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

[bluesea777]

11 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

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. 

 

Aan did a fabulous 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.

 

 

Any pictures of Aan?

 

Really really enjoying reading your very informative reviews, thank you! 

 

Enjoy the rest of the cruise with your dear grumpy Dad! 

 

 

[YVRteacher]

16 hours ago, www3traveler said:

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.

Not yet.  I was looking into the Bliss but $27000 for one week is ridiculous!

[Seas2mountains]

Loving your review as I catch up after being on the Sky this weekend. 
 

We also love Seward and it is my favorite cruise port. There is so much to do between catching the train and exploring Alaska if embarking or disembarking there. If anyone has a short stop, walking through the town, going to the SeaLife Center and seeing all the amazing animals, birds and sea creatures like you mentioned was a great time. We were fascinated by how deep some birds dove in the water.  We also loved Major Marine tours in Seward. 
 

My profile photo was taken in Seward. 
 

Enjoy your cruise and time with your sweet Dad! 

[YVRteacher]

Scenes from Seward

 

enjoying some of the sea life at the Alaska Sea Life Centre

 

we loved the birds and spent a long time listening to the bird guy while the kittiwakes screeched at each other 

 

These were taken as we walked from the Alaska Sea Life Centre back to the ship

 

 

I will never pass up a chance to walk through a harbour

[quack2]

13 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

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)

I did a solo walk out to Yakutania Point a few years ago.  I couldn't help but think I was being watched by bears!

[YVRteacher]

I’m finally getting some working internet so here’s a re-do of the train journey with photos.

 

Beginning of the train ride

Middle of the train ride

 

Going through the first tunnel

Approaching the trestle bridge

Crossing the international border into British Columbia.  Home Sweet Home!

 

 

Snow

Descent

 

Edited May 10, 2023 by YVRteacher

[YVRteacher]

Glacier Bay National Park 

[YVRteacher]

Hubbard Glacier May 7

[YVRteacher]

Hubbard Glacier May 9

(I spent an hour cuddling Molly)

Here is the pilot boat after dropping off the pilot. Today they came all the way from Ketchikan.

We didn’t get very close at all due to the large chunks of ice and I only took a few photos.

 

 

[YVRteacher]

1 hour ago, Seas2mountains said:

Loving your review as I catch up after being on the Sky this weekend. 
 

We also love Seward and it is my favorite cruise port. There is so much to do between catching the train and exploring Alaska if embarking or disembarking there. If anyone has a short stop, walking through the town, going to the SeaLife Center and seeing all the amazing animals, birds and sea creatures like you mentioned was a great time. We were fascinated by how deep some birds dove in the water.  We also loved Major Marine tours in Seward. 
 

My profile photo was taken in Seward. 
 

Enjoy your cruise and time with your sweet Dad! 

Thank you so much!

[YVRteacher]

15 hours ago, MommaK2D2 said:

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. 

Thank you for sharing your photos! I absolutely loved chatting with you and your sister each day and having someone who understands what I’m going through means the world to me.  I’m so glad you and J. and your dad had such a great trip!

I hope the graduation is special and wonderful!!

[QuattroRomeo]

Tell me you asked  where to get the octopus wall art!!!

[vacation44]

5 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Scenes from Seward

 

enjoying some of the sea life at the Alaska Sea Life Centre

 

we loved the birds and spent a long time listening to the bird guy while the kittiwakes screeched at each other 

 

These were taken as we walked from the Alaska Sea Life Centre back to the ship

 

 

I will never pass up a chance to walk through a harbour

How long was the walk back to the ship?   We will be arriving by earlier train and thinking of heading over to the marine life center after we check in.

 

Again, really enjoying your live review and am so happy both you and your dad are having a wonderful time.    

[Kathscof]

1 hour ago, vacation44 said:

How long was the walk back to the ship?   We will be arriving by earlier train and thinking of heading over to the marine life center after we check in.

 

Again, really enjoying your live review and am so happy both you and your dad are having a wonderful time.    

Not the OP, But it’s about 1.5 miles from the railroad to the sea life center....we walked it after a tour one day and maybe it was because we were tired from travel the day before and that morning but it was ROUGH.....I thought it would never end! But on a cruise ship day for sure there should be the free shuttle that drops you off both places, if not at least close to the ship...

 

and its about .6 miles from the depot to the ship....so 2 miles total...

Edited May 10, 2023 by Kathscof

[MommaK2D2]

10 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Thank you for sharing your photos! I absolutely loved chatting with you and your sister each day and having someone who understands what I’m going through means the world to me.  I’m so glad you and J. and your dad had such a great trip!

