cantonoh1753

Yes, NCL uses a dock north of the city.  The city has a walking tour map that could  be useful to check out the town on your own

ketchikan_maps_downtown_2016.pdf

On 3/19/2022 at 12:43 PM, Heidi13 said:

 

The 2 hrs is normally for embarkation ports, as the ship's manifest must be finalised and forwarded to the local authorities before departure.

 

In most other ports it is normally all aboard 30 mins before departure, with the time posted at the gangway and also published in the Princess Patter. Personally, in Juneau, I am comfortable with a planned return to the ship of 45 - 60 mins before departure.

 
Lingo is confusing , but this is the correct  answer.  The 2 hour rule is for when you first are getting on board the ship.   After that, it’s up to your comfort level.   Plenty of YouTube videos of people missing getting back on board after taking too long in a port.    It’s a good system, the ship’s crew knows who is back on board and who isn’t.  

Hi

My wife & I booked NCL Jewel at the end of June.   One way north from Vancouver (hopefully) to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Seward. 

I booked a combo tour (Whale Watching & Mendenhall Glacier) for Juneau.  Skagway is Train, Gold, and Dog Sleds through NCL (Alaska 360). 

My dilemma is Ketchikan.  Do we do kayaks ?  The ebike tour & hike into the rainforest looked interesting.   I dont want to do both, because I would like some time to relax and walk around town tool.    Any thoughts? Other things to do that I may have missed?   

Also, is there required covid testing at disembarkation?   I am guessing since we are in Alaska and flying back to Ohio, that there is not testing required since it is a domestic flight. 

We will be in Seattle before the trip, so I am hoping the train (or bus) is running by then to Vancouver.  Still need to figure out testing needs before leaving Seattle for Vancouver as well.  Since testing requirements appearing to be fluid, just need to be ready! 

Thanks to your guidance!   Dan 

HI 

I was thinking either Kayaking or eBikes in Ketchikan.  Wasn't sure which one to do.  

Has anyone done the bikes there?    We have whale watching trip booked out of Juneau.

I would do both,  but I want time to walk around and enjoy the town as well. 

I always like to hit up Trip Advisor to see ratings & reviews on private tours excursions.

I just booked with Juneau Tours, they have combo tours that do both whales & glaciers! 

I really wanted to take a train - I heard it was great. 

We will be in Seattle to visit friends, and then we will need to get to Vancouver for the cruise (hotel on Sunday, cruise on Monday).   

We could fly,  but doesn't sound like much fun compared to the train idea..... 

I did find the link for the bus - $45pp, one way, Seattle to Vancouver 

https://www.cantrail.com

Well the NCL website only lets you book one room at a time, so it may be difficult to book the connecting rooms at the same time.. I used the NCL rep - which was great. He easily found us connecting rooms and gave us plenty of cruising tips - which was great since it was out first cruise...

Why would one "have to go through a TA or NCL rep"? The connecting ones show on deck plans (many people not needing one usually tend to avoid them when choosing a cabin) and one can spot them just fine online.

 

On Breakaway class ships most connecting cabins are located on decks 12 and 13, close to kids' activities.

There are actually a lot of connecting cabins on the getaway - but you have to go through a travel agent or NCL rep to know which ones are available.

I personally wouldn't share with another family, but my family of 5 had one over the summer (kids in one, parents in another). It worked out well!

Hi

 

We are planning to book two staterooms with another family and would like connecting staterooms. One family is interested in a family mini suite and the other is ok with a family balcony. Can anyone tell me how connecting cabins work and whether the cabins that connect are different types or the same? Also any recommendations for good cabins are welcome. I got some great advice here once on a "secret" cabin with an extra large balcony due to ship design :-)

 

Also, it looks like we'd need to call to book since you can only book one at a time online? Anyone think a travel agent or cruises only is better than just going directly through NCL?

 

Thanks!

HI

We stayed at this hotel in July. It is fine for a one night cruise stop-over. There is construction going on - an extensive remodel going on - but it did not bother us. breakfast included + McDonalds & Taco Bell next door. We actually walked down the road (1/2 mile) to the best diner - Robert's Restaurant!! I wouldnt stay at this Hampton for a week - but for the that price - one night is great!!!!

