tortoisegirl

Booked Bliss for June 2019. Spa balcony so excited

Wow its crazy they are booking so far out (>2yr). Yeah, I too am really excited...way more excited for Bliss (1.5yr out) than our cruise this Sept (Pacific Coastal on RCI Explorer). We mostly booked the Pacific Coastal as it was the cheapest cruise for us, considering it is round trip Seattle so we won't have airfare. At this point we mostly cruise just to cruise (ie. chill), not for the destination, as the places we want to go are too expensive / require too much time off work. Anxiously awaiting more info on Bliss. We've never gone on a new ship.

I was so excited to see a mega ship on the West coast, especially out of Seattle (where we live). We booked NCL Bliss for the last Alaska trip of the first season, end of Sept 2018. At first it seemed really expensive (just over $4k all in for two people for a balcony cabin), but then I looked at how much Alaska cruises were going for (over $3k all in for two people for a balcony cabin - way more than past years). Also, we got a ton of perks - beverage package, 3 night specialty dining package, prepaid gratuities, $100 OBC, and $50pp deposit. We've done Alaska cruises twice before, both round trip Seattle, with Glacier Bay, on NCL Pearl and Golden Princess.

This itinerary is inferior, but it is more about the ship (and sailing locally( than anything else. I also far prefer May to September for Alaska cruises, with the extra ice (looks more Alaska-like) and longer days, but they aren't starting Alaska trips until June, which was even more spendy. I'm not 100% sure we'll keep the reservation, but I knew I'd regret not booking with these perks.

One thing I was surprised about was cabin selection...we wanted a mid-ship balcony, and the deck choices were slim, besides the categories being listed as available on many decks. Are they releasing more cabins later on, or have they really been selling out? It was also tough to pick a cabin not knowing where any public spaces are. I can imagine a lot of folks like us booking because it is a new ship and they are offering a lot of perks, then cancelling later on.

Any thoughts on Tracy Arm / Sawyer Glacier for a mega ship? I'm guessing they won't go to far in, especially since Juneau is the same afternoon.

Looking forward to more details on the Bliss. That forward observation lounge looks awesome. Hoping we see more new ships on the West coast now!

I love West Coast departures, but I'm not really into seeing Mexico (although admittedly I haven't been on a Mexican cruise, although I've done land vacations there).

We just booked a Sept 29th departure Pacific Coastal itinerary on the Explorer, round trip Seattle, with stops in Astoria OR, San Francisco CA (overnight), and Victoria B.C. I'm surprised they have enough interest to do this itinerary 3 times in Sept/Oct, but based on cabin availability, it must be popular. We wanted to book earlier in September - they have this itinerary 3 times in a row, but they didn't have the cabin location we wanted available. Also, they already had a wait list for 1st seating dinner.

I've read it is the least profitable itinerary. I love any cruise we can get which is round trip Seattle, as it is our hometown. Even with the increased fares for an Alaskan or Pacific Coastal cruise vs. the Carribbean or something, without airfare and a pre-cruise hotel, it usually comes out about even. The Pacific Coastal will cost way less than Alaska (which we've done twice), as we won't be doing any pricey excursions. Its not the most glamorous itinerary or ship, but we just like cruising in general.

Worst case you can use pool towels. We were on the NCL Pearl and I didn't see any throw blankets in the room or to check out, although we didn't ask our room steward. I grabbed us some pool towels, but didn't end up needing them. I think throw blankets are more easily found when the cruise ship does movies on a large screen by the pool. Pool towels are more likely to be clean though. I wouldn't want to use the comforter from the room (even an extra one) as the deck chairs can be dirty and its not really nice to use a white comforter outside.

I think (good) excursions make a cruise into a real experience. Our best vacation memories are from excursions that get us a bit out of our element and have us really see the area. Just getting off the ship and walking around you don't really see much. For example, many stores are owned by cruise lines and sell the same stuff. There are some that are more affordable than others though. If you don't think you'll be back to Alaska, it may be worth it to save up for longer. Some folks recommend at least one splurge excursion.

Holland America and Princess have the most Alaska experience, Glacier Bay permits, and on ship naturalists. With a round trip out of Seattle or Vancouver you don't make it as far North, but they are more affordable and convenient. We live in Seattle so both Alaska cruises we've opted for round trip Seattle. Vancouver has a slightly better chance of smooth sailing (where the greatest chance is the sea day after leaving Seattle), but there is always the chance for rough seas, so you are better taking precautions either way.

If you can't afford June/July/August, I think May is a better choice than September (longer days, less chance of rain, etc, although both miss salmon/bear season). In addition to ports and prices and such, compare the times and hours in each port; sometimes there are big differences. Best wishes.

