCL. I wish you had talked to me before you went! We went on the Jewel in August of 14. Not sure where this will go but I had read how bad the food was so I paid the extra to eat in a specialty dining room each night. Loved the Steakhouse and French Restaurant!

 

I can't believe how much Claire has grown! By the time I find your next TR she will probably be as tall as you!

We mainly ate in the specialty restaurants for dinner and most everything was good, but really we didn't have any really bad food the whole trip at the buffet or in the main dining room.

Claire is so tall and mature. She doesn't even look 10 and if you compare her to her classmates she tours over them. She likes that though so thats good!

Last year I was very fortunate to travel 4 times throughout the year. In Feb. 2014 I went to Disneyland (for the first time) for a work conference. I had a wonderful time with a co-worker and hope to meet up again with her next year.

In March Claire and I went to Disney World and Sea World and then Skip flew down and met up with us to go on the Disney Magic and we also went to Universal Studios and Legoland. Another pretty darn good trip.

In August I had a 1 day conference located at Disney World.

Can you tell us what kind of job you have that brings you to Disney so much?

Can you tell us what kind of job you have that brings you to Disney so much?

It has to do with the travel industry, so our seminars can be pretty fun at times.

It's funny...I live less than 30 minutes from Disney World and haven't been in 4 years. My 11 year old is a Universal girl so we go there. The first year we moved here we had Sea World tickets which I loved but one day..the manatees..ugh..my daughter at 8 years old went all PETA on me. She flipped out and threw a class A hissy fit because she didn't think they had enough room in their area and demanded we left at once...we haven't been back. She was like traumatized. She wrote letters to Sea World that went unanswered of course so she has boycotted "that place." I'll wait till she goes off to college to go back..lol. The girl has her principals

so excited I love your reviews!!:D

I work with a cruise company but really need a job more like yours lol:D

I was on same cruise as you.... Can't wait to read your review to compare to our experiences. We had a great time and didn't encounter any problems. We spent 2 days before cruise and 2 days after cruise in Seattle. Was a fantastic 12 day adventure and can cross Alaskan cruise off my bucket list. Look forward to reading more.

Enjoying your review, thanks for writing!

It's funny...I live less than 30 minutes from Disney World and haven't been in 4 years. My 11 year old is a Universal girl so we go there. The first year we moved here we had Sea World tickets which I loved but one day..the manatees..ugh..my daughter at 8 years old went all PETA on me. She flipped out and threw a class A hissy fit because she didn't think they had enough room in their area and demanded we left at once...we haven't been back. She was like traumatized. She wrote letters to Sea World that went unanswered of course so she has boycotted "that place." I'll wait till she goes off to college to go back..lol. The girl has her principals

We do love Universal too. I am a big Harry Potter fan, but my family loves all of Universal. Only I have stayed onsite though there and now I would never want to stay off when we go back. LOL.

so excited I love your reviews!!:D

I work with a cruise company but really need a job more like yours lol:D

Thanks!

I would love to work with a cruise company.....I am assuming you get some discounts?