Live from the NCL Jewel May 1-15, 2023 (caution: may contain grumpiness and sarcasm.)

[justhappy]

On 5/3/2023 at 6:05 PM, YVRteacher said:

Day 3 Ketchikan

We zipped up to breakfast, were offered lattes and the world, had almond croissants with said lattes then Teo escorted us off the ship and right to the golf cart to get us to the mill.  Dad said yes to the golf cart.  Last year he would have said no.

We like organization and this was organized! Right to the end of the mill, met the person from the tour company and hopped on the bus.  All within three minutes of leaving the ship.

 

The crew have a safety drill and immigration (done every three months) today so they won’t be getting off until later this morning.

 

This retired Alaska state ferry has future aspirations to be a museum. For now, her cabins have been refurbished and people working at Ward Cove or doing tours are using them as summer accommodation.

 

The bus ride from Ward Cove to downtown Ketchikan was 15 minutes and scenic. No issues.  We both enjoyed the ride.  

Shore excursion time! Let me take you on board the Aleutian Ballad for the Bering Sea Crab Fishermen’s Tour.  Put on your toques, dress in all the layers you have, eat a big meal and get ready for the adventure of your life!

There are 37 passengers and 5 crew aboard the Aleutian Ballad today.

We are going to the fishing waters in Annette Bay where the Tsimshian have sovereign rights.  Captain Dave has an agreement whereby 95% of what the Aleutian Ballad catches goes back to the Tsimshian people.  

 

The sun is bright, the snow capped mountains are glistening like diamond peaks, the calm waters sparkle and the seagulls greedily munch on herring. This day in Ketchikan could not be better!

 

So I talked to Dave (not Captain Dave-the other Dave!) and told him I was here for the octopus.  He said they are no octopus but he was winking the whole time.  He told me octopus have a delicate membrane that coats their entire body and that if people touch it, anything that is on their hands (soap, hand sanitizer, hand cream) gets on the membrane and it can be detrimental to the octopus.  I definitely don’t want to be an octopus detriment person so will be just looking at today’s catch.

 

Our first haul out included sea cucumbers, whelk, sea snails, many sea stars, a yellow floppy fish and a whole bunch of giant prawns.  The phenomenal crew made sure everyone had a chance to hold the creatures and that they were being treated with care.

 

Our second stop was eagles.  If you have done this tour before, you know what an experience this is!  I told my We have never seen anything like this, with hundreds of adult and juvenile eagles vying for herring.  Dive after dive showed us talons, dominance, catches, misses, swoops and dives.  This convocation of eagles mesmerized us with their hunting skills.  It was spectacular. 

 

Our next stops were different crab pots and the crew demonstrated the fishing techniques while intertwining stories of their lives plus crab fishing stories that all involved near death. 

In the dome pot rotten fish juice is in bait jars.  Our first crabs are box crabs and the crew call them little  transformers.  They have short extremities, a hard carapace and cute little faces.

 

When it’s time for the king crab pots, we learn that these crabs are Golden Alaskan King Crab (there are three types: gold, brown and red.) 

Females have 1000000 eggs and 1-10% of crab eggs come to fruition.

 

King crabs have two kinds of claws: a crusher claw and a cutter claw.  On most crabs the crusher claw is on the right but some are lefties.

Crabs can eject their legs! King crabs molt every season

The Predator movie character was inspired by a king crab. 

 

Captain Dave recalls in 1981 his quota was 300000000 lbs.  Last year? No crab. Why? There is a virus that got in to females and it destroys her eggs.

 

Then it was time for what I had been waiting for.  My eyes got all teary when they brought the octopus on board.  This is my first time seeing an octopus in the wild (well, there was that time in Hawaii when a guy came out of the ocean with one on the end of his fishing spear, but that poor octopus was not alive.) Today’s octopus was a young male (you can tell the gender by starting at the face, counting three tentacles to the left and seeing if the suckers extend all the way down the third leg.  Yes?  It’s a boy!  

 

My dad kept saying over and over what a fabulous excursion this was.  We have done so many, loved most but today’s far exceeded any other experiences and our expectations.  The crew are gifted story tellers, passionate about what they do, the captain’s story of his life and the boat’s history is so special. The galley crew were delightful, the animals already on board and freshly caught (then released) and the eagles just made the day so, so incredibly special.  I told my dad I would never forget this day and he agreed.

 

If you are doing a cruise to Alaska, this tour is not to be missed.  Absolutely incredible from start to end.  I just asked my dad what was his favourite part of the tour today.  He replied, “it’s hard to beat the feeding of the eagles.  That was spectacular. The whole tour was spectacular.”

 

When we left the boat, I told the captain much of what I’ve written here.  He hugged me with tears in his eyes and the other crew members hugged us as well.  What a day!!

 

I’ve been binge reading your review today and love your attitude towards cruising with your Dad.❤️

So happy to hear you both loved this excursion as we have it booked for August. My husband is a big fan of Deadliest Catch, watching it from season 1 and is so looking forward to it.

[ceilidh1]

I believe today is turnaround day! Hope it's all smooth and your wifi kicks back in soon! I feel your pain - I didn't upgrade my FAS package on Bliss as I figured 75 minutes for 5 days was more than enough. Wrong. Like you, I used ALL my minutes on cruise critic. I tried repeatedly to use the "free" cruise critic but no joy...

[YVRteacher]

18 hours ago, senorita frog said:

Really enjoying your review!  My husband and I, plus his mom & aunt (both in their 80's) will be on the June 12th Land & Sea tour.  Celebrating his retirement from teaching.  First cruise for them, first time in Alaska for me.  

We had not booked anything in Skagway so far.  But we do end up on a train later in the trip during the land portion trip into Denali.  With your past Alaska experience, would you still recommend doing the train excursion in Skagway or would that feel redundant when we end up on a train a few days later?  If not the train, is there something else you would recommend for that day?  The ladies are pretty spry for 83 & 85 but still need something that isn't a lot of walking.

Do the train!!

