MBMGWM

My favorite "go to" meal every sailing is at Le Bistro.  I usually don't eat mushrooms, but absolutely love the mushroom soup they serve.  My main course is always the coq au vin and I ask for extra potatoes to be put in the dish.  It is simple but fantastic.  The cheese platter for dessert is very nice.

I agree with others regarding the grilled pineapple at Moderno.  The salad bar there is so good with so much variety.  The meats are secondary for me, but they will usually bring me some cuts medium well directly from the kitchen, as I don't like the typical medium rare selection.

I will be doing the single digit dance tomorrow 😎

I learned a tip here on CC that has served me well when I've gone on solo cruises.  I make a table tent type sign that says "Be back in a minute" on both sides.  I also leave something of little value on the table.  It has seemed to work when I've gone back to the buffet for a quick trip.

It was so nice reading your very comprehensive review.  Thank you for taking the time to do this.  Your pictures were wonderful!

I will be on the 9 night Oct. 2nd cruise and am getting super excited.  Hopefully, we will have some good weather like you did.   

@krisean  It is exciting planning for a beautiful Alaskan cruise isn't it!  Since I'm flying from the East Coast, I wanted to have the two extra days that the Sun offers.  There will be fewer activities, choice of restaurants and entertainment on the Sun, but there are still plenty of choices and things to do.  It is a wonderful class of ship.  Another advantage to the smaller ship is you will have fewer people lining up to get off in each port.  The Spinnaker lounge, with the ability to go outside to the front deck for scenic viewing and the Great Outdoors aft are very special.  I spent ten days on her sister ship, the Sky, in January and had a wonderful time.   

Of course, it all depends upon what you like to do on your cruise.  If you are traveling with children or teens, the larger ships would likely be the better choice.  If you are looking for a more relaxed atmosphere the Sun might be your best choice.  Whatever you choose, I hope you have a wonderful cruise!

@Hobbes67

I am going to be heading to Seattle next month and found your information helpful.  Do you recall the amount of the additional fees for each one way trip?  It may make more sense to just utilize a taxi.  It is my understanding that there is a flat $40 rate from the pier to the airport.

I have been doing some research for my October cruise and found several good recommendations for Fisherman's Daughter in Hoonah.  Apparently, many locals eat there.  Several cruisers have commented that it is a lovely waterside walk to the town from Icy Strait Point.  Their halibut and salmon dishes get rave reviews.  

I'll be interested in seeing recommendations for a more "local" experience at Skagway as well.

Thank you @www3traveler.  I'm going to be staying at the Waterfront Marriott and am so excited to be able to walk across to the terminal.

I'm so excited to be sailing on the Sun to beautiful Alaska in early October.  It looks like she arrives in port at 6:00 AM, which seems a bit earlier than the Miami port arrivals I've had in the past.  Is the boarding time is a bit earlier, or does it usually start around 11:00 AM?  I want to select an appropriate check-in time where I won't be waiting at the terminal too far in advance of boarding.  There's always that balance of choosing a time where the lines won't be too long, but where you can board as early as possible.  I love to wander around the ship and have lunch before it gets too crowded.

I was on the Sky in January and had the most delicious Coq au vin that I've ever had on NCL.  I love potatoes and they put in some extra for me.  The sauce was fantastic!  

At breakfast, my favorites are the croissant with orange marmalade first followed by an Eggs Benedict with extra hollandaise sauce.  For a late night snack, nothing beats a delicious Reuben.

Thank you.  I'll try that.

I booked a cruise yesterday (yay!) and was working on the site last night selecting dining, etc.  Today, I keep receiving a message to the effect of "This page has taken a permanent vacation", when I go in to view my account.  Is anyone else having this issue?  

Thank you!

I had this happen for my January cruise on the Sky.  I posted about it and another cruiser suggested I check back in a day or so.  When I did, I noticed my 100% check in bar had gone down to 83%.  I was able to go to the health section of the check in and select a time.  

Have a wonderful cruise!

Also a longtime lurker here and am enjoying this thread immensely.  I am super excited for everyone and wish each of you a fantastic cruise!  

I was on a ten night solo cruise on the Sky in January.  She was a perfect size for relaxation.  My goal was to escape winter with the aim of spending as much time enjoying the beautiful blue water and warm temperatures as possible.  I booked a window cabin just to have some natural light, but really only utilized the cabin for sleeping and showering.  I always enjoy being "out and about" on the ship.  

