NCl Sun: Seward-vancouver shore excursions...

[SD-cruiser]

Hi,

I am a first time cruiser sailing NCL Sun from Seward to Vancouver on July 4 2016. Are there any good shore excursions offered by NCL that veterans here recommend? Or should I just look for deals outside of those offered by NCL. Appreciate your time. Thx

 

- SD-Cruiser

[DMH15]

First off, you are going to be on my favorite ship the NCL Sun. Do you have a balcony cabin? It would be great for viewing. Although I did not do Alaska on that ship I cruised the Chilean fjords on the Sun, which is very similar in viewing and I had an aft penthouse and that was incredible. I know you didn't ask about cabins, but I thought I'd just throw that in.

 

If you do not have a balcony or a window… The sun has a wonderful forward observation lounge it's very nice.

 

I am not sure what your ports of call are. However, when I was in Juneau we did a helicopter ride up to Mendenhall glacier got out and walked on the glacier it was great.

 

Also, if you visit Skagway, you don't even need to book an excursion through the cruise line just go and walk into town and get a ticket on the white pass vintage train. We went up to Frasier, British Columbia and it was a very fun day and not that expensive. If you plan to do that, just remember to take your passport with you into port.

 

In Ketchikan, we went to the lumberjack show. I thought it was very hokey. It was a disappointment.

 

Are you going to spend any time in Seward? There's a great restaurant up there called Ray's seafood. And there's a really cool knitting shop that has the neatest yarns I wish I could remember the name but it was something like simply silk. They sell items already made and some jewelry if you're not into knitting.

 

Hope this helps.

Edited March 9, 2016 by DMH15

[SD-cruiser]

Hi Donna,

Appreciate your quick response and glad that you like the NCL Sun. My ports of call are Icy Strait Point (8h), Juneau (6h 15m), Skagway (8h) and Ketchikan (7h). I have included number of hours in parenthesis available for excursions at each of the ports en-route Vancouver.

 

I have booked an aft facing mini-suite (#9078) and hoping it will be fun for my wife and teenage daughter as well. I am arriving at Seward by train around 11am (July 4th) and the cruise departs at 9pm same day. I have marked Ray's at Seward for lunch before catching the cruise on July 4th. I will remember to try and find the knitting place as well - my wife would love it!!!

 

Do you think I have enough time in Juneau to do the Mendelhall glacier? Sorry - I am new to cruising and cannot estimate the overhead time at each port for disembarkation/embarkation. Also any other specific recommendations welcome.

 

Regards

SD-Cruiser

[DMH15]

Hi Donna,

Appreciate your quick response and glad that you like the NCL Sun. My ports of call are Icy Strait Point (8h), Juneau (6h 15m), Skagway (8h) and Ketchikan (7h). I have included number of hours in parenthesis available for excursions at each of the ports en-route Vancouver.

 

I have booked an aft facing mini-suite (#9078) and hoping it will be fun for my wife and teenage daughter as well. I am arriving at Seward by train around 11am (July 4th) and the cruise departs at 9pm same day. I have marked Ray's at Seward for lunch before catching the cruise on July 4th. I will remember to try and find the knitting place as well - my wife would love it!!!

 

Do you think I have enough time in Juneau to do the Mendelhall glacier? Sorry - I am new to cruising and cannot estimate the overhead time at each port for disembarkation/embarkation. Also any other specific recommendations welcome.

 

Regards

SD-Cruiser

 

 

Wow! I cruised in 9076 twice. You are in for a treat, my friend! The aft facing Sun balconies are special.

 

Yes, there is time for that excursion in Juneau. Port is right there close by. If you do go, take plenty of knit scarves, hats, gloves, etc. it is chilly up on the glacier. Beautiful though.

[don't-use-real-name]

Hi Donna,

Appreciate your quick response and glad that you like the NCL Sun. My ports of call are Icy Strait Point (8h), Juneau (6h 15m), Skagway (8h) and Ketchikan (7h). I have included number of hours in parenthesis available for excursions at each of the ports en-route Vancouver.