[YVRteacher]

 

Day 5 part 3

 

When the train ride was over we had to wait for the train to reverse before we could cross the street and walk back to the dock.  One of the WPYR employees was doing some safety control and I saw that her name tag said she was from Texas.  I asked her what brought her from Texas to Skagway and she said her parents dragged her kicking and screaming when she was young and she fell in love with Skagway.  She works 6 months of the year for the WPYR and six months as a butcher in Springfield Missouri.  I asked if she had read the book “Cleaving” by Julie Powell. This is the sequel to Julie and Julia, chronicling her career shift from blogger to butcher while navigating an affair.  Julie Powell passed away due to Covid.  

Train person and I talked about books for a while then I asked her what we could do next week in Skagway that wasn’t touristy.  She recommended her favourite walk to Yakutania Point.  Her name is Ellen and she was a pleasure to chat with.  She said working and living in Skagway is like summer camp, with it being a small community where everyone knows everyone.  There is a Cinco de Mayo party for the whole town tonight.

 

This afternoon we had snacks and drinks at Great Outdoors, went to the spa (my dad says he likes sitting on the hot rocks-he means the heated ceramic loungers) and mostly enjoyed the outdoor hot tubs.

 

Cruising tip: when you see a full hot tub it doesn’t mean climb on in and ask the lovely lady who likes personal space to move over so you can press your tubby body up against her.  I got out faster than a pier runner about to miss the ship.

Read the room, buddy.  

 

Two of the hot tubs are now closed, drained and have their underbellies exposed for maintenance.

 

La Cucina was excellent earlier in the week so we decided to venture in tonight.  Hit or miss?  

 

Huge hit!!  Fabulous meal all around.  All aboard time in Skagway is not until 7:30 so at 6:30 tonight there were only 4 tables in use.  The wine steward in La Cucina is delightful.  

My dad had calamari (his usual), I had Insalata Mista (my usual) to start and we shared a caprese salad with our entrées.  I ordered half portions of lasagna for dad and fettuccini Alfredo con funghi for me and neither of us could finish our meals.  I wanted pizza but didn’t want to waste the other half so didn’t order that.  Somehow three peach Bellinis (tiny ones!) ended up in my possession and my dad had Pinot Grigio. When the wine steward came to pour him a second glass he emptied the previously opened bottle so that was a generous pour.  My dad looked at him in shock and said, “did I just drink the whole bottle?”

 

(He didn’t!)

 

This week’s free bottle of wine with the Diamond coupon goes to our butler. I asked if he wanted white or red and he said red so he gets a Merlot.  We went back to the cabin after dinner to drop off the wine and there was a bunch of clunking from above.  We’ve been trying to figure out what it is so we zipped up to deck 12 and there was nothing there.  I think we are under the pool deck storage room in between the towel station and the photography studio.

Once up on deck 12 I asked my dad if he wanted dessert.  He said, “well, since we’re here…”

We got crêpes but they weren’t edible.  Someone made a boo-boo when mixing today’s batter.

 

When we sat down to watch The Perfect Couple my dad turned to me and announced “this is when I go to bed.” 

 

Me: what would you like me to do about that?

 

Dad: this is when Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy are over.

 

For someone who is completely out of his routine, my dad is doing great. Perfect Couple was funny and corny.  I think the laughter and the Pinot Grigio buoyed dad’s energy because he wanted to test the fates in the casino.  He played a machine and won then I played a different machine, hit the bonus on the first spin, got 10 free spins and cashed out the winnings.  I guess my dad has adapted to being on vacation because he wanted to see the late show of Velvet.  

The best way to describe Velvet is it’s a sensory onslaught with more sequins and smoke than plot.  In my opinion it has served its purpose and should now be retired (kind of like me😁)

 

We both loved our day in Skagway and are absolutely enjoying being on the Jewel.  I had a moment today where I was walking across the pool deck, the sun was shining, we were surrounded by snow-capped mountains and I just felt that nothing could be better than this moment.

[YVRteacher]

Day 6

Better than a sock monkey

NCL did a great job securing a spot for us to cruise Glacier Bay.  The only drawback is the time!  We had to set an early alarm and dash up to the Haven sundeck.  Later I met a couple who had enjoyed karaoke and tequila shots so much the night before they missed Glacier Bay on this, their only cruise to Alaska.

 

The Grand Pacific glacier needs a bath. Margerie is gloriously radiant, as always.  She reminds me of the rich old ladies who go to the stylist each week for a wash, set and curl so they never look uncoiffed.  

 

NCL eliminated the option of Bailey’s during the Haven glacier viewing so our hot chocolates were sans alcohol.  The advertised pastries were as non-existent as my ability to dance.

 

We saw two shaggy, sleepy mountain goats, a raft of otters (learned today that a group of otters on land is a romp and a group of otters at sea is a raft. A group of ravens is a congress.)

One baby seal was ruminating on a bergy bit, waiting for its mama to return from hunting.

 

I always travel with my word of the year and was taking some photos when @KACtravels and her husband (I call him Mike, he calls me Lorraine😂) saw me and asked what I was doing.  I went into a way-too-long rambling explanation of word of the year and the word artist (Colleen Attara) then @KACtravels made me laugh when she said it was “better than a sock monkey!” 

 

We had a little bit of lunch, my dad had a massive meltdown, we worked through it then went to Sail and Sustain Mixology class.  This was scheduled to be at Great Outdoors and the fabulous head mixologist, Aan, moved us into La Cucina since it was teeth-chattering cold outside.

 

I’ve done the Mixology experience 4 times and loved our time with Aan today.  It was a great group of passengers, the drinks were made really well and Aan’s presentation was informative and humourous. 

 

Here are the notes I typed as fast as I could with two thumbs while sampling 8 drinks.  These are as accurate as my thumbs could get.

 

Sail and Sustain 

Watermelon Twist

Spice mix is 2:2:1 cayenne, celery salt, kosher salt

6 pieces of jalapeños in one bottle of rum

 

Cucumber Cool

Fresh juices from the squeezer in the Garden Cafe. They save the cucumber peel and infuse it with sugar and blend with water.  It is then filtered.  Made with vodka, elderflower and lime.

