Toliverair

On 10/31/2018 at 12:50 PM, Trueblueky said:

HAL and Princess lodges at Denali are neighbors.  You can walk.from one to the other.  The town is across the highway from them.  HAL also has a dedicated train from Denali to Anchorage.  So far, it's a tie.

 

The Kenai Fjords National Park in Seward is the tiebreaker in my mind.  The boat tour from there was one of my top experiences ever.  Maybe 50 people on the boat, so we could get very close to things.  The captain took us to where the wildlife was, would circle in place or stop, as needed.  We saw dozens of orcas (they travel in packs of ten or so), humpback whale, grey whale, puffins, seals, glaciers.  Lunch on the boat.

 

Maybe you could get there from Whittier?  At Seward, it's a long walk or a short ride from the fjord cruise to the cruise ship and they'll handle the luggage.

Trueblueky, what month did you take the tour? This sounds like a wonderful tour. I have been to Alaska several times on NCL and HAL. So far HAL wins hands down. I’m planning a cruise for 5 families (ages 6-55) that have never been for July 2019 and I’m considering Princess. Thanks so much to everyone that has contributed to this discussion. :)

Wanting to just do our own beach excursions and need suggestions for the best beaches in both places. Thank you kindly for any help you can provide.

It depends on what you are looking for in a beach. Our very favorite beach at St Thomas is "Secret Harbor." It's quant, the water is extremely calm, and they have the coolest dive shop where you can rent umbrellas and chairs, paddle boards, snorkeling equipment, etc. There is also a great restaurant on the beach. Best hamburger on the island...for $10. Not a bad price for island dining. I had a kale salad that I enjoyed immensely. I tried the lobster quesadillas but I wouldn't recommend them, I've had better quesadillas. Should've known, we weren't in Mexico. 🤔 We have been there several times and when we try other places, we always wish we would have went back to Secret Harbor.

That being said, St John is wonderful. If you have the time, you can't go wrong with St John.

I've been to Tortola twice. The beaches are very rough. If you want to surf, you're in luck. Otherwise, be prepared to jump those waves. Overall, Josiah's Bay was our favorite. The beach is magnificent! It's quite a drive, but it's beautiful and worth the time. Take snacks, I didn't feel safe eating the food there. The sodas and water would be okay.

We took a cab to Josiah's Bay for $10 or $20 rt per person. When we went to smuggler's cove and the other end of the island, we rented a car for around $60 and did some exploring on our own. The road to smuggler's cove is a pig trail! We contemplated renting a scooter, but there are some steep hills, so we decided against it and we were glad we did when we saw the size of the hills/mountains. [emoji15]

The people on Tortola, were some of the friendliest people we have meet in the Caribbean. You'll love it there.

Oh my gawd, that chocolate lava cake! My husband and I loved that so much, we begged for the recipe and it was delivered to our cabin. Now I figure I have to make it the stracciatella gelato!

Well, now we are going to have to beg you to share the recipe! [emoji4] That dessert is money and I'm not even a chocolate lover. 🤑

OP, what you should have been given when you first complained was ear plugs. Problem solved! Too late now though. Usepart of the $250 to buy a set for your next trip and use the remaing $249 on something fun and be happy you got anything.

Absolutely!!! The gall of some people! 🙄

I have been on the Getaway, Pearl, Jewel, and the Escape. I have also been on carnival and Royal Caribbean. NCL is definitely better! I had the best salmon I've ever had on the Pearl last summer to Alaska and the best Pad Thai I've ever had on the escape in April. We are going on the Pearl again in about a week and this is the first time we will have a dining package. I'm not terribly excited about it because I will miss dining in the MDR. Oh, and can we talk about the chocolate lava cake with strawberries and gelato? That is my husband's favorite dessert. You will not be disappointed in the food on NCL.

If you are Interested in saving money, I would not recommend booking direct though NCL. NCL does not want to compete with their TAs, so they will not match prices or perks. NCL definitely ties the hands of their PCCs too much. I wanted to find a PCC that I could trust and depend on and was willing to pay more to have one. However, after two huge mistakes by him where he was unable/unwilling to correct it, I decided it wasn't worth it and went back to TAs and big box agencies.

