Jewel Adventure to Alaska

[coka]

What a fun review to read! Thank you Shayhooper for posting pics and taking time to write about your family trip. I love your humor...you are cracking me up. I do see the love in your family's eyes towards each other and it compliments your candidness about what a family vacation entails! The pic of your daughter and the fruit loops and your hubby's martini tasting are priceless! I too remember my first little tiny cup of coffee overseas and took a similar picture like your son did too. My husband and I went salmon fishing in Ketchikan many years ago and we still talk today about how much fun we had. I look forward to reading more in the days ahead.

 

coka

Edited September 3, 2013 by coka

[Shayhooper]

By the way, if you click on that bottom picture it is actually a really cool video I took.

[Shayhooper]

What a fun review to read! Thank you Shayhooper for posting pics and taking time to write about your family trip. I love your humor...you are cracking me up. I do see the love in your family's eyes towards each other and it compliments your candidness about what a family vacation entails! The pic of your daughter and the fruit loops and your hubby's martini tasting are priceless! I too remember my first little tiny cup of coffee overseas and took a similar picture like your son did too. My husband and I went salmon fishing in Ketchikan many years ago and we still talk today about how much fun we had. I look forward to reading more in the days ahead.

 

coka

 

Thank you very much. We are all lucky that our personalities compliment each other and we truly enjoy being together. Family vacations aren't 100%, especially with young children, but we sure aimed to have as much fun as possible.

[NW Pacific]

FYI- we just called reception on numerous occassions and requested an iron and board- did the ironing- left it in the hallway to be picked up- after we called and said we were done. Just in case you do another NCL.

 

Very much enjoying you review- we will be on the Jewell, in 25 days!!

[Shayhooper]

After enjoying the scenery at the glacier and waterfall, we all piled back into the car heading toward the ship. We decided to stop at the salmon hatchery on the way back. On the way in you pass a booth for admission. The cost for a short tour was $3.75 for adults and if I recall correctly $1.75 for children. There was a more lengthy tour offered though I don't recall what the prices were. We handed over the money for a short tour and wandered into the facility. For about 15 or 20 minutes we entertained ourselves with their really cool large fish tank and petting center. A tour bus showed up and the official salmon hatchery "tour" began outside. It consisted of a woman speaking, not very confidently or well, for approximately 3-4 minutes. She then had us move over to the other side (not other end, other side as in about 4 feet to the right) of the bridge where she spoke for another few minutes. That was the extent of our "tour."

 

 

 

 

Our cost for this "tour" was under $10 for all 4 of us and there is a saying about getting what you pay for. We certainly didn't pay much nor did we get much. Eh - annoying but not a big deal. Now, had I been on the people on the tour bus who I am sure ended up paying much for this place, I would have been pissed. My best advice is to either skip this place altogether or if you really feel you must go, try to see the inside, which has a gift shop, without having to pay for the 4 foot tour.

 

We left the salmon hatchery, gassed up the car (one whole gallon buy yowza was gas spendy up there), and headed back to the ship. All in all a pretty good day that we got to do at our pace and for a good price. Brian dropped Callie and I off at the ship so we could wash up for lunch while he and Colby returned the rental car.

 

We met at Tsars for lunch and was immediately shown to a very nice table all the way in the back by the large aft windows. I wonder if our complaint from earlier put a "be extra nice to these people" note on our account because the service from that time on was excellent. Callie was a bit cranky and was snippy with the server saying she didn't want anything to eat. Brian immediately scooped her up telling Colby and I to enjoy our meal, he would see us later. He returned a few minutes later with a sulky but otherwise reasonably behaved Callie.

 

After lunch we all went back to our rooms for nap and relax time. Before falling asleep we heard Captain Lars (who sounds like Strongbad, a fantastic coincidence) announce the plans for traveling up Tracy Arm Fjord. We knew we had a few hours before the real show started.

 

By the way, we had an armed coast guard escort on our way out of Juneau.

 

After another fantastic afternoon nap we all gathered in the balcony room to start watching the scenery. The decision was made to individual trips the the Garden Cafe for food to be eaten in the room so there would be limited time away from the passing show. While I was up there I also grabbed some hot chocolate packets and marshmallows.