 

Croissant Mai Tai

Work with the pastry department on deck three. The ones that are too small or too large get infused with cardamom pods and Bacardi white rum. This is infused overnight.  Then the drink is made with Prusser’s rum and some other stuff I don’t catch because I’m three drinks in.

 

Pulp Art

Work with the chefs in Le Bistro to create the candied orange garnish.  They collect the red and green bell peppers on deck 3 where they make the salads.

Peppers, blend with water, filter, Bacardi white, Campari, lemon juice.

 

My dad loved the pulp art one made with bell peppers.  This is the most vegetables he has eaten all week (yes, I know peppers and cucumbers are fruit)

 

Cafe Replay

The used coffee grounds come from Cagney’s or Le Bistro from the French Press coffee. SKYY Vodka, Francelico, pineapple, 2 drops of angostura bitters.

 

Bananaruma

-overripe bananas from provisions

Brugal Anejo

Angostura

Banana Olejo

Frangelico

For me, this drink tastes better than it smells

 

Sustainable Spritz

Romemary-infused Prairie Vodka

Aperol 

Lemon juice

Sustainable champagne simple syrup 

 

Aan did a fabulou job presenting and teaching. He is personable, knowledgeable and has been with NCL since 2003. He started as a bar utility person, went on to be a dishwasher then bartender and is now Head Mixologist.

 

Pineapple Surplus

JaJa

Chinola 

Pineapple

Turmeric

Honey

 

@Seabees doesn’t drink so they made her non-alcoholic drinks to sample.  They looked yummy.  Her husband said these drinks would make him need a nap.  Aan then said we should put more alcohol into sir.  We all laughed!

 

At the end one of the guests did a lovely toast and someone asked Aan what the toast would be in Indonesia.  He taught us “Mabuk” which is the poetic way of saying let’s get drunk!!

 

Our afternoon activity was the spa and the hot tubs.

 

Dinner at Palace:

 

The waiter asked if we had allergies.  I said no but I’m a vegetarian.  He said he is too so I asked what his favourite vegetarian food on board is and he said the Indian food.  I said me too. Can I please order some of that? He said it’s in the Garden Cafe.  

 

We ordered 3 appetizers each and the waiter questioned, “no main course?” We said this would be the meal and then we would have dessert.  Dad said maybe two! The waiter said, “two, three, four…”

 

During dinner I enquired if we missed trivia. 

 

Dad: what was the theme?

 

Me: questions that are hard that you would swear at

 

There was not a great entertainment line up tonight . I was enjoying Drake but it was too loud for my dad.

 

The comedian, Vince Acevedo, was offensive. I’m interested in what other people think.  He was so good on Monday and so funny.  Tonight his jokes were long-winded and just didn’t land in the funny section.  His last joke was so cruel it made my heart hurt.

 

My dad doesn’t like all the food the butler delivers because he feels it is excessive and we never eat it all.  Tonight he went back to the room and discovered we had more treats from the GM.  Dad had a lot of complaints. When we went back to the room together later I noticed a bunch of cookies and half the hand-made chocolate bonbons were missing.  I used a slightly ironic tone of voice to say:

“You complained about all the food but you ate a bunch of it!”

 

Dad:  No.  I ate the food THEN complained.

 

Me: was it yummy?

 

Dad: oh yes!

[YVRteacher]

Day 7

Hubbard Glacier

What’s this? Another day on vacation where an early morning alarm was needed.  I had a hard time opening my eyes but a breathtaking morning balcony view made the early start palatable.  We just got dressed and headed up to deck 15 for the Haven viewing “extravaganza.” This is in quotes because there was hot chocolate but no Bailey’s.  I like being wrapped in a cozy blanket while glacier viewing so found a big chair and got all snuggly.  Then the view was too good to sit so the snuggliness dissipated as the scenery expanded.  There is a ship in the Maritme Museum of Vancouver named the St. Rich and she is a polar ice breaker.  Drawing closer to Hubbard, I felt like I was aboard the St. Roch, doing my part to transport provisions to the isolated northern communities.  If I was in charge of provisions it would be all salad and dessert with some chips thrown in for good measure so I’d likely get fired.

We had sunshine in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and again today for Hubbard Glacier. This cruise has gifted us sunshine every day for us so far; my vitamin D game is strong.  So is my vitamin C game but that’s from all the Painkillers. While Hubbard Glacier was stunning, I think the ice was enchanting as it hissed, cracked and swirled.  I told my dad that I loved the glacier but I think I loved the ice more.  I also loved getting so much cuddle time with this good girl

Her name is Molly and she is a sweet, gentle lady who loves belly scratches and beer.  Her tail knocked somebody’s Stella Artois off the little drink table and she certainly did her part to help clean off the deck.  Her owner said she had never had beer before. She knows what she likes and she lapped it all up. Then she had a good long nap. She did lick my toes (I have sandals on today because Blundstones didn’t match the rest of my outfit) and my legs so when we came back to the cabin I had to wash the dog lick off my lower extremities.

 

After the glacier viewing I blew bubbles.  I did not blow bubbles yesterday in Glacier Bay even though the Grand Pacific needed a big washy washy.

 

At the Senior Officer Q and A Emma mentioned that she was surprised how close we got to Hubbard Glacier today given all the ice.  Captain Vicente excels in glacier navigation.  Truly.  He is my favourite captain.

 

Captain Vincent explained that Hubbard is the most challenging for ships. There is so much ice and the current pushes the ice toward the ship. At Russell Fjord the current is seeping out and creating a whirlpool effect.  Our ship was like a magnet for the ice.  Captain said today is the first time he has ever experienced ice coming east to west and north to south since so much ice was pushed toward us from the south.  He mentioned we bailed out early but I didn’t notice. From my perspective it was a wonderful glacier viewing day. When we left the Hubbard Glacier the whole bay filled in with ice behind us. We were supposed to do a 360 but our time was up.  Today we weren’t really moving we were spinning and the ice was spinning with us. As stunning as the view was, the Captain was trying to flush the ice away with the props. He said he appreciates that the United States works hard to keep the geographical surveys up to date.  NOAA last surveyed Hubbard  Bay in 2019.  Some parts of the world where cruise ships sail haven’t been surveyed since the 1960s.

