NCL Cruise to Alaska: The Last Frontier

Seattle from the Ferris Wheel

 Earlier this year, a few of my family members decided we all wanted to go to Alaska.  Along the way, more people joined and we ended up with a nice little group onboard the Norwegian Pearl out of Seattle during Memorial Day week.  I researched several different cruise lines and itineraries for this trip and concluded that I wanted to leave out of the US and include a day cruising Glacier Bay.  The prices were right (and actually dropped closer to the day so I was refunded some money as well), so we signed ourselves up for a 7 day excursion docking in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Victoria, BC.  The hardest part about this trip was deciding on what to pack.  On principal alone, I refused to pack a winter coat and piled on layers of long sleeve t-shirts, sweaters, and jackets instead.  It worked out for the best since we had sunny 60 degree weather for the majority of the trip.  I did need my hat and gloves in Juneau because it was windy.

 

I have taken several cruises in the past, but none with NCL.  There was a minor booking fiasco with my room, but in the end I ended up with an obstructed ocean view cabin on the 8^th floor.  Since that is exactly what I was expecting when I made my reservation, I was fine with it.  I had a lovely view of a lifeboat, but I still had plenty of light and could see the ocean peaking around the sides/bottom.  In comparison to Carnival, the cabin size was about the same though I liked the bathroom a lot better.  The toilet and shower were separated by additional sliding doors, so you could squeeze two people in there if there was an emergency. 

View of Seattle from the Ferry to Bainbridge Island

On the whole, the ship was decorated a LOT classier than Carnival’s ships.  There were no neon colors to be found in the main atrium and I did not feel like I was in a techno club when relaxing in the main Spinnaker lounge.  The only bizarre part of the interior design was the bordello style “Bliss” lounge where there was an abundance of red velvet and bed-style seating.  The entertainment was alright, but geared toward an older crowd as one would expect for an Alaskan cruise. The main show was at 7pm and again at 9pm.  One night we had Charles Peachock, from America’s Got Talent, perform an awesome glow in the dark juggling routine.

 

After a day at sea, our first stop was in Juneau.  We arrived at port a little later than expected due to a medical emergency onboard.  A passenger actually had to get air lifted to a hospital nearby!  I originally had an excursion booked through NCL to Mendenhall Glacier and the Salmon Hatchery, but after additional research, I decided to cancel it and do it on my own.  Because we were there in May, the hatchery wouldn't have much activity at all.  Instead, we jumped about a glacier express bus right at the pier and went straight to the glacier park area.  After a little negotiation, the $15 round trip ride was a good deal. 

Mendenhall Glacier

The 20 minute ride included a narrated "tour" of the area by a very funny bus driver with not so funny jokes.  The bus stops running at 7pm, so that left us with about an hour at the glacier.  The view from the bus stop is beautiful and you can clearly see the glacier from afar.  There is also a short walk to the waterfall through the woods.  A sign posted by the entrance said the walk takes approximately 45 minutes... that did not leave us much time for pictures, so we decided to very briskly walk (aka jog) there and made it there and back in about 30 minutes.  The walk is definitely worth it since you get a lot closer to the glacier and can get some great pictures.  On the bus ride back, we saw a really big bald eagle sitting on a traffic light. 

 

We had a few hours to kill before all aboard, so we did some shopping in the small downtown area.  I was bummed the Christmas store was closed, but there were Christmas shops in every other port - so I made up for it!  One of the must-see places in Juneau is the Red Dog Saloon.  It did seem pretty busy, and there was live country music, but the dinner menu was lacking.  We ended up drinking some local beer (which was also served on the ship the entire time) and heading elsewhere for food.  Being in Alaska, we wanted some fresh crab legs. 

Beautiful Alaska Scenery

After asking around a bit, everyone kept directing us to Tracy's Crab Shack.  I ordered the combo platter consisting of a leg of king crab, four award-winning crab cakes, and some crab bisque.  Overall, the singular crab leg was big, but not big enough for the price.  The crab cakes were tiny, and had a lot of filler; however, the crab bisque was delicious.  I hate to make the comparison I'm about to make, but you can find better at Legal Seafoods here in Boston.