Djny1077, it will be two weeks this coming Monday when we sent off for them. That would be awesome if we get them back next week. I can't plan on that, though so I'll go ahead and try my best to acquire a state certified copy.

WYtinman, that is a terrific idea. I wish I would have thought of that while we were processing our applications.

Thanks so much for your feedback. We can get my husband's birth certificate without a problem. However, I am leaving for Florida tomorrow and my birth certificate is in Hobbs, NM. Fortunately my mom lives there, so hopefully she will be able to pick it up and overnight it to me.

I'm so ready to have my passport so I don't have to deal with these issues any longer. This will be the last cruise without it. Yay!!!

I really just want to know if anyone has had success using a "copy" instead of the original with the raised seal to board a closed loop cruise from Miami on NCL.

hladygirl, Unfortunately, I don't have a passport. I have applied for one, hence the reason I don't have my original copy of my Birth Certificate. :)

I read what the NCL website had to say as you stated above. Since it doesn't state original before the State certified U.S. birth certificate like it does before the two listed after it, I thought maybe they would accept a copy.

This is what it states on the us government website:

U.S. Citizens on closed-loop cruises will be able to enter or depart the country on the cruise with proof of citizenship, such as an original or copy of his or her birth certificate (issued by the Vital Records Department in the state where he or she was born) and, if 16 or older, a government issued photo ID.

A copy as in the postal employee ran off a copy before she sent it in with the passport application.

Hi guys! After my last post, I thought I would never have to bug you folks again about birth certificate issues. Well, guess what? I was wrong. Me and my husband are scheduled on the Escape 4/16. We also have an Alaska cruise scheduled for 5/29. We are leaving from Seattle, but we are spending a few days in Canada before our cruise, so we had to send off for our passports. I had no idea they would make us send our original birth certificates with the passport application. They did. We are left with copies to try to board the Escape on 4/16 in Miami. Will they let us on board???

Has anyone (US Citizen) had any luck boarding in Miami with a copy of your birth certificate on a closed loop cruise?

We were able to board in NYC on the Quantum of the Seas in February 2015 with a copy. I feel NCL wants to be extremely difficult. It says plainly on the us government website that an original or copy will suffice, but when I call NCL they adamantly tell me I MUST have an original! Uhgggg...someone please help! [emoji30][emoji24][emoji30][emoji24][emoji30]

You guys are hilarious! I loved reading your comments...totally made my year. [emoji23]

Now, I'm going to have to try it just to prove that I can do it and it is possible. Hahaa

Actually, I was able to book a 10:55am flight, so I'll be able to have coffee and a croissant before leaving ship. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

Ps... Navybankerteacher, your comment was my fave! [emoji817]

I was just on the Escape 3/12-19, but we had help with our luggage and disembarked at 8:30. I will be on the Escape 4/16-23 again, and this time I would like to make an 8:30am flight from Miami airport if at all possible.

What is the earliest you can disembark if you carry your own luggage? I believe if I could disembark at 7:00, I could make the flight. I would take an uber/taxi to the airport. I noticed that traffic wasn't bad at all the two Saturdays I was in Miami this month.

Sorry I failed to update you guys. We had the package by 9am at the hotel, so UPS came through! [emoji4] We had an incredible cruise. Everything was perfect with the exception of missing Nassau because of a medical emergency. I heard someone one board had a heart attack and we had to go out of the way to meet the helicopter, so we didn't get to go to Nassau. I enjoyed the cruise so much that I booked the same itinerary with my husband (no birth certificate issues with him) ;) on April 16! The food and thermal suite are exceptional on the Escape. The staff was terrific. Much better than I expected since I had heard otherwise. Y'all, everything you hear isn't true. lol

Punkincc, you are correct. I was so overjoyed to get the bc overnight, that it never crossed my mind to ask for a faxed copy. We thought about it after hours, but it was too late by then. That is exactly what we should have done in case the overnight package did not arrive.

Thanks again for everyone's input. I hope I never have that situation happen again.

Happy Cruisin' [emoji170]

I have good news to report! We have a birth certificate on the way via overnight delivery to Miami. I am not able to convey the thankfulness that we feel towards each of you for your valuable information. And to all of you that wished us luck and said a prayer, you're the real MVP! [emoji6]

We were able to call the department of vital records in Topeka, KS, and they were extremely kind and helpful. They allowed us to order it over the phone. We faxed a copy of the driver's license, the hotel reservation (in the individual's name) for tonight in Miami, and important personal info to their office.

