NCL Alaska Cruise

[WorldTraveler151208]

I need an advice. I am thinking about booking an Alaska cruise for next summer.  It would be my first time in that region.  I want a one-week cruise from Seattle and I take into account NCL Bliss and Encore. The ship doesn’t matter to me because they are identical. The itinerary

 is very similar too, there is only one different port and a different glacier. Was anyone on both?  Is the itinerary with Skagway or with Icy Strait better?

[ziggyuk]

I have not been so not an expert but from my research, the sail day in glacier bay as opposed to Endicott arm & Dawes would be the winner for me as, I'm told the glaciers are more impressive and limited ships can enter glacier bay each day.

I should have been going in october 20 but due to cancellation I'm now Sep 21.

[SouthLyonCruiser]

Been on three Alaskan cruises and Glacier Bay and Skagway, hands down.

[hallux]

The ships are not exactly the same.  Encore removed the free adult-only Spice H2O (Bliss has it) in favor of moving laser tag to that space which opened the space that used on the top decks to expand the paid-for Vibe Beach Club.

[dmdiver]

I haven't been yet, but we chose Encore for Glacier Bay.  

[4774Papa]

We did our NCL Sun cruise departing from Vancouver.  It was a one way cruise that ended in Seward.  I highly recommend this instead of a round trip from Seattle.  Vancouver is a great place and we spent a week there prior to the cruise.

 

Our cruise did Glacier Bay and the Hubbard Glacier.  Those were the highlights of the cruise, as was Skagway.

 

If you pick one of the posted choices, for sure pick the one with Glacier Bay.  Also, recommend getting an Aftbalcony.

 

If in Seattle, take a couple of days to see the city and do the Boeing Factory or the Air Museum.

[WorldTraveler151208]

17 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

We did our NCL Sun cruise departing from Vancouver.  It was a one way cruise that ended in Seward.  I highly recommend this instead of a round trip from Seattle.  Vancouver is a great place and we spent a week there prior to the cruise.

 

Our cruise did Glacier Bay and the Hubbard Glacier.  Those were the highlights of the cruise, as was Skagway..

Thanks so much for all the replies. I agree that Sun has much better itineraries, but I want to start from Seattle because I have already been to Vancouver. I loved the city, but I have never been to Seattle before. Finally there would be an opportunity. Except for that, although I know that a small ship would be even better for Alaska, NCL Sun is rather old. It’s the oldest one in the fleet, isn’t it? 

[4774Papa]

15 minutes ago, WorldTraveler151208 said:

Thanks so much for all the replies. I agree that Sun has much better itineraries, but I want to start from Seattle because I have already been to Vancouver. I loved the city, but I have never been to Seattle before. Finally there would be an opportunity. Except for that, although I know that a small ship would be even better for Alaska, NCL Sun is rather old. It’s the oldest one in the fleet, isn’t it? 

World Traveler,

We liked the Sun.  It is an older ship, but was in good shape when we cruised.  Also, we found the head chef, from India was great and the dining was the best we had ever had on NCL.  The Sun ship layout was excellent.   We don't care much for the Epic or the Megaships.  One old ship in the fleet that we also don't care much for is the Star, which doesn't have the aft bar just outside the buffet, like the Sun, Jade or Gem.

 

Glacier Bay really is fantastic, don't miss it.

Also, in Skagway, if you like hiking, do the Rain Forest hike.  We were in our late 60s and still did the hike. It was great.

[valleyvillage]

1 minute ago, 4774Papa said:

One old ship in the fleet that we also don't care much for is the Star, which doesn't have the aft bar just outside the buffet, like the Sun, Jade or Gem.

 

The Star is our favorite ship. When they refurbished her in 2018 they put in the aft bar just outside the buffet, Spice H20. It's a fun place to relax.

[ziggyuk]

@WorldTraveler151208

Our 9 day trip is on the Sun, out of and back to Seattle on 7th Sep 2021 (might be a bit later if you want summer), it has an amazing itinerary over the 9 days.

 

Tue	Seattle, Washington	---	4:00 PM	0
Wed	At Sea	---	---	0
Thu	Sitka, Alaska	10:00 AM	8:00 PM	0
Fri	Icy Strait Point, Alaska	7:00 AM	8:00 PM	0
Sat	Glacier Bay (Cruising)	---	---	0
Sun	Skagway, Alaska	7:00 AM	8:00 PM	0
Mon	Juneau, Alaska	7:00 AM	3:00 PM	0
Tue	Ketchikan, Alaska	6:30 AM	1:00 PM	0
Wed	Victoria, British Columbia	7:00 PM	11:59 PM	0
Thu	Seattle, Washington (Flight Departure)	7:00 AM	---	0

[Love Blue]

You may have already done this, but there are several YouTube series of cruises to Alaska on NCL, including recent (2019) ones on the Bliss.  I haven't been to Alaska yet but found that watching these vlogs has given me a good idea of what I'd like to see.  

We've sailed on the Bliss three times on the west coast and love the ship.  It would probably be the itinerary that would be the deciding factor.  Enjoy!