The Great Outdoors was fantastic during the day or at night.  There was a nice variety of tables and loungers in the shade on the pool deck where many people were reading, playing games, etc.  As others have mentioned, the Spinnaker at the front of the ship is a wonderful place for relaxing and reading during the day.  I walked through it several times to go out onto forward observation deck and it always looked so inviting.  The library was also a nice space with books and board games.  

Enjoy whichever cruise you choose, but I wouldn't hesitate to book the Sky for such a nice trip.

Hello @Momof3gurlz,

I'm sorry that you didn't enjoy your NCL sailing more.  I am a little confused about the issue your husband had with the Free at Sea beverage package where he wasn't able to just order a soda without the rum.  I was on the NCL Sky in early January and was able to order fountain Coke with the package.  I know water was not included, nor were canned sodas, but I had 3 - 4 cokes every day.  I wonder if this is a recent change to the package?  If so, that doesn't seem very customer friendly.  

I was on the Jan. 3rd Sky cruise and, since I was sailing solo, I asked the steward to just go ahead and service the room once per day, even though I understand that was the last sailing with twice per day service.  I let him choose what time was better and he said he would service my cabin in the morning.  He just put the Freestyle Daily paper in the door holder every evening.  

I did the single digit dance this morning 💃  9 more sleeps until I'm on the ship.  Woo hoo!

When my DH and I sail together, we typically have our first night's dinner in the buffet, as we like to linger after sail away and don't want to bother with the crowds in the main dining room.  In January, I'm sailing solo and have booked a specialty restaurant for the first night.  I feel that will be a nice way to start my adventure!

I am so looking forward to my upcoming Sky cruise in early January.  I just checked in, but did not see anywhere to select a port check in time.  I am leaving from Miami.  Is this because it is a smaller ship?  My check in is showing as 100% complete, but my eDocs are not yet ready.    

Thank you in advance for any guidance.

Enjoy your wonderful cruise to Alaska!  DH and I went for both our 25th and 30th wedding anniversaries and just fell in love with it.

You may already do this, but a tip I learned on CC many years ago, is to cross pack.  Have some of your clothes/shoes and some of your partners clothes/shoes in every suitcase that you will be checking.  That way if one suitcase goes missing, you each will have something to wear.  My DH is an ex-offensive lineman and he cannot just go anywhere in port to find new clothes!

I hope you will keep and enjoy your dining package.  As others have said, bring either a book or something else to read.  It sounds like you are comfortable being with yourself and you will likely see others doing the same.  

When I did my one solo cruise, it was in conjunction with a work trip in Miami.  My DH doesn't love cruising as much as I do and he insisted that I should go and have a good time.  Like you are doing, it was a short one.  While I did miss him, it was nice to be able to do what I wanted to do on my own schedule.  

I too am an "early bird" and married a "night owl".  On cruises, my DH does make an effort to get up earlier, although not as early as I do.  I always have a light "first" breakfast and then another when he gets up. 

We have made it a delightful cruise tradition of taking an afternoon nap.  That way, he can catch up on his missed morning sleep and I can stay awake past 10:00 PM!  

My DH and I are mixed on the Haven.  We upgraded a few years ago on the Getaway.  We really enjoyed the lovely cabin and the proximity to the courtyard and sun deck but, upon reflection, we did not take full advantage of being in the Haven.  We loved all the different areas on the ship and the different restaurants.  We had embarkation day lunch in the Haven restaurant and had most of our breakfasts there, but never ate dinner there.  The bartenders were fantastic in the Haven, but we found that we were mostly "out and about" so we didn't really spend much time there.  If we ever did the Haven again, I would definitely spend more time in the Haven areas.  I discovered the joy of the loungers in the pool, but it was on our last day.  

Like others mentioned, the priority embarkation/disembarkation/tendering was wonderful.  We had a situation when we were on Grand Cayman and the line for the tenders was extremely long.  It was a very hot day and I do have trouble standing still for long periods.  One of the staff from the Haven saw us, called our names and immediately pulled us out of the line and took us to the front.  My husband and I joked that seeing him and having him take us up for quicker tender boarding made the cost of the upgrade worth it!  

Each class has their charms, but my preference is for the Jewel class.  The Great Outdoors overlooking the wake makes the difference for me.  DH and I enjoy the variety of dining and entertainment venues on the larger ships, but the entertainment venues can be crowded. 

The only ships we would not go on again are the Dawn and the Star.  They took away the forward facing Spinnaker lounge many years ago and replaced it with suites.  We also missed them not having the Great Outdoors.