SuperCrewBear

We're on the NCL Jewel 6/25/18 to Alaska for the first time, we are huge DIY and love to find the same tour off the ship cheaper fans! We've also been known to drive 3 hours (1 1/2 each way) on a road trip, just to eat at the birthplace of the hamburger, Louis Lunch Counter, so we like the off the beaten path stuff too. Therefore, I have a few questions:

 

Ketchikan: 7:00 - 4:00 Are there any known (easy to get to via foot) good places to see bears eating salmon? Any port really for this (at a safe distance, of course-LOL) A friend has already told me Ketchikan is a DIY port. $2 pp round trip bus to totem poles, any other good suggestions?

 

Juneau: 11:00 - 9:00 What is the difference between the "Blue" bus vs "White" bus to the Glacier? What is the cost of each? Are there whale watching excursions you can get at the port (think the Caribbean)? We have on the itinerary Mt Roberts Tram if views are good. Duck Fart shots are already on the menu...Anything else? Museums? Do you recommend renting a car?. We're traveling with another couple so that helps in splitting costs of car rental.

 

Skagway: 800 - 800 Already booked on the White Pass Railway, is there a better side of the train to sit on? We have about 3 hours after our tour, is there anything close by to do?

 

Seward: We're staying overnight and taking the train to Anchorage the next evening, is there a better side of the train to sit on? Are there off boat whale watching excursions? Any must do things?

 

Would love to know your favorite salmon restaurants, especially if it's a great deal, all ports!

 

Thank you in advance for any suggestions!

 

Best,

Terri

I can only respond to a couple of your questions - I'm *NOT* an Alaska expert...

On the White Pass train are you taking a round trip? If so, you would probably want to sit on the left side on the way up the mountain and on the right side on the way back down. Otherwise you'll mostly be looking at a rock wall much of the time. The other suggestion I have is info I got from a local on my trip there: Take the train later in the day other than first thing in the morning. The reason is there is often low clouds/fog in the mornings so you won't have a very nice view from the train. Later in the day the fog & clouds will tend to burn off leaving better views.

Here's a pic I took heading towards Skagway from Fraser - I'm on the right side of the train - if you're on the left side there will be a lot of views of rock walls...

Looking towards the back of the train - I'm still on the right side of the train....

On the ride from Seward to Anchorage I'd probably want to sit on the left side of the train. The first part of the ride will be through forested areas but the last part before getting to Anchorage travels along the edge of the mountains and right near the water of the Turnagain Arm coast. That way you will have a clear view out over the water - you'll be able to see mountains (assuming it's not a cloudy/foggy day) across the water. I've not ridden the train from Seward to Anchorage but have driven the highway. I have no idea what kind of scenery you'll see before reaching the water view area. The train and highway run parallel and very near each other, hugging the coast line. The forested areas ARE beautiful though.

Here is a pic of the rail road tracks overlooking the Turnagain Arm coast - the left side of the pic is towards Seward, the right is towards Anchorage. I'm standing on the edge of the highway.

The non-coastal area looks something like this so at that point it probably wouldn't matter which side of the train you're on - taken just a few miles north of Seward. The tracks are only visible from the highway a few places.

Thank you.

 

The cruise charges $22 per person. So it will be $44 for two.

How much I should give for tip? In my country there is no tips.

 

 

 

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$5-$10 would be a decent tip. If the driver helps with the bags and such giving $10 would not be too much in my opinion. I'm going on the assumption the fare will be in the neighborhood of $35 as mentioned above. At the time of year you will be arriving it will probably NOT be dark outside - probably fully light. Good luck and enjoy your trip! :)

To Alaska the first time I ended up booking everything independently except for a couple of items. I used the info I found here on Cruise Critic so I felt like I had a lot of good opinions on who was a good vendor. The info about Princess Cruises offering the difference plus 10% is cool - I've not seen that before. Anyway, we were only two but the difference in pricing was usually enough to make it worth my while - with four your savings should be significant. It seems the independent vendors tend to have smaller groups which I like - I don't want to be on a bus loaded with 50 other tourists. For a stop like Juneau, depending on what you want to do, renting a car might be a great option - you can get a car under $100 for the day that will give you great freedom.

Good luck!

Can you let me know what Frogtogs are. I don't get around much!!

Check my link: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pro-Lite-...Sm-Md/43333895

I should have said the name FROG TOGGS. They are very light weight, usually come in a pouch and take up very little room in a bag. And not crazy expensive. A whole rain suit should EASLY fit in a backpack or similar size bag for taking with you while doing a shore excursion.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pro-Lite-Rain-Suit-Carbon-Blk-Size-Sm-Md/43333895

Get one big enough to go over some warm clothes...

