booked jewel & maybe I ruined my bf 50th bd !

[bonvoyagie]

A tidewater glacier is one that is next to a body of water - and actually in the water. Sometimes glaciers recede to the point where they no longer touch the water - there are some in Glacier Bay that are that way. There are also land locked glaciers where the glacier is nestled in a mountain valley - these are more common in the interior of AK.

[Reebster]

The White Pass and Yukon train is in Skagway.

Normally I would agree with you about waiting to book shore excursions, but not on an Alaska cruise. Most of the best excursions were fully booked by the time we boarded the ship. If you have your heart set on something, book it while it's available.

[Crusin6]

Just an FYI. As your friend has a pre existing condition buy your trip insurance within 14 days of initial booking.

Edited February 10, 2014 by Crusin6

[luv2gamble]

A tidewater glacier is one that is next to a body of water - and actually in the water. Sometimes glaciers recede to the point where they no longer touch the water - there are some in Glacier Bay that are that way. There are also land locked glaciers where the glacier is nestled in a mountain valley - these are more common in the interior of AK.

 

Thanks, that explains a lot to me. I just assumed one that was just in the water was considered an iceberg. You really know a lot about Alaska. Great to learn from you.

[luv2gamble]

Just an FYI. As your friend has a pre existing condition buy your trip insurance within 14 days of initial booking.

 

thanks, we already did. Nervous about that. Not sure if her disability insurance would pay for anything at all. That insurance was a must. i thought you had to pay for that within 75 days of cruise (as per NCL). I didnt know you can wait on that. We have it on our bill already and we were going to pay for it all next week. Hmm..maybe I should double ck on that. Believe it or not, my friend is in the hospital now with double pneumonia since her brain surgeries and metal plate in her head, her immune system is poor.

 

**We are going with the attitude "You only live once" but we both need the insurance. Long story short, she had a brain injury * I HAD A BRAIN TUMOR and followed up with 13 surgeries* We both survived so we need that insurance for sure. Thanks for your help. Wow, I cannot believe how much of myself Im spilling out LOL....

[luv2gamble]

The White Pass and Yukon train is in Skagway.

Normally I would agree with you about waiting to book shore excursions, but not on an Alaska cruise. Most of the best excursions were fully booked by the time we boarded the ship. If you have your heart set on something, book it while it's available.

 

We want to do the white pass train in Skagway. The helicopter dog sled in either Juneau or Skagway. My friend said she only lives once and wants to do zip line most likely in Skagway because thats the only one level #2, the rest are level #3 9oly she is going not me lol). If she does zip in skagway (as long as it is safe for her/i called they said they use helmets) then the dog sled helicopter would be Juneau due to time. Thats what we THINK so far. Whats your opinion on this and would you happen to know which of these are considered a popular excursion? the dogsled helicopter is $549 each. If its raining or dont feel well, can you get your money back? Thanks

[JohnIreland]

Unless a bowling alley or rock climbing wall matter then the Pearl the Jewel are the same ship.

[Crusin6]

thanks, we already did. Nervous about that. Not sure if her disability insurance would pay for anything at all. That insurance was a must. i thought you had to pay for that within 75 days of cruise (as per NCL). I didnt know you can wait on that. We have it on our bill already and we were going to pay for it all next week. Hmm..maybe I should double ck on that. Believe it or not, my friend is in the hospital now with double pneumonia since her brain surgeries and metal plate in her head, her immune system is poor.

 

**We are going with the attitude "You only live once" but we both need the insurance. Long story short, she had a brain injury * I HAD A BRAIN TUMOR and followed up with 13 surgeries* We both survived so we need that insurance for sure. Thanks for your help. Wow, I cannot believe how much of myself Im spilling out LOL....

 

Well your posts are quite interesting to say the least. Very unusual situations the 2 of you have.

