Questions about an Alaskan cruise

[tarheel87]

My mom and my sister are traveling to Alaska this spring.  My mom, who is in her late eighties,  has never cruised before and is a little nervous about everything.  I'm not going on this cruise and have never cruised with Regent (though I'd love to).  My mom had several questions that I cannot answer, so I was hoping you could help.

 

1.  Ketchikan -- does the ship dock there or someplace else?  She thinks it may dock somewhere that is about an hour from Ketchikan and is concerned that will limit the amount of time she will have at that port.

 

2.  Binoculars -- she is wondering if binoculars are provided for all guests or does she need to bring her own?

 

3. Reserving restaurants -- She knows this process opens up on Friday but is a little unsure of it.  Can she reserve restaurants for both her and my sister (they are each traveling solo because they didn't want to share a cabin).  Also, one of the ports had a mention of a salmon bake and she didn't know if that would take the place of a dinner.

 

Thanks to all!

[papaflamingo]

2 hours ago, tarheel87 said:

 Can she reserve restaurants for both her and my sister

I've only done this for 2 couples, but I assume it'll work the same (likely someone else who's sailed solo with a friend will have better info).  But when she logs on to reserve dining, there will be a "add another guest" prompt (it's small and sits right above "share a table") .  Select that and fill in the info, she'll need your sister's booking number, and then when she selects a time it will also select for your sister.  Make sure that she confirms by selecting "add guest" after filling in the info.  She'll have to do this for all the restaurants.  Also don't select "share a table" unless they want to sit at a table for 4.  

Again, I assume this is how it will work for 2 solo reservations.   

Edited February 15 by papaflamingo

[RELS]

Ketchikan - Regent is a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, so will dock at the NCL dock at Ward Cove, a 20 minute shuttle ride from town. There's a big tourist shop at the dock, but it's been recommended to spend your tourist dollars in town.

 

Binocs -- available in Concierge level suites and above. Not the best quality. If you have a pair, bring them.

 

Restaurants -- papaflamingo explained it well :-). Don't reserve one of the specialty restaurants on your salmon bake night. Then you can go to the main dining room (no reservation needed) or have room service if decide you want dinner.

[SusieQft]

I did Regent's salmon bake tour last Sepember, and I would not recommend it.  The food, including the salmon, was very basic and not very good.  The busses were running a loop (not sure, but I think because there was another tour shortly after ours), and several people turned around and left when they saw what was offered.  I sort of wish that we had done the same.  The food, including the salmon, was far, far better on the ship.  JMHO.

[douginct]

What port is the "salmon bake" excursion in? Thks.

[tarheel87]

2 hours ago, SusieQft said:

I did Regent's salmon bake tour last Sepember, and I would not recommend it.  The food, including the salmon, was very basic and not very good.  The busses were running a loop (not sure, but I think because there was another tour shortly after ours), and several people turned around and left when they saw what was offered.  I sort of wish that we had done the same.  The food, including the salmon, was far, far better on the ship.  JMHO.

 Thanks so much for letting me know.  My sister is from the coast and my mom is an excellent cook.  Both are sticklers for how their fish is prepared.  I'll let them know so they can make an informed decision on what to choose that day.

[tarheel87]

12 minutes ago, douginct said:

What port is the "salmon bake" excursion in? Thks.

I'm not sure.  Because I'm not going on the cruise, I don't have any of her cruise documents. I'll try to find out.

[2012_Alaska_bound]

5 hours ago, SusieQft said:

I did Regent's salmon bake tour last Sepember, and I would not recommend it.  The food, including the salmon, was very basic and not very good.  The busses were running a loop (not sure, but I think because there was another tour shortly after ours), and several people turned around and left when they saw what was offered.  I sort of wish that we had done the same.  The food, including the salmon, was far, far better on the ship.  JMHO.

 

Agree with all SusieQft said about the salmon bake. We took a look and turned around and went back to the ship.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Bring your own binoculars. Worth it to buy a new pair, trust me. We each had our own pair.

[SusieQft]

On 2/15/2024 at 3:24 AM, douginct said:

What port is the "salmon bake" excursion in? Thks.

The Salmon Bake was in Juneau.

If you want to do a local seafood excursion, the Crab Feast in Ketchikan was much better.  It was at George Inlet Lodge, included on several different excursions.  Although on that one you don't have the option of getting right back on the bus to return to the ship.

[2012_Alaska_bound]

9 hours ago, SusieQft said:

If you want to do a local seafood excursion, the Crab Feast in Ketchikan was much better.  It was at George Inlet Lodge, included on several different excursions. 

 

Agree the George Inlet excursion with the cruise of the inlet and the Crab Feast at the lodge is fantastic, and use to be a free excursion. Now there is a charge to get the two together with it. $119.

 

The Crab Feast by itself at the lodge is a free excursion though.

 

I loved the cruise and Crab Feast on my last two trips to Ketchikan. It would be a great way to spend Onboard Credit.

 

[GDTBATH]

The George Inlet excursion NSCrab Feast sounds great, but I made dinner reservations for that night.

night. Should have checked the Board before then.