 

 

I honestly don't have the words to accurately describe the next few hours. Stunningly beautiful scenery the likes of which I have never seen before. We made frequent use of the binoculars and enjoyed every single moment.

[Shayhooper]

FYI- we just called reception on numerous occassions and requested an iron and board- did the ironing- left it in the hallway to be picked up- after we called and said we were done. Just in case you do another NCL.

 

Very much enjoying you review- we will be on the Jewell, in 25 days!!

 

Ah - good information. We do indeed plan on taking another NCL cruise someday. Hope you enjoy yours!

[Shayhooper]

Just a few pictures from the afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Shayhooper]

On a whim we decided to go the evening acrobat show. We ran Callie up to the kids club, said good bye to Colby who wanted a few hours to himself. and off Brian and I went. I wish I could remember the name of the couple who performed. Initially I was more impressed with the woman than the man, but in the end they both were spectacular. It was a very entertaining way to spend a little over an hour. A quick trip upstair to the Garden Cafe for desert and picking up Callie from the kids club and then we were all in bed. It was a long day!

 

Before I move on to Skagway I would like to talk about the kids club a bit. To be frank I don't have a great deal to go off of when commenting about it. Very rarely were the kids out in the open playing, I mostly saw one woman who was signing the kids in and out, and Callie was wishy washy about it. Sometimes she wanted to go, other times she didn't. The woman up front always had a full report of what Callie did, how she was acting, and what she ate without having to refer to any paperwork. Callie herself always left in a great mood. If it counts for anything, Callie has been asking to go back to the kids club instead of going to her preschool tomorrow. We tipped the kids club staff before leaving the ship.

Edited September 3, 2013 by Shayhooper

[Shayhooper]

Where's the like button?? Agreed!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Missed this comment earlier - thank you very much!

[MariTenor1]

Loving you review and photos Shay! It really has me looking forward to our cruise now!

 

@NWPacific. Thanks for the info about the iron!

[sdmike]

Shay! Just catching up on your review having been traveling a bit, and it's fun to see the same experiences we had through another's eyes. I also agree about your son being so good with your daughter. Impressive young man there!

 

Ken at Northern Lights was in a hurry because he does another trip in the afternoon and wants to get your catch all squared away at the Cedar Lodge. Did you get yours smoked or just filets? We did a mix, but smoked was the best for sure.

 

It seems we had a bit more luck fishing and at the fish hatchery. We had horrible weather that day in Juneau, but the salmon were accumulating and running up the ladder. It was fascinating! I guess it depends on the time of year you go there. See what I mean?

 

 

 

I'm looking forward to hearing what you did in Skagway. Our choice, a river rafting float, was our least favorite thing. I'm interested in hearing what you guys did. Quick question..did you guys get far enough into Tracy Arm to see South Sawyer Glacier? I think that one pic is of the northern one that you pass on the way in.

 

Keep the review coming!

Edited September 3, 2013 by sdmike

[Shayhooper]

Loving you review and photos Shay! It really has me looking forward to our cruise now!

 

@NWPacific. Thanks for the info about the iron!

 

Thanks! I'm having a great deal of fun writing it. Hope you enjoy your vacation.

[Shayhooper]

Shay! Just catching up on your review having been traveling a bit, and it's fun to see the same experiences we had through another's eyes. I also agree about your son being so good with your daughter. Impressive young man there!

 

Ken at Northern Lights was in a hurry because he does another trip in the afternoon and wants to get your catch all squared away at the Cedar Lodge. Did you get yours smoked or just filets? We did a mix, but smoked was the best for sure.

 

It seems we had a bit more luck fishing and at the fish hatchery. We had horrible weather that day in Juneau, but the salmon were accumulating and running up the ladder. It was fascinating! I guess it depends on the time of year you go there. See what I mean?

 

 

 

I'm looking forward to hearing what you did in Skagway. Our choice, a river rafting float, was our least favorite thing. I'm interested in hearing what you guys did. Quick question..did you guys get far enough into Tracy Arm to see South Sawyer Glacier? I think that one pic is of the northern one that you pass on the way in.

 

Keep the review coming!