I have booked an aft facing mini-suite (#9078) and hoping it will be fun for my wife and teenage daughter as well. I am arriving at Seward by train around 11am (July 4th) and the cruise departs at 9pm same day. I have marked Ray's at Seward for lunch before catching the cruise on July 4th. I will remember to try and find the knitting place as well - my wife would love it!!!

Do you think I have enough time in Juneau to do the Mendelhall glacier? Sorry - I am new to cruising and cannot estimate the overhead time at each port for disembarkation/embarkation. Also any other specific recommendations welcome.

Regards

SD-Cruiser

 

Taking the Ports in order: Icy Strait Point (8h), Juneau (6h 15m), Skagway (8h) and Ketchikan (7h).

 

The shore excursions maybe dependent on the weather. Those involving

aviation (float planes & helicopters) more so than others - there is plenty of

time for all the activities scheduled with these and if they are cancelled you

get a refund or credit from NCL if booked through NCL.

 

In most cases you can only do one shore excursion in the time allotted.

Takes a high degree of coordination to two or more - timing is everything.

 

Icy Strait Point (Hoonan): this is a {TENDERING} Port - the ships life boats

furnish the transport from ship to dock.

Two highlights - self guided tour of an old salmon canning factory FREE

the other is the highest and fastest Zip-Line in North America pricy and with

8 hours you could do it twice

 

Juneau: there are two pier docking points one close to the Mt. Roberts tram

and the other about 3/4s of mile further away from the city center.

Highlights the helicopter and float plane excursions are easily done in the 6

hours provided weather permitting

Alternate is a walk-about into town to see the Alaska State Capitol building

and the Governors house with food and beverages along the way - about a

4 mile round trip

Another alternate is the Mt. Roberts Tram to the top of Mt. Roberts about

$25 pp - tremendous views - gift ship; information center and raptor (eagles)

viewing - also hiking trails along the Mt. Roberts ridge easily accomplished

during the 6 hour port time frame

 

Skagway (Haines): With 8 hours to play with here you can take 1 of the 3

White Pass & Yukon railway trips to the Canadian Border Summit HIGHLY

RECOMMENDED - an impressive engineering accomplishment - one unique

feature is the train comes right down almost aside the ship for the trip

Alternate to this is a motor coach ride (watching the trains on the other side

of the canyon) There are also helicopter excursions available here

Another alternate is a walk-about town about 8 blocks long and 3 wide -

gift shops eateries historic buildings railway equipment

 

Ketchikan: 7 hours of port time and lots of things to do boat and flight

excursions and simple walk-about trips. One self guided tour I do is the

walk up the board walk in front of Dolly's House to follow the salmon stream

and ladder spawning under a bridge which puts you on the other side of the

stream for the return to the ship - alternative is to zig and zag alternate

city blocks to view the inside passage and the cruise ships sometimes 4 or

more at berth. Across the passage is the Ketchikan airport built on an island

A few blocks from the berths of the ships is a public library and outside is

a display of Totem poles

 

I have taken three cruise trips to Alaska and am awed by the opportunities

both NCL commercial and private that are available as well as the self-guided

arranged ones

 

Note Sitka is not an usual port call for NCL - Holland-America and Carnival

call there

Sitka: this is a {TENDERING} Port - the old Russian Capitol of Alaska has

loads of history to be explored and a Russian dance ensemble performing

when ships come calling. A walk-about tour takes you to a Raptor center

one of the largest of its kind.

 

The cruise season in Alaska is roughly 4 months - mid May to mid September

The weather comes with no guarantees - count your blessings for the good

days and make the most of those that are not so blessed. You can't see it all

in one trip or even a dozen but you can take the memories with you forever !

 

If you can afford it price and time wise consider a land package encompassing

Seward - Alaska Railroad - Anchorage - Mount Denali - and Fairbanks and

of course the Glaciers not seen from the cruise ship - Dreams are FREE !