 

Someone asked the Captain if he had ever been caught in a storm. As part of his response he informed us that when we leave Seward, continuing to Hubbard and into Icy Strait Point we will be in a low front and the swells will be 9 ft so it won’t be as smooth sailing as it was this week.  It also won’t be glorious sunshine which I’m fine with.  If you’ve read The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah you’ll know the weather in Alaska has its own personality, sometimes fierce and sometimes gentle.  Growing up in Vancouver, I do love the rain and the fog and am just so happy to be in Alaska I don’t mind whatever weather comes our way.  But I’m not the person navigating the ship through soaring swells and wicked winds.

 

Someone asked the officers to each describe their most harrowing emergency at sea.  The Chief Engineer vividly described the time someone frantically told him, “you have an emergency!  I just saw your wife entering the jewelry store!”  He ran fast downstairs but wasn’t fast enough.

 

The General Manager, Hannah Han, explained they are well-trained to react to any situation and how to find a solution.  I’ve come to really appreciate Hannah on this cruise.  She spoke so eloquently about her career with NCL and she is kind, calm and inspiring.  She leaves for vacation on Monday.

 

Captain Vicente shared that 

the pandemic was the toughest experience he has experience because it created so much uncertainty.

He also said engine room fires are complex.

 

I asked about the bell in the engine room.  The Chief Engineer said he still didn’t know. Captain said it is part of the mariner history going back to the days of Christopher Columbus.  In an emergency the bell would be rung continuously and it meant all hands on deck.  Ships are beholden to this tradition and each new ship has a ceremonial bell engraved with the date of something important.  I couldn’t hear if it was she was built or her inaugural voyage. Anyone know?  After he shared the lore of bell, Captain Vicente added that he shared that with a lot of confidence and hopefully it was correct.  

 

A few more notes from the Q and A with the senior officers:

 

NCL just signed a contract with a company in Germany to design prototypes for engines that run on methanol.  The Jewel and the Bliss will be the first ships to convert.

 

Captain said don’t come to Alaska in October since the weather is pretty rough.

 

When the Sun hit the growler, they experienced a “close down” and lost their visibility when they were at a high speed.

 

There are currently 1000 crew members on board. 79 are disembarking tomorrow and flying home and 89 crew members are boarding in Seward.  The projected passenger count for May 8-15 is 1200.  

[YVRteacher]

The first time we we went to the spa my dad lasted about 15 minutes.  We gradually built up from there and now he loves the hot stone loungers.  He took an extended nap today and I did too.  Those heated loungers are so soothing.  Dad left before I did, showered then had some fun in the casino. Fun=winning.  Although we have cruised on the Jewel many times and my dad knows the layout, he still gets lost and confused. Today was the first day he was able to separate from me for an hour.

 

 

In that hour I stayed in the spa.  After baking on the hot stone lounger I used the other spa amenities and cooked, steamed, roasted and for good measure got in the hot tub for a little sous vide.  

 

Every cruise is different and this cruise the spa played a starring role.  I’ve written before that I wouldn’t buy a spa pass on a Jewel class ship.  I was wrong!

 

Dementia, like Alaska, is changeable day to day and moment to moment.  Yesterday my dad really struggled with word retrieval, communication and orientation.  Today he is doing really well.

 

Before dinner there was pub trivia in Spinnaker:

5 sports questions

5 lyrics 

5 movie quotes

5 history

 

My dad thought it was going to be questions about beer so he was pretty mad pub trivia did not involve brewskies.  

 

Edited May 9, 2023 by YVRteacher

[YVRteacher]

Week 2 Day 1

 

Emma’s get off the ship announcements woke me up at 7:00, 7:10, 7:20 on so forth.    I knew Moderno breakfast ended early today and didn’t want to go to the Garden Cafe so had ordered room service breakfast.  Rogin came right at 9:00 with a tray of food, orange juice, coffee, napkins and cutlery.  The tray looked heavy and he carried it on his shoulder.  He proceeded to lay down a crisp white tablecloth.  I said we didn’t need a tablecloth but he said “you never order room service and I want to make it nice for you.”  I didn’t tell him I don’t even own a tablecloth at home.  The room service coffee seems to be the best coffee on board!

 

I sent my dad to guest services to pick up the new key cards.  I know Rogin could have done this but it’s good for my dad to do little things on his own.  Everyone needs to feel successful and success looks different for everyone.  If I can create small moments where my dad gains confidence this is a good thing.

 

Rogin (butler extraordinaire) came to say goodbye after breakfast.  He gets off today at 1:30pm and begins two long days of travel home to the Philippines.  I had tipped him earlier so this was a genuine farewell.  He took my dad’s hands in his and just said what a pleasure it was to see him again. 

 

I wanted some working internet so we went to the atrium to hang out for a while but the new package hadn’t yet kicked in.  I wrote, dad swore at the sudoku and the crossword, pointed out the typos in the shore excursion brochures and asked me a lot of questions about the upcoming week.  

 

Around 11:00am we walked through the terminal, chatted with a Seward welcome person and waited about three minutes for the free shuttle (today is the first day the shuttle is operating because we are the first ship in Seward for this season.) The production cast hopped on the same shuttle so I told them how phenomenal they are and how much we enjoyed Velvet and Le Cirque Bijou.

 

The large mountain in Seward is Mount Marathon.  Every 4th of July there is a 5k run.  They say it is the toughest 5k in the world.  I don’t run so I wouldn’t know.

Looking out on Resurrection Bay we can see the rock slide that stopped all the busses last year and impeded traffic for the day.

 

We had a wonderful time at the Alaska Sea Life Centre and especially enjoyed the birds. The docents are fabulous and taught us so much.  We spent a long time at the touch pools, feeling the sea urchins enclose our fingers with their spines and watching the sensitive tentacles on a sea star sense their small world.  The octopus was sleeping soundly and I realized he didnt have a need to be aware of predators. The Alaska Sea Life Centre, like the Vancouver Aquarium, keeps their octopus for one year then releases them back into the ocean.  When we were done we walked back to the ship and it started to rain sharp pellets of ice.  Not quite hail but not peaceful rain either.  My cheeks froze but I still did a long walk through the harbour, photographing the fishing boats and watching the loons diving for herring.  The fog rolled in over Resurrection Bay giving the harbour a mystical feel.  I really love Seward.  If you come here, please get off the cruise ship to explore.

