bjtravelnews

Good to know the screens are functional again! Thank you.

Thanks. I actually went online 120 days out to book at Ocean Blue. There was some kind of glitch and I never got confirmation of the booking - the screen kept spinning, I went back in a few hours later and there were no reservations available unless I wanted to eat very late at night,

Hello everyone! For those of you sailing on the Joy more recently, do you recall where you could make dining and show reservations on the ship after boarding, The restaurant I wanted to book didn't have any available reservations and I want to try to get one as soon as I board. Not as important for the shows, but would be nice to know. Thanks so much!

When we were on the Joy two years ago the music from Q was so loud that we had a hard tine hearing what was going on in the theatre! Who in their right mind would put two music acts side by side with probably just a thin wall between them? Really poor planning!

As others have said there really is no way to predict which side of the ship will face land when docked. I used to think that the ship rotated - one week port side at the dock and the next week starboard side at the dock. Well, I was wrong. For some reason there were two weeks in a row that the ship faced the dock in the same direction. So that blew my theory. I can tell you that most times we were lucky and managed to face land (7 out of 8 cruises to Bermuda). Last year was the first time we faced the water. And it really wasn't too bad. It was nice to be able to see the stars at night. One thing that I think is more important is what do you want to see when you sail out of NY? I always book starboard balconies because that is the side that faces the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island when sailing out of the harbor. I LOVE seeing those sights! We get a glass of wine and sit on the balcony while we sail out of the harbor and under the bridge.

Thanks so much for the great review. I have heard some not-so-nice things about NCL lately and downgrading of service. Will be on the Joy in June, so I hope I won't be too disappointed (thied time on the Joy for this itinerary to Bermuda).

Everyone considering sailing out of Baltimore - it's possible that isn't going to happen for a while. If you haven't heard, a cargo ship struck the Francis Scott Key bridge and the bridge totally collapsed into the water. I have heard that Carnival has already changed Baltimore embarkations to Norfolk, VA. Likely other cruise lines will quickly follow. Check with your cruise line for specific information.

Thank you. I find it very deceiving on the part of NCL that they called this southbound cruise Glacier Bay!

Thank you for your comments. I agree with those assessments and will make the best of everything.

Thank you for the info!

They are all fans of NCL and so know the need to pay gratuites. That cost (a bit more than $150 pp) is still way less than purchasing a drink package outright on other cruiselines. Believe me - O tried really hard to convince them to book with Princess! If I ever can afford to cruise Alaska again it definitely will be with Princess.

We are traveling from Denali that morning with a brief tour of Anchorage and a stop at the Alaska Wildlife Center. There is no set time listed for when we leave there. The ship is scheduled to leave around 8:00 pm, so I assume we will have to board by 6. I did a mapquest search and it looks like it's over 4 hours by bus to get to Anchorage . Then another 2 1/2 hours to Seward. I am not counting on having any free time before boarding, but want to have a back up plan just in case we arrive much earlier. Thanks for your input!

Do you recall how much time you had in Seward before boarding the ship. Wondering if we have time to explore anything? Thanks!

Thanks - I wanted to do Princess, but am traveling with a group and was outvoted. (Everyone likes the free drink package on NCL)

Hello everyone. I have a cruise booked for July 2025 on the Norwegian Jade. The cruise is titled as Glacier Bay.... However, when I recently looked at the itinerary, it shows Icy Strait Point and not Glacier Bay. I did some research and it looks like we may not be going into Glacier Bay, but rather just the opening to the Bay. Am I correct? If so, I am a little disappointed in not being able to see Glacier Bay National Park. Any thoughts on this? Thanks so much for all your comments. Alaska has been on my bucket list for so long (it's the only state in the US I have not visited). Being on the East Coast, it's likely the only time we will visit here.

Hello everyone. New to Princess and want to book an Alaska Cruise Tour next summer. I have looked through the posts and have read the pros and cons of purchasing the meal package for the land portion of the cruise. The land portion I am looking at is for 2 nights at the Denali Princess and one night at Mt McKinley. For those of you who have purchased the meals, can you kindly answer a few questions? First, are you able to eat at any of the restaurants on site, or must you eat at a specific restaurant with the meal plan? Second, can you pick items off the menu or is there a specific group of foods (special menu maybe) that you can choose from. (If you get a voucher, is there a spending limit?) Third, does the meal package include coffee, dessert or alcohol (assuming no to the alcohol but want to double check). Lastly - for those who took the meal plan - would you take it again? From what I can gather, food is expensive. But you get a lot of food with the meal package - maybe more than we can eat? Really want to look at the fine details to see if it will be worth the cost for us. One more thought - if the hotels offer a breakfast buffet, do they allow you to take anything out the restaurant (thinking maybe cookies, pieces of fruit or other items that can easily be carried for excursions that day). Thank you everyone. I have heard so many great things about Princess in Alaska and am really looking forward to this!