[dijid]

There's tons of great information on the "Alaska" forum in the "Ports of Call" section of these boards:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

 

You can search that forum for each of the ports you are visiting. You'll also find a ton of links to videos, other websites and discussions on books that you might find helpful.

[woodz]

Icy Point should have their dock done this summer so no tendering.

[shadowmeboy]

We are doing the same itenerary as you but two weeks earlier. We have sailed Alaska twice before. We have the choice shore excursions credit, so we are doing NCL excursions.

 

Ports in order

Port

What we are doing this time

What we did on previous cruises and what the weather was like.

 

Icy straight point - new port for us

2 excursions

1. In alaska's wildest kitchen - learn to fillet and cook fish the native way.

2. Forest tram and tribal dance - want to learn more about the SE Alaskan native peoples culture.

 

Juneau - Mendenhall glacier, salmon hatchery, and Salmon bake. - DW loves a salmon bake, so we did this for her.

Past cruises - sun 2007 - walked the town and watched the parade, we were in port on the 4th of July. Weather - sunny and warm

Star 2009 - Capitol building and tour, museum, and walking the town. Late June weather - very rainy.

 

Skagway - mushers camp and sled dog discovery - learn about sled dogs, ride a dog pulled cart.

Sun 2007 and Star 2009 - Best of Skagway tour - bus tour up white pass, train ride down white pass, bus to observation spot, liarsville, salmon bake, and gold panning. We did it twice due to having my parents with us the second time. Weather overcast and partially sunny both times.

 

Ketchikan - lunch at pioneer cafe, SE Alaska discovery center, and lumberjack show.

Sun 2007 - walked the town, creek street, breakfast at pioneer cafe. Dry 8am to 10am - pouring liquid sunshine after.

Star 2009 - breakfast at pioneer cafe, met up with parents friends, creek street, and did the lumberjack show. Weather liquid sunshine at first then sunny weather.

 

Hth

Edited March 10, 2016 by shadowmeboy

[SD-cruiser]

Really appreciate everyone's response and pointers for me to read and educate myself before booking Alaska shore excursions. I will be sure to come back for advise again. I cannot imagine a more friendly and knowledgeable forum than the cruisers here. Thx again...

[don't-use-real-name]

Find something that is enlightening book it now or as soon as possible.

The popular shore excursions are sold out way in advance of sailing.

It is possible at times while on board to get on one of these with a cancellation

but don't count on it.

Cavet - booking shore excursions require a payment up front but if cancelled

within the time frame that NCL requires it is refundable. This ties funds up

in advance but you have the reservation instead of a wish.

Having trouble booking something and in a suite use the Concierge service to

get you that coveted excursion.

If that is not the case when you first get on board head right over to the shore

excursion desk (and wait in line) and make whatever arrangements can be made.

Do not wait until 24 hours before the excursion and expect to get it !

Especially with large groups and parties it can not be overstated to book and plan early !

[shadowmeboy]

Find something that is enlightening book it now or as soon as possible.

The popular shore excursions are sold out way in advance of sailing.

It is possible at times while on board to get on one of these with a cancellation

but don't count on it.

Cavet - booking shore excursions require a payment up front but if cancelled

within the time frame that NCL requires it is refundable. This ties funds up

in advance but you have the reservation instead of a wish.

Having trouble booking something and in a suite use the Concierge service to

get you that coveted excursion.

If that is not the case when you first get on board head right over to the shore

excursion desk (and wait in line) and make whatever arrangements can be made.

Do not wait until 24 hours before the excursion and expect to get it !

Especially with large groups and parties it can not be overstated to book and plan early !

 

Unless you have the shore excursion credit and have to call NCL to reserve the shore excursions. Because of the credit the shore excursions are reserved but are charged on board the ship minus the credit.

[SD-cruiser]

All,

I have done the following bookings so far - thx to the numerous tips and valuable advice from this forum:

1. Skagway - White pass railway and Yukon expedition

2. Ice Point Strait - Glacier Wind whale watching tour

 

I have a quick question for the veterans. The Glacier Wind tour starts at 12:30pm and will back at 4pm. The Sun departs at 5pm and should I be worried that I am not meeting the 2h requirement before embarkation? Really appreciate your time.

