cruizinator

Just a quick clarification: A dock able to handle cruise ships opened in Sitka about two or three years ago. It is located several miles north of the community. We docked there last fall on a cruise ship, and that particular line ran no-exra-charge shuttles from the dock to downtown.

Northern Aurora is correct..we were on the NCL Pearl..when it docked there last week. The Carnival Miracle had to anchor south of town..and tender in.

Our Feb. 21, 2015 Miracle cruise still shows 2 Cabo days and 1 Puerto Vallarta day.[/quote

 

Pulledporky must be on 02/14/15 cruise to Mazatlan. I wanna go!

February aft wrap on the Miracle!!! Can't wait to sit on the beach at Victor's.[/

 

You've got EXCELLENT taste...pulledporky! Our favorite place to eat in Mexico. I can almost taste that delicious shrimp and fish..cooked over a wood fire. Wiggle your toes in the sand and sip on a cold Pacifico. Now..thats the way to enjoy life!!

We probably passed each other at Mendenhall, too...! :) We got there via Blue Bus just BEFORE the rain began...! :) I got some amazing pics out there...! But wow, did we ever get soaked by the time we got back to the ship...! (Of course, we did wander through town in the pouring rain, too, before getting back on board!)

 

We didn't make it to the M&G...dare I say it...it was a little too early in the day for us...! :) But we did take a behind the scenes tour later in the trip--took us through all sorts of interesting areas, including the bridge, the kitchen and the laundry...! Great fun...!

 

Did you see the calving at Marjorie Glacier...? We couldn't believe the "roaring" sound it made...! OP...that was down at the end of Glacier Bay...another reason to take the Seattle R/T--Glacier Bay really was phenomenal (but cold--so pack accordingly!)...

 

:)

I've been to Glacier Bay twice before and just love hearing the "thunder" of the glaciers. The best time to go to Glacier bay is in September. The ship will be able to cruise up John Hopkins Inlet and view 4-5 more glaciers.

Hopkins Inlet is closed for harbor seal calving until late August. When I went twice before on Carnival..we spent about 90 minutes in front of Marjorie glacier and then cruised to the end of Hopkins Inlet. Hopkins is incredible!!

What a "hoot"...so to speak...! :) My husband had a hard time dragging me away from the eagles...! I could have spent hours just watching them--oh wait, I did...! :) Took a ton of pics, too...! :)

 

And yes, we couldn't believe how good the weather was...! We did get caught in the rain in Juneau--we were out at Mendenhall when the downpour started--but it's Alaska and for 10 days with really only 1 day of rain...no complaints here...! :)

 

And SO jealous that you're already planning your return visit...! :)

Yo Adrienne,

We got on a "blue" bus at Mendenhall...just as the rain started falling. Did you make it to the CC meet and greet...I didn't get to meet everyone....there were about 60 people there. If you didn't make it to the M&G..we all were invited to a tour of the Bridge...pretty interesting!

Yo Adrienne.

Sounds like we might have passed one another in Sitka. We also walked out to the Raptor Center and fell in love with "tootsie" the little owl behind the front counter. We loved Sitka and are hoping to take same cruise next May. Both the Pearl and Sun are doing the same itinerary..one day apart. I'll just keep my eye on prices..and go for the best deal.

We sure sure had some amazing weather didn't we!!??

I'd be happier with Manzanillo and Zihuatanejo.

I remember the stops in Manzanillo and Zihau. Miss those ports!

We are all over the board with so many options for Alaska! I am leaning for a R/T Seattle with Sitka simply because I really want to visit Sitka and this is the only itinerary with both Sitka and Glacier Bay that we can fit in our schedule. Being our first cruise to Alaska are we making a mistake doing a R/T Seattle and should I give up Sitka for a Vancouver departure?

I don't know who you are cruising with/itinerary..but I just visited Sitka for the 1st time on NCL ......LOVE IT!! This was my 3rd cruise to Alaska...first two were on CCL out of Vancouver,and both stopped in Juneau, Ketchikan,Skagway..and Glacier Bay.

DW and I loved visiting Sitka. It was part of a 10 day cruise..departing Vancouver with stops at Ketchikan , Juneau, Skagway, Glacier bay, Icy Point(Hoonah) Sitka and Victoria.

We decided that when we return to Alaska...itinerary will have to include Sitka!

Looking for replies from past NCL cruisers who went to Alaska.

 

Haven't sailed with NCL to Alaska; will be doing so in 2015. Just wondering, historically, has NCL dropped prices for Alaskan cruises? I know some of the other cruise lines do this but wasn't sure if NCL does.

Just returned from NCL Pearl 10 day Alaskan cruise. When I started checking prices last fall for this cruise .... a 10th deck balcony cabin was $1549 plus tax. 6 weeks before the cruise departed(5/8/14)..I got it for $989 +. So I thought I got a real decent deal...especially for a 10 day cruise!

...and Carnival returning to Mazatlan........TRIPLE YIPPIE!!!!

Yep. Mazatlan is back on the 7 day Mexican Riviera cruises from LA.

Finally..getting a 3 port itinerary. Glad Mazatlan is back!! Haven't sailed Carnival to Mexico since they dropped Mazatlan.

I think it is kind of fun to take the first or last cruise of the year which will start/end in a different point (Vancouver vs. Seattle) and take the Amtrak train between the two points.

 

May might be the best month with less rain and less bugs. But if you want to see the salmon run late summer would be better for that.

