gknep

 I have an Alaska sailing for this September, my brother and his wife made a reservation and my wife and I made a reservation. Somewhere along the way the signals got crossed and we did not end up on the same deck. No biggie we both booked through NCL so it should be easy to get one of us moved to the same deck as the other. I was even willing to upgrade cabin categories if that was necessary. Right after I booked I got an email last week from someone saying there were my  new PCC. I replied to the email and left a phone message and got no response. Yesterday I asked my brother for the name and number of his PCC. I called it and she picked up on the 2nd ring and took care of what I needed done. 

I thought the Bliss was doing Icy Straight Point and Sitka while the Encore was doing Skagway and Glacier Bay this year. In addition to  both will doing Juneau and Ketchikan. 

They finally made it on the ship. They told me the shuttle driver was not the brightest bulb in the box. When they got to the correct pier HAL's system had shut down and the lines were a mess. It was quite the comedy of errors. I hope the cruise itself is better than the embarkation process has been. They have reservations later this evening at the Pinnacle Grill. I told her to order a Mariner cocktail at the first bar they come to.

My parents are long time NCL cruisers and I convinced them to give HAL a try. They were originally booked on the first Alaska sailing of the year on the Eurodam for 2020 (cancelled) then 2021 (cancelled). Today they finally get to board the ship and the HAL shuttle from the airport took them to the wrong port in Seattle. 66 instead of 91. I have the feeling they are going to blame me. 

I'm Platinum with NCL and only 2 Star with HAL. I've sailed on Oosterdam, Eurodam, and Koningsdam with HAL and Sky, Star, Pearl, Jewel, and Encore with NCL. The Encore is bigger than anything HAL has and is a very nice ship with more modern design elements vs the classic elements of HAL.  IT has lots of different venues and spaces. HAL makes better use of outside public space at the aft of the ship where that space is taken up by go carts and laster tag on the Encore.  At the forward part of the ship the  Encore Observation lounge is unbeatable. I've experienced good service on both lines but HAL does it a little better. HAL main dining room food and buffet food is a little better. NCL has more variety in food. On the  Encore the Indian food at the buffet is outstanding. NCL has far more specialty dining venues. Depending on how many passengers are aboard reservations become important for some of the dining venues.  A big difference between the lines is their approach to entertainment. NCL has better Broadway style shows while HAL has Music Row. There is also a lot more activities going on during the day on NCL. The Encore does not have a full promenade deck you can walk around but it does have the Waterfront where you can walk about 3/4 of the way around and encounter outdoor bars and restaurant seating. I'll be in the Encore again this fall and back on HAL next October. 

There may be independent excursion operators waiting when you get off the ship. I've done a few of those in Skagway on different cruises. If the Mt. Roberts tram is running in Juneau that is a fun thing to do. If the companies can't find the workers I image that they are as frustrated as you are.   When we went last fall I noticed last fall that there were far fewer excursions available than other times we have cruised to Alaska.  We still had an excellent time. 

Been on several NCL cruises and usually book online and have never had or used one of their PCCs. I had a Mexican Riviera cruise scheduled for early 2023 that we booked while on the Encore last fall. Long story short my brother and his wife want to cruise with us but live in Florida and are not really interested in another warm weather cruise. He says they would be much more interested in going to Alaska. No problem for us we live in Oregon and Seattle is only a 3 hour drive away. No flying is always a bonus. I do a courtesy hold so that I will have something to talk to the agent about when I call to cancel Mexico and move the money over to a September Alaska sailing instead. I call on Monday and sit on hold for 18 minutes before getting a live person (maybe I should get a PCC). The person I get on the phone is super nice but also very new at her job and did not know how to cancel and move my deposit to the new cruise without me having to wait a couple of days for the Cruise Next credits to show up on my account. I didn't want to risk losing the cabin I had made with the courtesy hold. She wanted to email her supervisor and see if they would extend the time on my hold. I suggested that I put a new posit down and when the credits showed up I would apply them before making final payment. Long story short it all worked out fine. Today (Wednesday) the credits showed up and I applied them to what I owed. I know that others have had nightmare experiences when calling NCL, but sometimes things do work out the way that you are told they will. It did help that I am an experienced cruiser and familiar with NCL's website, product, and policies so I knew that what I wanted done wasn't out of the question. I believe that the NCL phone representatives are probably all very overworked at this point and some are very new at their jobs. 

I find the drinks package to be a pretty good bargain compared to what my bar bill might look like at the end of a seven cruise without it. You don't have to be a big drinker for it to pay off. I would never pay full retail for it but the gratuity charge is totally worth it for me. As will all things YMMV. 

I've been waiting for the September Alaska sailings to get past the final payment date before booking just to take advantage of price drops. We did the same thing last year and it worked out great. We live 3 hours from Seattle so having to fly is not an issue. 

We have travelled a few times with my parents in the Haven and my wife and I not. The reservations have always been linked so that the NCL knew we were traveling together. Obviously we did not get the Haven perks, but we did get invited to breakfast with them on disembarkation day, and invited into the Haven for glacier viewing in Glacier Bay. 

I was on an Alaska cruise on HAL and slacks and a button down shirt did not bring a sport coat for Gala Night. Walking around the ship I felt like I was in the minority and underdressed compared to those that went full Gala Night but much better dressed than those that ignored it.  I was on a Mexican Riviera cruise in January and brought a jacket and tie for Gala Night and blended right in with everyone else that dressed for the occasion. There was not a lot of middle ground. You were either dressed up or you were not. 