I hope the graduation is special and wonderful!!

Agreed and absolutely delightful. Have a wonderful next leg of your trip!   Hope we get another adventure alongside you someday!

[YVRteacher]

18 hours ago, QuattroRomeo said:

Tell me you asked  where to get the octopus wall art!!!

It was for sale in the Alaska Sea Life Center and I saw another one in an art gallery in Seward.  I really debated whether or not to buy this!  The artist is Katie Patel.

[YVRteacher]

14 hours ago, vacation44 said:

How long was the walk back to the ship?   We will be arriving by earlier train and thinking of heading over to the marine life center after we check in.

 

Again, really enjoying your live review and am so happy both you and your dad are having a wonderful time.    

I walk fast and my dad walks slowly.  It was raining so he walked a little faster.  We stopped in many art galleries and I took a lot of photos.  My guess is a straight route with no stops would be 35-40 minutes.  Another option is to walk to the Harbourmaster and catch the free shuttle back from there.  You could also take the free shuttle to and from the Sea Life Center.

[YVRteacher]

Week 2 Day 2

Sea Day/Hubbard Glacier

 

Morning Balcony Photos

Last night was brutal.  We were rolling starboard to port and bow to stern. There were moments where the ship moved and I could feel my stomach sink.  People pay big bucks to go on rides at county fairs where they drop;  I hate those rides, but got the experience for free (repeatedly!) last night.  I was incredibly seasick for hours despite taking medication and wearing acupressure bands.  There was too much motion in the back bedroom and I finally fell asleep on the living room couch about 5am.

 

When we were seated for breakfast our server said “it’s raining on your birthday.”  I replied this just makes it feel more like Alaska!  She said “ah, it’s a blessing.”

 

Me to dad at breakfast: Guess how old I am?

 

Dad: (gets the age right)

 

Me: I feel like 12

 

Dad: I could make a comment about that

 

Me: it’s my youthful exuberance!

 

Dad: rolls eyes

 

There are not a lot of activities scheduled today. Somehow we ended up in the theatre for the This is Alaska presentation. My dad enjoyed it and I had a little seat nap.

 

The Jewel is suffocating in cigarette smoke today from the casino.  This is the first time we have experienced this.

 

We did the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet (another excellent job hosting, @KACTravelsand appreciated how each officer spoke words of welcome and invited guests to contact them if needed.  Most gave out their phone extensions.  There are a few management and officer changes this week which I’ll post later.  Rumi speaks of the Jewel being like a family and it is so evident in the caring, respectful way the officers speak about each other (with added humour of course) that they like working as part of this very special team.  I was thinking today about how to put into words how incredible the crew members are on the Jewel and finally just decided nothing flowy or comparative is needed.  The crew are incredible.  I talked to Fabrice, the Food and Beverage Manager and asked him what he thought made such a difference in the quality and deliciousness of food on the Jewel compared to other ships and he said that most people here have been on the ship for years and keep returning so they know and trust each other and work as a team and family.  It shows!  Fabrice is from France and now lives in Thailand because he likes hot weather.

 

We went to the art auction simply because there was nothing else to do.  

I really enjoyed it and wanted to stay but the room became so hot and the air conditioning wasn’t working so we left.  I guess I saved myself $8000 because I went back to the art gallery in the evening to ask about the painting that caught my eye.  Do you know how many cruises I could take for $8000???? Actually it was $10000 but the art guy offered a “discount.”

 

We haven’t been going to the Haven lunch place partly because we haven’t been on board at lunch time and partly because the Garden Cafe is so darn good.  We had time for a longer lunch today and our breakfast carers (they take SUCH great care of us-shout out to Phoebe and Angelita and Yvette) asked us to come for lunch today.  I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich on whole wheat and the chef cut the crusts off!  I guess he thought it was for a little kid.  It was a triple decker grilled cheese and it was comfort food at its best.  My tastes are simple.

Today’s father daughter complaint is in the spirit of my friend’s teenage daughter who once told her mom the scrambled eggs tasted too eggy.  For dad, his brownie at lunch was too hard. For me, it was too chocolatey.

 

My dad is kind of muddled today so I’m trying to keep him on an even keel without too much stimulation.  After lunch we went in the hot tub.  No one else was there and my dad thinks perhaps not everyone thought to pack a bathing suit.

We were a little late getting up to the sundeck for the glacier viewing since we arrived earlier than expected.  

