Yo Adrienne

Again, thank you so much for these insights...! They're VERY helpful...! We actually disembark the day before our return flight home...there's only one direct flight from YVR to our hometown US airport, and disembarking on the same day as we'd fly out would be SO iffy that we decided it would be better to just stay the extra night...and fly out the next day. If you think of any other helpful hints or other bits of info come your way, I'd love it if you shared 'em here...! Sometimes, even the most random tidbit shared could be SO helpful...! Thank you again...! 🙂

Thank you...! This is exactly the kind of information I was looking for...! 🙂 When we arrived several years ago, we were fortunate to be able to use the kiosks...so we remember those "fondly." Hope you don't mind my asking...when we return to YVR for our flight home (to the US), how long would you suggest we allow at the airport...? (We fly home mid-week, mid-day.)

DH and I will be arriving at the Vancouver International Airport on a Saturday at about 11 a.m. (local time) toward the end of September...and just wondering how things are moving at that airport these days...? Are there a lot of delays...? When we were last there about 3-4 years ago, lines were very long and slow-moving...and it took more than an hour to get through, get our luggage, and get to our ground transportation....are things better, about the same...or worse...? We're coming in a couple of days before our cruise departs, so we're not worried about missing the ship...but we'd just like to know what to expect when we arrive... Thanks in advance...

DH and I will be [hopefully] cruising on the Jewel next month (14 day B2B Alaska, Vancouver/Seward/Vancouver)...so we're starting to look at items we should add into our onboard amenities. We have several specialty dining meals included already, but we're wondering if we should purchase an additional package. Does anyone have any current (2022) main dining room dinner menus they can share here to help us decide...? (I've done a search here on CC...and a general search online, as well...but can't find dinner menus that are current for this year.) Would love to see what the options are. And if the dinner menus in the main dining rooms are consistent across the fleet, those would work for us, too...! 🙂 Thanks in advance... 🙂

Is this (at least partially) why the Pan Pacific no longer has their Sunday brunch buffet...? We went to it back in 2019 (pre-covid) when we stayed there before our cruise and it was truly amazing.

Very interesting...! Do you know if that's specific to the Breakaway...? It would be great news if that's the case for all NCL B2B passengers on all of their ships. 🙂 According to the NCL website, Canada and the US are still requiring negative test results prior to boarding...so unless a B2B cruise is considered just one cruise (not two), it sounds like we still might need to do a test onboard before the second leg of B2B Alaska cruise on the Jewel...?

Several years ago (at least 3), DH and I were staying at the Pan Pacific Vancouver for a couple of nights prior to our cruise and decided to use Door Dash for delivery of dinner one night. The restaurant we chose was open and accepting orders...and offered delivery through Door Dash to our location during that time period. We placed our order...but were immediately notified that the order was cancelled. We tried several more times...and even used another account (each of us has our own)...but the same thing happened. There was no way to contact anyone in Door Dash management/customer service...so in the end, we just ordered room service from the hotel. Has anyone ever had this happen in Vancouver...? If so, any idea why the orders were cancelled without explanation...? (Or, if there was an explanation, what was it...?) We've used Door Dash successfully in other places...and never had this happen before. And we were never able to ascertain why the order kept getting cancelled. The only thing we could guess was that we were from the US...and maybe there was some issue with the restaurant/Door Dash thinking we were placing a fraudulent order. We'll be in Vancouver again this fall, so just starting to look at our options for dining...and whether we can count on Door Dash. Thanks...

Very helpful...! 🙂 Just a few quick questions: * Were you staying in the same cabin for the return trip to Vancouver...? (If so, did you just leave your belongings in your cabin while you went to explore Seward...or did you have to pack up, even if you were staying in the same cabin...? If you were switching to a different cabin, did the crew move your luggage for you, or did you have to retrieve/move it yourselves...?) * Could you have stayed on the ship (instead of going into Seward) if you'd chosen to do so (even if it had been in a designated area other than your cabin)...? * How was the flow of the crowd when you were returning back to the ship to re-board when you were done exploring Seward...(i.e., did you have any type of priority embarkation or special line because you were already a checked in passenger)...?

I remember reading your review(s) of your cruise...what a great sense of humor you have...! 🙂 (I have a note to go back and re-read the full thread...! 🙂 ) Do you know what would have happened...had you tested positive in Seward...? And then what about when returning into Vancouver...?