I totally understand you said you don't want to rent a car. Could you reconsider? From Hertz you can have a car for your time in Seward (~24-hours) for about $150. To me, that's a pretty good deal. That's about $50 each for an "excursion". Not many excursions of any sort are that cheap. You'd be free to explore the Seward area at your leisure - it's a nice town. The drive out to Exit Glacier is only about 15-20 minutes and the cost of visiting the park is zero. The trails are well marked and fairly level - easy. We spent two full days (plus overnight) there last year and in the early evening we drove out south from the downtown area along the edge of the water - there were several whales in the area. We parked and watched them for about a half hour - pretty cool. Free. If you wish to eat a decent meal and kind of be with the locals the Sea Breeze restaurant (almost exactly across the street from Major Marine's office) has very excellent food - not fancy but not overly expensive either - I have a friend who lives at Seward and that's where he took us...though we had already ate there once already. :-) Right downtown are several nice shops to browse around in and maybe buy something.

Good luck!

Have you looked on the Port of Seattle to see what it says in regards to luggage storage?

Copied from the Port of Seattle page on Cruise Services:

"The cruise terminal concierge offers luggage storage after cruises, plus city information. Hours of operation are 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on cruise days only."

Yes NCL participates. Used it last year put the bags out, didn't have to deal with them till we got home. It's a fantastic service, that I suggest everyone looks into if they are ending a cruise in Seattle. Check to make sure your airline participates also.

Do you remember the earliest flight time that NCL will let you use the service for? It seems the cruise lines have different criteria on flight times. Thanks! :)

We took a cab from the pier to the gardens two years ago. Since you have five in your group you will need to look for a minivan taxi. There should be plenty of cabs waiting for passengers needing rides. Before you get in I'd discuss the pickup at the gardens for later - you may have to offer to give him an extra good tip to get him to come back for you... The gardens are off in the distant suburbs and not where cabs would normally pick up passengers. We had a little difficulty getting a taxi back and we were in Victoria from 12 Noon until 12 Midnight - we went right to the garden after getting off the ship and were ready to go back around 5 PM. The ride is about 25-30 minutes in normal traffic. The taxi driver we had gave me his phone number to call for a ride back but he wasn't interested when I called him... We finally found a taxi that we shared with a couple ladies who were trying to get back too. If you get off the boat at 7 PM sharp don't expect to be to the garden before about 7:45 - that's only going to give you about two hours to look around. Don't dawdle!

I did a two week road trip of interior Alaska last year. What I came away knowing is it takes much longer to get from one place to another than just knowing it's "X" miles. I think people will tend to underestimate travel times. The reason (for us) is that there is just SOOO much to see - you'll want to stop much more than you might think. Around almost every bend in the road is something spectacular or interesting to see that will make you want to stop. An example: It's only about 125 miles from Fairbanks to Healy (Denali area) yet it somehow took us the better part of a day - about 8 hours. It's also a good idea to assume you could get caught by road construction or a wreck. Either could cause a considerable delay. We enjoyed our nearly 2,000 mile trip - I would have no trouble repeating it again. Good luck!

If anyone know the earliest flight time that NCL allows, please post that info. We have a 11:45 AM flight on Alaska Airlines. I'm hoping we'll be able to use the service. It will certainly make life easier!

Haines isn't visited that much by cruise ships so when I see someone going I like to recommend a fellow there who does fishing charters. Ron Malone has 9 Fingers Charters and specializes in salmon and trout. He told me he likes to show people the real Alaska, not the tv version. He's a great guy and pretty funny - I promise you'll have a good time with him. He will pick you up and drop you off. Here's the link to where I posted a few pics from a fishing trip last year:

9 Fingers Charters

Good luck!

While in Glacier Bay, Alaska they serve a "Snow Plow" that I think is pretty awesome. I'll be back in a few weeks and will be having more than one. :D

I got roasted on here when I didn't like being bugged by the PCC assigned to me after I booked my first cruise ever using the NCL website. I told him/her (???) to please stop bugging me and that I would call if I needed anything. It made no difference. I had paid 100% of my cruise at the time of booking so I finally told the PCC that I would cancel the whole thing and book with some other cruise line if they bothered me again. I haven't heard from them again. Just the way I wanted it. The roasting I got was from several people on here who insisted that I was wrong. Ha Ha Maybe so but it works for me.

The Port Valet website shows the participating airlines but no information on participating cruise lines. Does anyone know if Norwegian participates? The only info from Port Valet is to check for an enrollment form in your cabin on the ship. That's a bad time to find out they don't participate. ;p

Thanks!

I'm interested to know if Norwegian participates in the Port Valet service. The last I knew, they did not. But that was a year or more ago. The Port Valet website shows the participating airlines but nothing about participating cruise lines. I've been digging for information but coming up with nothing. The only thing the Port Valet website says is to check the enrollment form in your cabin. It would be nice to know more info in advance so other arrangements can be made if necessary. :confused:

In Homer we had a fantastic meal at Captain Patties. It's on The Spit, on the west side of the street. There are nice views out their windows. The place is also much larger on the inside than it appears on the outside. Ha Ha We had the King Crab Legs and some halibut fish & chips. It was very good and their French Fries are "German" quality - in Germany they somehow have the best fries I've had in the whole world and the fries at Captain Patties were that good.