 

 

Once again I savoured a hot chocolate, looked at the glacier then spent my time cuddling Molly.  We were both in belly rub heaven and her owner gave me treats to feed her.  

 

I have a story for you!  I was telling Rumi how much I love Molly and he recounted the time he was on the NCL Sun and there was a group of 21 people who all had seeing eye dogs. They were on a group booking with a group leader.  The itinerary was the Mexican Riviera and when the ship arrived at the first port the Mexican authorities would not allow the dogs ashore, despite everyone having correct paperwork and pre-booking a specialized tour.  The group leader came to Rumi and said she could be responsible for the people when they went ashore for the tour but she didn’t know what to do with the dogs.  Rumi said we’ll take care of the dogs!

They ended up closing the deck with the helipad on the Sun and took all the dogs up there.  It was a hot day so they brought out the hoses and sprayed the dogs and let them play in the water and slip and slide on the deck.  The dogs were extremely popular with crew members who came up to the deck to cuddle and play with and love on the dogs.  When the group came back they thanked Rumi profusely and he said it was our pleasure!  This is what you get when your general manager is highly trained, highly experienced and highly gifted with people.

 

The Captain’s cocktail party was in the Haven instead of Bliss lounge this week.  We had a dinner reservation for 6:30 so only stayed for 15 minutes, which was long enough to say hello to people and have a fancy piece of Brie with little chopped up things adorning it but not so long that we had to make small talk with strangers.  

 

You will not believe the time I had trying to explain to our new butler that while we have the same last names, we are not Mr. and Mrs. and that I don’t want to be called Mrs. (Or ma’am!) He kept insisting that since our last names are the name I was Mrs.  He also did not bring treats today.  He did give us two laundry bags.  Life is about balance. Sometimes you get treats and sometimes you get laundry bags.

 

We both put laundry in today.  I had so much dog lick and dog fur and kibbles and bits on my clothes they needed to be washed.  My jacket had a lot of dog lick so that is now in the laundry room and I’m hoping it either comes back early tomorrow morning or that Icy Strait Point is not too icy.

 

Dinner in Moderno=

Wonderful meal.  I took a photo of the salad bar chef’s name tag to write a vacation hero card.  Dad said that the trouble with an all-you-can-eat meat dinner on a day where we didn’t hike up a mountain is he just didn’t work up an appetite.  I told him he worked hard holding down the hot tub for a good 50 minutes this afternoon.

 

I had taken my little coupon for birthday cake to Moderno and sweet Phoebe mentioned it would take a while for the cake to arrive.  I said we had nowhere we needed to be and didn’t mind a wait.  A few moments later Rumi and his team appeared with a beautiful cake!  Happy Birthday was whisper-sang since the restaurant manager didn’t want a full-blown singing of the birthday song.  Do not ask why.  I don’t know!!  I was so surprised by the cake and the people I love that my eyes welled up with tears!

After dinner we walked around a little bit, purchased the Mountaintop Gondola tickets for tomorrow after checking the weather forecast and listened to Louis then Drake in Magnums.  Dad went to the casino and won so he ended his day on a high.

 

For shore excursions in Icy Strait Point, you need to buy your excursions before 9:00am in order to get the $50 credit and the latitudes discount since ISP will not let NCL sell tickets on shore.  You can still buy tickets for shore excursions at ISP but they will not give you the discount and they will be purchased directly through the various tour operators.

 

At about 8:55pm I could see my dad was fading so I told him he could go to bed and I would be fine.  I had a glass of water, chatted with the excellent bartender in Maltings (last week he was in Magnums and we met him on the first day of the cruise) while I wrote.  My phone battery ran out of oomph so I headed toward the cabin but didn’t get very far before meeting someone from the Cruise Critic gathering earlier  today. We ended up drinking Prosecco, sharing life stories, talking about having aging parents and laughing at how much we have in common.  Thanks Janine for a great end to the evening!  

 

Drinks I had on my birthday:

A latte

Ginger ale

French Raspberry with tequila instead of vodka

Strawberry Caipirinha 

Old Fashioned

Prosecco 

 

Today was wonderful.

 

 

 

 

[www3traveler]

Sounds like you are having a wonderful birthday.

I hope the rest of the week goes well for both you and Dad.

Are they having Dinner with an Officer this week?

BIG BIG BIG BIG HUG

Love and prayers

 

 

 

[YVRteacher]

Week 2 Day 3

Icy Strait Point

 

Morning balcony views 

We arrived at breakfast just as they were dismantling the breakfast bar in Moderno.  8:30am is too soon for breakfast to end.  We were able to grab a couple of items and they brought us lattes which were lovely.