 

Thanks Mike! The compliments about my son are truly touching. I would tell him but it would make him embarrassed.

 

The weather we had was amazing the whole trip. It was chilly and wet on the sea days but port days were mild and dry. I had packed for just about any situation but luckily never needed more than a light jacket.

 

Did you get the 4 foot tour at the hatchery?

 

I believe we did get to see the south sawyer glacier but I honestly wasn't paying too much attention to the limited commentary. Your review of the smaller boat excursion really made that tour tempting but in the end I was pleased with our more relaxed (aka easier for Callie) afternoon.

 

My next post will talk about Skagway. :)

[Shayhooper]

So - on to Skagway. I don't have too much time so I'll start with our decisions and research for this port. This one by far was the toughest but all 4 of us walked away simply stunned with the day.

 

It appears that the most popular thing to do in Skagway is to take the White Pass & Yukon Route train or a bus tour along the Klondike Highway. Had it just been Brian, Colby, and myself something along those lines would have been fine. Callie would miserable and attempting to keep a rowdy 4 year old would have made the rest of us, not to mention the other passengers miserable. Of course we could have put her in the kids camp again for the day but we took this vacation to be together as a family. No, that really was not an option. River floats were out, she is too young. Zip lining was another option but who knows how Callie would have done and Brian really wasn't interested. I had to find something all of us would enjoy.

 

I scoured the message boards and finally came up with the perfect day trip. It was the Kroschel Films Wildlife Center. It is a wildlife preserve approximately 30 miles outside of Haines, a small town close to Skagway. It has tons of animals that have been injured, nursed back to health, and kept in their natural environment.

 

The challenge was finding a way to get there since NCL does not offer an excursion there. I had to make a ton of phone calls but I finally found a tour with River Adventures (they contract with Princess Cruises) that would take us - once I got to Haines. OK, no problem. The very nice people at River Aventures put us in touch with the folks that run the "Fast Ferry" between Skagway and Haines. I purchased our ferry tickets for $234 and then the tour itself for another $253. Even though the tour had very positive reviews on Tripadvisor my frugal side cringed a bit over the cost. I don't have time tonight to post the review but I will say this much tonight - worth every penny.

 

I'll post our Skagway review tomorrow. Hopefully it will be worth the wait.

[kchiumento]

This is the most fun review I have ever read. You should do this for a living. I blank out on so many reviews and skip half of them, because they are just so...well to be frank...so boring to read. Or it is written by people that complain about everything. I love your "go with the flow" attitude. We will be traveling with our 3 children (12, 10 and 6) and my 80+ yr old parents on the Jewel out of New Orleans October 13. I love your helpful comments about the bathrooms. With the little ones it is the little things that we don't think about that can set a bad tone for the vacation (toilets flushing). I can't wait to read the remainder of your review. Seriously, take another cruise just so I can read your review!

[2fromaz]

We had the same coast guard escort out of Juneau when we were there in June.

Thought it was a neat photo op., funny thing was a friend who was with us, noticed the boats number was the same as his employee number where he works.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[ClaireAndMike]

Awesome review. What a sweet family you have.

 

I'm on the Jewel two weeks from Saturday for a Pacific Coastal and cannot wait! Thanks for your info.

 

~Claire

[Shayhooper]

I haven't forgotten about the rest of this review. I have a lengthy todo list these days but I will hopefully have the rest written by the end of the week.

[michx2]

We just did an Alaskan cruise on Princess. Have cruised many time, but never with NCL, so I popped over to this message board to get some info on them. Am enjoying your review!

 

We also went to Kroschel's wildlife sanctuary and absolutely love it. Can't wait to read your review of it!

 

-Michele

[terrydtx]

I haven't forgotten about the rest of this review. I have a lengthy todo list these days but I will hopefully have the rest written by the end of the week.

 

Good, I thought you had forgotten about all of us waiting breathlessly for the rest of your impressive review.:D

[Shayhooper]

We had the same coast guard escort out of Juneau when we were there in June.

Thought it was a neat photo op., funny thing was a friend who was with us, noticed the boats number was the same as his employee number where he works.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

At the time I thought it was odd but later when we were docked with other cruise ships I noticed that some had signs on the side warning to stay 50' away. My best guess is that the coast guard was enforcing that.