After much reading this summer on these boards , we went to Brewer's Bay on Tortola.

It was quiet, relaxing, not busy. The water was clear - my family loved it!

Thanks BlueOcean for the great advice on these boards - you certainly helped make my vacation better!

I will try to attach a pic :)

Thanks again!

It looks like the ship didnt even stop for the evacuation.......

Did it at least slow down during the transfer when the copter was hovering??

For $8pp we went to brewers bay at Tortola, it was beautiful! You did get a somewhat tour since it is on the north end of the island..

Some also take a boat ride to Soggy Dollar.

There are some great tips in the Port Section of CC, especially Ocean Blue posts !

Thanks, this has all been great information.

 

I usually like to disconnect when I go on a cruise, but this time we'll be in the process of selling our house and will likely need at least a daily check of our email. Having never used the internet on a ship before, what would you suggest? We'll have our smart phones, so we'd likely just connect to the ship's wifi for whatever exceedingly-high price they might charge.

 

Cheers.

You can buy time for your phone, but It may be better to use the "internet cafe" desk tops on deck 6?? near customer service I would hate to read a house contract on my phone.....

I think they do - it kind of depends what time you get to back to port - BUT also what time people start working in customs as well....

Get back a little later ( storm, etc) into port - BUT I think we were in miami by 6am.....

We were off the ship by 830am in July. Customs was the guy looking at our passports and comparing them to us (wife n 3 kids).

We walked off with our luggage - which was very easy,

We were in every port sooner than noted arrival time due "to the great work of our captain and his crew" (JC had this all scripted so well....)

If you are not doing specialty restaurants, then all the food is good!

I loved Flamingo Grill for breakfast. Nothing like having coffee on top deck with a great outside view of the ocean.

My kids loved the buffet. There was something for everyone - better than buffets on land!

Taste, Savor, And Tropicana are all nice. Their menus are the same each night! Tropicanna is huge, so you can always find a table. Music sometimes is too loud - but at least there is some entertainment.

I liked O'Sheans as well! The only thing that I didnt care for was the noodles bar....

HI

To clarify the times:

I think during the spring/summer, EST & Atlantic Time are the same, because the islands do not "jump ahead" one hour in the spring. In the fall/winter, Atlantic time is one hour ahead of EST when the US falls back one hour.

What time do you have to be back on the ship when in port?

The NCL website suggests 2 hours?? Is one hour good enough?

Why advertise 6pm depart time, if I have to be back on at 4pm....

Just Wondering....

We had such a great time on that excursion. Captain Mike was very informative and with five ships in port timed it so we were there without any other excursions. :)

I am excited because we have booked the morning charter!

My question is what did everyone do with the rest of their time in the port after their excursion?

Thanks!

So what are the complimantary resturants and what cost?

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=651&pgtype=dining

Thanks! Our first cruise in next month!

What night are the fireworks? Thanks Dan

quote=weltek;46797274]We didn't go to the Illusionarium, but hopefully I can help with the rest.

Must dos: Do the ropes course. It's not busy on port days, so if you aren't in a hurry to get off the ship, do it in the morning of a port day. Pre-book a comedy show as soon as it's available online. They fill up quickly. Just take a guess at when you will want to do it. You can always cancel. Go to Howl at the Moon. Have some CREATIVE song suggestions ready and tip them well to play your requests. Have embarkation lunch in the Flamingo Grill if it's good weather. It's a small buffet and shouldn't be too crowded. Nice seating outdoors and interesting food choices. Frequent the mojito bar if that's your thing. See the fireworks. Visit Spice H20 during the day to relax. Watch Groove International play if they are on board. FYI-our favorite dining room was the Tropicana Room. Larger, more formal and there was often music and dancing.

You can skip the gelato and Buddy's bakery stuff. Not really worth it, IMO.

I didn't do the Ice Bar, but it's gotten great reviews!

Excursions: The NCL site is actually pretty good because it includes reviews. We don't usually book with the cruise line, so I can't be more helpful. What ports do you visit on the 4 day?

With sunscreen, did you use your own?

Did anyone say that you had to use special, non-polluting sunscreen?

Did you feel like you had enough time in the water?

What time did you return the dock? Did you visit the island for the rest of your port time?

I was trying to see what else we could do after returning ?