We are doing a B2B in September on the Jewel (Vancouver-Seward-Vancouver) too...and we're very curious about the covid protocols for testing for the second half of the cruise. We're in the US...so will test before we depart our home city (3 days prior to the embarkation), then fly into Vancouver 2 days before (assuming we're covid negative) to board the ship. I know protocols may change between now and then, so I'll be anxious to hear what others have found on this B2B route currently, and as the summer progresses. Hope you'll post about your experience too, once you've returned...! Happy cruising...! 🙂

We were on an NCL cruise May 10-19 (9-day round trip from Seattle) that was delayed by a storm off the coast of British Columbia on May 18. Instead of returning into Seattle at approximately 7 a.m., we didn't arrive until approximately 3 p.m...with disembarkation at 4 p.m., instead of 8 a.m. This meant that we needed to change our return flight home from Seattle...which meant an additional night's stay in Seattle, several meals, and an additional cost for airfare. We had travel insurance to cover these costs...but one of the things that the insurance company requires is an official statement about the ship's return to port being delayed due to weather. Before we left the ship, we were given a "case number" and told that someone from NCL would reach out to us to (hopefully) get us the information we would need within 15-30 days. Additionally, I submitted a request for this information via the NCL website. We're now more than a month since then...and still nothing from NCL...so we're trying to come up with some other ways to obtain official verification of the cruise's delay. Just curious...anyone else who has experienced a similar kind of ship delay recently...and required similar information to process an insurance claim...any ideas of where else I might be able to obtain official information about this weather-related delay...? (I already tried submitting a request to the Seattle Port Authority to see if they would have anything...but haven't heard back from them yet.) Thanks in advance for other suggestions...! 🙂

We were on the NCL Sun Alaska cruise May 10-19 (9-day round trip from Seattle) that was delayed by a storm off the coast of British Columbia on May 18. Instead of returning into Seattle at approximately 7 a.m., we didn't arrive until approximately 3 p.m...with disembarkation at 4 p.m., instead of 8 a.m. This meant that we needed to change our return flight home from Seattle...which meant an additional night's stay in Seattle, several meals, and an additional cost for airfare. We had travel insurance to cover these costs...but one of the things that the insurance company requires is an official statement about the ship's return to port being delayed due to weather. Before we left the ship, we were given a "case number" and told that someone from NCL would reach out to us to (hopefully) get us the information we would need within 15-30 days. Additionally, I submitted a request for this information via the NCL website. We're now more than a month since then...and still nothing from NCL. Just curious...anyone else who was on that particular sailing...and required similar information to process an insurance claim...have you received anything from NCL...? If so, what did you receive, did it help you (if you were filing an insurance claim), and how did you go about obtaining it...? Any ideas of where else I might be able to obtain official information about this weather-related delay...? (I already tried submitting a request to the Seattle Port Authority to see if they would have anything...but haven't heard back from them yet.) Thanks in advance...! 🙂

Where will you be cruising to/from...? We'll be doing a B2B in September (Vancouver/Seward/Vancouver) so we're wondering what the current testing protocols are, too. Of course, we know they could change by then...but at least your report might give us some sense of what to expect...! Have a great trip and enjoy...and will look forward to hearing your experience when you return...! 🙂

Before our most recent cruise, we purchased full coverage (flight and cruise) travel insurance through Travelgard. We've purchased travel insurance from them before, but this was the first time we've ever had to file a claim. (Lucky us...!) There was a delay in our return to our final disembarkation port (due to weather), so we missed our flight home and needed to spend an additional night in a hotel, purchase meals, and rebook on another flight home (no change fee, but the price was higher--of course). We paid out-of-pocket for all of these and kept all receipts. Once we were home, we filed the claim for reimbursement for those extra items and included copies of all of the receipts. I received confirmation and a case number...and a message saying that they usually respond within 10-15 business days. It's now been about a month since I received the case number...and no word from them. I called about a week ago and the woman I spoke to looked it up and said they had all of the information and everything had been received, but she had no update...and just said that they're running behind. (I could tell I was speaking with someone working at a phonebank.) Has anyone had any experience using Travelgard...and if so, would love to hear how it went, any details you can share, and suggestions of what to do next...? Thanks so much,

So glad you enjoyed them...! 🙂 We "found" them in the Bliss Lounge on our first night when we walked through, then checked the Freestyle Daily each evening before going to bed...to see where they would be performing the next day...and yes, they were in a few venues that weren't great. (The Atrium on deck 5 comes to mind.) We loved it when they were in Spinnakers...! I also have to mention that they were SO appreciative when passengers (like us) "followed" them to wherever they were going to be performing. Sometimes there were only a few of us in the audience, but we always made sure they knew how much we enjoyed their shows...!