[newmexicoNita]

Me and my best friend (since 4 yrs old) are going to celebrate our 50th BD. Prob is she has been saving for an Alaska Cruise for 10 yrs now. She is disabled from a car accident 25 yrs ago, so she left me to make all the decisions. 4 weeks ago the Jewel & Pearl were exactly same price and I picked Pearl. I asked NCL rep 2 hld room 4 me for 24 hrs while I ck w my friend. She said she could not. The next day I called back to reserve it and the Pearl went up $500 for the two of us and then I found out NCL rep was wrong she could have held it for me. I wa so upset but I booked the Jewell bec $500 diff in price. Now, all I am reading is the Pearl is much better for the glacier and its even possible the Jewel cannot go to the glacier bec of depth of water. OMG! I Dont want to disappoint her. She is so excited even bringing tears. I cant tell her this. Does anyone know if this is true? Is there that much of a diff? This is her life savings. We already went past budget bec I had to change flight bec we decided to go 1 day b4 in case airline delay. That cost another $475 to change tix. HELP! Did I ruin everything? Im so upset. Sorry for long story here, trust me, there is more:confused:

 

First of all, just the Alaskan experience will be well worth it and the ships are sisters like has been mentioned. I have sailed both, there is literally no difference except for age and that is only a few years.

 

Stop worrying, there is a lot of wonderful things to see on your trip and the only problems will have, unless something unforeseen happens is problems you bring with you from worrying.

[luv2gamble]

First of all, just the Alaskan experience will be well worth it and the ships are sisters like has been mentioned. I have sailed both, there is literally no difference except for age and that is only a few years.

 

Stop worrying, there is a lot of wonderful things to see on your trip and the only problems will have, unless something unforeseen happens is problems you bring with you from worrying.

 

Well said. Thank you so much. Yes, I do tend to worry when it comes to my friend. Its also hard because Im doing all the planning because I live in NY and she lives in Florida. She really cannot navigate around a computer. Would be easier if she were in NY. Anyway, I will take your advise and try not to worry as much. Thanks again

[deladypilot]

Since you will both be celebrating your 50th, call NCL and ask them if they can give you a cake for celebrating. They will add it to your reservation and there will be a card in your room for redemption.

 

You can take the card to any restaurant and they will bring it to your table or you can call room service and they will deliver it.

 

It will give your friend and yourself one more special thing to remember

[luv2gamble]

thanks. Never thought of a cake. Great idea :)

[tel2]

Hi! In my opinion, you should defintiely book the helicopter dog sled at the FIRST port you can. We have done Alaska cruises w/ NCL a couple of times. When it rains or is foggy, the helicopter tours are sometimes cancelled at the last minute. The first time, we booked the helicopter on the second port, and it was cancelled due to fog, and there were no other later options. Lesson learned. The second time we did the cruise, we booked it at first available port, and it was cancelled again, and money fully refunded, and we were able to then re-book for the next port. It was soooo much fun.

 

Terry

[luv2gamble]

Hi! In my opinion, you should defintiely book the helicopter dog sled at the FIRST port you can. We have done Alaska cruises w/ NCL a couple of times. When it rains or is foggy, the helicopter tours are sometimes cancelled at the last minute. The first time, we booked the helicopter on the second port, and it was cancelled due to fog, and there were no other later options. Lesson learned. The second time we did the cruise, we booked it at first available port, and it was cancelled again, and money fully refunded, and we were able to then re-book for the next port. It was soooo much fun.

 

Terry

 

Thanks for the advise. Going to do as you say. If they don't cancel and say we want to cancel because of the rain or some reason, do we get money back? This is the one excursion on the MUST DO LIST, but you never know:

[Reebster]

If they don't cancel and say we want to cancel because of the rain or some reason, do we get money back?

 

No. You can cancel up to 24 hours before the excursion takes place (if I remember correctly, double check this with NCL) and get your money back, but will not be able to cancel on the day of. If an activity doesn't take place due to poor conditions and/or inclement weather, you will get a refund. But if you choose not to participate because the weather is unpleasant, you will not be reimbursed.

[luv2gamble]

No. You can cancel up to 24 hours before the excursion takes place (if I remember correctly, double check this with NCL) and get your money back, but will not be able to cancel on the day of. If an activity doesn't take place due to poor conditions and/or inclement weather, you will get a refund. But if you choose not to participate because the weather is unpleasant, you will not be reimbursed.

 

Great! I didnt think u had up tl 24 hrs b4. That helps out. I can now make plans. I hear many excursions get canceled due to weather such as the dogsled w helicopter. I wanted to book 2 dogsled excursions at 2 diff ports. This way if the 1st one is canceled, I have a backup dogsled. If the 1st goes thru, I can cancel the 2nd. Thank you so much. What do u think of this plan?

