dmwnc1959

It's mind-blowing (to me, at least) that the complimentary dining options are just wide open and not a slot to be had for the specialty restaurants until after 8pm. I'm an early eater i.e. 530pm for dinner, and usually in bed by 10pm. It's also why I had mentioned earlier about having 5:30am breakfasts a lot at O'Sheehan's. 😳 This does look very good!

I am counting on this big time for next year. Can't imagine someone wanting to book an extended cruise knowing there are much more kid- and family-friendlier options. What you described as 'classic cruising'... perfection. 🥰

I can see me spending a LOT of time at O'Sheehan's for breakfast. And I can also see me spending an hour or so every morning out on the promenade deck walking track trying not to get any fatter. Lol 😉 been on a diet since January getting ready. Any plans on eating at the Jasmine Garden? It's complimentary and the menu looks pretty tasty. Glad to hear this. Having been on Allure of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas, it's been a good number of years since I've cruised on a ship the size of Norwegian Jade.

All great advice! 👍 Unless things change, I’m booked on the B2B where Whittier is now my turnaround day from the 25-night coming from Florida through the Panama Canal. The idea of spending another week on board Norwegian Jade and ending up in Vancouver, maybe spending a night or two post-cruise then flying home, was quite appealing.

NCL hasn't yet used Whittier (first visit will be in April 2025). I know Princess Cruises and Holland-America were frequent users last season. Maybe ask over on the Princess Cruises Forum since their ships visit most often.

I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this, but the cruise ship pier for Sitka is several miles outside of the main town. In these screen grabs from Marine Traffic you can see Carnival Spirit pulling in…

It never ceased to amaze me that how you could be wearing shorts in Juneau, but on glacier day you're bundled up! I remember on Holland-America they served split pea soup on the bow. One of my most fondest memories. 🥰

COZUMEL! Hope you're having a great (and relaxing) time!

About the biggest difference (according to the description) is you board the small boat alongside directly from the cruise ship as it enters Disenchantment Bay, stay on the small excursion boat the entire time, and when the tour is done you re-embark the cruise ship when the small boat pulls alongside. Other than maybe the transfer process there should not be anything strenuous about it at all. I'll have to give the Shore Excursions Desk a call first thing in the morning and try to get through.

In your journeys around Norwegian Jade, if you happen to see a Restaurant Dress Code sign or placard can you take a picture of it please? It may look like this one posted in my MDR Shorts thread by @cruiseny4life from Norwegian Prima.

Sorry! ☹️ Seriously did not know there was an alcohol-related definition, I've only ever been aware of the baby icebergs. As for taking tons of pictures, pre-digital photography I'd often take +50 rolls of film on an Alaska cruise and then spends days putting them all in photo albums, which all now sit on shelves collecting dust. I seriously need to find a way to get through this cruise with as few pictures as possible. I tend to live the cruise through the viewfinder.

Even in pictures the visual appeal of Alizar falls well short of the Grand Pacific. If I have to wear long pants in the latter for dinner, I'll make that 'sacrifice'. However, in the beginning I'll split 'visitation rights' between the two just to get first-hand experiences. And I've always hated wearing hats of any kind, ball caps especially. Must have gotten that from my Navy days. 😉

THANK YOU for posting the Freestyle Daily. I very much enjoy poring over all of the little details and daily events. So much going on all the time!

@PATRLR @vacation44 I wonder what makes this particular NCL Shore Excursion experience different from the one conducted at Hubbard Glacier, whereas yours is rated as an Activity Level 1 (easiest) and the latter is rated as Activity Level 3 (most strenuous). I did try and call the NCL Shore Excursions Desk but after waiting on the phone for 30 minutes gave up.

THIS is why I cruise 🥰

They also serve a pretty amazing breakfast from what I hear.

Very helpful! Thank you! 👍😁

Sounds really amazing, and your pictures are fantastic! The one for Hubbard Glacier is running $350 even with the discount, and appears to be run by the same company. Definitely going to have to do some thinking on that one, but on the B2B I hit Hubbard Glacier twice.

Is that one that you booked through NCL? I think they also offer one of these for Hubbard Glacier, and I've been eye-balling it as well.

A couple of screenshots I grabbed from her bridge cam back on April 29th while sitting in drydock...

Realizing that Norwegian Jade will be the NCL guinea pig for this port in 2025, stumbled across the fact that there's apparently a 2-1/2 mile one-way tunnel in and out, and it's the the longest (2.5 miles) highway tunnel in North America. https://www.facebook.com/story.php?id=100044584939798&story_fbid=1865960627184285 https://www.whittieralaska.gov/tunnel/ https://dot.alaska.gov/creg/whittiertunnel/schedule.shtml

Nice! I've got an inside solo down on Deck 5 for next year.

She goes through the new locks.

"When the ship is at sea or anchored, nudity is generally allowed. However, when the ship is docked, all passengers must be fully clothed on all parts of the vessel, including private balconies, until an announcement is made that it is acceptable to be nude again. Clothing is also required in all dining areas, not including bathrobes or lingerie, the latter of which is forbidden as general attire, along with fetish wear. Specific rules regarding appropriate conduct in public areas will also be enforced. Additional precautions, such as mandatory towel use on shared seating and strict non-photo zones throughout the ship, will also ensure privacy and comfort for all passengers." - Cruise Hive Still not my cup of tea. 😳

THANKS! I do a little planning every day, little things like researching some of the new ports and what there is to do, watching youtube travel videos on how to pack lightly, checking the shore excursions on my bookings to see what new things pop up - I already have 9 booked - and checking what time sunrise and sunset is for each port against what time we arrive and depart. Loved watching the NCL bridge cams as the ships moved up the West Coast and made note of where they docked. It's a lot of fun!