GINNY L

11 hours ago, laudergayle said:

@GINNY L

I didn’t get Captain, Staff Captain and Chief Engineer, but here are the others.

 

Djamel Benatmane, GM

Marites Sonia, Asst GM

Sreekanth Sundaram, F&B Dir

Dan-Dan Cuasito, Cruise Dir

Sameer Sawant, Restaurant Mgr

Jacob Santa, Executive Chef

Haide Balon, Beverage Mgr

Jojo Orofino, Executive Housekeeper 

Manuel Japson, Guest Services Mgr

Sebastian Cremerius, Cruise Next Mgr

Thank you for posting this

Which officers are on the Bliss right now?

6 hours ago, Seas2mountains said:

In Henry’s Pub, the bartender we met is Froilan. He is very outgoing, friendly and he makes some great drinks. 

Thank you for replying.  I appreciate it very much.

7 hours ago, Seas2mountains said:

This was the new-to-me cocktail that I had yesterday. It was good but it was poured from a pre-mixed batch so I’m not sure how it  would taste if freshly made. 
 

I had a matador before dinner last night. I tried getting a second one as a night cap in the Local but it was not good so I didn’t drink it and we went to Henry’s Pub to get a good one made. 

Thank you for taking the time for all your detail information and pictures.  I enjoy Henry's pub.  They do have most of the top shelf liquors.  Do you remember the names of your bartenders?

7 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Glacier Gardens is in Juneau. I was asking about the garden in Skagway. 

My bad.  I do apologize

10 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

@Seas2mountains what is the name of the botanical garden in Skagway, please? I haven’t been there yet.

https://www.glaciergardens.com/  we are going there along with the glacier tour excursion.  We are using the $50 shore credit.  The cost just to get into the gardens is $30.40

3 hours ago, Seas2mountains said:

We went to the US military reception in the Social last night. The cruise director mentioned that NCL may expand the program to include Canada, UK and Australia. 
 

They also have a challenge coin, patch for each ship and a pin which are in each cabin on embarkation day for those who have registered on NCL.com and ID.me with their military service information which also is how the 10% military discount is applied. 
 

We have collected a patch for the Gem, Escape, and Sky. 
 

 

I really like that they do this for our military.

On 6/21/2023 at 11:18 PM, Seas2mountains said:

We had the perfect 10/10 first day!  The embarkation process was one of the smoothest of all the cruises we have taken.  
 

We had a great dinner at Cagney’s and did not take any photos. 
 

We are enjoying the beautiful views of mountains and islands while listening to a band we already love - B12.  
 

Here are some sunset photos. 

Thanking you for taking the time to do this.  I was on the Spirit in October going around Hawaii then to the French Polynesian.  Now I will be back on this ship July 5.  I enjoyed the ship especially the workers on the ship.  The restaurant manager Manoel and the Food & Beverage director, Mohammed are top notch.  Make sure to say hello to them and tell them I say hi.  Ginny aka Magnetic Mamma.  If you go to Henry's Pub see if the bartender Chip A Hoy is working.  He does some neat tricks.  If he is not working can you see when he is coming back on the ship.  Thank you again for your time.

On 5/1/2023 at 6:41 PM, no1racefan1 said:

You cannot bring bear spray on an airplane or a cruise ship. Don't order on Amazon. Buy it when you get to Alaska (I've ready they sell it all over, even Walmart) but you won't be able to bring it on the cruise ship.

 

Thank you for the information time.  I am surprised how expensive bear spray is.  

On 4/30/2023 at 4:28 PM, Aquahound said:

 

One of my favorite hiking trails in Skagway is Dewey Lake.  Going up is moderate but once at Lower Dewey Lake, the trail goes all the way around.  The trailhead is maybe a 1.4 mile from the ship.  Totally worth it.

 

In Juneau, Mt Roberts was mentioned, and it is a good hike, but I would say it is strenuous, even if you take the one-way down.  I recommend the city bus that drops you off a little over a mile from the Mendenhall visitor center.  From there, you can either hike to Nugget Falls with a thousand other tourists or take the East Glacier Loop Trail, which is beautiful and much emptier.  The uphill portion will be moderate.  

 

In Icy Straight, I don't recall the gondolas being free. Maybe the lower gondola is free because it is used to take passengers between piers, but I'm not sure.  The 2nd gondola that actually goes up the mountain definitely has a cost.  I do remember the cost being unlimited rides though.

Thank you for your detailed information and time.  Much appreciated

2 hours ago, Tgianco said:

Ginny, we purchased a couple of hiking excursions for our trip, which embarks next Sunday.

Before that, though, I check on All Trails (quite a few options), and there were quite a few options, especially since you'll be with a friend. I would HIGHLY recommend bear spray, though... HIGHLY. 

Also, consider whether you want to pack your trekking poles.

We're hiking the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau and then the Tsongas National Forest in Skagway. In Ketchican, we're just going to do our own thing & check out the town.

Have fun with whatever you choose.

I guess you get the bear spray there?  Or I could probably could find it on Amazon

13 hours ago, iamaqt2 said:

Juneau has a ride free zone on public transit around the downtown area if you want to visit the Capitol building and the museum. And St. Nicholas church is just a short walk away.
https://juneaucapitaltransit.org/ride-free-zone-downtown/#:~:text=Capital Transit offers a Ride,the top of the hill.