Don't let rain or clouds ruin your trip. Prepare best you can (shoes with a bit of waterpoofing and non-slip soles, rain jacket, and rain pants) and have fun. Agreed the weather can really change day to day. Also, a rain forecast doesn't mean it'll rain the entire day in the entire area. Best wishes.

We really enjoyed the sushi (a la carte). As a bonus, if you sit in the Lotus Garden restaurant, you can order anything from that menu too (vs. if you sit at the sushi bar you can only get sushi). My husband loved Teppenyaki and I loved the buffet/appetizer portion of Moderno.

Passports are required to board even a round trip Seattle cruise, as they are required to have a foreign stop (typically Victoria) as no ships that do Alaska are U.S. registered (the only U.S. registered cruise ship is Pride of America out of Honolulu). You don't actually need the passport to get off at a Canadian stop (although its prudent to take it in case you get stranded), as they have already checked it before you get on.

I've done May and September. Prices were pretty similar (slightly lower in September), way lower than the middle of summer. We couldn't consider the June/July/August prices, and kinda absently picked September the first time around since its our anniversary. So glad we did May this time around. There was more snow on the mountains in May, which I love. Much much longer days in May. Less chance of rain in May. Both won't have too many kids on the ship. For both you miss salmon/bear season. My pick hands down between the two is May. The main thing with May is to ensure you aren't too early in the season that you miss something you want to do (I've heard of Denali not opening until later for example). Also agreed if you want Tracy Arm May isn't the time to go (although Glacier Bay is no problem), as its pretty guaranteed they will divert to Endicott Arm.

Kathyfromstl - We were there early in the season so it was probably 10 minutes on each side. They had some signs saying "30 min from this point" and such though, so I imagine at times it is busy so you should allow extra time. It probably took us a couple hours all said and done since we took a short hike to the viewpoint.

How long are you in port? What time of day vs. when those attractions are open? Consider drive time between the places, the order, and how long you are likely to spend there. Renting a car is a popular option for folks who have more than one or two stops in mind and/or have more than 2 people in their group as it adds flexibility and will be way cheaper than a cab, but it does eat a bit of time to pick up & return. Check on your Roll Call for folks to split a cab or rental with.

We walked to town (which took awhile from the AJ dock coming in on the Pearl), took the Mt Roberts Tram, looked around, shopped at the Alaskan Brewing Co store, took their shuttle (runs on the :40 for $22ish/person including the brewery "tour") to the brewery, and had dinner. That took nearly all our 8 hour port time. (we had done Mendenhall our previous trip)

My research led me to believe that Glacier Bay was very highly recommended, so I only considered cruises with that. If we go again later in the year (instead of May) I want to do Tracy Arm though (they often divert early in the season due to ice; also, once I added in the cost of the small boat excursion at Tracy Arm, that itinerary on NCL Jewel was actually more expensive than Glacier Bay on NCL Pearl).

Holland America doesn't really appeal to us. We've done Princess and NCL and much prefer Princess. Its more formal, but the food and service seemed better (1 Princess cruise and 2 NCL cruises). I'd start looking at itineraries at the same time as cruise lines. For example if you wanted a round trip cruise (which keeps costs down and is convenient) or a one way cruise (gets further North). I literally made a spreadsheet with some basic stats like embarkation & debarkation ports, scenic cruising, ports, time in ports, prices, ship age, ship size, etc, to help compare. I find the main difference between the lines to be the culture, such as demographics (average passenger age and quiet vs. party atmosphere), dining type, what is included, etc. Sometimes you have to just try them out to see if they appeal to you, once you zone in one a couple options. Best wishes.

For Glacier Bay, they opened the bow to guests (usually only crew). There is a secret entrance on deck 8 which took us awhile to find. Unlabeled and unadvertised (we saw people down there and searched to figure out what deck and how to get to it).

Agreed on the bridge observation room; its pretty cool, and it has a nice large ship model and a movie playing (although its on a loop; wish it had a start over button).

Shorts are only supposedly not allowed in Indigo (the smaller of the two MDRs, vs. Summer Palace) and Le Bistro (the French specialty restaurant).

An over the door organizer worked fine for our balcony stateroom, so if a suite has the same doors, I'd guess its fine. It blocked both towel bars, but my hubby likes fresh towels daily anyways. We put all our bathroom stuff in it, which as a bonus makes it easy to get at from outside the bathroom when someone is at the sink in there. We found plenty of storage, and we packed really heavy too as we didn't have to fly (3 large and 2 small bags!), once I moved extra bedding all to one area (and I could have even stowed it in our bags under the bed). I imagine a mini suite may have a bit extra storage too.

