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Very entertaining! I love the buffet Indian station and the Observation Lounge (if they have snacks it's a nice place to hang out). I have only sailed on Bliss when occupancy was half or less so will be interesting to hear what a sold out cruise is like. Weather isn't the best right now in Los Angeles. Definitely need a jacket for the first half of the trip if you are going to be outside. Once you get to Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta it should be nice and toasty. Bon Voyage...

Thanks pmallen, for the reply.

I did read about Alfredo's being pizza only. Majestic also has the Noodle Bar instead of Salty Dog (I think). More interested in the ship layout (I did not like the very narrow "promenade" on Majestic). Looks like the Grand has a better layout for walkers. Not sure what the viewing options will be for Glacier Bay since I cheaped out and didn't book a balcony. On HAL they open the bow but it seems that is not going to be an option from what I can tell.

Helpful report, the menus look very similar to February 2022, when I did a Mexican Riviera itinerary on Majestic before it took off for Australia (going to Mazatlan was not off the table then). I am booked on the Grand for Alaska early season so interested to see how it differs from Majestic. I may change to late seating, hoping it will be less chaotic. I can always "pre dine" in the buffet if hungry.

Go over the hill on Mud Bay road (you can even walk it) to look for eagles on the Chilkat River. Walk through Fort Seward Haines Brewery They used to run a school bus on a loop for cruise passengers.

Totem Bight on the public bus (Silver Line). Not sure if Potlach Totem Park next door every reopened.

Same, but they took off $60 OBC that showed in my account, then charged my credit card the full balance. So after I am on board, they will add discount back to OBC?

A few days I ago, I ordered the Medallian for pickup at checkin (Vancouver) and am "green". There was a shipping charge on the app for mailling.

Amtrak (Pacific Surfliner) now runs on weekends as of Feb 3. Repairs are scheduled to be complete by the end of March, but could continue to be delayed. What is Holiday Inn LAX (I hope you are not staying at the international airport for two nights). The cruise terminals are in Long Beach (Carnival) or San Pedro (other lines). There is a nice intermodal transit terminal in Anaheim, maybe an option for where to stay if Disney is of interest. You can book limo shuttles from Anaheim to either of the cruise ports or airport. https://www.amtrak.com/pacific-surfliner-train

Machu Picchu is now open again. The trains are supposed to return to regular schedules on February 20. For now, they have added bimodal service from Cusco to the local mixed class trains. It will take a while to get the small town of Aguas Calientes ready to handle the influx of tourism. Cusco no longer has shortages of cooking gas/petrol. https://www.perurail.com/news/news-release-train-operations-as-of-february-15/

Halibut is probably the most likely fresh catch in May. King Salmon wouldn't start until mid May. I was on a land tour in June 2021 and even then there was not a lot of fresh catch salmon. I am booked for an early May cruise on Grand and will try to report when I can.

Taxi/Lyft is about $60, if you don't mind going over to LAX-It. Lyft Lux (similar to Uber Black) is about $100. The limo services run about twice that. I'd recommend Lyft before Uber.

I've been on Bliss twice, once for 3 weeks just before COVID and then for 5 days when they were doing short Mexico cruises. Thanks for bringing us plain ole balcony people along for the Haven experience. We had a lot of specialty dining on the 3 week cruise. I also liked Los Lobos ( I get plenty of good Mexican food at home, too). Le Bistro was my favorite, we saw the Captain eating there both times we went. Lukewarm service at Cagney's, unfortunately. I also adore the Indian station in the buffet. My go to on the 5-day cruise as I don't like much of the MDR menus.

Nice long walking beach near the port accessible independently for a tiny price. I went early to avoid the crowds, the bands and vendors hadn't even set up yet. Didn't eat there, close enough to port to go back on board for lunch. Doesn't have all of the tourist crap that Cabo does within walking distance of the port. Nor all the high rise hotels near the Puerto Vallarta port.

Good summary of Majestic's limitations by Norris. I was on that ship for a 7-day Mexican Riviera cruise. If one likes to walk or run laps, it is very problematic. Only a small area on the very top deck, uncovered. Promenade mostly one-person wide, with only a few wider uncovered deck spaces. Portions of the limited promenade spaces are set aside for smoking areas for crew and passengers, further limiting outdoor space. There are a few covered outdoor spots for dining, such as at the back end of the buffet. The covered and enclosed indoor forward space (Hollywood Conservatory) is unique to this ship. The windows were not kept clean, the space was used mostly for board games and card play. There are some semi-private and free cabana-type seating and the pool is enclosed, and I did find it pleasant on cool sea days. So really it depends on the passenger preferences, if you don't care about the outdoor spaces it might be suitable. Also, the casino and shopping areas are much larger than normal on this class of ship. It still has the disadvantage of carrying a lot of passengers. One thing to be aware of on Majestic is how narrow the standard balconies are, as well as the standard balcony rooms have no seating other than a desk chair. On a personal note, I think the interior design of this ship is kind of ugly, as my niece described it "Looks like a middle of nowhere Hilton & the Cheesecake Factory had a baby." Easy enough to check that out by looking at photos. I've not been on Sapphire and the rooms like similar but I guess it doesn't have that flashy multi story atrium.

Most people take their masks off to eat and drink. Even when you have a private table, how close are you to others and how long are you inside those spaces with your masks off? In the pre-COVID days, cruise crud was pretty common aboard ships and one could hear the coughing increase as the cruise progressed. To stay on topic, thank you for the informative posts to the OP. I have only cruised from my home port, and did that so that I could drive myself home. And this was during the 'don't cruise' scenario when ships were at 25-30% capacity. Glad I got those in so my cruise fever has abated. And I don't have any certificates/FCC etc burning a hole in my pocket.

I don't see Coral going to Alaska any time soon....

Ship medical center charges are often extreme even in the context of US hospital billings.

I would have known to use the hotel doctor for an appropriate referral (and maybe they would have been able to tell it wasn't just a sprain without an x-ray). Did you call the travel insurance 24-hour hotline, assuming you had travel insurance which includes that? Unless it was life or death I would never just show up at a public hospital and especially with no knowledge of the spoken language.

I wouldn't pick Bliss because it's too big but has better viewing indoors and out. I would go with HAL or a different class of Princess ship (does Coral go there?)

Yes and perhaps the OP thought only Princess is hooked up with Glacier Bay. Majestic does not have good viewing in the forward areas of the ship. In general outdoor walking and viewing areas are poor.

Majestic was not really designed for Alaska cruising. Have you considered Holland America instead? They also go to Glacier Bay.

I would have expected the doctor, likely accustomed to dealing with tourists with urgent care needs, to refer you to the right type of private facility for an x-ray, and to provide temporary first aid. No sympathy for someone with insurance who claims to be an experienced traveler but decides to go to a public hospital and then is surprised by long lines and staff who do not cater to tourists with means.

Well now you know that an onboard medical clinic is not a full-service clinic that is included in your cruise fare. They charge extra, and exorbitantly, for everything. Still not understanding why you didn't use the doctor visit to the hotel. That is what most experienced travelers would have done in what was apparently not an emergency situation, given your delay in seeking service.

Did you not read the part where the hotel offered a doctor's visit for 150 Euro which the poster declined? An x-ray and cast is really not advanced medical care. OP is looking to feel better about an unfortunate accident which is in no way NCL's fault, nor would I expect "customer service" to include continued phone follow ups "how are you doing"?