10 phone calls, several toxic anxiety pills, and $59.25 later we have an official birth certificate on the way. Now if UPS will come through for us, she can stop taking all of these high powered meds and we can enjoy an incredible week in the Caribbean!

Since we don't actually have the certificate in hand yet, (although we have a tracking number and it is in Louisville at this moment) I hesitate to share this, but it is too funny not to.

This was what she was planning to board the ship with. [emoji23]

Kansas rocks!!! Cruise critic rocks!!! I'll let you know tomorrow if UPS rocks!

Happy, Stressful-free travels, friends.

Has any one ever had any luck getting on board a Norwegian ship with a hospital birth certificate? I know the NCL site says they are not acceptable, but we have just discovered someone in our party has one. Our ship leaves Saturday, we are in transit to Florida now. The state of birth is Kansas. Does anyone know if there is anyway to get a same day Kansas birth certificate and have it shipped overnight? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks to all for the helpful information.

The Jewel was fabulous! We sailed 1/24-1/31. Never smelled cigarette smoke one time. I would have stayed on board another week if I could have talked DH in to it. [emoji4]

Thank you for the great review!

Thanks for the valuable information provided in this thread. I have a group of 14 family members (ages 1-72) flying in to LAX Saturday at 3pm. Our cruise leaves Sunday. We were hoping to get a little sight seeing in on Saturday evening, but haven't decided what area would be best.

We plan to rent two minivans and take them back on Sunday to Torrance area. I assumed we would drop everyone off at the port then the two drivers would catch uber from the car rental location in Torrance to the cruise port. Is this the best Idea or should we consider another form of transpiration?

We get back on Sunday morning and are planning to spend time in the Newport Beach area. Can we rent a car from the port? If not, are there any car rental companies that will deliver cars to the port?

Thank you in advance for your help. it is appreciated.

We had a family group of 21 that sailed the Pearl to Alaska in May. We wanted to eat dinner together every night in case that was the only time we were together that day. I made reservations ahead of time (only a coupe of weeks before sailing since I'm a last minute person) with the special events coordinator for the Pearl. Specialeventspearl@ncl.com is her email, so I would assume the email for the Escape Special Events Coordinator would be specialeventsescape@ncl.com. Email the reataurants and times that you would like to reserve for each day. Make sure you get a confirmation and take it with you on the cruise.

We had massive problems with the Summer Palace MDR two different nights. The other MDR, Indigo was perfect. If I would not have had the confirmation letter, they would still believe I was a liar. They gave us the run around until we had our follow-up Meet and Greet meeting with the crew and I had a chance to share my experience with the managers. Dinner that night in the Summer Palace was quite wonderful. They more than made up for their massive mistakes, for which we were forever grateful. When you have reservations for 21 and they fall through, it puts a damper on the entire trip. Thankfully, Norwegian did their absolute best to take care of the problem which was fully attributed to the Maître d, Mr. Wilson.

We were only able to choose 5:30, 9:00 or 9:30 for dinner, but it may be different on the Escape. Hope our experience helps you avoid dinner disaster. Happy Sailing! :)

Thank you for starting this thread. We will be on the Pearl June 7th to Alaska. Graduation present for son (college) and nephew (high school) and grandma's bucket list. How does NCL accomadate embarkment for excursions? We arrive in Juneau at 2 and have an excursion booked for 3:30. Is there an "order" they embark by?

 

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We were on the Pearl last week and loved it! One of the biggest problems we encountered was disembarking in port. There is no order that we were aware of. I would suggest either being some of the first to line up or wait about 20 minutes after the rush is over and you should be fine. They had everyone use the mid ship elevators. You should be fine either way you choose with your excursion being at 3:30.

Thanks to all who have contributed great information about the Pearl! As I was reading through the thread, I noticed that many have sailed since the thread was started. Just curious if any of the recent cruisers have any updates, for instance, does the "good" coffee machine still exist, etc...

 

 

Thanks everyone!!!

Yes, the good coffee machine is still in existence!! My crew was very happy about this. :)