NCL Jewel - June 25th Trip report

Hi,

We were on the Jewel from the 25th June - 2nd July. After getting lots of help here, I thought I would let everyone know what we did. There were six of us travelling - five adults (two seniors) and one teen.

We stayed at the Landis Hotel the night before and got the free hotel shuttle to Canada Place. Hotel staff were very friendly and hotel was clean. The first couple of days on the Ship were spent watching shows and scenery as we sailed to Ketchikan. Staff on the ship were fantastic and when my Mum's steak wasn't cooked enough in the dining room Tsar's, they not only offered another one but bought out every desert for us to share. They really looked after us.

At Ketchikan we did a three hour tour with Renegade tours. Our guides Erik and Dannielle were great and took us around Ketchikan with some great stories. We then walked around Creek St and the town before going back to the ship.

Next stop was Juneau. We rented a car from Juneau rentals. They were very good to deal with. We drove out to Mendenhall glacier and had a good hour there looking around. We then went to the Salmon hatchery and did the tour which was definitely worth it. Coming from Australia, we don't have anything like that so we found it very interesting. We drove around the Coast road.

Skagway was my favourite. We did a private tour with Matt from Skagway van tours. He was absolutely fantastic and took us up to the Yukon. We got to see bears, we went to Tagish lake kennels and did the dog atv ride. The ride was fantastic and it was great to see how they trained the dogs. Lots of puppy cuddling too. Matt was great with timings as we missed all the buses and we got to see mountain goats through his binoculars and lots of lovely scenery. Matt gave us lots of information as well. He was a fantastic driver and we all had a great time.

Glacier bay was absolutely beautiful. We went up to the top decks but we found deck 7 was the best. We could get photos of the glaciers in the ocean closer up and it wasn't crowded. We also saw a group of otters holding hands - in the distance but it was still great. The rangers were good.

Hubbard glacier - was awesome to see. We didn't spend a lot of time here but it was great.

We enjoyed the shows but didn't really like the comedian. I would prefer singing and dancing. The circus acts were absolutely mind blowing.

Staff on the ship were fantastic and the weather was just awesome. We really enjoyed our time. We had the beverage package and the dining package. We went to Cagney's but I really enjoyed Tsar's so would actually prefer the dining rooms. We did have an issue with reservations - they were totally booked out (which was strange because there were heaps of free tables) they let us in but they weren't happy about it. Apparently if you book and then change times, they can fit you in though. They must only do so many meals a night. I wouldn't bother with it next time. I will get the internet.

We spent a lot of time just on the decks watching the scenery and enjoying the weather.

We got Alaska Cruise Transportation from Seward to Anchorage to get a flight to Calgary as we spent a week in the Rockies.

As there were six of us, cruise tours were just too expensive so it was cheaper for us to diy. We also like doing our own thing and not having to be on someone else's timetable.

We did spend some time in the Casino. I did see some threads asking if payouts were more likely earlier in the cruise. I won the first night and lost in the middle but won at the end. I was very lucky and ended up $600 up at the end. A family member lost at the end but won in the middle.

Hi,

 

We were on the Jewel from the 25th June - 2nd July. After getting lots of help here, I thought I would let everyone know what we did. There were six of us travelling - five adults (two seniors) and one teen.

 

We stayed at the Landis Hotel the night before and got the free hotel shuttle to Canada Place. Hotel staff were very friendly and hotel was clean. The first couple of days on the Ship were spent watching shows and scenery as we sailed to Ketchikan. Staff on the ship were fantastic and when my Mum's steak wasn't cooked enough in the dining room Tsar's, they not only offered another one but bought out every desert for us to share. They really looked after us.

 

At Ketchikan we did a three hour tour with Renegade tours. Our guides Erik and Dannielle were great and took us around Ketchikan with some great stories. We then walked around Creek St and the town before going back to the ship.

 

Next stop was Juneau. We rented a car from Juneau rentals. They were very good to deal with. We drove out to Mendenhall glacier and had a good hour there looking around. We then went to the Salmon hatchery and did the tour which was definitely worth it. Coming from Australia, we don't have anything like that so we found it very interesting. We drove around the Coast road.

 

Skagway was my favourite. We did a private tour with Matt from Skagway van tours. He was absolutely fantastic and took us up to the Yukon. We got to see bears, we went to Tagish lake kennels and did the dog atv ride. The ride was fantastic and it was great to see how they trained the dogs. Lots of puppy cuddling too. Matt was great with timings as we missed all the buses and we got to see mountain goats through his binoculars and lots of lovely scenery. Matt gave us lots of information as well. He was a fantastic driver and we all had a great time.

 

Glacier bay was absolutely beautiful. We went up to the top decks but we found deck 7 was the best. We could get photos of the glaciers in the ocean closer up and it wasn't crowded. We also saw a group of otters holding hands - in the distance but it was still great. The rangers were good.

 

Hubbard glacier - was awesome to see. We didn't spend a lot of time here but it was great.

 

We enjoyed the shows but didn't really like the comedian. I would prefer singing and dancing. The circus acts were absolutely mind blowing.

 

Staff on the ship were fantastic and the weather was just awesome. We really enjoyed our time. We had the beverage package and the dining package. We went to Cagney's but I really enjoyed Tsar's so would actually prefer the dining rooms. We did have an issue with reservations - they were totally booked out (which was strange because there were heaps of free tables) they let us in but they weren't happy about it. Apparently if you book and then change times, they can fit you in though. They must only do so many meals a night. I wouldn't bother with it next time. I will get the internet.

 

We spent a lot of time just on the decks watching the scenery and enjoying the weather.

 

We got Alaska Cruise Transportation from Seward to Anchorage to get a flight to Calgary as we spent a week in the Rockies.

 

As there were six of us, cruise tours were just too expensive so it was cheaper for us to diy. We also like doing our own thing and not having to be on someone else's timetable.

 

We did spend some time in the Casino. I did see some threads asking if payouts were more likely earlier in the cruise. I won the first night and lost in the middle but won at the end. I was very lucky and ended up $600 up at the end. A family member lost at the end but won in the middle.

Thanks for the nice review. You hit all the important points I think. Yes, we too have always felt the first and last nights are best for playing the slots, now if we can just remember that?

As for Skagway, we did a similar tour when we were there, not the same name, but sounds like the same tour. This was many years ago and yes, our favorite port and tour as well.