jcathers1

It appears to be fairly cheap and easy to take the Line 1 train from SeaTac to downtown (where our hotel is). Looking for any experiences that would confirm or refute that. I assume we can just get tickets when we land at SeaTac?

We won't be getting in until ~10:00pm, so it will be a later train ride. I'm not really uncomfortable with that, but my wife doesn't love it...

16 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

I have a vague memory of that in the early days of the Escape.  But have not heard of that for a very long time.  To assist with the crowds the newer ships would give Haven guests an option to have lunch at Margaitaville (when it existed) or the American Diner.  Not sure if that still is in effect.  I have not heard of any dinner discounts lately.  Going way back people in the Haven used to be able to get specialty restaurant appetizers for free in the Haven.  That's all long gone.

I had completely forgotten about the Food Republic discount.  That's odd to think about from today's perspective.  I suppose The Food Republic was seen as a lunch place and maybe they were trying to jump start a dinner crowd or maybe it was throwing a small perk to Haven guests.  I do remember it. I never experienced it but it was in the days when Food Republic was a new concept.  Did not last long.

Thanks. I had totally forgotten about getting free lunch at Margaritaville on embarkation day. Another perk lost to time...

Several years ago, Haven guests received 50% off at Food Republic on the first night of the cruise. Does anyone know of any deals like this currently (at FR or any other specialty restaurant)?

On 5/14/2024 at 4:19 PM, The Traveling Man said:

Juneau:  The shuttle drops off and picks up at the base of the Mount Roberts Tramway, right in the heart of the city.

 

Ketchikan:  The shuttle drops off and picks up at the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau on Front Street, next to the main city cruise docks where most other cruise ships will dock.  As in Juneau, this spot is at the heart of the city.

 

You are not alone in questioning the wisdom of NCL docking farther away from the heart of town at several locations in Alaska.  In some cases it appears that NCL has chosen to dock at an industrial port instead of the busy central cruise terminal.  In other cases, such as Icy Strait and Ketchikan, NCL has invested heavily in their own facilities located a significant distance from the heart of town.  The reasons are unclear, but seem to be related to port fees, pier availability, ease of docking, and controlling their own destiny. 

I've seen a couple posts that say the shuttle drops off at berth 4. The Visitor's Center appears to be at berth 2. Can anyone confirm which one is correct? These are about a half mile apart. 

Thanks, all! Very helpful info.

I'm trying to wrap my head around the port locations/berths for our upcoming Bliss cruise, as well as understanding how we get to/from the city centers of these ports. Can anyone confirm what I think I know? 🙂

Sitka: we berth at the Sitka Terminal Outside. There will be free shuttles into the town and they drop off at the Centennial Hall. 

Juneau: we berth at AJ dock. Appears there will be a short shuttle ride. Can anyone confirm where exactly the shuttles drop off?

Icy Straight Point: Bliss berths at Wilderness Landing and there is a free tram (green one) to the "main" area of the port.

Ketchikan: we berth at Ward Cove west. There will be a free shuttle. Can anyone confirm where exactly the shuttles drop off?

Thanks in advance for the help. Any other dos/don't for the shuttling? Trying to make sure we have all these details straight have been the most stressful part for me. It appears that NCL's port locations are among the worst of any cruise line, which seems surprising to me. 

When do bears typically awaken from hibernation? We will be in Alaska in late may/early June, so wondering if they will even have emerged yet.

On 5/6/2024 at 12:42 PM, rockfsh said:

Do you remember which nights these were?

We are attending Icons on Sunday and Jersey Boys on Wednesday, but I don't recall which other options were available. 

15 hours ago, jcathers1 said:

Yes, thanks for mentioning this. We have a 3rd party excursion scheduled (snorkeling), so I'm keen to be very clear on the transportation details to get us to/from the ship. Our plan is to take advantage of the priority disembarkation to get off the ship quickly, so hoping we don't encounter lines for the shuttle busses. Interested to hear if anyone has experiences with this...

Apologies, the snorkeling tour is actually in Ketchikan, not Sitka. 

14 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

Seriously?  Snorkeling in Alaska?  What’s the water temperature there?

"Cold". Ha. They provide you with a wet suit and the reviews are really good. We love snorkeling in the Caribbean, so we are willing to give it a shot!

34 minutes ago, rockfsh said:

What nights are these shows? I have to plan dinners

There were two options for both shows during our cruise, and each had an early and late seating.

On 5/3/2024 at 10:22 AM, dmwnc1959 said:

I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this, but the cruise ship pier for Sitka is several miles outside of the main town. In these screen grabs from Marine Traffic you can see Carnival Spirit pulling in…

 

 

Yes, thanks for mentioning this. We have a 3rd party excursion scheduled (snorkeling), so I'm keen to be very clear on the transportation details to get us to/from the ship. Our plan is to take advantage of the priority disembarkation to get off the ship quickly, so hoping we don't encounter lines for the shuttle busses. Interested to hear if anyone has experiences with this...