They had one night in the buffet where all the desserts were chocolate. I didn't really like any dessert I tried except soft serve though. Cookies were seriously lacking...I was tempted to order room service for $8 to get some as that is my favorite cruise afternoon snack.

I was willing to pay the $8 for a real hot breakfast, but it turns out they don't have omelettes or french toast or anything on the menu anymore (I had seen that online). Only basic scrambled eggs and potatoes and such for the upcharge. There wasn't any room service menu or breakfast slips in our room; we had to ask for them and the room service menu came as a poor photocopy, so I'm guessing it was a semi recent change so they took away the books where it was printed (we didn't have any general magazine about the actual ship in the room).

There was milk/cream/sugar/etc next to each coffee machine, but we often found something was out, either half & half next to the coffee, or cones at the soft serve. There are multiple machines though.

They opened seating in La Cucina adjacent to the buffet for breakfast & lunch. Its near the Great Outdoors bar too (which appears to be the closest full bar near the buffet, as they only had a few beers & wines in the buffet, and no one ever came to our table). There was usually a huge gust of wind just outside the door to the Great Outdoors deck, but it was less windy at the tables. Another drinks tip is they had several Alaskan beers for the itinerary which weren't on any bar lists (saw people with them).

On the Victoria day it said the buffet closed at 9 or something and they would only have snacks at Great Outdoors, but they were still serving full dinner after 10pm (not sure if it was just because it was really bust with folks coming back from port).

They still have the Kids Cafe between the buffet and the Great Outdoors, but I never saw food set out on it (mid May cruise; maybe when there are more kids in the middle of summer though).

We used a power strip behind the tv and our room steward didn't report us or anything (it was rather hidden anyways).

We got spa passes for $149pp for the week, although it didn't open until later the first day, and I don't think it was open on disembarkation day. I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure we really got our money's worth. The forward view was awesome just to lounge and read, and we went in the hot therapy pool & jacuzzi a couple times (although neither was really warm enough). We went for a tour of the spa after embarking and was able to buy a pass in the early afternoon, but I heard they sold out not long after (95 passes).

They held activities like bingo in both the Spinnaker and Lounge, space dependent I assume. Way too many activities that cost extra or were to sell you something for my tastes. Had hoped for more Alaska-themed stuff, but there was just a few documentaries and one guest speaker (at the end of the Skagway port day I think it was).

The Pearl definitely needs some work, both remodeling and a deep clean. It seemed like every soft surface was stained & worn and all wood furniture was chipped on every side.

I was on the May 15-22 trip on the Pearl. My husband and I absolutely loved the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari (booked independent though Alaska Excursions) from Skagway and Orcas Cove kayaking (through Southeast Sea Kayaks) from Ketchikan.

Glacier Point: 6.5 hours which involved just over an hour each way on a 24 person boat, 5 min each way on an old school bus through the forest, a 15 min hike each way through the forest, basic turkey sandwich lunch, and in between, an amazing 10 person canoe trip out to Davidson glacier. We got to get out of the canoes and walk up pretty close to the glacier, wading through the runoff. 360 deg beautiful views. There are 11 guides that live on the island April-October without power or running water. They take up to 70 people once or twice a day. I think this is the closest you can get to a glacier without flying or taking a strenuous all day hike. $219pp and I thought it was a great value.

Orcas Cove: 4 hours with about 2.5 hours in kayaks. Involved a 20 min 6 passenger boat ride each way to a larger boat where we transferred to kayaks. Max group size of 6 per guide (we had 4) in double kayaks. Beautiful scenery, sea life, and wild life. Included an amazing smoked salmon light lunch too. $169pp and I thought it was a great value.

In Juneau we did the Mt Roberts Tram (nice views) and Alaskan Brewing Company ($22pp for a shuttle from their store to the brewery, which includes a "tour", a few beer samples, and a coozie; my hubby is the beer fan and although we get all their regular stuff in Seattle, there were quite a few special releases on tap).

In Victoria we just walked around and picked up some special souvenirs at a liquor store.

As a side note, we weren't too impressed with the NCL Pearl. We thought the food and service was even worse than the NCL Pride of America a few years ago, which we also weren't that impressed with. I really like the idea of NCL, so since the POA is U.S. registered (and crewed) and the Pearl isn't, I wanted to give them another chance. Especially with the drink package promotion (we booked over a year out and got a great deal on the cruise and didn't have to pay gratuity on the UBP either).