@cruiseblues2013...you're very welcome for the info...! Yes, Cagney's is open for breakfast and lunch on sea and port days. If I recall correctly, for lunches it was open from 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. everyday (regardless of whether it was a sea or port day). Breakfasts were usually from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m...but there were a couple of days (when we reached ports early) where it opened a little earlier. It might have been open at 6:30 or 7:00...to accommodate those who had early excursions. (My apologies here, we didn't have early ones, so I don't recall for sure.) As you probably saw from my earlier comment(s), we thought the food was excellent for both breakfast and lunch. The menus for lunch and dinner weren't huge, but everything was so well-prepared that we didn't mind it at all...! And they were always very willing to accommodate special requests, too...! They do have the little continental breakfast "buffet" area (fruit, cheese, cold cuts, yogurt, cereal, pastries, smoked salmon, etc.) tucked around the corner (you can't see it from the entrance) and that could definitely suffice if you were in a hurry. Service wasn't overly fast for the hot/prepared items that you would order from your server, but I'm betting that if you mentioned that you were in a hurry, they would try to speed things up for you. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to ask and I'll see if I can answer 'em for you...! 🙂 Happy cruising...! 🙂

@Shellbelle28 One other thing to be aware of...depending upon your itinerary...we found that the port times in Juneau and Ketchikan were a bit disappointing. As you probably already know, Ward Cove in Ketchikan is quite a distance outside of the main area of town. We arrived between 6-8 a.m...the last shuttle into town was at 9:30 a.m...and the last shuttle back from town was at about 11:30 a.m. And the ship departed at 12:15 p.m...so very little time to really explore. (The original itinerary listed the port stop as short...but this was even an hour shorter than listed.) Having been to Ketchikan many times, we opted to just stay on the ship this time (it was rainy and dreary)...but I felt sorry for the folks who had never been there before. In Juneau...although the port schedule had initially listed us as docking at one of the main berths, the day before we arrived there we were that we'd been switched to a "tender." Again, since it was rainy and we've been to Juneau many times (plus we hope to be back in September), we stayed on the ship. And this was also a relatively short port--though not as short as Ketchikan. Since it sounds like you're more interested in the scenery than the excursions, these port times might not bother you (they didn't bother us)...but if you are planning on any excursions--especially those not purchased through NCL--you'll want to keep these in mind. And of course, the fun part of staying on board in these ports...the ship was almost empty...! 🙂

I'm sorry to hear that your parents won't be able to join you...! 😞 (We had two cruises on the SUN that were cancelled over the past two years, too, so it was nice to finally be able to sail...!) We also love the Jewel class ships (and in fact, we'll be on a B2B in September/October on the Jewel--assuming there are no cancellations)...but we were on the SUN back in 2004, so it was wonderful to be on this ship again--with all of the great memories it brought back for us...! 🙂 One thing we'd totally forgotten about with regard to the layout of the SUN...there are some "you can't get there from here" decks...so we found ourselves often having to go up or down a deck or two if we were on one end of the ship and needed to get to the other end. One of the crew members told us that even they sometimes forget that they have to go up or down--instead of going straight through from one end to another. And I have to mention again...the crew members were terrific...! Since you mention having a penthouse suite...a few more bits of info for you... There is no actual Haven at all...so there is no actual Haven restaurant. However, there is a dedicated restaurant for suite guests for breakfast and lunch. It's Cagney's...and the food for these meals was excellent (I think I had the shrimp toast every morning). Breakfast also has the continental buffet in the corner and everything was very fresh...with a great selection of fruit, croissants/pastries, etc...while you're waiting for your entree. The menu for lunch and dinner isn't huge and it doesn't change, but we found that food was so good, we didn't mind at all...! The concierge is Sumdedh (sp?)...and he's excellent. He made all of our dining reservations for us (and the changes we requested), then checked with in with us every morning to see if we needed anything. He also looked for us at every dinner...to make sure everything was going well...and to see if we needed anything. He's very attentive, but also figured out very quickly that we're very low maintenance...so was also very good about not pushing us to sign up for activities, nor excursions. He hit just the right balance...and I saw him do the same with the other suite guests...! He was definitely one of the best concierges we've had...! One note about Cagney's...there are really only 3 tables that are right next to windows...so you might want to see if you can request one of those. They have some "banquet seating" tables...one side is chairs and the other side is a booth...but none of those are near the windows. We only sat at one of those tables once (the bench side was too low for me), so we chose to sit at only actual tables. We usually eat at Le Bistro at least once per cruise...but because we didn't feel like dressing up quite as much, we didn't make it to LB this time. However, we peeked in...and they also have some nice window tables. Unfortunately, we didn't go in far enough to see if there are any booths. Moderno had window tables...but I don't recall seeing any booths. By far, the best window tables we saw were in La Cucina and Los Lobos...! Los Lobos has some booths (not by the window, though). The booths are raised slightly (I think) and the atmosphere is light and bright...so, the views are very good from the booths. (If you like guacamole, the tableside preparation is a must.) La Cucina has the most window tables...and because the restaurant is located on deck 5 (access is via deck 6, though), you're much closer to the water, so the view of the water is fantastic...! The restaurant is long and narrow--window tables on one side...and raised circular booths on the other. We didn't try the booths there--we went with a window table each time. If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to try to answer those, too...! 🙂