Both Jersey Boys and Icons show as being performed on our cruise, but you can't make reservations to either (but I'm not sure what that means).

My wife and I both have the two meal FAS. Can we bring our two daughters to a restaurant and use all four meals in one sitting? Do we need to let the restaurant know in advance that we plan to do that (other than making a normal reservation)?

Or, if we wanted to purchase additional specialty dining meals, is it cheaper to do that before the cruise or during? 

Just received our tags for our Haven room for the Bliss next month and they were purple and said "priority".

Thanks for the helpful responses everyone!

Hi, all. We have sailed NCL multiple times in the past, but have been on other lines for about 8 years. We've never been to Alaska, so I've got some general NCL questions as well as some specific Alaska questions. We are on the 5/25 Bliss sailing. Thanks in advance!

1. Where is the port located in Seattle? It appears to be the Smith Cove Cruise terminal, but looking to confirm.

2. Anything to pack (or not pack) for an Alaskan cruise (other than the obvious)? We've only ever done Caribbean cruises.

3. We are in the Haven. What time should we get to the cruise port to get on the ship ASAP? Is it still "arrive anytime" for Haven guests?

4. We've sailed in the Haven before, but not for quite a few years. Any new Haven tips/tricks that we should be aware of to help us enjoy our time?

5. Any particular Bliss tips/tricks that folks have learned that would help us?

6. We are set for excursions, but also open to any recommendations for things to do/see/eat/drink in the Alaskan cruise ports. We visit Juneau, Victoria, Dawes Glacier, Sitka, and Ketchikan.

Thanks! 

On 10/21/2023 at 1:43 PM, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

It’s a bit like the subway… there’s no prohibition about bringing big bags on the train, but it’s certainly an acquired skill if you’re not used to it, and you might be an annoyance to the regulars. 

 

That said, ferry use in NY is way lower than the subway, so you’re much more likely to have plenty of space near your seat to tuck your bags away. Wall St - Red Hook isn’t exactly a booming route. 

Thanks. Dumb question from someone who's never ridden the NYC ferry before: do we have assigned seats or do people just mill around out on the deck? Or is there just general seating for folks who want to sit?

Appreciate the copious review. You may have (likely have 🙂 ) covered these topics throughout the review, but a few questions from me:

1. This will be our first cruise from a cold weather port. At what point did the weather warm?

2. Does Hola Tacos have any "all you can eat" pricing? It did last summer on Seashore.

3. Were there plenty of college football and NFL games on in the sports bar? Or where would you recommend us trying to watch these on Saturday night and Sunday?

We leave on Sunday, so trying to get some last minute details squared away. Thanks in advance!

We plan on taking the ferry from Wall Street/Pier 11. My wife and I will each have a large checked bag. I don't see anything on the ferry website about bringing bags on the ferry, although I do see language about bringing folding bikes. Any help on whether bringing large bags/suitcases is an issue?

Bumping this in case anyone can share their experiences.

Also, generally looking for guidance on how to manage disembarkation day. We have an early evening flight 5:00ish. So there would be time for us to do something in the city if we wanted. Just not sure what makes most sense. I've seen recommendations to either get a car/driver for several hours or just to go to the airport early and buy a day pass to a VIP lounge. If we did that, is Uber the best way to get to the airport? I know how busy/congested POM can be on disembarkation day, so I can't imagine what it's like in Brooklyn. 

Any thoughts would be appreciated. 

We are sailing on the Meraviglia this November and are considering one of the NY site seeing excursions on our disembarkation day. We don't need to be at the airport until around 5:00pm, so we are looking for something to occupy our time. Anyone have experience with these excursions (there is another called "NY Highlight Drive"). 

We are also open to other ways of occupying our time before we head to the airport, but these seemed like a good idea because we will have a place to stow our luggage. Thoughts or recommendations?

We were just off the Seascape, so can't comment on the Mera. But on Seascape, they were 50+ pounds. They were listed in kgs, so I really didn't know. 🙂

10 hours ago, amygutman said:

@jcathers1 We were told that info on our April Meraviglia and July Seaside cruise, both by the spa staff (on day 1 when we toured the facilities) and the YC concierge during their introductory welcome. Raja (the chief concierge on the Seaside) was very direct in saying he and his staff were more than happy to make the reservations but they did need to be made to avoid overcrowding. 

 

There has been mention on other forums about YC members being turned away without reservations whilst some never are questioned. Everyone's experience is different of course, but just passing on the information given to us on our last two cruises. 

 

Warmest Amy

Very interesting. As I said, that wasn't our experience, but we are on Meraviglia in November, so we will see what they say then. Thanks. 

3 hours ago, hawkeyetlse said:

I was talking about a PCC, not a third-party TA. Since the OP asked about both.

Apologies, I misread your original post.