We tried to book entertainment for our cruise prior to sailing and couldn't. Message was that we had to book on board. For anyone who is not aware - 120 out (that's usually right after final payment), you can book dining reservations at specialty restaurants. These book up fast, though only a certain percent of reservations are available for pre-booking. The remaining slots are reserved for on-board reservations. At 21 days out (when you can start on-line check in), you are supposed to be able to book shows. However, as I mentioned, we could not. Not sure if it was a glitch in the system, or because the ship was switching casts (Elements was not available on our sailing due to cast change and Footloose was not available on the week prior for the same reason.) Fortunately we saw both shows last year, so it wasn't a big deal. Hubby read that NCL was stopping all Broadway shows on its ship, thinking starting next year. So it will be interesting to see the replacements.

We have found better tours and pricing, in general, with Island Tour Center. Depending upon what you want to do, you really don't have to book and excursion. Transportation around the island is so good. And don't forget that NCL has it's own ferry to St. George for free to Norwegian guests.

We have done it through NCL and also through the Island Tour Center, which is located at the Dockyard, just beyond where the mini buses wait. We have found that the excursions tend to be a bit cheaper booking through the Island Tour Center. Check the weather forecast before you leave to see which day is likely the best for a night time cruise. The glass bottom boat tour (I think it's the Bermuda Triangle Cruise) is fun. They take you on a tour of the harbor, until the sun is almost down, then out to a shipwreck. Once over the sunken ship, the ship opens the panels to the windows and turns on the lights. You get to see the remains of the ship and lots of fish swimming around. By the time you head back, it's dark. So you get to see the island the and ships with all the lights (the Celebrity Summit docks at King's Wharf).

I have been thinking about the comment I made previously on what I perceived as a need for some repairs on the Joy. Given how short staffed the ship is, I think minor issues are now being overlooked, whereas in the past so many of these problems would have been taken care of immediately, or at least after most people were asleep. That would explain why the condition was not up to snuff as in previous years (and on other ships). These aren't major flaws (at least not yet). But I can't believe how different the quality of the ship was compared to last year's sailing.

The people in our group were able to purchase them prior to sailing. Most likely once final payment was made.

I did see some people on scooters. You likely will not see a lot of kids because school is still in session for most. Our sailing was close to sell out. So there were a lot of people on board. In early June, you may not have as many people on board. However, IMO, the elevators will still be crowded, especially during meal time and before/after shows. When you are getting on and off the ship, ask about getting priority status. That will enable you to be first on and, if necessary, first off. You may also be escorted on and off the ship. depending on staffing. We had a friend with us who has difficulty walking due to a recent knee replacement. She was able to get a wheelchair and assistance from staff.

Have a great time on your cruise! People in our group who went to Horseshoe Bay did not see any Man-o-War. However, one of our friends did the Catamaran Snorkel on the pink boat and said they saw a Man-O-War. So they are around. Just a heads up - The people who own Snorkel Park Beach Club opened a venue at Tobacco Bay. We talked to some who went there and they said it was nice. Take the ferry to St. George and get a mini-bus right at the docks. I believe it's $5 pp each way. As for the signs of aging for the Joy, it is definitely more "worn" than last year (we do the same itinerary every year and will be back on the Joy next June).

For everyone who commented about the Joy starting to show it's age: Here are some of the very noticeable things. Treads coming up on the edge of the stairs (tripping hazard). Carpets in some areas looking a bit worn. Ceiling tiles starting to come down in a few places. Chairs in the Observation lounge with broken legs (passengers must be really hard on these!). One of the stairwells in the aft had a broken glass (probably a recent incident, though). Perhaps because of the reduced staff, it just had a different "feel" (as if it really was an older ship), compared to the previous year, and to other NCL ships we have sailed.

No pool in Vibe, but a great hot tub! My friends said they spend a lot of time in there.