IRMO12HD

On my way! Hanging out in the Alaska Lounge in the N Satellite at Seattle. My favorite one here (there are 3) because it looks out on the Active part of the runway (for takeoffs anyway)

Whew, long day! My DH bought a Honda Ruckus so we had to go pick it up this morning. Of course, he loves it, and I ALMOST told him "I told you so!" -- but I didn't! Come to think of it, his Ruckus matches his trike (black) and my Ruckus (just 12 years older than his!) matches my Heritage (orange!). Anyway, so that took an hour and a half out of my planned activities for today, which included yard work (gotta be done), packing (this is THE LATEST I've ever started packing, although I have been planning for several days), and finishing up some things that I promised I'd do. Well, I'm almost done them. What did I pack? Raingear, jeans, shorts, a couple of nice shirts, hiking boots, comfy boots, short sleeved shirts, long-sleeved shirts, -- and a bathing suit, in case I decide to brave the pools. Oh, and some Washington wine (yeah, I know there's a corkage fee) in Wine Skins, so I can bring back some Alaska beverages. I'm not too much of a partygoer, so am leaving behind any semblance of costumes. I'll be one of those on the outside looking in, watching people have fun, and enjoying that. My first shore excursion will be riding the train down to Seward; with the FAS $50 credit, it came out to be a little less than what I found online -- and I like the 1:00 pm departure much better than the o'dark forty-five (i.e., 6:45 am). My first objective once I board? Finding O'Sheehans because I'm going to be hungry! Good night!

@SomewhereGirl I lucked out on my interior guarantee -- a midship cabin on the 9th Deck. It's so nice that there's no way I'd give it up for a luck-of-the draw paid upgrade to Oceanview at a cost of at least $100!

And to finish the long title here so that it fits the 125 character rule (also in fine print :-) 😞 Seward - Vancouver, BC (with apologies and tribute to Judith Vorst. IYKYK.) It pays to read the fine print. Yes, it does. When one doesn’t, one may find oneself in a position of having to either 1) book a cruise, or 2) lose $150 from an unused CruiseNext certificate. And that, oh ye who trouble to read this, is why I’m booked on Norwegian Jewel, sailing out of Seward on August 28 (at the weirdly late hour of 9 pm), on a 7-night voyage to Vancouver, BC. I thought I had until November 2023 to use the CN Cert – but thanks to illuminating comments from people on this board, I figured out (and confirmed with Norwegian) that I also had to SAIL by November 23. I live in Washington’s Inland Empire, so the choice was pretty clear – either a Mexican Riviera, Pacific Coastal, or Alaska cruise. After some quick research, I settled on this one because (1) it was super cheap (like $259), (2) had NO single supplement, (3) offered a 35% discount plus a 10% military discount, (4) I wanted to see Alaska again, having been there in 2018 on Westerdam, and . . . well, you get my drift. I opted for an Interior Guarantee (because it was cheap, and I don’t mind interior cabins – I plan on spending LOTS of time on deck), and with the $300 CN cert, and even with $290 port fees and taxes, I ended up paying just $138 out of pocket. Of course, there’s airfare to Anchorage, service charges, and an overnight stay in Anchorage, among other expenses, but IT’S ALASKA, BABY! That’s my introduction to this, my kind of live review. I have limited experience sailing on NCL; most of my travels have been on RCL. As I said, this is my second time cruising in/around Alaska; Westerdam was actually a North Pacific Crossing, so we visited Juneau, Glacier Bay, and Kodiak en route to Hokkaido and Yokohama, Japan. To keep my cost (and my weight gain) down, I opted out of the Free At Sea Drinks offering. Scheduled Teppanyaki for my FAS Specialty Dining, and am definitely taking advantage of the Shore Excursion benefit. I did apply for and receive my $100 Shareholder Benefit OBC. We’ll see how I fare with the 150 minutes of Internet; I will be assiduous about logging off right away to conserve my precious minutes, and will be availing myself of (free) Wi-Fi whenever available. With one day and a wakeup before I fly to Anchorage, I need to get packing. More tomorrow!

On the 737-900, I believe that Seats 17A and 17F have my initials on them!! Love Exit Row!

From what I understand, you can store your luggage at the airport if you have a valid boarding pass (like from the day you fly in). https://ancairport.com/faq/can-i-store-luggage-at-the-airport/

I had to use a Cruise Next (NCL) certificate or lose it; booked an amazing deal on Norwegian Jewel 7 Night Seward-Vancouver for an Interior Guarantee. DH and I have been traveling a lot this summer, and he's tired of it for now, so I'm solo-ing! We're already in Washington state, so Alaska cruises are a whole lot easier to get to!

I'm on Jewel, which (I think) doesn't have studio rooms; however, I think you may be right.

One advantage of being solo on NCL with the Free at Sea is that the $50/shore excursion credit is all mine! I'm on a 7-night in an Interior Guarantee, and get: 1 free specialty dinner 150 minutes Internet $50 Shore Excursion credit per port If there were two people in the cabin, only passenger #1 would get the $50 credit I declined the beverage package portion of the FAS

The above picture was taken at about 6 a.m. coming into the Los Angeles port. As you can see, the simulated balcony railing is pretty bright, so I actually kept the curtain mostly closed on the VB at night. You can also see the light shining under the bathroom door. It was completely closed, but let the light through underneath.