Everything seemed really average...stateroom cleanliness, service, ship upkeep, food quality, desserts didn't have any flavor and you could only get cookies from the $8 room service, very slow bar service, not able to get a mixed drink at the buffet (only a few beers & wines, we never saw tableside drink service, & the Great Outdoors bar was often closed), had to specifically ask to get a drink from the bar at a sit down restaurant and it took awhile to get it, boring shows and poor scheduling of activities - good stuff often when we were in port (and half of the items seemed to just be trying to sell you stuff), not too many Alaska-themed special things (they had Alaskan beer and showed a few documentaries, but didn't have local seafood or too many other Alaska-themed activities), cigarette smoke lingered from the casino throughout the ship, etc. Lots of little stuff kept adding up. Our favorites were shortest embarkation time of 4 cruises, having spa passes (great forward views and an indoor hot tub, although we had great weather except in Juneau), having a beverage package, Teppanyaki, Sushi, & Lotus Garden (best food & service), Spinnaker Lounge, and Magnums/Shakers/Maltings bar (best selection & service).

We were even let off the ship significantly late at each port (I know they don't have control over when they are cleared, but they need to arrive earlier or publish a later time as guests count on having the full published time; good thing we didn't miss any private excursions). It was a repeat Alaska cruise and we live in Seattle so it won't be our last, so maybe we should have chosen a "better" ship as that was a decent priority. We definitely didn't let our disappointments deter us from having a great vacation, but I don't see us considering NCL again. We've enjoyed Princess and Royal Caribbean in the past, and want to try Celebrity.

Just off the Pearl and they didn't check times. We arrived around 11:30am and I don't remember exactly when we got on the ship, but it was well within a couple hours, and seemed quicker than any of our previous 3 cruises.

For us the biggest advantage was the amount we got to see (ports/islands visited in one week). We couldn't afford to take 2+ weeks off from work for one of the cruises from the mainland, and we tend to tack on a day at home on each end for packing & unpacking, and the night before the cruise in a hotel, so that just would have been too much time off. Plus I had concerns about all that open ocean time if going from the mainland, as it is a long ways off in case of an emergency, and I an prone to motion sickness (although I was just fine with Bonine I was actually surprised how much motion we got on the POA, apparently as we were so close to land). I also didn't have any desire to have a port stop in Mexico which most of the itineraries from the West Coast have to meet the foreign port rule. I think if someone has the time to take off they should definitely seriously consider the cruises from the mainland.

We had a great cruise and would recommend it. I think the main thing is you need to know this type of cruise is what you want. It was very port intensive (can be good or bad...typically we like some sea days, but in this case we were glad there weren't any). We did notice a difference in service with the American crew, but had set our expectations accordingly. If you were to price it out per day of vacation it would be very very expensive compared to other cruises (especially once considering flights & excursions, which we found were of similar cost to Alaska, not other island destinations).

Another disadvantage is we ended up spending some evening time onshore, so we lost out on the meals & entertainment we had essentially pre-paid for (still glad we did it though). I started to price out a land vacation and realized it would cost much much more to see all those locations (plus the only unpacking once thing it awesome). However, we were very pleased with the experience and glad we did it. We got a great overview, whether we don't end up making it back there or do end up planning another trip (gives you a very good idea of what islands you prefer for a future trip). The Na Pali coast sail by was a huge bonus which I wouldn't have realized ahead of time if I hadn't been on CruiseCritic! We even got to see some lava flowing (we went in 2013). Best wishes.

I travel with a braided rubber clothesline that can loop through all sorts of stuff, and takes up very little packing space. On a cruise I've hung it in the bathroom as an additional to the one in the shower, but since that area is so small and damp, it works best on the balcony in a warm weather climate. That shower clothesline only fits one pair of men's swim trunks or possible two bikinis. I have had a tough time finding a way to set my clothesline up in the room, as it has two closed looped ends.

Clothespins may also come in handy (although with this type of clothesline you can just stick a piece of the fabric between the braided pieces). Do you have pullman beds with metal rail sides? Your idea could also work if you'll mostly be using them at the pool. Also, especially if you use a towel to get most of the water out, putting on a damp bathing suit if its hot outside isn't too horrible. You just don't want it to sit wet for awhile and get stinky. Best wishes.

On POA we only saw them at dinner time in the buffet, which was only 6-9pm. My hubby resorted to ordering me some cookies from room service one time when we were too late after dinner to grab them, so he wouldn't have to listen to me complain anymore! Plus, my preferred cookie eating time is in the afternoon.