[Reebster]

This sounds like a good plan, but be sure to double check the cancellation deadline with NCL before you book.

[luv2gamble]

This sounds like a good plan, but be sure to double check the cancellation deadline with NCL before you book.

 

I will...Ty for your help

[sdmike]

OP - Sorry I'm late to the thread, but last year I sailed the Jewel to Alaska and have a link to my full review in my signature area. We had an excellent time. You should not feel like you ruined anything. I've been on a bunch of cruises and I have to say that my AK trip on the Jewel was the most awe inspiring cruise that I've taken. The beauty, the wide expanses, etc. were incredible.

 

I have one suggestion though...try to get a balcony room on the starboard (right) side. The views of Sullivan Island for a couple of hours sailing south of out Skagway were worth the price I paid for the entire trip. Those views are on the starboard side.

 

 

Here's a link to my picture albums from that trip

 

http://public.fotki.com/ritchiefamily/san_diego_family/2012-pictures/alaska-cruise-2012/

[luv2gamble]

OP - Sorry I'm late to the thread, but last year I sailed the Jewel to Alaska and have a link to my full review in my signature area. We had an excellent time. You should not feel like you ruined anything. I've been on a bunch of cruises and I have to say that my AK trip on the Jewel was the most awe inspiring cruise that I've taken. The beauty, the wide expanses, etc. were incredible.

 

I have one suggestion though...try to get a balcony room on the starboard (right) side. The views of Sullivan Island for a couple of hours sailing south of out Skagway were worth the price I paid for the entire trip. Those views are on the starboard side.

 

 

Here's a link to my picture albums from that trip

 

http://public.fotki.com/ritchiefamily/san_diego_family/2012-pictures/alaska-cruise-2012/

 

WOW, You have the most beautiful pics I have ever seen. You must be a pro photographer, if not, you should be. AWESTRUCK ! Made me feel so much better that I picked the right cruise. Im also looking at your review. so much detail and thought. Thank you so much. The pics of all the blue ice and glaciers, did I read that right? Was that Ketchikan? I would love to walk to that as you did and see them up close like you did. What was that called and how do you get to that. I saw you wrote something about a 30 minute but wondering if there is transportation I can take to get there. Was that Mendenahll? I dont know much about Alaska. I did book the Mendenhall glacier helicopter dogsled but thats in Juneau. I have nothing sched yet for Kechikan but if thats where those pics come from, thats where I want to go. Wow, your pics will stay with me forever, as if I was there already. Totally impressed. Thanks again. Sorry for the long post, I got so excited for this trip now that I saw your pics and review.

[luv2gamble]

SDMIKE, Also, you mentioned starboard side is best. Someone told me that and I did book the 11th deck mini-suite starboard side 11074. However, after reading your review I might see if I can change my room. I booked the room you said was noisy. The very 1st room next to elevators. Maybe I can move down the hall a little if they have room. Is it really that bad? I hate screaming teenagers LOL... OMG, its the exact location you said was the worst on ship ! Thanks again

[sdmike]

SDMIKE, Also, you mentioned starboard side is best. Someone told me that and I did book the 11th deck mini-suite starboard side 11074. However, after reading your review I might see if I can change my room. I booked the room you said was noisy. The very 1st room next to elevators. Maybe I can move down the hall a little if they have room. Is it really that bad? I hate screaming teenagers LOL... OMG, its the exact location you said was the worst on ship ! Thanks again

 

I would move away from that stairwell. The teen and kids club is on the port side of 12 (check the deck plan) near that stairway and there always seemed to be lots of loud traffic. I think you'd be safe with 11062 and forward (that's the area we were in), or aft of 11078. You won't be under the teen dance club (that would be murder), but you might want to move away from the stairway area a bit further

[sdmike]

WOW, You have the most beautiful pics I have ever seen. You must be a pro photographer, if not, you should be. AWESTRUCK ! Made me feel so much better that I picked the right cruise. Im also looking at your review. so much detail and thought. Thank you so much. The pics of all the blue ice and glaciers, did I read that right? Was that Ketchikan? I would love to walk to that as you did and see them up close like you did. What was that called and how do you get to that. I saw you wrote something about a 30 minute but wondering if there is transportation I can take to get there. Was that Mendenahll? I dont know much about Alaska. I did book the Mendenhall glacier helicopter dogsled but thats in Juneau. I have nothing sched yet for Kechikan but if thats where those pics come from, thats where I want to go. Wow, your pics will stay with me forever, as if I was there already. Totally impressed. Thanks again. Sorry for the long post, I got so excited for this trip now that I saw your pics and review.