Sounds like you cruise very much the same way we do...to relax and enjoy the scenery...! We've done both, first of season and end of season Alaska cruises...and we've loved 'em. Yes, there might not be as many shore excursions...and shops are closing down so stock is often limited...but that's really not been that important to us. The SUN is a smaller ship, so it doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of the newer, mega-ships. That's fine with us--cause we prefer the smaller ships. So, as long as you go into it knowing that, it's a wonderful ship. I would say that 6 p.m. reservations are a great way to start...and you can always try to adjust, if necessary. Most of the performers' sets are about 45 minutes long...so we often found that we could catch most of the sets (or at least part of of 'em). I have to tell you...we were on the second SUN cruise of the season (and only their second in the past two years)...and yes, the crew was new. But they were new to working with each other--not necessarily new to being a part of a ship's crew. Many of them were well-experienced and knew very much what they were doing and how to interact and help passengers. They were clearly excited to be back cruising...and most (if not all) went above and beyond to make sure that passengers had a wonderful time...! (We certainly did.) They were all so friendly and welcoming. The only thing we missed...they had to mask up...so we missed seeing their smiles...! But you could tell...they were smiling...! And every one of them greeted us warmly--everywhere...! One specific note about the crew wearing masks...many of them have heavy accents, so they can sometimes be a little difficult to understand through masks. If you have any difficulty, just ask them to repeat what they said...they're more than happy to. Were there some glitches...? Of course. (But what cruise doesn't have any glitches, right...?) You didn't ask...but I have to tell you...the food in every specialty restaurant we tried was excellent. We went to Cagney's, La Cucina, and Los Lobos. The only one we didn't love was Moderno--it was fine, but we only went once. (We do like Moderno, but the others were just better, so we stuck with those.) Quick tip...if you go to Cagney's, see if you can get Katerina as your server...! She's one of the best (if not THE best) servers we've ever had on an NCL cruise...! As you can probably tell, we had a fabulous time...! 🙂 Hope you do, as well...! 🙂

We were on the Sun to Alaska (a 9-day cruise, RT from Seattle) a week and a half ago...and what I can tell you is that we barely even noticed that there were shows/events in the Stardust Theater. (In other words, basically nothing caught our eye as being worth going to.) That being said...I think whatever was taking place in the theater was usually scheduled for just once per evening (I think)...and probably at about 8 p.m. Here's the thing that I would say is probably more important...checking out the Freestyle Daily for the other shows/performers that are performing on the various nights. We found some fantastic shows in the Bliss, Windjammer, Spinnaker and Atrium lounges...! The catch is...these performers and show times vary greatly depending upon the day...so we found that we were regularly changing our dining reservations in order to see the performers. (We pre-booked most of our dining reservations for 7:30, but often changed to a bit earlier or a bit later...depending on the daily schedule.) Yes, we were very lucky that the ship was only at about half capacity, so making changes was VERY easy. And just FYI...we loved the Banda Duo, LMH...and the show Ocean Fest...! Hope this info is helpful...! 🙂 (And if you have any other questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them...! 🙂 )