NCL Jewel and Tracy Arm Cruise July-2013

[Sailor1959]

Ahoy Sailors !!!

 

Went on a 7-day Seattle R/T Alaskan cruise in July 2013.

I combed the internet and found pretty good deal for transportation from

Seattle airport to the cruise ship pier.

It was by private limo for $40 and automatic tip of $8.

The next "best" offer was around $52 by shared van.

 

Since this was our 3rd Alaskan cruise we didn't sign up for any tours. The food on NCL isn't "the greatest" but passable. We appreciate NCL's commitment to sanitation with hand sanitizers at all entrances to dining facilities and else where. This was our 3rd NCL ship (Jewel) and by far our favorite. The buffet and theater (Starlight) areas are much larger than on the NCL "Sun". And... live "music" was everywhere, often times in the buffet area by singing sanitizer staff. One of the songs he sang, tribute to the Beatles "I wanna hold your hand" was "I wanna wash your hands". The international staff was wonderful compared to the American staff on the PoA.

 

We boarded the ship as soon as we arrived by limo in Seattle, thus.. no experience with the shops, restaurants, etc. near the pier.

Be aware there are two cruise piers in Seattle.

 

As soon as we got off the limo, we stapled our NCL luggage tags onto the handles and turned them over to staff wearing green vests.

 

The first order of business was to get in one of two lines.

One for passengers "with luggage" and the other for passengers "without luggage".

Both lines were lonnnnng and crept along slooowly. At least we didn't have to deal with our luggage. About 40-minutes later we were officially onboard and headed to the buffet. While eating our lunch, we heard the announcement that all cabins were "ready".

 

As with our three previous NCL cruises, our cabin was a balcony. Enjoyed the view daily and a nice place to enjoy some quiet time. Weather was fantastic and as we pulled out of Juneau, watched locals frolicking on the beach like it was Miami !!!

 

Our favorite port: Ketchikan... Walk off the ship and you're in "downtown". Salmon capital of the world. Sampled all the different brands of smoked canned salmon and compared prices between vendors. Prices differ'ed depending on the varieties of salmon.

 

I rated Juneau a "3" because, and only because, NCL ships don't dock "in-town". It's a short and convenient shuttle ride but we'd rather the ship dock "in town" so we can easily drop off our purchases and grab a bite to eat before heading back out. Also handy if you forget to take an item (camera, flash-cards) on shore.

 

Skagway requires a hike into town... about 10-15 minutes. There are shuttles (not free) but we chose to walk. Once in town, Skagway maintains as much of "the way it used to be" and it was very refreshing to see that. Very walkable town. . . .

 

Enjoyed Tracy Arm... didn't see any "calving" but the glaciers presented an impressive scenery.

IMHO... Glacier Bay is better.

 

Victoria, Canada:

For adventure and a lack of good judgement, we walked into town a 45-minute walk at a fast clip. Wandered about, walked to China Town which was a disappointment compared to Vancouver's or San Francisco's. And... you guessed it, we rode back at $5 per person. We've been to Victoria several times but it's been quite a while ago. I don't remember the pier being so far away from town. If Victoria was a port-of-call on future cruises, we'd remain on board. Hopefully Vancouver will be !!!

 

After our cruise, we spent two nights at the Marriott Renaissance which is immediately off of I-5. Since they offered free parking, a good choice if you're driving to Seattle.

 

The area between I-5 and the port area is VERY hilly. We walked to the "International District" (Chinatown, etc.) which would have taken us 10-15 minutes on flat terrain took over 30-minutes with short rest stops.

 

After our short stay in Seattle we hopped on the AmTrak train for a 22-hour trip to our home area. We chose this route (instead of flying) just for the experience. Booked a sleeper so it was semi-comfortable. Meals are included in "sleeper" units which saved us big bucks. Our unit was an upper and lower berths. At bedtime, my wife, being younger and more agile, crawled into the upper berth. WARNING: You won't be able to sit-up and there are no windows or lights. At least the lower berth has a nice window and you're able to sit up. She had to use the restroom in the middle of the night and instead of crawling back up... crawled into the narrow bed with me. TIP: Bring flashlights so you'll be able to find your shoes, slippers, etc.

 

Arrived at our destination station at 7AM,

crossed the street and hopped onto a local bus.

Senior Fare was just a buck a person.

Got off the bus in our hometown 10 miles away and

transferred to another bus.. and arrived at our front door at 9AM.

Thus... two hours and two dollars later we were home !!!

 

Should we ever take an overnight train again...

we'd opt for a cabin with two lower bunks.

 

Anchors Aweigh !!!

[Keith1010]

Thanks for writing and sharing your trip report.

 

Keith

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Thank you for the warning about the train.

Glad you enjoyed Alaska.