[Shayhooper]

Awesome review. What a sweet family you have.

 

I'm on the Jewel two weeks from Saturday for a Pacific Coastal and cannot wait! Thanks for your info.

 

~Claire

 

Thank you very much and you're welcome! Hope you enjoyed your trip.

[Shayhooper]

We just did an Alaskan cruise on Princess. Have cruised many time, but never with NCL, so I popped over to this message board to get some info on them. Am enjoying your review!

 

We also went to Kroschel's wildlife sanctuary and absolutely love it. Can't wait to read your review of it!

 

-Michele

 

Glad to hear that you are enjoying it!

 

The Kroschel's Wildlife Sanctuary was amazing. From what I have learned right now only Princess does an excursion there. Hopefully the powers that be at Norwegian read this and figure out a way to include this wonderful place in their options.

[Shayhooper]

OK - on to our Skagway adventure.

 

One of the nice parts about this day is that our ferry to Haines wasn't until 10:00 AM so while we did have to be up we didn't have to rush too much. I wasn't sure how long it would take to get to the shuttle so I wanted to be off the ship by about 8:30. Breakfast was at the Great Outdoors where once again there was the same offerings as the Garden Cafe but without all of the crowd. Callie was on day 3 of getting Froot Loops and pancakes for breakfast and it was starting to look like she would expect it when we got home too.

 

 

We got off the ship and was able to immediately board S.M.A.R.T. shuttle which would take us to the fast ferry to Haines. I was not aware ahead of time that there was a fee to use this shuttle ($2.00 per person each way) but simply look at my keeper of the cash husband expectantly. He had the same exact look on his face as he did the fishing charter and said that he had left the cash in the safe. Ugh! Before I could start freaking out about missing the shuttle, then the ferry, and of course our prepaid tour Colby came to the rescue and paid our way.

 

The shuttle through Skagway was brief as the town itself is not very large. By 9:00 AM we were at the ferry with an hour to kill. We decided to walk back to the town, get some Starbucks, and had Colby hit an ATM. Using my phone I was able to transfer some money into his account and he simply pulled it back out so we would have cash for the rest of the day. With fancy coffees and cash we walked back to the ferry and joined a long but fast moving line to board.

 

 

 

The ferry itself had cafeteria seating with more upstairs that was in the open air. My expectation was that it would be a commuter type ferry so it was pleasantly surprising that a young man stood up with a microphone and gave an informative talk about Skagway, the water we were in, and Haines. The 45 minutes it took to get to Haines flew by. Once we docked it was a short walk up a steep dock to get to the tour buses. Our bus was the old style school bus that ended up being only about 1/3 full. Perhaps 20 minutes after we docked in Haines the bus driver pulled out. Again, I was expecting simply a ride but was surprised to get a very knowledgeable driver , Tom I believe, who chatted on a microphone the whole way about the rivers, Haines, the eagle sanctuary, and shared amusing stories about some of the history. Very enjoyable.

 

The trip the Kroschel Wildlife Center took about an hour and felt like it was out in the middle of no where. It isn't a fancy place with expensive trappings like paved walkways, modern restrooms, or informative signage. It is all very rustic (authentically so) but in its own way very charming. Steve and Mario did a sort of tag team approach to guiding the tour. One would talk about the animals you were seeing while the other one would be handling the animal or answering questions. I think it is a bit of an act but the best way I can describe Steve is that is a bit of an odd ball. Their whole "act" was corny, funny, and very engaging. We saw a hawk, lynx, wolf, a few moose, reindeer, wolverine, bear, and many other animals all up close. Many we were able to touch or feed.

 

 

 

[Shayhooper]

 

 

 

 

In retrospect I should have planned a bit better because this tour was taking place right during lunch time. Anyone who has raised kids knows that young ones act up a bit when they are over stimulated and hungry. I should have brought a snack for Callie but I didn't and she acted just like an over stimulated hungry child at times. We try to always address behavior when it happens so there were a few times that we stayed behind the group so we correct Callie's behavior. I was very impressed that each and every time Steve would wander by and casually ask if everything was OK.

 

Edited September 14, 2013 by Shayhooper