 

Thank you for the information.  This will really help.

23 hours ago, CCJack said:

 

Good idea.... you could also take  the tram up and then hiked the free trails up from there.   You can hike as much as you like up there the views are great.   Then take the tram down.  Essentially hiking all above the tram.    You would have to purchase tram tix, but they are reasonable.   

With the $50 excursion credit it will only be $25 for each of us.  We could do that.  Thank you

12 hours ago, bomabound said:

In Juneau if you hike up Mt Roberts you get to ride the tram down for free.  It’s a beautiful hike.  I think you might need to show a receipt for a purchase made in the restaurant or gift shop at the top, but they sell many practical items like soap, lip balm, etc.  And when we were there they had nice chowder in a bread bowl. 😀

Thank you for the information and information.

56 minutes ago, wolfie11 said:

The excursions that you get for $75 are mostly those that you can do on your own for free with a little research.  Walking tours, food tours, city tours, forest walks, etc. can be taken in most Alaska stops without a guide.  Skagway and Ketchikan both have busses that loop through town cheap or free. You can spend hours in port going to landmarks and museums, especially in Skagway where there are free ranger-led walks.  That way you can save enough money to splurge on a really nice excursion.

Thank you for the information.

On 4/24/2023 at 8:31 PM, Northern Aurora said:

Just a quick note -- the Wickersham State Historic Site is located in Juneau.  If someone "googles" Wickersham House Museum they will find the website for the Tanana-Yukon Historical Society which operates the Wickersham House Museum in Fairbanks.

 

I am curious if the OP and friend are willing to spend any money on various sites.  Low cost options would be the Valdez Museum and Historical Archive in Valdez and the Alaska State Museum in Juneau.  And since the US National Park service owns a number of buildings in Skagway much of the town is a free museum.

We are trying to do excursions from about $75 down.  Most excursions are pretty pricey.  My friend is on a very tight budge.  I am actually helping her with the cruise and the flight so she can full-fill her birthday wish of going to Alaska for the second and last time.

2 minutes ago, Sailin Gal said:

All Trails app is a great resource for info on hiking trails, including maps, trail details, and photos.  We have paired that with online street maps and sat overlay to get context for trail locations.

Great idea.  Thank  you for taking the time.

1 hour ago, oaktreerb said:

visitor center in Skagway has map of hiking trails.  Walk down to Hoonah in icy Strait.  Juneau is walkable, get a map of the town.  We walked to the governor’s residence.  

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply back.  I take all the information I can get and make an itinerary 

2 hours ago, cw2go said:

 

Who are you sailing with? I don't recall a free gondola? 

 

In addition to the above

Skagway you can hike Yakutania Point

Ketchikan you can bus to Totem Bite State Park & Walk/HikevMarried Mans Trail 

ISP might see whales from shore. 

 

 

Patty 

 

Update: 

I went to do some research. The Green Transporter is free and the Red Sky Glider is not. These are both new since my last visit. 

Thank you for your time and information.  I was surprised to learn about the free grandola

18 minutes ago, J&L~SetSail said:

Search on youtube...parodeejay port guides.  They have recently uploaded some Alaska ports and they include a "free and frugal" section in each video.   

Thank you for the information--It is much appreciated  I will look it up.

46 minutes ago, SueMo said:

For Skagway, check out https://www.nps.gov/klgo/planyourvisit/shorterdayhikes.htm.

 

Thank you for the information--It is much appreciated  I will look it up.

2 hours ago, wolfie11 said:

Keystone Canyon is the NCL name for Valdez (the canyon itself is quite a few miles out of town).  Valdez is a fishing town and the terminus for the Alaska Pipeline.  It almost never gets big cruise ships, although I guess that's changing.  There are local stores heavy on fishing and outdoor gear.  There is lots to do in the way of fishing charters, kayaking, and boat tours to glaciers, which tend to be pricey.  There are some nice hiking trails around town.  If you are going during salmon season, please be aware that there are bears around and always tell someone where you're going and how long you expect to be gone.  

Thank you for the information--It is much appreciated

6 minutes ago, majmaj4 said:

In Skagway, the Klondike Historic Park does some free tours.  
 

in Juneau you can take the public bus to the glacier, but you have to walk I think it is 1.5 miles to the visitor center. 
 

icy strait point - walk to Hoonah is interesting,m

Thank you for the information

My friend and I will be going to Alaska in July for her birthday.  We have been to some of these ports before.  However, due to certain reasons, we are going with a low budget.  

Can anybody give some good recommendations on hiking trails, besides free to inexpensive things to do in the following ports.  We will not be interested in food or drink suggestions, since we will only eat and drink on the ship.

Icy strait point--(I know there is a free gondola ride there)

Juneau--

Skagway--

Keystone Canyon

Thank you all in advance for any and all information you all can provide.

It depends on what you want to do.  I ended up having three private boats from two different companies, booked for 53 people on our cruise.  The company DISCOVERY LAGOON was amazing.  It was by far the highlight of our Hawaii, French Polynesian cruise.