 

Back on board my dad wanted a beer so here we are at Shakers.  I started with a Painkiller, sweet talked the bartender into letting me try a shot of Chambord, then had a French Raspberry made with tequila in lieu of vodka.  The man next to me deemed it a Chamborita.

 

Three drinks in and I could barely walk.  No Prosecco for me at dinner, even though we are eating in La Cucina. 

 

I didn’t have a positive experience at the Shore Excursion desk today.  I had pre-booked (which means I also pre-paid) for the Endicott Arm excursion where we go ahead of the Jewel in a smaller boat to navigate the fjords and do our glacier viewing in this smaller vessel.  This was supposed to be a surprise birthday present for my dad.  The shore excursion tickets weren’t in the cabin.  I started by asking if shore excursion tickets had been delivered.  The representative said yes.  I said ours didn’t arrive.  She asked for the cabin number and told me there was nothing booked.  I said it had been showing up in My Plans on the app.  She told me I must not have paid, but I knew I had paid.  I kept the email confirmation and showed it to her. She told me that didn’t mean anything.  At this point I moved over to another station and asked a different person to help me. She went to the manager behind the wall and came back to tell me he was busy.  She said I hadn’t paid.  I told her I had.  She told me to come back in an hour.  I stayed calm on the outside but on the inside I was pretty upset.  

 

Right after we sat down for dinner I saw Rumi emerge from the swinging doors in La Cucina. I started to stand up to hug him but he motioned to me to stay still.  He snuck up behind my dad and gave him a huge hug.  My dad smiled so big!  We are giddy with happiness to get to see Rumi again!

 

The tide is rapidly shifting and covering the sand flats.  While dining we saw a large bull sea lion, a bald eagle, two brown ducks, hundreds of kittiwakes and no otters.  After our fabulous meal the first night in La Cucina we’ve requested the same waiter.  His name is Joel (not Joel that rhymes with hole but Joel that rhymes with Noël) and he has taken such good care of us.  He knows my dad wants small portions and he makes sure that extra shrimp are added.  He is friendly, funny and lovely to chat with.  We were the only people in La Cucina tonight and our meal was wonderful.

 

I think many people had a long travel day and there is a 4 hour time difference to the east coast so maybe people went to bed early.  We were informed that there were supposed to be ~1200 passengers this week but 200 cancelled yesterday (a group?) so now there are fewer than 1000 passengers.  This means there will only be one evening show each night.

 

I traipsed back to the Shore Ex desk and they had a print out of our cruise documents which showed that I had booked and paid for the excursion.  No apology was offered.  What would you do? Let it go? Say something and to whom?

 

After dinner we found some window seats in Spinnaker  and watched a barge and tugboat do whatever barges and tugboats do, enjoyed the soaring bald eagles and the continually shifting clouds then went to the comedy show.  The comedian is Landry.  His jokes weren’t suitable for a cruise crowd and while some were so-so in the humour department many weren’t relatable.  There were plenty of times where I didn’t get the punch line at all, especially the ones about Cracker Barrel.  I’ve never been to Cracker Barrel.  We left partway through.  

 

The shore excursion tickets were tucked in our cabin number sign along with tomorrow’s Freestyle Daily.  Even in a suite we are not getting twice a day cabin service.  We don’t need it and I’m not complaining.  Just sharing information.  NCL is on this Sail and Sustain mission yet when I hang my towels up to reuse them the room steward replaces them with new towels.  I tried!

 

We have loved Seward each time we’ve been here and today was no exception. The cold makes it feel more Alaskan and as I write this tiny flakes of snow are drifting off the balcony.

 

Today was a great day.

 

We are now in open ocean and the ship is moving significantly more than it did all last week.  This old ship is creaking like crazy.  Captain Vicente mentioned the rough seas in his welcome announcement but he *thinks* we will be okay. 

[Dachgraf]

I love these wonderful and empathetic descriptions of your journey. Many, many thanks.

[www3traveler]

Thank You  Your Sweet Captain makes me laugh.  BIG BIG BIG BIG HUG Captain!!!   I am glad that you and Dad are doing well.

 

I hope this week goes well for you.

 

Did you get a replace cruise for The Pride figured out?  I am hoping to do the Pride in November.

[Kathscof]

2 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Week 2 Day 1

 

Emma’s get off the ship announcements woke me up at 7:00, 7:10, 7:20 on so forth.    I knew Moderno breakfast ended early today and didn’t want to go to the Garden Cafe so had ordered room service breakfast.  Rogin came right at 9:00 with a tray of food, orange juice, coffee, napkins and cutlery.  The tray looked heavy and he carried it on his shoulder.  He proceeded to lay down a crisp white tablecloth.  I said we didn’t need a tablecloth but he said “you never order room service and I want to make it nice for you.”  I didn’t tell him I don’t even own a tablecloth at home.  The room service coffee seems to be the best coffee on board!

 

I sent my dad to guest services to pick up the new key cards.  I know Rogin could have done this but it’s good for my dad to do little things on his own.  Everyone needs to feel successful and success looks different for everyone.  If I can create small moments where my dad gains confidence this is a good thing.

 

Rogin (butler extraordinaire) came to say goodbye after breakfast.  He gets off today at 1:30pm and begins two long days of travel home to the Philippines.  I had tipped him earlier so this was a genuine farewell.  He took my dad’s hands in his and just said what a pleasure it was to see him again. 

 

I wanted some working internet so we went to the atrium to hang out for a while but the new package hadn’t yet kicked in.  I wrote, dad swore at the sudoku and the crossword, pointed out the typos in the shore excursion brochures and asked me a lot of questions about the upcoming week.  

 

Around 11:00am we walked through the terminal, chatted with a Seward welcome person and waited about three minutes for the free shuttle (today is the first day the shuttle is operating because we are the first ship in Seward for this season.) The production cast hopped on the same shuttle so I told them how phenomenal they are and how much we enjoyed Velvet and Le Cirque Bijou.