 

One of my favorite things about cruising is getting to see multiple places without having to lug your luggage around behind you the whole time.  You unpack once and actually live out of drawers and a closet for a week, just like home.  Early the next morning, we docked in Skagway and the early morning excursions started by 7 am.  On prior cruises, I have booked morning excursions and found myself rushing to try and eat breakfast before running off the book.  That makes for a very long day.  This time around, I got smarter and booked our train ride for lunch time.  Because we would be out for several hours that day, I did want to get off a little earlier and check out the town first.  As it turned out, Skagway was an incredibly tiny town with only 1 small strip of shops.  I was able to explore each shop and still make it back to the ship within 1.5 hours.  I am very glad I booked an excursion in this town or else I would have nothing to do all day.  We ended up going back aboard for a quick lunch before meeting at the pier to be transported to the train depot in town. 

 

Train ride through the Yukon Territory

There are multiple train tours in Skagway.  The one I decided to do included a train tour to Frasier and a bus tour back with a stop at a suspension bridge in the Yukon.  Because the train goes into Canada, we did need to have our passports with us on this trip.  We could have easily walked to the train depot as it was only a short walk away.  Once we all boarded the quaint old styled steam train, we were all into the woods.  The narration was a wonderful accompaniment and there was a small platform you could go out onto to take pictures.   I can't even begin to image how horrible the conditions were for the people building the railroad tracks.   It got pretty chilly as we continued to ascend. I have read a lot of reviews about how people couldn't get good pictures because certain passengers were hogging the platform the whole time.  This was not a problem for us, barely anyone was outside and we were able to get some great photos.   The ride lasted about an hour and was a great way to see some Alaskan landscapes.  I highly recommend doing this trip.  

 

Me on the suspension bridge

The bus driver picked us up from the train station and we took a short 15 minute driver over to the suspension bridge.  I'm not entirely sure that you have to pay to visit this bridge if you come on your own.  I didn't see anyone collecting money.  Our guide told us that the bridge has absolutely no historical significance and was just a nice way to take in the view.  It's a nice little stop, but I wouldn't go out of your way to come here.  On the bus ride back from the suspension bridge, we got really lucky and saw a big black bear on the side of the road!  According to our guy, he was scavenging for food after coming out of hibernation.  I was very glad we were inside the bus and not walking nearby - he was large and grumpy looking.

 

Before our last two stops in Victoria and Ketchikan, we had a day at sea sailing Glacier Bay National Park.  Along the way, several park rangers boarded the ship and setup a small booth in the Spinnacker lounge to give information and sell a small number of trinkets.  We officially entered the bay around 8 am, but didn't see much until closer to noon.  The captain made an announcement that morning before the park rangers would be narrating as we moved through the passage.  To be honest,

Black bear!

I didn't pay much attention to what they were saying until we were passing by a glacier or they announced an upcoming photo op.  I think Iceland ruined me a bit because I wasn't all that impressed by the glaciers.   I was able to walk on the glacier in Iceland and I think you just don't get the same experience as when you see it from afar on a ship.  I am willing to test this theory in Antarctica though, and I hope I am proved wrong.  The nicest part of this day was the beautiful sunny weather we had.  We were able to be outside the whole time and the crew opened the viewing deck at the front of the ship for an unobstructed view.  To keep with the theme of the day, NCL offers some specialty coffee drinks onboard while cruising along the glaciers.  I ordered a $10 Godiva liquor and  crème de menthe concoction.  It was very good, but I'm 99% sure the price comes from having it in a souvenir glass that I will never use again.  Next time, I would definitely order the drink since it was yummy, but see if I can get it without the mug. 

 

Glacier Bay

Speaking of drinks, I want to take a minute to talk about the food and beverage options on board.  On average, the alcoholic drinks were priced similarly to other cruise lines.  In comparison to Boston prices, this is on par if not cheaper.  My favorite part of the day were the morning specialty drinks (mimosa, bloody mary, screwdrivers, etc) for $4.25.  We ended up bringing a few bottles of wine on board with us because buying the bottle in Seattle and paying the corkage fee ($15 a bottle) was still cheaper than most of their cheap wine onboard.  I like that Carnival lets you bring on a certain number of bottles for free; with NCL you pay no matter how many bottles you bring.  As far as food goes, we spent most of our lunches at the buffet.  It was hit or miss, but I am a picky eater and mostly ate salad and burgers.  One day they had a Bavarian themed meal, which had yummy salads.  The majority of our dinners were in the free dining rooms.  The salmon meals were delicious, but my chicken had a weird texture.  The appetizers were all very good and I'd say overall the quality is comparable to Carnival.  One evening we decided to try the hibachi grill on board.  The one thing that really struck me as interesting with the specialty restaurants is how small they were.  Most could hold 50 people at max.  Our meal was yummy and exactly what I was hoping to get when I ordered the filet and lobster tail combo.  I don't know how I feel about paying the $25 surcharge, but given the size of the restaurants, I do understand.  Breakfast was probably the best quality when it came to buffet food, but it's hard to mess that up. 