 

I'm really glad you enjoyed the pictures and it gave you the piece of mind about the trip. I'm not a pro photographer, but you're kind to say you like my pictures. :) A lot was going on in that review, so here's what we did in a nutshell:

 

Juneau - This is a two-parter. First, we rented a car and drove out to Mendenhall glacier as soon as we could get off the ship. This is the part that you thought were Ketchikan. We beat the busses, and we were able to walk out to Mendenhall lake, waterfall and glacier. There's also a visitor's center and museum. The Alamo/National booth is right near where the ship docks. I think a car would run you about $100 for the day or less compared to a lot more for a ship-sponsored excursion. Another option for getting to Mendenhall cheap is the bus. I think it's just a few dollars. You can take the excursion, but you're paying a lot more money...probably more than a rental car would cost for two of you. Our group saved about $700 by renting a car and doing it ourselves. We also stopped at the fish hatchery on the way back. If you go on your own, you just need to make sure to get back to the ship on time.

 

In Juneau, the Jewel leaves port in the early afternoon, allowing the Pearl to use the dock coming in later. This was the second part of our day. We booked the Tracy Arm/Sawyer Glacier boat trip out of Juneau. We left Juneau on a smaller, faster boat about 15 minutes before the Jewel did and raced down to Tracy Arm Fjord. We got real close to the glacier, and after sightseeing for an hour or more we met the Jewel as she came into the fjord. Sometimes the big ships can't get in view of the glacier in Tracy Arm due to weather or ice, and we didn't want to take that chance. We actually boarded the Jewel within sight of the Sawyer Glacier and went on with our trip.

 

Ketchikan is where we went salmon fishing and got the eagle pictures

 

Skagway is where we went on a river float and then walking around town shopping and sight seeing. Leving skagway is where I took those pictures of sullivan island, the lighthouse, etc.

 

I hope that helps. The Alaska Port of Call board has tons more information on how to get around and what to see, like how you would take a bus to Mendenhall if you wanted. I worked in Juneau for most of a year and certainly felt comfortable driving around myself. The town is small and it's easy to get places. Just google a map of Juneau and you can see where the ships are and where Mendenhall Glacier is. It's actually the only glacier that resides inside of city limits in the US. :)

 

 

Feel free to ask if you have any question!

Edited February 15, 2014 by sdmike

[luv2gamble]

SdMIKE, Thanks. Now I understand. So far, we booked the helicopter dogsled mendenhall glacier i Juneau. I hope by landing on the glacier we see what you saw on land. This is non refundable and cost $549 each (which is a lot). That takes up almost all our time in Juneau (only there 6 hrs). Skagway my friend is doing the zip line then the both of us are taking the whitepass train. We have no plans yet for Ketchican. The ship is supposed to go by sawyer not tracy. Do you actually sail next to the glacier and icebergs? We dont fish and have no idea what to do in ketchican. Are there any glaciers there or do you recommend anything? Is my 50th bd as well as my bf 50th..my husband is sendn me for by bd and we dont want to miss anything LOL....thanks again

[sdmike]

Tracy Arm is the glacial fjord formed by the Sawyer Glacier, and it's what the ship sails down for an hour to get to the glacier. The Jewel will sail down Tracy Arm as far as it can, and hopefully will get within view of Sawyer Glacier before turning around.

 

If you are taking a helo trip up on a glacier it will likely mendenhall, and believe me you'll see glacier! In fact, you'll land on it! Hopefully you'll then get within view of Sawyer glacier on the ship.

 

Again, I would check the Alaska Port of Call board on things to do in Ketchikan. There are shops there, a totem park and other things to see, but I would see if you can go something more special than just walk around a small town. Tripadvisor will also have lots of information on what to do in Ketchikan.

Edited February 15, 2014 by sdmike