New to NCL and have a couple of questions

[Samityna]

We are booked for the June 22, 2019 sailing on the Joy to Alaska and very excited about it.  My very generous parents are paying for the whole family to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip together for everyone who is able to go and we are so thankful for their generosity.

 

That said, we've only cruised one other time and it was Carnival and it was the Caribbean so a completely different atmosphere both in the the cruise line and the itinerary.  We had just gone with our family of 5 and it was in 2013.

 

My first question is about the Splash Academy.  My daughter will be 12 when we sail and her cousins will be 11 and 10. They are the three under 21 that will be with us.  She is excited about Alaska and when my mom told her about it, she cried. Alaska is a "bucket list" item (I know!  Getting to do a bucket list item at the ripe old age of 12!!) Do they do educational stuff in the Kid's Clubs that will geared towards her age group to make it fun AND interesting, or is it just a hang-out at that age to keep them busy and out of their parent's hair?  If it's the latter, she's not going to be interested, but I'm hoping it is something she'll enjoy doing with her cousins (the 11-year-old is only 6 months younger than she is and they're both in the same grade and are great friends).

 

My second question is about arrival and departure times listed on the itinerary on the NCL website.  For example, it says we'll be in Ketchikan on that Monday with an arrival time of 7 a.m. and departure of 3 p.m.  It also says that Disembark times are 2 hours after arrival in part and we must be on the ship 2 hours before it departs.  Are the arrival and departure times the time the ship actually arrives and leaves, or are those the times we are able to get off  and "last call" for getting back on? (and no, I definitely do NOT want to be a pier runner, so plan on being back in PLENTY of time, LOL!!) I am wondering in order to plan excursions and want to make sure we have plenty of time to get back.  The arrival/departure window for Juneau is only 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. so if that is actual arrival/departure of the ship, it might not be worth scheduling an excursion for a 2.5 hour window, for example.

 

Anyway.. I'm sure I will have plenty of other questions as the date draws near, but for now, that's it.  Oh... and we do qualify for the free flights... does that include any checked baggage?? I sure hope so since we're coming from warm Minnesota and will need to pack some of our cool weather clothes/coats.

 

Thanks!

 

Sarah

 

 

[ColeThornton]

I can't answer the kids club question but as far as those times those are for the first and last day of the cruise at the homeport, not at the ports of call.   You get off quickly at those places.

[Paul Bogle]

At your port of departure you must be on board two hours before sailing so the ship's manifest can be submitted to the TSA. At a port call you are requested to be back on board thirty minutes before scheduled departure time.

If you are on a ship sponsored excursion and it is running late the ship will wait for your tour to return. If you are on your own and late you run the risk of missing the ship and will need to make your own arrangements to catch-up.

[Samityna]

Ok.. that's what I thought about the port calls, but it's been so long that I just didn't remember.  Thanks for the great info!

[outtabux]

1

Edited November 21, 2018 by outtabux
wrong thread

[BirdTravels]

24 minutes ago, Samityna said:

Ok.. that's what I thought about the port calls, but it's been so long that I just didn't remember.  Thanks for the great info!

Cruising Alaska is magical. It is our favorite cruise destination and we try to do it often. When the ship is moving between ports, we spend hours a day watching the waters around the ship for whales, dolphins, and closer to land seals. 

 

Ports of call, you can disembark around the time listed. The ship usually is into port a bit earlier and the gangways open shortly after she docks. All aboard is 30 minutes before the listed departure time. The 2 hours only applies to your embarkation/disembarkation port (Seattle). 

 

As for kids, the programs are more for entertainment than education. BUT,,,, it is important to enroll your kids in the Splash Academy on embarkation day and let them go to the first day's activities so that they can make friends and bond. 

 

The Joy is a brand new ship. She has been doing China/Japan cruises exclusively for the past year since it was built and will undergo a $50M update in March/April 2019 to remove the Chinese features and "Americanize" her to be closer to her sister the Bliss (and the new Encore to be launched late 2019). 

 

So,,, if you want to see and understand the types of things NCL has to offer, take a look at my live post from the Bliss to Alaska earlier this year. The Bliss and Joy will be very similar (they are the same Breakaway-Plus class ship). There are daily programs, Splash Academy schedules, and general photos around the ship. Your cruise will be going to Icy Strait (which in all of my Alaskan cruises, I have never been to). The live post below is intended to give you and idea on what to expect in terms of the types of activities and entertainment available. Yes, your cruise will be slightly different. Ask a lot of questions here on CC. 

 

We will be on the Joy before you, so expect to see a live post from the Joy from the Bird. 

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Edited November 21, 2018 by BirdTravels

[YVRBassElectric]

We went to Icy Straight Point in Sept 2014, we had a wonderful First Nations guide, he took us on a nature walk, explained native flora & fauna and we had a great view of the grizzly bears - it was salmon spawning season, not sure if the bears will be there in June