 

- SD-Cruiser

[don't-use-real-name]

The Glacier Winds tour is that a NCL sponsored tour ?

If so NCL will wait for you.

If the tour is your own organized tour with out NCL sanction then there maybe

a problem if the tour has an unexpected snag. Not likely ! There is a lot of

flexibility built into the non NCL tours and there is radio communication with

the ship to alert of delays.

Simply put NCL tour you are protected - non NCL tour you are not but rarely

does it matter.

 

Reviewing the tours offered at Icy Strait Point I don't find the exact tour that

you are taking. The closest I found is: Whale and Marine Mammals Cruise

(a 2.5 hour cruise off of Point Adolphus) which should pose no problem with

timing.

The non NCL tours are keenly timed to meet all the scheduling requirements

for arrival and departure of the ships sailing.

 

Icy Strait Point (Hoonan) is a TENDERING port but comments posted earlier

here have indicated that a pier (dock) should be ready for this seasons use.

The Whale watching tour mentioned above uses that tendering dock for the

tour. In any event you should be just fine.

 

The next port of call is Juneau and the ship putts putts all night in low gear

getting there in the early am - so there is no rush to leave folks stranded.

Have your camera ready and go up on deck for some of the most spectacular

sunset photos - Icy Strait Point (Hoonan) is in amongst the inside passage

island archipelago.

[jbetten1]

We were in Alaska last summer and had the most amazing time!

In Seward I would highly recommend taking the shuttle to the Kenai Fjords National Park ($10 p/p) with Liquid Adventures. We then did an easy hike (about 1 mile) up to Exit Glacier - it was stunning!

 

We also arrived by train at 11am, had lunch and left for the park at 1pm. We were back by 4pm with plenty of time to board.

 

Enjoy your trip!

[tammyjw305]

We planned excursions on our own each time; here is what we did last time: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=517804&et_cid=2531924&et_rid=16181689&et_referrer=NULL

 

On our first Alaska trip, we did Misty Fjords in Ketchikan with Island Wings, which was great, and then walked to the Totem Pole museum in town, seeing creek street. In Skagway, We did a Yukon trip, separate from the RR because it was more affordable. I'm not sure it was this one, but something like this: http://www.frontierexcursions.com/.

 

Have fun!

 

Tammy

[SD-cruiser]

GlacierWind (http://www.g-wind.com) is not an NCL sponsored shore excursion and appears highly recommended on TripAdvisor and in the forums here. I spoke to Shawn at Galcier Wind and he confirmed that they do have a actual dock now in ICP. I am glad to hear that arriving at the ICP dock one hour before departure to Juneau should be manageable. Btw this should be the only non-NCL excursion on this trip for me - too stressful for a first time cruiser. It seemed that NCL's Whale and Marine mammals cruise had too many people vying for views/photos etc relative to just six persons on the Glacier Wind's Kohola. Obviously I still need to go on the whale tour and have the experience myself yet.

 

At Seward, I certainly intend to take the shuttle or taxi to kenai Fjords and go on the Ecit Glacier hike. I should be done today completing my bookings for Juneau and Ketchikan - both likely NCL sponsored ones.

 

BTW, I should have probably mentioned that I am also spending 3 nights at Denali NP before arriving at Seward July 4 by Coastal Classic for the NCL cruise.

 

Appreciate everyone's guidance for a first time cruiser again... Thx

[bccruiser2007]

Hi,

I am a first time cruiser sailing NCL Sun from Seward to Vancouver on July 4 2016. Are there any good shore excursions offered by NCL that veterans here recommend? Or should I just look for deals outside of those offered by NCL. Appreciate your time. Thx

 

- SD-Cruiser

 

We took the same cruise last summer. Had a great time.

In Skagway, rented a car and drove to Emerald Lake in the Yukon. (about 75 miles each way).

