The dinner and a show experience at Teppanyaki is always a good time, and this visit was no different. Our chef served up the grilled veggies, garlic fried rice, and our entrée of choice with a side of humor. Of course, I opted for the Chicken Yaki Udon and Don did a combo of steak and calamari. Since we were docking in Victoria this evening, only one bar per deck was allowed open on the ship. This meant that we wouldn’t be able to grab final drinks at the Sugarcane Mojito Bar this evening.
Crowne Plaza Seattle
Pay airfare for one guest, and you'll automatically lock-in roundtrip flights for two. Secure these savings online by choosing your nearest airport in step one of your cruise booking, and enjoy air-to-sea made easy. We'll coordinate your roundtrip flights, and transportation between the airport and cruise port. Like most cruise lines in 2023, NCL has moved to servicing staterooms just once per day. Still, our stateroom attendant made sure to introduce himself on Day 1 and asked about our preferences.
Norwegian Sun Alaska Cruise Review – Final Thoughts
This can provide you with some personal space away from other tourists. But sadly, you won’t be offered 360 views, so you could get FOMO for not being able to see the other side of the passage. For the people outside taking in the scenic views, it got very crowded on the pool deck and deck above along the railings. This was one of the major flaws of the Norwegian Cruise Line design because there was not really enough space for everyone to enjoy the views along the railings “peacefully”. We were pleased to find lots of great restaurants and breweries (our personal favorite) in each town. We were hoping that local seafood would be really affordable, but were a little disappointed to find out it was still very expensive.
Cruise Ship
Sailing from Seattle gives cruisers more convenient and less expensive flight options as compared to other departure ports. This ship was designed for Alaskan cruises, with great observation points. It was built in 2018 and has many of the mega- ship amenities and activities that many cruisers love. It is also a good option for those who want to splurge on a Haven suite, which is not offered on some of the other ships sailing to Alaska. Lucky cruisers may even catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights in the evening.
EXCURSIONS
Thus, our first, and probably longest, glacier visit was Margerie Glacier around 9 AM. Once on the train, we took the approximately 2 hour, 27.7 mile scenic ride back to sea level in Skagway. Along the way, we admired the beautiful vistas and other landmarks like the Trial of ’98, the steel bridge, inspiration point, bridal veil falls, and more. Around 1 PM, we re-boarded our bus to head back into town for our visit to the Red Onion Saloon.
Seattle Launches Milestone Alaska Cruise Season with Norwegian Bliss - Travel Wires
Seattle Launches Milestone Alaska Cruise Season with Norwegian Bliss.
Posted: Tue, 09 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
We attended the 3-day naming ceremony for Norwegian Encore back in 2019 and we also sailed Norwegian Bliss to Alaska back in 2018. Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. With a little planning and a lot of love, lifelong family vacation memories can be made at all ages, stages – and places both near and far. You don’t have to wait until your kids are more grown up or you have a ton of money saved to start traveling. A prominent content creator and influencer on Instagram, Jen has over 150K unique monthly blog readers from countries all over the world. She has spent the last 16 years planning fun, and hassle-free family vacations for her family of 5.
Sports On Board The Norwegian Jewel
These were the days when you could tell everyone was onboard the ship because everywhere was busy. (If you’re properly dressed, then the time outside can be enjoyable too). Some of my favorite days on the Norwegian Jewel Cruise Line were the scenic days at sea.
Explore the rugged beauty of the Alaska landscape with a Norwegian Cruise Line Alaska cruise. Take a paddleboat out to marvel at the gargantuan glaciers, or see the graceful whales breech. You can view the natural landmarks and interact with the incredible wildlife—including bears, eagles, and husky dogs!
Aerial view of Glacier Bay
Back to Starbucks, we stumbled upon a Deal or No Deal game starting soon in the Atrium. We won an instant play ticket which resulted in a whopping $1. The layout of the room had the desk and sofa closer to the entrance and the bed closer to the balcony, which is our preferred layout. We also liked that there were USB outlets near the bed for charging our phones at night. Having just returned from Alaska on Princess Cruises, we were eager to explore more of the region on this trip. It had been a while since we sailed on a Norwegian Cruise Line Breakaway-Plus Class ship.
The cruise ship is known for its great good, atmosphere and helpful staff. As an older ship, there are some excellent cruise fares, starting as low as $400 per person for week-long sailings. The biggest difference will come down to availability and price on specific sailings, as well as preferences for ports. Norwegian Bliss visits Endicott Arm Fjord and Dawes Glacier, whereas Norwegian Encore sails to Glacier Bay National Park.
Here, one of the madams gave us a “quickie tour” of the former brothel along with some insight into what it was like living and working here during the gold rush times. After collecting our earnings, we had a few minutes to explore the area before it was time for the salmon bake. The included lunch consisted of a buffet of side dishes along with freshly prepared salmon. While Don debated grabbing something to eat at Tracy’s, it was getting a bit chilly so we just headed back to the ship instead. Back onboard, we b-lined directly to the dining room to ensure we could get sat before it closed. Following this call, he met our onboard contact to check out the Studio Lounge and the Mandara Spa.
If water activities are more your speed, kayaking tours are available at Mud Bay, a serene spot perfect for paddling. As we paddled through the serene waters, we were greeted by local residents—sea lions and bald eagles. It was a surreal experience, paddling while these majestic creatures went about their day. We enjoyed local food and had a chance to admire the famous whale fountain. If you’re flying into Seattle, check out our comprehensive article about the Seattle Cruise Port, which covers everything from transportation options to hotel recommendations. In summary, this review is your compass if you want to navigate the complexities of planning an Alaska cruise.
Even if your tour is delayed, the ship will not leave without you. Depending on which type of stateroom you’re staying in, you can make specialty dining and entertainment reservations 90 – 130 days in advance. Cruise Critic is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Rates are in USD and valid for US and Canadian residents only.
When you get thirsty, there’s plenty of bars to grab a drink too, including two of our favorites, the Sugarcane Mojito Bar and the District Brewhouse. When it comes to cruising Alaska, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) stands out for its variety of itineraries and ships designed to maximize your scenic experience. While NCL offers several ships for Alaska cruises, including the Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Joy, our journey was aboard the Norwegian Sun.
We only got to try out 1 of the specialty dining restaurants (Cagney’s Steakhouse). This was included in the Norwegian Jewel Cruise Ship Free At Sea promotion. Speaking of something else we hadn’t done all cruise, that was get a mango meltdown, one of NCL’s signature frozen drinks. So, in the name of research, we headed outside to the Surf Bar to do just that.
Given priority embarkation by NCL, we breezed through this process and were onboard in about 20 minutes. We decided to immediately proceed to our muster station to check-in for this mandatory safety briefing. The musical performance Choir of Man was the headliner show while we were on our cruise. It plays 4 different times during the 7-day itinerary and requires reservations. Other cruise lines, including Norwegian, offer itineraries with varying ports of call. Do note that the Norwegian Encore also hosts a 13-day “cruisetour” (land and cruise combo) that includes 6 land tours, and 5 ports of call if that is of interest to you.
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