CrewLady

In Skagway be sure to pick up some popcorn at one of the emporiums in town. They have the most amazing flavors and you can take it back on the ship with you to nibble on for snacks.

I love Alaska, have a great trip! I'm very jealous as I've been doing the med for the last 2 summers. Maybe next year...

There's a nice beach for snorkeling, close to the port, just turn left when you get off the ship and walk alongside the coast for about 10/15 minutes. Or take a cab of course. There's more information here Islands Part 2 http://wp.me/p6Ptmi-l7 In a crew member who writes about on and offshore life!

Have a great cruise. 😊

Try Aqua Beach, you can get a taxi there, although we actually cycled from the ship, so yes it's pretty close! There's great shade, loads of restaurants, including Subway and then some more upmarket places. It's $5 to enter the beach, but then the sea is a lagoon with inflatables etc. Check out the pictures on my crew member blog Islands Part 2 http://wp.me/p6Ptmi-l7

You'll love Curaçao! Have a great cruise. 😊

You can walk to the beach from the ship, it takes about 20 minutes, and is under the trees. Plus if you're on a budget you can just access the beach and enjoy the water and sand for free!

Both Harbour Lights and the Boatyard are very popular. You can read more on my blog, Islands Part 2 – Best beaches in Barbados - http://wp.me/p6Ptmi-l7 as I'm a crew member whose home port is Barbados. 😉

Yes, the bigger aircraft usually arrive and depart after lunch. The port is always busy, so the taxi drivers are well used to handling the volume. There are large people carrier vans that take 10+ people, so jump in with some others going to Maho $8 one way. The traffic can be really bad going back though, so leave the beach at least once hour before your back onboard time. It's really easy to find space in one of the millions of vans going back (another $8).

It's an unmissable day! For more info check out my crew member blog http://www.downtokokomo.wordpress.com

Have a great trip and don't miss the ship!!!

Definitely go to Maho beach. It's an experience like no other. The beach is not very big, but the bars are at either end, so you can easily avoid them, and they're usually very busy anyway. I've never seen anyone topless there. Yet...

For more pictures and info check out my crew mender blog http://www.downtokokomo.wordpress.com

Have a fantastic time!

Do the St. Kitts Scenic Railway tour, on the old Sugar Cane railway line. It's the only working railway left in the Caribbean. The coaches are open air double decker affairs. It's a really nice unique relaxing way of seeing the island. Don't expect high adrenaline though, is very sedate. Read more and see pictures in my crew mender blog http://www.downtokokomo.wordpress.com Have a great time!

You can definitely do Corsica on your own. Even around the port area the is plenty to see and do. Beware that like mainland France a lot of stuff will be closed if you happen to visit on a Monday. There's more info in my crew member blog http://www.downtokokomo.wordpress.com

Bon voyagé!

I too am interested in wifi at several ports. It seems (in this and searched replies) the answer is "ask/follow the crew".

Can someone reply that has actually done this and provide the spots they found?

Thanks in advance!

In Antigua turn left and head to the Kings Casino which has free wifi. It's only yards from the port. I've just done a blog about free wifi in the Med A Rough Lonely Trip Advising Guide to the Med - http://wp.me/p6Ptmi-kk and will do the Caribbean shortly as that's where I am now. And obviously I'm a crew member!

Happy Sailing and surfing everybody!!

P.S. Please feel free to share if it's useful :)

You'll hear a lot of Negative stuff about the trains to and from Rome, but I really think that a lot of it is scare mongering to get people on tours. If you're arriving ahead of time the train is definitely the way to go. It's scenic and picturesque for a start. And comfortable too.

I'm a crew member who did that route last summer. I posted some tips on where to find free wifi etc in Los of the ports if you're interested. A Rough Lonely Trip Advising Guide to the Med - http://wp.me/p6Ptmi-kk

Enjoy your cruises everybody!

It is! It's our first trip to Europe so all our ports are new to us.

Hi Lovevacadays,

I'm a crew member who did this Med last season, and I posted the best bits of my trip around these Italian ports on my blog http://www.downtokokomo.wordpress.com I hope that it helps. Rome really needs 2 days, so save the Vatican etc for one day and split the rest of the sights between the days. Hope you have a fab time!

In Juneau, walk into town and take the Mount Roberts Tramway the top pice the valley. Stunning views, son me beautiful trails around the top, plus a shop, museum, restaurant and bald eagle rescue center at the top. Then back down at the bottom head straight to Tracy's King Crab Shack next to the water. Fabulous seafood, freshly caught. You won't beat it. Then a few shops for souvenirs on your way back to ship. My pictures of the place and more details of my day are here http://wp.me/p6Ptmi-jF

Enjoy your trip!