 

The large mountain in Seward is Mount Marathon.  Every 4th of July there is a 5k run.  They say it is the toughest 5k in the world.  I don’t run so I wouldn’t know.

Looking out on Resurrection Bay we can see the rock slide that stopped all the busses last year and impeded traffic for the day.

 

We had a wonderful time at the Alaska Sea Life Centre and especially enjoyed the birds. The docents are fabulous and taught us so much.  We spent a long time at the touch pools, feeling the sea urchins enclose our fingers with their spines and watching the sensitive tentacles on a sea star sense their small world.  The octopus was sleeping soundly and I realized he didnt have a need to be aware of predators. The Alaska Sea Life Centre, like the Vancouver Aquarium, keeps their octopus for one year then releases them back into the ocean.  When we were done we walked back to the ship and it started to rain sharp pellets of ice.  Not quite hail but not peaceful rain either.  My cheeks froze but I still did a long walk through the harbour, photographing the fishing boats and watching the loons diving for herring.  The fog rolled in over Resurrection Bay giving the harbour a mystical feel.  I really love Seward.  If you come here, please get off the cruise ship to explore.

 

Back on board my dad wanted a beer so here we are at Shakers.  I started with a Painkiller, sweet talked the bartender into letting me try a shot of Chambord, then had a French Raspberry made with tequila in lieu of vodka.  The man next to me deemed it a Chamborita.

 

Three drinks in and I could barely walk.  No Prosecco for me at dinner, even though we are eating in La Cucina. 

 

I didn’t have a positive experience at the Shore Excursion desk today.  I had pre-booked (which means I also pre-paid) for the Endicott Arm excursion where we go ahead of the Jewel in a smaller boat to navigate the fjords and do our glacier viewing in this smaller vessel.  This was supposed to be a surprise birthday present for my dad.  The shore excursion tickets weren’t in the cabin.  I started by asking if shore excursion tickets had been delivered.  The representative said yes.  I said ours didn’t arrive.  She asked for the cabin number and told me there was nothing booked.  I said it had been showing up in My Plans on the app.  She told me I must not have paid, but I knew I had paid.  I kept the email confirmation and showed it to her. She told me that didn’t mean anything.  At this point I moved over to another station and asked a different person to help me. She went to the manager behind the wall and came back to tell me he was busy.  She said I hadn’t paid.  I told her I had.  She told me to come back in an hour.  I stayed calm on the outside but on the inside I was pretty upset.  

 

Right after we sat down for dinner I saw Rumi emerge from the swinging doors in La Cucina. I started to stand up to hug him but he motioned to me to stay still.  He snuck up behind my dad and gave him a huge hug.  My dad smiled so big!  We are giddy with happiness to get to see Rumi again!

 

The tide is rapidly shifting and covering the sand flats.  While dining we saw a large bull sea lion, a bald eagle, two brown ducks, hundreds of kittiwakes and no otters.  After our fabulous meal the first night in La Cucina we’ve requested the same waiter.  His name is Joel (not Joel that rhymes with hole but Joel that rhymes with Noël) and he has taken such good care of us.  He knows my dad wants small portions and he makes sure that extra shrimp are added.  He is friendly, funny and lovely to chat with.  We were the only people in La Cucina tonight and our meal was wonderful.

 

I think many people had a long travel day and there is a 4 hour time difference to the east coast so maybe people went to bed early.  We were informed that there were supposed to be ~1200 passengers this week but 200 cancelled yesterday (a group?) so now there are fewer than 1000 passengers.  This means there will only be one evening show each night.

 

I traipsed back to the Shore Ex desk and they had a print out of our cruise documents which showed that I had booked and paid for the excursion.  No apology was offered.  What would you do? Let it go? Say something and to whom?

 

After dinner we found some window seats in Spinnaker  and watched a barge and tugboat do whatever barges and tugboats do, enjoyed the soaring bald eagles and the continually shifting clouds then went to the comedy show.  The comedian is Landry.  His jokes weren’t suitable for a cruise crowd and while some were so-so in the humour department many weren’t relatable.  There were plenty of times where I didn’t get the punch line at all, especially the ones about Cracker Barrel.  I’ve never been to Cracker Barrel.  We left partway through.  

 

The shore excursion tickets were tucked in our cabin number sign along with tomorrow’s Freestyle Daily.  Even in a suite we are not getting twice a day cabin service.  We don’t need it and I’m not complaining.  Just sharing information.  NCL is on this Sail and Sustain mission yet when I hang my towels up to reuse them the room steward replaces them with new towels.  I tried!

 

We have loved Seward each time we’ve been here and today was no exception. The cold makes it feel more Alaskan and as I write this tiny flakes of snow are drifting off the balcony.

 

Today was a great day.

 

We are now in open ocean and the ship is moving significantly more than it did all last week.  This old ship is creaking like crazy.  Captain Vicente mentioned the rough seas in his welcome announcement but he *thinks* we will be okay. 

I love Seward too! I went last year for one night and am going for two this year! Haven’t been to the SeaLife Center, but it’s our plan the morning before we get on the ship!

[cruiseny4life]

5 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Aan did a fabulou job presenting and teaching. He is personable, knowledgeable and has been with NCL since 2003. He started as a bar utility person, went on to be a dishwasher then bartender and is now Head Mixologist.

I think this is what I love the most about your lives. You really give us an opportunity to learn about the staff members you meet. So many of us, myself included, gloss over the crew. We say how amazing they are, but then go on with our experiences, not stopping to throw in a few lines about who we met, how they enjoy cruising, etc. So, thank you for helping me take a step back today and realize that I need to do better. 

[justhappy]

4 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Week 2 Day 1

 

Emma’s get off the ship announcements woke me up at 7:00, 7:10, 7:20 on so forth.    I knew Moderno breakfast ended early today and didn’t want to go to the Garden Cafe so had ordered room service breakfast.  Rogin came right at 9:00 with a tray of food, orange juice, coffee, napkins and cutlery.  The tray looked heavy and he carried it on his shoulder.  He proceeded to lay down a crisp white tablecloth.  I said we didn’t need a tablecloth but he said “you never order room service and I want to make it nice for you.”  I didn’t tell him I don’t even own a tablecloth at home.  The room service coffee seems to be the best coffee on board!

