ChiefMateJRK

I didn't notice, but am guessing it was to provide cash payments to the few people who had positive balances on their accounts at cruise end.

You are right!!! (note my comment "I'm not a big beach fan") My beach time has mostly been Southern California, and I don't ever recall encountering such hazards. We were in the Caribbean in January and went to that beach where you watch airplanes land (I can't remember the island, but somebody else may clarify). It was not a particularly enjoyable experience. The path from the restaurant/bar area to the beach was a stinkin' accident waiting to happen. Not because of rocks, but some awkward chunk of concrete foundation that just kind of stuck out over the sand and made it very difficult to even step down to the beach. Of course, I also encountered the unexpected rocks as I walked anywhere. I'll either don the protective gear mentioned by @BirdTravels or just skip such places next time. That means I'll just skip them. As I mentioned, GSC has never presented such obstacles and also has free food and booze and a quick return to the ship whenever I'm ready. That will be my play going forward. 😎

I tend to hyperfocus on passports, medications, cash and multiple credit cards and let my packing list cover the rest. When I get in the car to head to the airport, I only confirm that everybody has passports and medication. Seriously, start and maintain a cruise packing list. When it fails to include something this trip, add it for the next trip. Do this a few iterations and you don't need to stress out over what to pack. I've done this for years and literally have not forgotten anything. Of course, the unforeseen can occur, which cash and credit cards will likely cover.😎

I'm a big fan of Alaska. I haven't been to a lot of places, but AK will likely remain at the top of my list. We've sailed AK twice on Pearl, twice on Encore and twice on Bliss.😎

I honestly never do anything with those but confirm the bottom line says zero and sign it. Not sure what happens if I don't sign it, but likely nothing. As others have suggested, those receipts are primarily marketing tools to convince some that they just received a very expensive dinner for free.

Yep. The Buffet is usually at max chaos on disembarkation day. We were in no hurry, so decided to go to Savor/Taste (one was open, I don't remember which). We went at around 7:00. Ironically, it was very calm and no waiting. We had a nice relaxing breakfast. Our flight wasn't until 2:25, so we just hung out until they booted us off the ship at around 9:45. We had to sit in the atrium and watch that massive line of people on deck 7 snake around until finally entering the Local to reach the forward exit point. That put us at SeaTac about 10:45, which meant we were under the 4 hour limit and could check our bags. I usually use the airport down time to check up on everything on the internet that I missed during the cruise. SeaTac has good free WiFi and charging ports at the gates which works out well.

You're welcome. Just a point of clarification, do NOT cross the street to take the elevator on the East side of Alaskan Way. That one takes you only to the lower level of the pedestrian overpass, which will take you to the parking garage. You can still get to Elliott Ave from there, but it is a bit more walking. The two elevators I suggested are on the West (Pier 66) side of Alaskan Way. One is behind some glass doors and the other is open to the sidewalk.

So, in the interest of "honesty," are you going to clarify what type of credit it is? Both FCC and Cruise Next are totally voluntary and if a person agrees to accept or purchase either one, they are certainly bound by the terms in place at time of issue. NCL has never changed the "rules" in either case. If it is FCC, than you agreed to it in lieu of a full cash refund at the start of the pandemic, and it was clear that it had an expiration date. Many accepted it. I instead insisted on immediate cash refund. I would have come out ahead if I took the FCC, but I didn't want to accept the risk. Apparently you did and it has now come home to roost. You get what you play for.

Future cruise credit or cruise next?

I think the construction is still going on South of Pier 66. IIRC, that pedestrian overpass has been there for years. Some have reported here that "you need to drag your luggage for blocks to catch an Uber," but it simply is not true. I discovered the Elliott Ave secret a few cruises ago and will use it exclusively for both arrival and departure on all future AK cruises.

Solution: fly to Honolulu next summer and take the 16 day Hawaii/AK/Vancouver Spirit sailing. That could very well be an official 🐀P cruise!! 😎

I'm not @graphicguy, but was on the same sailing. I've got the Seattle disembark down to a science. Here's what we did: a) after exiting terminal, walk about 20 feet south to the two elevators b) take an elevator to the top (5th?) level c) walk about 500 feet across top of pedestrian overpass to Elliott street d) call Uber/Lyft There were about four other groups there waiting for rides (i.e. no crowds). A nice Lyft guy in a brand new Tesla picked us up in less than five minutes. I think it took around thirty minutes to get to SeaTac. He showed us some of the nifty features of his Tesla which was good entertainment. Cost was $68 plus tip. This was a Lyft XL, which is roomier than the base price rides. I have no idea what NCL charges for their transfers, and likely will never use one again in Seattle. Next time, I'm going to Uber/Lyft to Elliott street and reverse the sequence for embarkation. No fighting the crowded traffic on Alaskan Way and no problems with the trains blocking the street (which happens a lot). This time I was on a B2B and the April 15 embarkation drop off was a breeze because there were no disembarking passengers. I've never see Alaskan way so calm and may never again. Have fun!

I'm not a big beach fan, but if I want to enjoy a beach I book an itinerary that includes GSC. Sure, the stop might be skipped, but I'll just enjoy it the next time. In defense of the OP, many (myself included) may have only been exposed to US beaches, so first time on a non-US island may be something they aren't prepared for.

This is the unbelievable part. A group of 21 people on a ship with endless lunch options and they all agreed to just eat the NCL pizza? I think I had two slices over the last two weeks, but I certainly would have been happy to avoid the drama and just move on to the next food station.

I’ve carried at least a dozen Guinness’s out of the Brew House. This week. Seriously. 😎

I think I’ve encountered Carlo, but not sure where. Gilbert and Harvey are neck and neck for most entertaining bartender, with Emory playing the classic straight man.

I now realize on second glimpse I’m seeing Harvey, then Indra with Zandy directly behind with her hair appearing to be protruding behind Indra’s head. 🤣 Did I mention how great these folks are?😎

Harvey and Zandy working hard to make our cruise fun!! 😎

The good news: I have 162 minutes of free internet remaining. The bad news: the NFL draft first round is tonight. Oh we’ll, my guys will probably screw it up regardless.

It was😎. Also, a shout out to the Heartbreakers. They played some of the more pop Elvis one night and I suggested a few others after the performance. They told me they might have to work on it a bit. Today, I found a front row seat in a rare afternoon Atrium performance. They saw me, said they had found it, and proceeded to play an outstanding “suspicious minds.” I think some in the pop-numbed audience were actually shocked to experience real good music. A little known fact: 🐀‘s love good music.

Don’t tempt me!! That said, I’ve made so many friends with bartenders, servers and entertainers on the Bliss that I would feel like I was “cheating” on them. Last night my new good friends in Siglo dedicated their first public performance ever of Purple Rain to me and DW. It was fantastic!! They told the audience that they had learned it while we were all watching the glaciers. Thanks friends!!😎 (I knew they had been working on it but we didn’t know when they would be ready)

I think the GM mentioned it at the meet and greet. Do you remember that @graphicguy?

I confirmed it with the expert (i.e. bartender). It is a Nitro tap. 😎

Thanks. I’ll send you a message next week. 😎

Have you ever actually used Uber in the last five years?