The walk to/from town is easy, safe and really picturesque. You can watch all the horse drawn carriages on your stroll as well. Don't miss eating at the Pink Bicycle, best burgers in the planet. I was a crew member on that route last season and I've more info in my blog http://wp.me/p6Ptmi-jo

Hope it helps and have a great cruise!:)

The cave tubing is BRILLIANT! I wrote all about including lunch, transfers etc. on my blog http://wp.me/p6Ptmi-gz

I'm a crew member, so it's kind of an insiders guide. I hope that you have a great trip!

Good tips...I love your blog. Sorry you won't be on the Jewel when we are in June. Good Luck on your future endeavors.

Thanks Jeff!

Enjoy your trip in June. It's a lovely ship and I'm sorry that I won't be there either, but keep reading as it all turns out good in the end! :)

Do the Mount Roberts Tramway in Juneau and take a walk around the trails at the top. The views are amazing and then head to King Tracy's Crab Shack back down at the bottom for lunch.

In Skagway the White Pass Train is good and not too long if you only go as far as the Canadian border. There's also soon beautiful trails up to the lakes and waterfalls walking distance from the port, just behind town. Take some popcorn from one of the emporiums on town as a snack.

I was a crew member doing this route last season, so couldn't afford the pricy tours either. My blog has more photos and info. http://wp.me/p6Ptmi-jF

Tracy's King Crab Shack in Juneau has to be number one. And if you're in Victoria BC then The Pink Bicycle. I'm a crew member and I blogged about both these places in my ship life blog recently. https://www.downtokokomo.wordpress.com

Hope this helps and enjoy!

LOVE the blog and how easy it is to read! Would have loved to work on a ship..but alas..those days are done! Great job! We are on the Sun in August. What are some of your recommendations for shopping and restaurants? I'm presuming you don't do excursions with limited time...but if you have..go for it..Thanks crew lady!

 

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Yes, sadly didn't have time for many excursions, but some of them looked great, especially the dog sledging and helicopter or sea plane tours. Just be aware that sometimes fog or bad weather can disrupt plans.

Skagway is a great shopping port for souvenirs. Plenty of really interesting shops in the quaint town. I'm afraid I mostly ate on the ship, so can't recommend many restaurants in Alaska other than Tracy's King Crab Shack, which whilst rugged is really worth a visit in Juneau. Hope this helps!

And thanks Notentirelynormal

Hey I would love to read that...how do I get it? Thanks..need any info I can get!!!

https://www.downtokokomo.wordpress.com :D

Okay, notes to self:

Bus, going up, right side

Train, coming back, right side

Do NOT go skinny-dipping in Skagway

(the blog was hilarious)

 

Thanks y'all.

Thanks so much! I hope more people enjoy reading it. :D

Wow. Three posts and all three are promoting the blog written by either you or a friend of yours. Do you get paid for promoting?

No and nor do I get paid or use any advertising on the blog. I thought that some cruisers might like to read it. I write for free. As well as working on the ship 7 days a week for 9 months at a time.:eek:

Yes, the train tour is a must. I agree with the others, Bus first and Train back hopefully gives you the best shot regarding fog etc. And train up Left and train down Right give you the best photo ops and stunning views.

For those that do the train both ways, the guys are really good and will switch you as you turn around which is good.

Also don't forget to do the Mount Roberts Tramway if you're going to Juneau.

And if you can't wait, there's a really interesting blog by one of the Jewel crew members about last season in Alaska on WordPress called Down to Kokomo. Some great stories!

Happy Sailing everyone! :D

Don't forget to do the White Pass Scenic Railway if your ship stops in Skagway. And the Mount Roberts Tramway is also a must of your stopping in Juneau.

There's a good insiders blog by an NCL crew member that has useful info about Alaska cruises etc https://www.downtokokomo.wordpress.com

Happy Sailing all! :D

Some cool tips on here, thanks everyone!

I also wanted to share a really funny blog written by one of the crew members on the NCL Jewel doing Alaska, with some great stories about what to do and where to eat in the Alaskan ports. It's called Down To Kokomo blog and is on WordPress.

Happy Sailing everybody! :D

Hi Mike!

Congratulations on becoming Platinum!

While I can't answer your questions. I just wanted to let you know that the epic behind the scenes blog downtokokomo is back and can be found on word press. The young girl who writes it was on the Dawn during dry dock and did a great job keeping us all update. It looks like she is on the NCL Jewel now.

Enjoy cruising with your new VIP status! :D