sr71_1

What we did this past June is arrive in Anchorage 2 days ahead of the departure in Seward.  We used the extra time for some trips.   The morning after arrival we took the train to Talkeetna where we toured the town and then took a flight with K2 Aviation around Denali where we landed on a glacier.  The next morning we took the train to Seward and before boarding NCL we did a boat trip to Kenai fjords.    

Back in 2021 we had booked directly on "costal helicopters" for Juneau.    Trip cancelled due to Covid so when we rebooked for June, 2024 we decided to book the Helicopter / Dog sled tour directly with NCL (Jewel).   Turned out to be a good decision as rain cancelled all the morning and early afternoon tours but NCL was able to rebook us on a later afternoon tour and adjusted our dinner reservations at Cagney's  = made the issue a non issue.   One of our favorite excursions.   Have fun.   

We were there in June... Hotels were pricy.  Stayed at Hilton (close to train station) using points - I believe it was around $450/night.    

Agreed with Zqvol.  Here's a pic of the train station from the Hilton... you'll drop your bags off at the white tent (on the right) and then get your tickets inside.   Your bags will be waiting at your cruise cabin door = you can enjoy the afternoon in Seward bag free.   In our case, the NCL ship departed at 9:00 pm so we took a charter to the Kenai Fjords.  The train ride to Seward is spectacular !!  Good choice.   

Our Cruise is Seward to Vancouver:   Friends whom have taken the cruise add on noted that it was too much bus time ... next time they'd do the land part on their own.   Sooo... we considered flying to Fairbanks, renting an SUV and making our way to Seward.   The wheels started to come off the idea when a few places we wished to stay overnight had mandatory multi-night minimums.   We are locked in (for better or worse) to fly to Anchorage – weather permitting a day trip to Talkeetna for a flight around Denali (glacier landing) and train to Seward / trip to Kenai fjords before we board cruise.  Got a lot of info from this board, weighed the opinions and made the plans on our own.     

1st Alaska "makeup" cruise coming up in June.   Had a previous cruise planned and cancelled during Covid.   At that time was not interested in a huge ship... wanted a 1-way for more port stops and longer time at each port; cruising to the east of Vancouver island felt like it offered the potential for a smoother sail versus open ocean to the west.  Traveling with kids and wanted a 2- bedroom suite.  Ended up choosing the NCL Jewel / Havan.   To get the trip kicked off... arriving a few days early and will take small plane from Talkeetna around Denali/glacier landing (weather permitting); train from Anchorage to Seward and 6-hr boat ride to Kenai Fjords before boarding.  Have fun with whomever you choose

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Just bought the new ZEISS SFL 10x40's.  The big draw for me is the low weight at 22.6oz combined with a decent field of view & 90% light transmission.   We'll see. 

I was going to use Alaska auto rental to get us from Fairbanks to Seward but changed our plans.  I took a quick look and they do offer 1-way rentals between Seward and Anchorage and have 15 person vans.  Good Luck  

Karri - Once I understood that our luggage is checked at the train station and taken to our ship room, it was an easier decision to be adventurous in Seward.    We booked the 6 hr Kenai Fjord tour … step off the train – 5 min walk to Kenai boat and away we go..back at 5:30 with plenty of time to board our cruise.  (hopefully it works this smoothly  🙂 ) 

Karri...Had same issue with alaskarailroad.com website a few weeks ago.   Instead I booked my tickets through Alaskatrain.com (tour operator)

11 minutes ago, disneyochem said:

If we ever do this again, we would just eat a nice meal in town before boarding.

Interesting idea .... had not considered this 

June 3, 2024 NCl Jewel Cruise:   (redo for our 2020 cruise cancelled due to Covid)  

Arriving in Seward on train from Anchorage at 11:20 am.   A couple of questions:

- is our baggage still checked at the rail terminal "tent" in Anchorage... and then trucked to Seward and dropped off at our cruise ship room?    

- Is it possible to make the Major Marine Kenai Fjords 6 hour tour that departs at 11:30am?   

- the tour returns at 5:30 pm.  I assume this gives plenty of time to board the ship (debarkation at 9:00 pm)?      

Tx

Kevin 

23 minutes ago, Young and Restless said:

NCL still hasn't gotten it together. Still getting the "call back next week" answer. But after 18 weeks I'm not sure that anyone is trying after I get off the phone. I know it isnt their fault the cruises were canceled but they seem to want to drag their feet on credits and refunds. 

OK , I feel better after getting that out....

Hang in there... as I noted it took NCl 79 days (from the day I submitted my refund request) to the day my credit card was credited in full.    18 weeks ( 126 days) after refund form submission is way past the 90 days NCL committed - I'd be getting irritated with them too.    