I was on the Encore last September and on the Koningsdam in January. I enjoyed both ships for different reasons. I think that the food might have been slightly better on HAL (main dining room). The buffet on NCL has more variety and the Indian food on the Encore was excellent. There will be more bars and lounges on the Encore simply because it is a much bigger ship. HAL has coke products and NCL Pepsi. I have found the staff to be excellent on both lines. Encore will have comedians in a designated venue as well as a Beatles tribute band in its own venue and 2 Broadway quality shows in the main theater. Many of HAL ships have Music Row so it depends on what you like. We closed down the bars on the HAL ship in January and were still back in our room before midnight. NCL should be much more lively later at night. Room service remains complimentary on HAL where (depending on cabin category) there can be a charge on NCL. It is easier to find food at all hours on NCL where it will be room service only on HAL in the wee hours. HAL ships still have traditional promenade decks where you can walk around the whole ship. This cannot be done on the Encore, but you can make it around 3/4 of the way around on the Waterfront and there will be outdoor bars and seating areas. There will be more going on during the day activity wise on NCL than HAL. Encore is missing the adults only area that other NCL ships have. Have a great cruise. 

We were on the Encore last September and there was an Indian station at the buffet. It was amazing. 

I've been on NCL and Holland America with drinks packages on each. I've purchased the drinks package on HA once because it was not a promo but the cost at the time was pretty affordable. It was less than $400 per person for a 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise. The HA package had more inclusions than the NCL package (specialty coffees, bottled water, etc). On NCL the standard package includes drinks up to $15 if you buy a more expensive drink they only charge you the difference. HA, on the other hand charges you for the full drink. HA also limits the package to 15 drinks per day and the non-alcoholic drinks count towards that total. I cruise like the OP and can not imagine not having drinks package. 

I was in Cabo with Holland America in January. We used the ship's tenders to go ashore but the Cabo tenders to return to the ship. No aggressive behavior on the part of the crew for tips that day at least. 

Was on the Koningsdam in Jan. Someone in our party ordered two entrees in the main dining room one evening. The server never blinked. Brought them both. No extra charge. No food waste either because he finished them both. 

We were able to iMessage with our iPhones with no problem on our recent Mexican Riviera cruise with the included Have It All internet package. 

I've been to Alaska with both NCL and HAL. HAL will have better food, better docking in Juneau and Ketchikan (no shuttles involved). NCL will have better shows in the main theater. HAL will have better live music. NCL will have much more going on during sea days in terms of programming. HAL will be more relaxing. I found the variety of drinks available to be greater on NCL I found the quality of the drinks to be a little better on HAL. NCL does better with beer especially on the ships with the taprooms. The NCL buffet has a greater variety of available food, HALs buffet has a higher quality of food. NCL has more specialty eating venues, HAL has fewer venues but a better main dining room. More kids and families on NCL than we have seen on HAL. We have enjoyed both lines and would sail either one without hesitation. We are platinum with NCL and 2 star with HAL. 

I was on the Encore in September and also drink soda in the mornings instead of coffee. They have it at the bar in the buffet. 

7 minutes ago, taffyemma said:

How was the water temperature during your snorkel trip?

Very refreshing. Cool but not cold.

I think our entertainment reductions were the result of positive COVID tests. 

We sailed last week in our first aft balcony cabin 8192 and have been converted. We loved the cabin. It is a little bigger than the standard balcony cabin with more room in the interior and a much deeper balcony. I was a little afraid there would be noise from the aft pool deck directly above us, but we heard nothing all week. There were only about 900 people aboard (according to the crew we spoke with) so no lines anywhere. Getting off and on the ship in ports and even getting a tender in Cabo was no issue. We were able to complete our COVID testing before flying to San Diego so the embarkation process was super smooth and fast. Those who did not get their test results or had tests cancelled had a much different experience (talked to a couple who waited more than 2 hours in line to get tested at the port). Some venues never opened during our cruise. The Panorama Bar and the Gelato stand were the ones I noticed the most. Not sure if that was a function of the small amount of passengers or the lack of crew due to COVID. Entertainment was also somewhat affected by COVID. The Rolling Stone Rock Room Band was a quintet until Wednesday when they became a trio. The BB King Blues Club band completely disappeared after Tuesday although their vocalist did make a guest appearance on Saturday night at a different show. One of the comedy shows was also cancelled. The Billboard Onboard piano duo was excellent and played every night of the cruise. Despite these shortcomings, it was still an excellent cruise. We made every port and the shore excursions we took went off without a hitch. We did the Salsa and Salsa in Mazatlan and the Yelapa and Majahuitas snorkel, beach, and waterfall hike in PV. Whales were abundant on the boat ride there and back including full breaches and multiple tails visible. The weather was phenomenal pretty much the whole time. We found the food to be excellent overall. The only subpar meal I had was in Canaletto which was my own fault for ordering something to new to see if I liked it (I did not). The cocktails were outstanding with Alan in the Ocean Bar making the best Old Fashioned at sea. The crew was very friendly and the service was excellent. They are currently not allowed off the ship and the ones we spoke to did admit that overall morale was a little low because of that. Masking was not too much of a problem. We wore them when we had to and took them off when drinking or eating. We live in Oregon so the mask rules on the ship were the same as the mask rules at home. Very glad to have been able to cruise even under the current conditions. 

I’m on the ship right now as well, we are having  a fabulous time

Thanks for your report. Really enjoyed reading it.  Don't take this the wrong way, but the quicker you get off the ship the quicker I get on the ship. We sail tomorrow! 🙂

• I've been to Alaska on HAL and on NCL. If the younger people in your group want go-karts, laser tag, and options for teens then look at an NCL cruise on their bigger ships out of Seattle. If night life is important NCL generally does better with the shows. I prefer HAL's music row offerings however.  HAL also has better food, better docking positions in many of the ports, and the ships are classier over all. Once you are off the ship and in port the experience will be the same. Depending on the weather some of the big outdoor options on board the NCL ships might not be operating at certain times.