 

I sent my dad to guest services to pick up the new key cards.  I know Rogin could have done this but it’s good for my dad to do little things on his own.  Everyone needs to feel successful and success looks different for everyone.  If I can create small moments where my dad gains confidence this is a good thing.

 

Rogin (butler extraordinaire) came to say goodbye after breakfast.  He gets off today at 1:30pm and begins two long days of travel home to the Philippines.  I had tipped him earlier so this was a genuine farewell.  He took my dad’s hands in his and just said what a pleasure it was to see him again. 

 

I wanted some working internet so we went to the atrium to hang out for a while but the new package hadn’t yet kicked in.  I wrote, dad swore at the sudoku and the crossword, pointed out the typos in the shore excursion brochures and asked me a lot of questions about the upcoming week.  

 

Around 11:00am we walked through the terminal, chatted with a Seward welcome person and waited about three minutes for the free shuttle (today is the first day the shuttle is operating because we are the first ship in Seward for this season.) The production cast hopped on the same shuttle so I told them how phenomenal they are and how much we enjoyed Velvet and Le Cirque Bijou.

 

The large mountain in Seward is Mount Marathon.  Every 4th of July there is a 5k run.  They say it is the toughest 5k in the world.  I don’t run so I wouldn’t know.

Looking out on Resurrection Bay we can see the rock slide that stopped all the busses last year and impeded traffic for the day.

 

We had a wonderful time at the Alaska Sea Life Centre and especially enjoyed the birds. The docents are fabulous and taught us so much.  We spent a long time at the touch pools, feeling the sea urchins enclose our fingers with their spines and watching the sensitive tentacles on a sea star sense their small world.  The octopus was sleeping soundly and I realized he didnt have a need to be aware of predators. The Alaska Sea Life Centre, like the Vancouver Aquarium, keeps their octopus for one year then releases them back into the ocean.  When we were done we walked back to the ship and it started to rain sharp pellets of ice.  Not quite hail but not peaceful rain either.  My cheeks froze but I still did a long walk through the harbour, photographing the fishing boats and watching the loons diving for herring.  The fog rolled in over Resurrection Bay giving the harbour a mystical feel.  I really love Seward.  If you come here, please get off the cruise ship to explore.

 

Back on board my dad wanted a beer so here we are at Shakers.  I started with a Painkiller, sweet talked the bartender into letting me try a shot of Chambord, then had a French Raspberry made with tequila in lieu of vodka.  The man next to me deemed it a Chamborita.

 

Three drinks in and I could barely walk.  No Prosecco for me at dinner, even though we are eating in La Cucina. 

 

I didn’t have a positive experience at the Shore Excursion desk today.  I had pre-booked (which means I also pre-paid) for the Endicott Arm excursion where we go ahead of the Jewel in a smaller boat to navigate the fjords and do our glacier viewing in this smaller vessel.  This was supposed to be a surprise birthday present for my dad.  The shore excursion tickets weren’t in the cabin.  I started by asking if shore excursion tickets had been delivered.  The representative said yes.  I said ours didn’t arrive.  She asked for the cabin number and told me there was nothing booked.  I said it had been showing up in My Plans on the app.  She told me I must not have paid, but I knew I had paid.  I kept the email confirmation and showed it to her. She told me that didn’t mean anything.  At this point I moved over to another station and asked a different person to help me. She went to the manager behind the wall and came back to tell me he was busy.  She said I hadn’t paid.  I told her I had.  She told me to come back in an hour.  I stayed calm on the outside but on the inside I was pretty upset.  

 

Right after we sat down for dinner I saw Rumi emerge from the swinging doors in La Cucina. I started to stand up to hug him but he motioned to me to stay still.  He snuck up behind my dad and gave him a huge hug.  My dad smiled so big!  We are giddy with happiness to get to see Rumi again!

 

The tide is rapidly shifting and covering the sand flats.  While dining we saw a large bull sea lion, a bald eagle, two brown ducks, hundreds of kittiwakes and no otters.  After our fabulous meal the first night in La Cucina we’ve requested the same waiter.  His name is Joel (not Joel that rhymes with hole but Joel that rhymes with Noël) and he has taken such good care of us.  He knows my dad wants small portions and he makes sure that extra shrimp are added.  He is friendly, funny and lovely to chat with.  We were the only people in La Cucina tonight and our meal was wonderful.

 

I think many people had a long travel day and there is a 4 hour time difference to the east coast so maybe people went to bed early.  We were informed that there were supposed to be ~1200 passengers this week but 200 cancelled yesterday (a group?) so now there are fewer than 1000 passengers.  This means there will only be one evening show each night.

 

I traipsed back to the Shore Ex desk and they had a print out of our cruise documents which showed that I had booked and paid for the excursion.  No apology was offered.  What would you do? Let it go? Say something and to whom?

 

After dinner we found some window seats in Spinnaker  and watched a barge and tugboat do whatever barges and tugboats do, enjoyed the soaring bald eagles and the continually shifting clouds then went to the comedy show.  The comedian is Landry.  His jokes weren’t suitable for a cruise crowd and while some were so-so in the humour department many weren’t relatable.  There were plenty of times where I didn’t get the punch line at all, especially the ones about Cracker Barrel.  I’ve never been to Cracker Barrel.  We left partway through.  

 

The shore excursion tickets were tucked in our cabin number sign along with tomorrow’s Freestyle Daily.  Even in a suite we are not getting twice a day cabin service.  We don’t need it and I’m not complaining.  Just sharing information.  NCL is on this Sail and Sustain mission yet when I hang my towels up to reuse them the room steward replaces them with new towels.  I tried!

 

We have loved Seward each time we’ve been here and today was no exception. The cold makes it feel more Alaskan and as I write this tiny flakes of snow are drifting off the balcony.

 

Today was a great day.