 

I called our new butler to ask if the laundry had finished washing my jacket that got coated in dog lick yesterday.  We waited for the jacket and the butler showed up with a basket of laundry for me and shirts on hangers for dad.

 

Dad complaint of the day: the laundry people did up all the buttons on his shirts, including the top buttons! Oh, the horror.

 

 

With the popularity of ISP and the Skyglider gondola changes have happened.  You now need to take your shore ex tickets to the Departure Den and exchange them for a wristband.  The line up is long and slow.  It is also a perfect place to fix one’s shirt if one stayed up too late the night before drinking Prosecco and put their shirt on inside out today.  Just saying.

 

Atop Mount Hoonah we tried to walk the Hidden Lake trail but they are now taking what I would consider to be overly extreme precautions and they won’t let you walk the trail without a guide who carries a rifle.  Instead of a peaceful meander through the woods, we are smooshed into a crowd of 200 with a guide we can’t hear at all.  My dad’s complaints are flowing more rapidly than the drinks just before last call. The walk was beautiful but staying in a crowd in nature isn’t my idea of fabulous. Any people who tried to walk ahead were called back by the guide.  We stayed at the back and I took a lot of photos and built snowpeople while my dad used some of his best adjectives to describe the “horrible” walk.

The person behind us in line for the downward gondola ride has a boom box in their backpack.  Here we are on this once pristine mountain that has now become a commercial endeavour (you bet the guide asked for a tip) and instead of hearing spring birds chirping we have the oonce oonce oonce of a beat we don’t want to hear.  Most groups (like us) want their own gondola car so the line is long.  The upside is I’m getting a suntan.

We go up and down and up and down in the gondola.  On the way back up I wonder whose job it is to wipe all the fingerprints off the glass each day.  At one point on the second ride down the gondolas all stopped and a wind came up. The cable was swaying and we were bouncing up and down like the aerialists in Le Cirque Bijou.  I thought this was fun but my dad grabbed the seat and hung on and made noises like one would make if one were in danger.

 

Back at Adventure Landing we walked along the beach, I found rocks with rings (wishing rocks)

and we watched an otter and a humpback from shore.

 

I keep hearing people on the ship say there’s “nothing to do” in Icy Strait Point.  I differ.  This is my favourite port on an Alaskan cruise.  We are treated to sunshine, blue skies, spring buds, bald eagles, ravens, tide pools, sea stars, massive sea anemones and the whales that can be seen from the ship and the shore. 

 

 

 

[YVRteacher]

12 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

Sounds like you are having a wonderful birthday.

I hope the rest of the week goes well for both you and Dad.

Are they having Dinner with an Officer this week?

BIG BIG BIG BIG HUG

Love and prayers

 

 

 

Birthday was great!  Yes, we are having dinner with the officers this week.  The start time is more reasonable!  Thank you for your continued words of care!!

[Jldevlin]

This is my favorite port!! The walk into town with the whales all bobbing up alongside you is something you dont get in the rest of Alaskan ports. The whole area at the cruise dock has been fancied up and not near as nice as it was...give me a walk into town and I am happy.

[MommaK2D2]

@YVRteacher The Forecast is showing a good possibility of Aurora/Northern lights tonight! And a chance tomorrow as well.   Let us know if you catch any glimpses if you stay awake late enough or get up early enough!!

[nadeki]

Happy Belated Birthday. I am so happy you are enjoying your time on the Jewel. It really is the best crew.

[ceilidh1]

2 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

My dad is kind of muddled today so I’m trying to keep him on an even keel without too much stimulation.  After lunch we went in the hot tub.  No one else was there and my dad thinks perhaps not everyone thought to pack a bathing suit.

 

2 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Dad complaint of the day: the laundry people did up all the buttons on his shirts, including the top buttons! Oh, the horror.

 

My dad’s complaints are flowing more rapidly than the drinks just before last call.

 

We stayed at the back and I took a lot of photos and built snowpeople while my dad used some of his best adjectives to describe the “horrible” walk.

Your dad is just the best! I don't know if it's the British gene, but he sounds just like my dad (who is no longer with us). Growing up, it drove me crazy that he complained (or grumbled, as us Brits say) about EVERYTHING! Now he is gone, I guess I would happily take another day to hear those moans...I vividly remember him sitting at the window for HOURS just watching and waiting for anything or anyone to do something that would give him cause to complain. Lol.