We just returned from 10 NCL cruise..departed Vancouver 5/8 and ended in Seattle 5/18. We took Amtrak to Vancouver.

Had exceptional weather..rained in Juneau late afternoon/evening. No rain at any ports thereafter. It was was 70+ in Skagway..and the swimming pool area was packed.

We've been to Alaska twice in September and had decent weather...but can get pretty wet then. Great time to see salmon in Ketchikan.

We plan on doing the same cruise next May. Alaska is amazing!!

We are on a cruise out of Vancouver on NCL (but the name of the ship escapes me right now). It is in late Septeber, departing on Sept 23. What can we expect in terms of the weather? Will this be freezing cold? One of the ladies in our group is a 'cold person' who like her heat set at 80 year round. Miserable time ahead, or will she (and the rest of the group) still have a pleasant time? Will swimming on the ships pool be off limits? Tips and thoughts on what to expect in late Sept appreciated.[/quote

 

Pack for cold,wet weather and hope for dry, warm weather!

thanks for the info. We are doing Alaska next yr. and we are considering that

same 10 day itinerary on NCL

We enjoyed it so much....that if the price is right...we're gonna do it again next year! This was our first visit to Hoonah(Icy Strait) & Sitka. We liked Hoonah...but absolutely loved Sitka. In fact... we won't go on another Alaska cruise...unless it stops in Sitka!

OP thanks for the commentary. We considered a cruise on the Norwegian Epic for this cruise but it involved a flight instead of a drive which was the deciding factor... but one other thing that concerned me was the number of restaurants on NCL that we weren't eligible to eat at (wrong cabin type) or where we had to pay extra... did you find that was more the case than on Carnival?

 

I'm not saying that was a deciding factor, and we'll probably try NCL someday, but it seemed quite a bit more limiting than on Carnival...

On Carnival...at least on MOST ships...you've got the MDR, the buffet and the Steakhouse. Thats it... and good enough for me. On NCL Pearl 2 MDR(same menu) the buffet and 8 dining venues that charged 15$-$30 per person.

I didn't eat at the pay venues but many did. Really enjoyed the buffet...had eggs benedict or omelets daily. Desserts were ok but ice cream was...really good. Especially the hard packed..which was open about 5:00pm to 9:00pm. Also ..crepe station is open approx. the same time. The lemon sorbet in MDR was amazing!

Overall...I enjoyed the food. Probably would've really enjoyed it ..if I ate at the pay venues. But...I came home a few pounds heavier and had an absolute wonderful cruise.

Now this is really surprising. Our last few CCL cruises, the entertainment has been extremely lacking.

Mike,

I will say that I haven't cruised CCL in the last 1 1/2 years...so I might be in for a rude awakening on my next Carnival cruise!:eek::eek::eek:

This morning returned from 10 day Alaska/Glacier Bay cruise on NCL Pearl. Having been a long time Carnival cruiser...I was looking forward to seeing if the "pasture was indeed greener on the other side".

I had a wonderful cruise and if price and itinerary were right...I would definitely cruise with NCL again. I did notice some differences between CCL and NCL...so here goes:

Rooms(balcony): Carnival's are noticeably bigger and beds are more comfortable.

MDR: Carnival

Buffet: NCL..more variety

Entertainment: Carnival

Crew friendliness: NCL

Value: NCL..I paid less for the 10 day cruise than CCL's 8 day!

So..that's MY opinion..yours may vary. I still love CCL...but NCL ain't too shabby!

Just returned from my first cruise on NCL...had a wonderful time on the beautiful Pearl.

After several cruises on Carnival..I was looking forward to a change. I'm sure someone will post an extensive review...so I'll just say..that if the itinerary and price suit me..then I''ll definitely sail on NCL again.

What's even sweeter is...I paid less for the 10 day to Glacier Bay..than an 8 day on Carnival!

And Kevin Sheehan is singing "Can't please everyone so got to please yourself".

 

But Kevin doesn't sing it as well as...Rick Nelson!

Thank you for the excellent review. Next week ..I'll be on the Pearl for a 10 day Alaska cruise. My first NCL cruise..after several with Carnival. I'm really looking forward to it!

I'm also waiting for the Sun's 11 day cruises to be posted. Did several 8 & 9 day cruises on Carnival to Mexican Riviera. Really miss those longer cruises!

Add Diet Dr. Pepper so I don't have to carry a 12 pack onboard for my lovely wife. ;)[/quote

 

In 16 days...I'll be carrying the Diet Dr. Pepper onboard the Pearl.. for my DW!

Pearl holds a "warm" spot in my husband's heart for their hard scoop ice cream.

 

Based on location and no extra charge, I have yet to find its match on any other ship.

In 3 weeks..I'll get to experience that ice cream on the Pearl. Ice cream is good for you...isn't it???

Looking to cruise Alaska next year, Do people like the Jewel or the Pearl better? May have to go with which itinerary is better too, I heard Glacier Bay is the way to go. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

I'm going on my first NCL cruise next month..a 10 day on the Pearl to Glacier Bay. So..can't answer your question of which ship is better. But...this will be my 3rd cruise to Glacier Bay and I'm as excited as I was the 1st time.

The scenery is amazing! For a 1st or only cruise to Alaska....I would definitely recommend Glacier Bay!!

Whatever ship you choose.....I hope you have a wonderful cruise!

I stopped going to Mexican Riviera on Carnival when they reduced ports...from 3 to 2. Hopefully...they'll reconsider in 2015/2016.