 

Some cruise ship irony

Our last stop in Alaska was in Ketchikan.  I wish I would have read up more on this town because there are so many more shops here than in the other ports, and everything is cheaper! If you skip through this whole post and only read this part:  save all of your souvenir shopping for Ketchikan!  It is worth the wait.  If there are specific things you want to buy, pick up one of the local shopping pamphlets and skim through for coupons.  I found some items that were priced as high as $9.99 elsewhere for $1.99 with a coupon.  The light jackets everyone bought back in Juneau for $45-$50 were $19.99.  There were some great steals.  We grabbed a coffee in a quaint little coffee shop/popcorn store and spent all morning searching through all of the shops while eating the sea salt caramel corn.  It was delicious! 

 

At 11 AM, we went to see The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show.  I did some research beforehand and the prices for this show were the same both through NCL and independently.  I ended up booking through NCL because I got a better time.  The show was really good for all ages. 

A glacier calving

Two teams of two lumberjacks competed against each other in various chopping, climbing, and log rolling competitions.  It was a high energy event that held my attention the entire time.  After the show, the lumberjacks posed for photos with the guests.  That is one of my best souvenirs.  We considered going for some food, but were pressed for time since we wanted to do a little more shopping.  Some of my travel companions did make it to Annabel's for lunch and said the crab was way better than last time.  Annabel's was also highly recommended by the hostess at the lumberjack show. 

 

Our last port was at Victoria, BC.  We did not arrive until around 6pm and only had a few minutes until all aboard at 11 that evening.  We ate an early dinner at the buffet and made our way off shortly after the masses.  The dock is a 40 minute walk from the downtown area.  Because of some health issues in our group, that was not an option.  After considering the others (bus, horse drawn trolley, bikes, cab), we decided to pay the $11 for a round trip ticket on the bus.  As we drove downtown, we passed some really pretty gardens and architecture.  Too bad we only had a few ours and the majority of the sights were far away. 

A moment from the Lumberjack show

We were eventually dropped off in town and spent a few hours finding shops that were open since most closed before we got there.  I did manage to pickup some of the maple whiskey I discovered back in Quebec City.  After more walking, we stopped by a bar and had a drink before heading back.  We weren't there nearly long enough, nor early enough, to enjoy the city.

 

All in all, I had a great time.  I'm glad I took this trip with the people I came with because I think your travel companions can really make or break your vacation.  I'm not sure that I will take another cruise to Alaska, or really actively seek out returning there in the near future, but I can definitely see the appeal to outdoorsy folks who want to see some beautiful landscapes. 

All Aboard the Carnival Glory!

Carnival Glory Docked in Halifax

A last minute decision had me boarding the Carnival Glory last Thursday, July 4^th.  Because I did not know if I was going to have time off over the holiday, I did not spend too much time searching for an Independence Day getaway.  Only a few weeks before the sailing date, I got the boss’s OK and decided to book the cruise!  I have been on two cruises with Carnival in the past and have enjoyed myself immensely.  In fact, one of my first blog posts was from a quick cruise to the Bahamas.  The idea of going on a vacation without having to spend time in an airport flying somewhere was appealing because I only had a few days over the long weekend. 



I left my apartment around 3pm and made my way to the Black Falcon terminal in the Boston seaport district.  To my surprise, there was no line outside and barely anyone waiting around inside.  I tagged my bags and passed them to a porter before continuing up to the check-in desk.   If you have never cruised before, this is an important thing to note: fill out all of your information online, including your passport info and your credit card for room charges/billing.  Since I had everything ready to go, I spent less than 5 minutes at the desk getting my Sign and Sail card.  Some people (especially those traveling in large parties) took way more time than necessary getting checked in.  I made my way up the gangway and into the lobby on the 3^rd floor.