The rental car lot (Avis) is a short walk from the cruise ship terminal.

nice scenery and even encountered a Grizzly near Emerald Lake crossing the road.

[Pszaffveauhraunne]

All,

I have a quick question for the veterans. The Glacier Wind tour starts at 12:30pm and will back at 4pm. The Sun departs at 5pm and should I be worried that I am not meeting the 2h requirement before embarkation? Really appreciate your time.

 

 

Btw, the 2-hour requirement before embarkation only applies to departure day, no to the ports of call. At each port they'll usually want you back 30 minutes before sailing; there will be a big notice board reminding you of the "all aboard" time as you leave the ship in the morning.

[don't-use-real-name]

Btw, the 2-hour requirement before embarkation only applies to departure day, no to the ports of call. At each port they'll usually want you back 30 minutes before sailing; there will be a big notice board reminding you of the "all aboard" time as you leave the ship in the morning.

 

And if the Captain is sounding the ship's horn - me thinks thou better be

hoofen it on board - with that you become exciting entertainment for the

balcony gazers cheering your 40 yard dash to the fast receding gangplank.

All in good serious fun of course !

The people that operate these shore excursions are well aware of when you

need to be back on board. So have a good time but don't tarry along after

the tour - WAIT FOR IT - - - That blasted ship's horn a very rude reminder

you have overstayed your time and the ship must get underway to the next

port !

[Tom Graphy]

In Icy Straight Point I did a cooking class and loved it! In Juneau Mendenhall glacier is amazing! I did this cruise last summer and had a great time. Definitely try a specialty. I liked le bistro. Have a great time!

Edited March 14, 2016 by Tom Graphy

[shadowmeboy]

In Icy Straight Point I did a cooking class and loved it! In Juneau Mendenhall glacier is amazing! I did this cruise last summer and had a great time. Definitely try a specialty. I liked le bistro. Have a great time!

 

Was this the In Alaska's Wildest Kitchen excursion? Can you tell me a bit more about it. We are excited to take this excursion!

[SD-cruiser]

Glad to be educated that arrival time requirements at ports of call is lesser and 2h applies only to departure port. I should admit that I loved the humorous post from don't-use-real-name. Still LoL with my DW here... Thx again....

[Tom Graphy]

Was this the In Alaska's Wildest Kitchen excursion? Can you tell me a bit more about it. We are excited to take this excursion!

 

Yeah it was awesome! I can't remember how long it was, but they took us to a room with a demonstration area and gave us recipe sheets. There were three recipes: Salmon dip, Salmon Sliders, and halibut cordon bleu casserole. the sliders were prepared in front of us and each person got a sample. The casserole was prepared ahead of time. For the dip there was already some at each seat. As the teacher cooks she will tell you about life in the region and how she uses salmon and halibut for nearly everything. Stuff like fish camp and storage for the winter and fishing expeditions. There is also wine during the cooking demo. Next you will walk over to the fish prep station and she will filet a halibut and salmon. You will get a filet of each and you go out to a grill to cook your delicious fish! :D

 

I had a great time! I did this one with my Grandma and she loved it too. You really learn a lot about what it is like to live up there and I would say that it is a must do!

[shadowmeboy]

Yeah it was awesome! I can't remember how long it was, but they took us to a room with a demonstration area and gave us recipe sheets. There were three recipes: Salmon dip, Salmon Sliders, and halibut cordon bleu casserole. the sliders were prepared in front of us and each person got a sample. The casserole was prepared ahead of time. For the dip there was already some at each seat. As the teacher cooks she will tell you about life in the region and how she uses salmon and halibut for nearly everything. Stuff like fish camp and storage for the winter and fishing expeditions. There is also wine during the cooking demo. Next you will walk over to the fish prep station and she will filet a halibut and salmon. You will get a filet of each and you go out to a grill to cook your delicious fish! :D

 

I had a great time! I did this one with my Grandma and she loved it too. You really learn a lot about what it is like to live up there and I would say that it is a must do!

 

Thank you for that description. It really helps visualize it. I cannot wait for our cruise so I can take this excursion.