 

We are now in open ocean and the ship is moving significantly more than it did all last week.  This old ship is creaking like crazy.  Captain Vicente mentioned the rough seas in his welcome announcement but he *thinks* we will be okay. 

Years ago my husband and I took a 9 day driving trip around Alaska and spent two days in Seward, and between the Sealife Center and the day cruise into Kenai Fjords National Park it was the highlight of the trip, even beating out 3 days at Denali National Park and all the wildlife we saw there.

Hoping the seas aren’t too rough for you guys.
 

Edited May 9, 2023 by justhappy

[Arrow34]

I have to agree, we were blessed with amazing weather for the first week, I hope you have similar weather for the return.  I just made it home from our week with you from Vancouver to Seward. Great trip.

[www3traveler]

Was just checking the Jewel's webcam--WOW!!!  That is some ugly stuff you are pushing through.  I pray that by the time you reach the Hubbard Glacier it will calm down a bit.

 

Prayers for Captain Vicente and his staff.

[MommaK2D2]

What a fun trip we had!  Dad enjoyed his first cruise, and the smaller ship was definitely the way to go for him. (Also once we convinced him to utilize the WC boarding in Juneau he no longer had any aversion and is loving wheelchairs and their wonderful pushers LOL.  Perhaps I was wrong to help him pack- as he still just wore a few things all week, LOL. 
     Hilights:  watching dad light up as he called out the glacier calving at Hubbard!  Glacier bay with blue skies never disappoints!  Seeing caribou for the first time in the wild. And the gorgeous pod of orcas on our Major marine tour in Seward. Plus some Dall’s porpoises that were loving to frolic next to us for a long time. 

[MommaK2D2]

On another note- I was fascinated by the difference in the snowpack compared to an early May visit in 2019. Everything on our ride up to Yukon in Skagway was frozen this time.  Putting a few pics here of the contrast during the same time of year (emerald lake, bridge on WPYR, and lake Tutshi)

[Kathscof]

1 hour ago, justhappy said:

Years ago my husband and I took a 9 day driving trip around Alaska and spent two days in Seward, and between the Sealife Center and the day cruise into Kenai Fjords National Park it was the highlight of the trip, even beating out 3 days at Denali National Park and all the wildlife we saw there.

Hoping the seas aren’t too rough for you guys.
 

I was only in Seward for approx 36 hours last year but I LOVED it!  Like you, my fav tour/activity/excursion of the trip was the Kenai Fjords tour even before we got on our ship!  We are extending earlier and going to Denali first this time, and getting about 56 hours in Seward and I am very excited!

[ceilidh1]

I second Yakutania Point - it's a nice walk, great views, and not too many people know about it! There is also the Pet Cemetery, which is a one-off-weird-Alaskan thing to see! In Juneau, head across to Sandy Beach and the Treadwell Mine if you are looking for something different to do/see.

 

Dad sounds like he is having a blast (I'm almost disappointed he isn't complaining too much...lol)

[JennKach]

6 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

 After our fabulous meal the first night in La Cucina we’ve requested the same waiter.  His name is Joel (not Joel that rhymes with hole but Joel that rhymes with Noël) and he has taken such good care of us.  He knows my dad wants small portions and he makes sure that extra shrimp are added.  He is friendly, funny and lovely to chat with.  

Joel truly is an awesome waiter with a flair for genuine customer service.  He was our vacation hero on the last cruise.  NCL has so many great employees that is can be difficult to stand above, but Joel is that person.  I predict he will be promoted soon.

[ChiefMateJRK]

Fantastic report!  Thanks.

 

I had a very similar experience with a Shorex on our last cruise.  It was cancelled but I received no notification.  The tickets were in my room.  I presented them at the Shorex desk and they claimed that I wouldn't get a refund because I never paid for them.  After wasting an hour they finally decided to apply a refund to my account.  Something in that process is messed up.

 

Lesson learned.  Regardless of having tickets in hand, check the app to make sure the excursion still shows up in your activities list.

[MrsTocko]

On 4/15/2023 at 12:49 PM, bluesea777 said:

Norwegian Jade will do Vancouver-Whitter and back during her summer 2025 Alaska season!

 

 

Jewel & Jade are exact sisters. Pearl & Gem are also exact sisters but slightly different to Jewel & Jade.

 

 

 

We are looking at a June 2025 Alaskan...Maybe July...We love Cruising Alaska.  DH wants at least one new port and a return to Icy Strait.  Those are my requirements when I pick our destinations/ports.  

We have done both the Jade and Jewel, and also love the Jewel Class ships

[MrsTocko]

On 4/23/2023 at 12:42 PM, YVRteacher said:

More plans are coming together. 8 days to go!

 

I need to implement this for our cruising.  I do an excel sheet that has all of our travel details (confirmation numbers, flight and seats...) for family members that are not traveling (also a pared down version for work). But I like this version too, this version would be good for hanging up in the room...I dont know HOW many times a day that DH asks, when are we doing....

 

[quillwercruisers]

36 minutes ago, MrsTocko said:

We are looking at a June 2025 Alaskan...Maybe July...We love Cruising Alaska.  DH wants at least one new port and a return to Icy Strait.  Those are my requirements when I pick our destinations/ports.  

We have done both the Jade and Jewel, and also love the Jewel Class ships

We are booked for May 2024 on the Jewel, and we were supposed to go to Icy Strait, however, the cancelled that and we are doing Glacier Bay instead. I haven't done either one, so I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. I was surprised that they made the change so far out though.

[Kathscof]

4 minutes ago, quillwercruisers said:

We are booked for May 2024 on the Jewel, and we were supposed to go to Icy Strait, however, the cancelled that and we are doing Glacier Bay instead. I haven't done either one, so I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. I was surprised that they made the change so far out though.

oh wow, while ISP is a fantastic port for activities, Glacier Bay is the event that EVERYBODY says you "MUST" go to or you haven't really "been" to Alaska.....both are good options! but one good thing about a glacier day is you get most of it on board and can still feel "accomplished" without exerting too much energy HAHAAHH (our first full day on the ship is our glacier day, nice to ease into the trip)