Weekend started well !   It took NCL exactly 79 days but I received a full refund today.   Somehow I'm rather pleased with them (LOL)  ....nice refund surprise while enjoying  a sunny Saturday morning coffee.   Since I booked through Costco and we had a 2-bdrm Haven for Alaska (June) I'll be able to shop at Costco for "free" for a year or so.    

On another note, sold my NCL stock at a nice profit  ...(a few free cruises worth)... stock sliding down again so I'll  try another round if it goes below 10.  

Really quite pleased with NCL at the moment.           

if the 12% futures drop holds at opening use it as an opportunity to buy.  Give this one a little time .... it will come back strong.      

NCL hovered around $60 for the last 3-4 years.... IMHO it will get back there in another year or so.   With that said, and with the willingness to let this investment ride for the longer term (1-2 years), I rolled the dice and bought several times on the way down (from 14 to 10 ) - missed the absolute bottom but that's ok.   Even if you bought today you're still looking at an easy 100% gain - very likely more  = there is still a ton of room to make money in the longer term.    I will buy more on the next dip.     

4 hours ago, pickle11 said:

What would you consider a discount?   Perks, price,  3rd and 4th passenger ride for free.

Good question Pickle:   I'd say I'm looking for price discounts compared to 2020 cruises.  (not perks, not 3 & 4th passenger). ie.   I'm willing to roll the dice for Alaska for 2021 but only if the cruise lines make it lucrative.   Otherwise... I'll wait until 2022.      

To sharpen my question ..to put it in better perspective.   I had an NCL Haven 2 bedroom booked for Alaska (June, 2020).    Are any cruise lines offering Alaska deals on their suites for 2021?   Thanks !!   

Pretty sure i know the answer but are any of the cruise lines discounting 2021 Alaska cruises ?        

1 hour ago, FLcruisergrl said:

We got 150% FCC. We went from a 5 day cruise on the Sun in an owner’s suite to a 7 day cruise on the Jade in March 2021 in a 2 bedroom Haven suite. We paid for the entire cruise for 4 with pre-paid service charges, upgraded the WiFi and still have $2300 left over. 

Nice ...that 2300 will be pretty easy to use up with a shore excursion - have fun !!

My crystal ball tells me that NCL will bounce back nicely  - people will want to cruise...period.

1. waiting for ncl to cancel our June alaska cruise so that we can get our haven cash back  

2. being a gambling sort I've bought enough ncl stock on the way down (5-1 odds) to pay for lots of future haven cruising.   I won't talk about it if I'm wrong but I may mention it every so often if I'm correct 🙂    

See you guys in Alaska in 2021.... and Antartica after that 

In the tidal wave of everything going on around us I totally understand how everyone is negative & questioning everything - since these forums allow us to throw in our two cents here's mine:    The global economy was booming but stopped in its tracks by Corona.   Yes - it will get worse before it gets better but our scientific community will figure this out.   We'll get back to work... business will boom again ....the banks will continue to keep their big customers floating (cruise lines) ... and as noted above we will all be cruising again.  I bought more NCL stock today ... to go with the purchases I bought last week and week before.  NCL is not going out of business.  I could be wrong but that's my two cents - I sure hope for all of us that I am right!             

On 3/26/2020 at 3:38 PM, oteixeira said:

What if it goes back to 60??    😱   

Good man.... I have confidence the US/world will pull through this .... the markets will wobble in short term but those that put their money down now will be handsomely rewarded in the long term.    I've made several purchases of NCL snd RCL in the last few days....bought more in the red slide today.....  

..well....I recently placed my bet that NCL will get back to good health.   While the stock bounced nicely today it'll be back down and up a few more gut wrenching times for sure ... if I'm right NCl will be paying me to take several years of future Haven cruising....    I figure this is my small way of helping them get back on they feet so the they are less reluctant to cancel this years alaska cruise season  = they will give me back my (June cruise) Haven cash...... Win-Win     

44 minutes ago, Formula280SS said:

Just IMO.

 

Can't wait for COVID-19 to be "beat," so we can start booking our cruises again.

I"ll 2nd that.  While I find the thread interesting with some well-considered comments.....here's where my mind is :

• waiting for NCL to cancel the Alaska cruises thru July 1 so that I can get my Haven cash back
• purchase a decent NCL stock position (very soon)  - a pile of money to be made here for longs.
• rebook Alaska for 2021 or 2022
• start planning for a cruise to Antartica          

Agreed with above... not many options available to you.  However... 

This "suggestion" is based on the possibility (likelihood) that NCL will soon have to cancel all Alaska cruises departing before July because Canada has closed all ports until then.  (All NCL Alaska cruises must stop in Canada)   

Sooo... on the premise above, perhaps you could use your NCL credit to rebook a cruise departing before July.  When NCL cancels you can get your money.    Caveat... I have no idea if this would work... there may be NCL rules that prevent this from happening... just thinking out of the box.