 

Reversing Falls in Saint John, NB

In my opinion, the Carnival Glory looked like every other Carnival ship I’ve been on.  Lobby on the 3^rd floor, photos on the 4^th, and casino/shops/bars on the 5^th.  The dining rooms and show rooms are always toward the ends, and rooms are everywhere else.  Pool and spa are up top.  This doesn’t mean I didn’t get lost.  I have a poor sense of direction and found myself turning one way when I was supposed to go the other.  Fortunately, you can only go so far before you realize you made a mistake.  Also, there are maps in every elevator bank.  I stayed in a balcony room on the 8^th floor.  It was quiet for the most part, and though the balcony was small, it was nice to sit out there and read.  The deck up on lido got a little loud at times with all the kids and music.  Even the serenity area wasn’t very relaxing.  I’m fine with noise when I want to drink and dance, but not when I want to read or nap.  One of the reasons I enjoy cruising is that all of the employees take careful consideration in learning your name.  From our wait staff at dinner to our room steward, I was called Tina all the time. It actually made me feel a little bad because I could barely pronounce some of their names.  The staff comes from all over the world and works for 6 month contracts. 

 

The best part of a cruise is (and should be!) the food!  I had delicious meals every day including mouthwatering tacos at Blue Iguana Cantina, fresh caught lobster tails, and a 14 oz cheesecake in the Emerald Steakhouse!   By the time I got home, I couldn’t even think of food.  As with most restaurants on land, the best deal for drinks is buying wine by the bottle.  They have a decent selection for people on a budget.  You can also bring two bottles with you when you board to drink outside the dining room.  If you want to drink your own wine with your dinner, you are charged a small corkage fee ($10 in the main dining room, $14 in the steakhouse), but they will hold the bottle for you in the dining room if you don’t finish it in one sitting.  



Lobsters in Halifax

Slightly more disappointing was the entertainment.  The performers at the nightly show were sub-par.  I actually walked out at one point because my ears couldn’t take it anymore.  I spent more time entertaining myself at the casino playing roulette and craps than at the shows and comedy clubs.  I found the bands playing on deck 5 near the casino and in the lounges to be better than anyone in the choreographed shows.

 

The ship had two stops in Canada – one in Saint John, New Brunswick, and another in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  On past cruises, I have both opted in and opted out of excursions.  Based on my research online and from what I found browsing the Carnival site, I decided to opt out and walk the cities on my own.  I went in expecting Saint John to be a bit of a bore, and it was.  They have a wonderful greeting staff passing out roses to women and maps and flyers, but that’s where it stopped.  One of the pre-booked excursions was to go to the Reversing Falls.  I read online that you can walk there yourself along the harbor walk, and so I did.  The walkway was really run down and a little scary.  At times, I had to walk along the main highway! 

 

About 45 minutes later, I arrived at the falls.  I’m not sure if I didn’t time it right, but there was not too much to see.  I did not go on a boat ride, but it looked like the jet boats that were speeding around in the rapids would have been fun.  It was a hot day, so I wouldn’t have minded getting splashed!  The people working in the gift shop were not very welcoming or nice and gave me a hard time about getting change for the bus ride back, even though I purchased something.  After standing around for an hour staring blankly at the falls, I made my way back to the seaport on a bus and had some drinks and a lobster roll at Steamers Lobster Co.  The food was good, and the entertainment was better.  Out on the deck, a singer was performing lots of music (mostly from the 50’s and 60’s).  He was better than the performers on the boat and all he had was a small karaoke machine and a dancing lobster mascot. 

 

We made our way back to the Glory well before the ship left Saint John early that afternoon.

The next morning, we docked in Halifax.  Right away, I noticed a difference in the attitude of this city.  There were a lot of shops, restaurants, and things to do nearby.  I walked down the pier and then up towards The Citadel.  After lots of walking, a much needed pit stop at Starbucks for a coffee and souvenir mug, and even more walking, I stopped for lunch at Cora’s.  Cora’s was explained to me as the Canadian iHop, and there was a big all-day breakfast menu.  I decided to have an apple and cheddar crepe before continuing along to more shops. 

Score!

As I was strolling down the road, I began to notice people carrying bright red shopping bags.  Upon closer inspection, I realized they were Roots bags!  I love Roots!  I’ve had an unnatural fascination with the store since they sponsored the Olympics back in Salt Lake City.  I found the store a few minutes later and proceeded to try everything on.  I walked out with a lovely grey sweatshirt with a Canadian flag on it.  I can’t wait to wear it! Good thing I live somewhere with a long winter; I will get to wear it a lot!  We can back to the boat for a few hours before venturing out again for a few drinks.  Originally I wanted to get some poutine as a snack before dinner, but it was too hot to justify eating fries, so I never got them.