I don't know how someone on a cruise would get there (we were on a land road trip...) but before you get to Homer there's an overlook with an information center that has a pretty cool view of The Spit. It looks tiny from there but is really about 4-1/2 miles long. A taxi might drive you there and back...

Since you'll be going north, the side of the ship that will generally be towards land (when you're in an open water situation) is the starboard (right) side. Once you're in areas that are not open water, it shouldn't matter which side you're on. The last time I was in a cabin on the starboard side; my cruise coming up we will be on the port side. Assuming things will be similar to before (same cruise line, same ship, same basic itinerary) we will have a view we didn't have before. :D On days such as at Glacier Bay (if you go there) it is best to get out and move around. But, if you want to stay in your room and do your viewing from the balcony they typically stop the ship in front of the glaciers and rotate around a few times so that every balcony on the ship should have a nice view. To me, that's the beauty of having your own balcony - sometimes you just want to sit quietly in your own space. Good luck!

My first time to Sitka was easy to figure out: I rented a car. Sitka's sites are kinda spread out though the town itself isn't very big. It's also very easy to navigate. A rental car from SITKA CAR RENTAL (Google search them...) is less than $100 for the day and you'll be free to stop and go when you want. (Sitka Car Rental will leave the car parked for you to get where is convenient for you so you're not wasting time going to their rental office...) The spots most people go are Fortress Of The Bear (several miles from downtown) and the Alaska Raptor Center (on the way to or from the bears) - there's some nice scenery about anywhere you look. There's a parking lot right near downtown that makes a good central spot for walking around to see things like St. Michael's Cathedral, the Russian Bishop's House, etc. Also on the edge of downtown (and walking distance from the Raptor Center, if you're on foot, is the Sitka National Historical Park - totem poles. Sitka is a very interesting place and my favorite stop. I love Sitka. Good luck!

I *think* after June 1 the Tundra Wilderness Tour goes as far as the point called "Stoney Hill Scenic Overlook" from the Wilderness Access Center where the tour starts. It's 61 road miles according to Google Maps. Here's a link to see where Stoney Hill is located. Zoom out and you'll get a better perspective. From Stoney Hill to Denali is about 36 miles away - though it looks much closer than that - on a clear day. :D Enjoy your visit! It's very special.

Google Maps for Stoney Hill Scenic Overlook

We were told by a Fairbanks native that it was the Thai restaurant mecca. Ha Ha So we tracked down their highest rated spot online and had lunch there. Bahn Thai right downtown. A nice place to eat and the food was excellent.

If you're feeling extra adventurous you might consider a drive up the Dalton Highway - Ice Road Trucker territory. We devoted an entire day for just that and it turned out to be our favorite day in a two week Alaskan road trip. Some think it's a huge waste of time but we thought it was fantastic. The remoteness is interesting. Just past the Yukon River crossing a few miles is the Hot Spot Cafe where we had an awesome lunch - the ladies who run the place are a hoot. There is no cellphone service after about 10-15 miles north of Fairbanks. The road (to *US*) wasn't nearly as treacherous as things we had read - we live in rural Oklahoma and have worse country roads here than we saw there...but we did have perfect weather our Dalton day. We decided there's probably a lot of people headed that way who have never seen a gravel road before. If you're interested check with Arctic Outfitters for a rental car specificially equipped for the Dalton - two spare tires, large tool box, first aid kit and a CB radio if you need help from a trucker.

Fairbanks is a nice city. Good luck!

It IS nice to have your own personal space when you want or need it. It's great to wake up and be able to walk just a couple steps and be outside for a breath of fresh air. I take a lot of pictures as a hobby - it was great to sit out on the balcony in the evenings to look through my pictures of the day.

We did the Alaska Canopy Adventures zipline at Ketchikan. Great fun! I'd never ziplined before and wasn't liking the idea too good (though it was *MY* idea!) but by the time we finished I could have immediately gone through it again.

At times like your layover in Vancouver I just go to an ATM and withdraw about $100CAD (more or less depending on plans) with my debit card. You can EASILY spend that much while you're there. It will simplify the transactions with taxi drivers, small purchases, etc. Your bank will probably have a more favorable exchange rate - my credit union doesn't charge much at all for the transaction.

A cool thing to do that should be handy for you is FLY OVER CANADA. It's right on top of Canada Place. It's a virtual reality hang glider ride where you fly over various locations around Canada. It's VERY cool - when you fly through a cloud you'll get a slight water mist on your face. I did it twice while on an overnight prior to a cruise a couple years ago. It's about $40CAD per person and takes about an hour total. We thought it was awesome.

Good luck!

Alaska Canopy Adventures has the "Rainforest Canopy & Zipline Expedition" that's about 3-1/2 hours. We did it in May '16. We both loved it. Great fun!

 

Good Luck!

Zip lines terrify me! The rest of my family is doing on at another stop.

I wasn't paying attention... I thought you said Ketchikan... :p The place I was talking about is there. But there's one in Skagway too! :D I was scared sh!tless too but did it anyway. I think I can do anything now. Ha Ha It was great!