@latebuyer, since you didn't mention which ship you'll be on, it's not clear to what classes of cabin you could upgrade to. Having been in Interior, Interior Virtual Balcony, Interior Promenade View, and Oceanview (as well as Oceanview Balcony and Junior Suite), I will say this about light: it's totally up to you. In an Interior or Interior VB (or Promenade View, for that matter), you won't have any "natural" light. However, you can always (a) leave a light on in the bathroom and leave the door cracked; (b) bring a nightlight; (c) put your phone right by the bed so you can grab it if you need a light. Otherwise, yes, it will be really dark at night, or during the day when you don't have any lights on. The Virtual Balcony is a great source of "simulated natural light," as it will show you the ambient light outside plus some "unnatural light" in the form of the simulated balcony image on the screen. Here's what it looks like:

That is really interesting that the view on your VB screen changes! On Navigator's VB screen, I think it's just one camera view/feed, from a camera on the starboard side of the bridge.

I signed up for this excursion through the cruise line (RCL). I'm curious to see / read anyone's experience with it? Looking on TripAdvisor, the only kayak operation I could find (Shawii) doesn't have any reviews. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who's done this, or a similar, excursion?

I think Ensenada is going to be what you make it. As a solo female traveler, I make sure I do adequate research and planning before I start a journey, and that is what I did when I did my first B2B on Navigator of the Seas in December 2021/January 2022. I'm interested in history, and like to walk/hike. My first time in Ensenada I walked to the Riviera del Pacifico, a 1920s era hotel and casino that is now a cultural event center (in fact, most of the ship excursions that promote a "cultural experience" will probably end up there). It's an easy 15 minute walk, with one street crossing (at a traffic light). It is home to the Bar Andaluz, which claims to be the home of the first margarita. I spent about 1/2 hour exploring the building, another 15 minutes exploring the grounds, and then another 3/4 hour cherishing and tasting my first "original" margarita. I then walked through a bit of the tourist area, and back to the ship for lunch. Exciting? No. Satisfying and somewhat entertaining? Yes, for me -- of course YMMV. The second time I went on a ship excursion to the Calafia Valley for some wine tours, as I wanted to see the countryside (and I like wine). Upon returning to Ensenada, I walked around with some of my newfound friends from the wine tour; did some (targeted) shopping, and then went back to the ship. Exciting? Not particularly. Satisfying and entertaining (and somewhat eye-opening)? yes. I'm going back in March on a 5-night cruise, and have booked a ship excursion involving kayaking and La Bufadora; definitely looking forward to it.

Interesting. Last year (December 2022) I walked to the port from the Crowne Plaza at 8:30 a.m., found a porter and left my big suitcase with him; then walked back to the CP for breakfast. Mosied back to the port about 10:00 for my 10:30 check in and basically walked right in to the "tent"

I received my Royal Up offer at 45 days out. I'm in an Interior Virtual Balcony on Navigator (5 night sailing). Here are my upgrade options and minimum bid amounts: Promenade View Interior/$15pp = $30 Ocean View/$20pp = $40 Spacious Ocean View/$25pp = $50 Spacious Panoramic Ocean View/$25pp = $50 Ultra Spacious Ocean View/$30pp = $60 Ocean View Balcony/$65pp = $130 YMMV, of course!

Just a reminder --- make sure you put all phones into AIRPLANE MODE before leaving the port! The Wifi and messaging will still work on the ship, but you won't receive a nasty surprise in the form of a humongous cellular bill when you get home! Also, check with your carrier to see if they have coverage in the ports in Alaska that you visit. Not that I've learned this from family member experience (cough, cough!).

@heels_fanThank you for taking the time (and keystrokes!) to describe your experience. I am contemplating finding an independent excursion (as opposed to a ship-sponsored one) and appreciate your candor and detail. I've been checking on these and other forums to try and find recommendations so I know who to seek out. It sounds like I need to dive a little deeper to find reputable and responsible excursion providers.

Thanks for the tip about going back to the Crowne and booking a rideshare from there a bit later!

@vacationlover_mnHere is a picture of the one that was in my room (10th floor, facing East (I think? Toward the cruise port). It was a Hamilton Beach, but used K-cups. The hotel provided coffee and tea k-cups, and probably would have given me more had I asked. It was just me, so one cup was fine.

I did a video of my walk from the Crowne Plaza to the Cruise Port (Navigator of the Seas). Here's a link to it: The video itself is 12 minutes long, as is the walk, at a strolling (as opposed to striding) pace. Very level, wide sidewalks, and even a bit scenic.

I have a picture of it -- will post it when I find it.

When I stayed there in January 2022, my room DID have a coffeemaker (Keurig type). As I've mentioned in other posts, I found it to be a nice place to stay. My room was on the 10th floor with a good oblique view of the cruise port. I got to watch my ship come in (at 0'dark thirty in the morning :-).)

Could you please find out which bank she used? The banks I've checked with have said that Bahamian $ are not on their list of foreign currencies that they deal with. I'd love to find one that does!