The weather finally broke the last day at sea as massive fog rolled over the ocean.  It was so thick the fog horn was going off every 10 minutes and I couldn’t even see the water from my balcony!  I managed to spend my last day shopping in the Fun Shops and attending an art auction.  I also got some good reading in before my 8 PM reservation at the Emerald Steakhouse, the fancy restaurant onboard.  There is a $35 fee per person to go to this restaurant, but I had a good time.  I cracked upon the bottle of champagne I brought with me and chugged it back with my surf and turf.  Dinner ended with a ginormous 14 oz cheesecake!  I made it about 1/5 of the way through before giving up.  It was yummy though!

Leaving Halifax

Tuesday morning started early for me as I was summoned to go through US Customs before getting off the ship.  Typically only Non-US Citizens have to do this, but there is a lottery of US Citizens who also get picked, and I won.  I sat in the auditorium for about an hour before they briefly looked at my customs form and waved me away.  After a quick breakfast on the Lido Deck, I grabbed my bags and walked off the ship.  It was all very painless and I was back at work by 8:30 AM.  Adios vacation… Until next time!

2012 Recap: 3 Day Carnival Cruise from Miami to Nassau

In attempt at getting my travel blog off to a good start, I am planning to recap the trips I've already taken in 2012.  Maybe, if I get adventurous (and really bored), I'll cycle back to 2011.  Lucky for me, even though I haven't been blogging, I have been journaling for the last 3 years and can easily retrieve enough details to spark my memory.  I also take a lot of pictures, so that helps.

I started 2012 off with a bang and a "free" trip from attending a timeshare presentation last fall.  I flew out of Boston on January 5th directly into Fort Lauderdale via Spirit Airlines and cruised with Carnival for 3 nights.  If you've ever flown Spirit Airlines, you know why I put free in quotations.  This has to be to last airline in the world that charges you for carry-on & checked bags.  Even if you are a light packer, like me, you still have to pay to bring a bag on board.  You do get a free (for real this time) personal item, but ladies, that would be your purse, not a roller bag. Not only do they verify your item is within the exact weight/height ratio, but upon boarding, they verify you have paid for it as well.  My bags cost me about $75 round trip.  The next part of this "free" trip was fortunately avoided, because I was required to fly into FLL and stay the night before at my own expense.  That was covered because I had friends and a home to crash in before boarding the next morning.

I would be lying if I said that I anticipated a smooth boarding process.  Even though we had our reservation and confirmed it through the Carnival website, you never know what's going to happen when booking through a third party.  I highly recommend avoiding this whenever possible, it just adds to your stress level.  During our booking process, we chose to forgo all extras and upgrades because I refused to be scammed!  Looking back on it, maybe I should have at least gotten a price quote.  Our interior cabin was really nice and spacious.  Even on the very far end of the boat, we didn't feel any rocking.  The only downfall was that I never knew what time it was!  Usually the first thing I look for when waking up in the morning is sunlight.  To be completely honest though, most of my time was spent on the lido deck out by the pool.

If you've never been on a Carnival cruise, they really do whatever they can to remove you from reality and just let you relax.  Anytime you want to buy something (drinks, souvenirs, bingo cards), you just bring out your handy-dandy plastic card and sign your life away.  On average, drink specials will run about $6-$8 and a cheap bottle of wine with dinner is closer to $25.  Coming from Boston, that's not too bad.  They also slide an itinerary under your door with activities listed for each day.  Some (deck trivia, shows) are free and others (bingo) are not.  Usually, if you are attending an activity, you get some kind of compensation.  I have even heard that you can sometimes sign up for timeshare presentations while still on the boat.  Sadly, my free drink did not make up for the $25 and 10 minutes lost playing bingo.  However, the bottle of champagne certainly made up for participating in a game show!

Our itinerary was a little rushed with only one day in Nassau, but it was a quick weekend getaway.  The last cruise I was only was 8 days through the Caribbean.  I think we had 5 different stops; it was incredible! Also, this was the very beginning of January, so the weather was still a little chilly in the low 70's.  That eliminated any potential water activity from my schedule.  I did dip my toes in the pool, but I didn't (and felt bad for) go to Atlantis for any water sports. I've also been to Nassau before, so I may have had a "been there, done that" attitude.  My day at port was spent walking about downtown Nassau and comparing prices from local vendors with those on the ship.  I am happy to say, the cruise ship was in fact cheaper, and as a result, I did not have to carry 6 rum cakes around with me through town. 

The last day at sea, I got suckered into attending an art show and was a hands raise away from spending $250 on a miniscule piece of art work.  Luckily for me, my better judgement prevailed and I walked out with two free glasses of Champagne and a 8x10 print of a lion head.  I have no idea where that is now...