He didn't specify a quantity, but they ended up bring two of each of three flavors...more than plenty. I put them in a ziploc and had them for the next few days. Don't know why they couldn't have them at the coffee place or by the pool? Room service also had some brownies, but I didn't care for them as much as the cookies.

First world problem I know, but there seemed to be a lack of snack options on the cruise. That time when folks get back from excursions in the afternoon is pretty prime for that. Why not at least put out some crackers, carrot sticks, cookies, fruit, etc, at the buffet between meals? That would require little work on their part. On other cruise lines I was used to having the buffet remain open almost all the time, just with a very limited selection between meals. Something is better than nothing.

Those cookies were seriously the only dessert on the entire cruise I'd say that I really enjoyed. The rest seemed to be lacking on butter and sugar...quite bland. We had some wonderful deserts at Smiths Luau though, which helped make up for it. Plus, I'm that weird person who brings snacks on a cruise, as there are some things you just can't easily get (like gummi bears), plus its nice to have packaged snacks for excursions. Best wishes.

We sailed POA Sept 7-14. I was shocked how un-private the suite balconies on deck 13 are. Yes, the balconies facing aft look right over the pool and folks can see you from many areas. Even with the balconies facing forward, folks standing on the sun deck on deck 14 can look down onto you on the uncovered portion (these are covered by white tarp like covers tied to poles, and actually make a lot of noise flapping in the wind).

Sorry for all the folks having trouble getting info on what they have paid for. There is way too much conflicting info. If I was in that position, I would escalate through customer service and try to get a supervisor to actually get in touch with someone on the ship and insist they send you photos of the actual room, seeing how many discrepancies there are. If it only has one bedroom when you were sold two, you should have recourse, but there may not be too many options for cruises coming up soon.

I'm glad I hadn't set my expectations too high for POA. My hubby had, despite my warnings to focus attention on the destination not the cruise, and was disappointed. Lots of little annoyances added up for us, especially with food, as we just didn't do much else on the ship besides sleep & eat.

For one, to dine at a specialty restaurant at a time other than 5:30 or 9pm, you had to reserve at least a day in advance. The Brazilian place was oddly the least crowded (excellent by the way). The boards would show lots of green and yellow times, but those don't account for when they are holding a table for a reservation or when folks are dining (for example, it may only show red at 7pm, but you couldn't get a reservation at 6 or 6:30pm as they would hold tables for 7pm). Very misleading.

Also, there was a lack of food options between meals...the buffet completely shuts down from 3-6pm, so its only room service or the diner. No place to grab a quick snack besides the popcorn in the bar next to the buffet. If you want to go back out on a long port day, or go to a shop activity, you don't want to wait 20-40 min for room service. Glad we brought snacks! Why can't they at least have some simple non-perishable items out like fruit and crackers? They even closed off the soft serve machine between lunch & dinner (no bowls or cones out even if you wanted to disregard the blockade). I've never had that on other cruise lines...they would leave the buffet open between meals, just having very limited stuff (mostly snacks, fruit, desert).

Oddly enough they only had cookies at the buffet at dinner, only 6-9pm. Seems more like a lunch thing. For an afternoon sweet you had to order room service, or think ahead and get some the night before. Besides the cookies and the deserts at the Brazilian place, we didn't like any of the deserts (although we only went to the buffet, Skyline dining room, and Asian restaurant). The buffet was better than average but the main dining room was worse than average. Also, they would start to clear out the buffet well before the end of the meal service...if you went at 6pm to check out dinner options, and went back at 7:30pm to eat, almost half the options would be taken away.

At breakfast, near the end of the time frame, they stopped refilling items. Moderno was a hidden secret for breakfast. We assumed it would have less options, but in fact it had more, as they kept stocking it at the end of breakfast as it stayed open later than the buffet, 9:30-10:30am (although converted to continental for 10:30-11:30am). It was also much quieter. You do have to step right outside the restaurant though for juice or water. They have more items (especially condiments) available, but you have to know to ask. Don't know why they couldn't keep Tabasco sauce out...I assume they would take it back to the kitchen after clearing a table, instead of putting it back near the eggs?

I was expecting a little more from the dry dock. New carpet was nice, but the furnishings in our balcony cabin were all obviously old. Everywhere I looked there was something worn or grimy (needing a detailed cleaning like with a toothbrush in the bathroom along edges). Curtains and couch were icky in spots. Deck furniture was a mix of old & new. Had the best room stewardess so far too. We needed another week on the ship to try out activities...never made it to a single show or activity besides one wine tasting. By the time we were back from excursions we just wanted some time to shower and sit in air conditioning and rest, as we are not used to the heat & humidity. Loved the itinerary and we had a fabulous trip though! Best wishes.