NikiPinkston

That's disappointing! We've used Port Valet on our last two cruises out of Seattle and were planning on using it again next month. Previously, the cost had been the same amount we would have paid the airline to check our bags. Hope that they reinstate it.

Thank you so much for all of this great info! We'll be visiting Glacier Bay on NCL this coming May and now I'm super excited!

It's not that passengers aren't allowed to tip them. Longshore workers are extremely well-paid and my brother-in-law, who is a longshoremen, has repeatedly told me that longshore workers are not supposed to accept tips but, in my experience, they always do LOL! They aren't like the porters at the airport who make minimum wage, longshoremen have six-figure incomes. As I said, I always tip them anyway to ensure that my bags are treated well on their journey to the ship! 

Out of curiosity, I googled what time the shops open in Ketchikan during cruise season as I thought I recalled them being open earlier than 9 am when we were there, and the consensus is that many of them open at 8. Our port stop this coming May is 6 am - 1 pm so I think the last shuttle back to Ward Cove would be around 11-11:30, which makes for a pretty short visit.

2 hours ago, dmwnc1959 said:

I’ve watched a couple of videos of Wards Cove, one of them was the full bus ride from the dock into town. The walk from the downtown bus stop into ‘center city’ is definitely not ideal, but manageable. 

The bus ride can actually be pretty entertaining. Last time, the driver had some great bear stories!

1 hour ago, vacation44 said:

 

I just want to say great post explaining the Berth 4 situation.   I know I automatically thought last year that the NCL transportation would be more directly in town.  

Thank you, @vacation44 Appreciate your kind words. I love it when I can be helpful!

We have family members who are longshore workers, as are the porters at the Port of L.A. They are not "allowed" to accept tips, but I always tip them anyway because I want to be sure my bags get on the ship safely, usually $5 for two bags!😊

10 hours ago, PandaBear62 said:

 

Can you share a marker by Berth 4? When I look at Google Maps, it gives the address as 105-120 Schoenbar Rd and its right by Bar Harbor Ale House. Is this correct? Thank you!

 

@PandaBear62 That is the correct address for Berth 4, but here are the directions from Berth 4 to downtown from Google Maps. It shows that walking will take you 11 minutes. I read somewhere that there's another shuttle from Berth 4 to downtown but can't confirm that. Perhaps someone else on this board knows, although then that would be another shuttle to have to wait for.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Ketchikan,+Alaska/Berth+4,+105-120+Schoenbar+Rd,+Ketchikan,+AK+99901/@55.3433222,-131.6562625,16z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x540c25088729e15b:0x7e90e56bcfc60674!2m2!1d-131.6461112!2d55.3422222!1m5!1m1!1s0x540c25f3bce98341:0xdaf2944023c1c2c6!2m2!1d-131.6561142!2d55.3442609!3e2?entry=ttu

I agree @dpavid when NCL docked at Berth 3 it was so much better. Or, if you have a long port stop, shuttling from Ward's Cove is okay. The stop in Ketchikan this time is way too short, but we've stuck with NCL because we love the relaxed vibe and the other port calls on our upcoming cruise are long (Juneau and Skagway are virtually all day). In addition to Creek Street and downtown, we've done the Lumberjack Show and the Duck Boat, both of which I recommend, but this time we probably will just stay onboard, or maybe get off to take a look around the building at the pier.

Something else to be aware of is that the shuttle drops you off at Berth 4 in Ketchikan, which is 1/2 mile from "downtown" and it's a 10-15 minute walk.

@Pepohwin So glad that you have those avenues available to get your documents in time. We'll be doing our 4th Alaska cruise from Seattle on NCL in May. You're going to have an amazing time! BTW, welcome to Cruise Critic!

14 minutes ago, erisajd said:

not ALL states have licenses that say 'enhanced DL' - I have one from California and Arizona and the California one has a little golden bear on it

Actually, California does not issue Enhanced DL's, just Real ID's.

https://fox5sandiego.com/news/california-news/the-real-id-deadline-is-next-year-heres-what-californians-need-to-do/#:~:text=Some states do issue Enhanced,permanent%2C in the United States.

1 hour ago, zqvol said:

Just to clarify, the BC has to be from a governmental agency. In many places they are kept at the state level, not at the county level. Of course the copy should be certified, but that doesn’t mean it requires a raised seal, because few places use raised seals any longer.  

Yes, our county just has the seal printed on the official document.

I believe the birth certificate must be from the County Recorder where she was born with the official county seal. I don't believe the BC from the hospital will work. This can be ordered online.

Happy turnaround day! 🚢Thank you for sharing your first week with us. So glad that you were able to relax and re-charge. Looking forward to hearing about your further adventures!😊

We're newly Platinum, too, Melody, and I wish that I knew the answer so that I could respond to your question. Maybe try calling NCL? Anyway, I love your sense of humor!

1 hour ago, david_sobe said:

Perks booking directly with the cruise line are rarely mentioned.

46 minutes ago, Distinctive-Destinations said:

My PCC was so annoying that I asked him to stop calling me. Then I asked for “anyone else” to be my PCC. I don’t think I even have an assigned PCC now. I haven’t gotten a call or email in well over a year, and I’m happy with that.

When I called our PCC because the fare on our cruise had gone down, he upgraded our stateroom from a balcony to a club balcony and, if we're taking a short break from cruising, he won't call me & will wait until I call him. I think I have a good one.

@YVRteacher I looked up your question about the depth of the Mississippi. While the river is regularly dredged further upstream, the depth of the river is naturally about 190 feet in the French Quarter and reaches a depth of about 200 feet at its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico.

Really enjoying your live!

We've used the same PCC for about 5 years and he is wonderful! Before that, we used his predecessor for about the same length of time and he was also great! We've been very happy with ours. He'll call me back on a Sunday and even gave me the name of his brother, who's also a PCC, in case he's ever out of the office! Wish we could recommend him by name but I know that that's not allowed here.

Your photos brought back such great memories! Thank you for that. Last time we were there, it absolutely poured for three days. I do love me a good NOLA thunderstorm but it does slow you down. I was going to tell you not to miss the pralines, but the ones I make at home contain cream. BTW, the pronunciation is regional, so it's okay to say PRAY-LINES, just not in New Orleans LOL. Happy embarkation day!

So sorry to hear about the incident with the guest performer. It's amazing how a grown man could be so cruel to fellow humans, especially to a child. Good for you for calling him on it. Just push it out of your mind and, if it comes back, push again, and enjoy your time in New Orleans and on your upcoming cruise. A trip to the Botanical Garden today might be just what you need.

That chunk of land off the coast is indeed Catalina Island. When I was a child, I took my first cruises on the SS Catalina, "the big white steamship," and spent a week there every summer with my family. You can also see the smaller San Nicolas Island behind it, which is a training facility for the US Navy. 

Yes, that's what I meant - that it was still possible to take a Snake River cruise . My apologies for being confusing.

We went up the Mississippi on American Cruise Lines and they still have a Columbia and Snake River cruise.

https://www.americancruiselines.com/cruises/columbia-and-snake-river-cruises

Not even close to 20, but I rescheduled that POA cruise 6 times before we could finally go!

I remember that day well. It was on Friday, the 13th (which is usually lucky for me, but that's another story). We were scheduled for our second cruise on the POA on March 30, and I remember the President coming on TV and saying that the whole country was shutting down. We had no idea what we were in for. We were able to cruise to Alaska and Mexico in 2021, but we couldn't take that POA cruise until the end of 2022. So grateful to be where we are now!