graphicguy

That sounds like a great way to disembark. It was either take the 11:57 flight, or take a red-eye. I chose the former. Don’t know if you noticed, they had a small manned pedestal right after you checked out with your key card. It said “Financial Service”. Saw a couple of people escorted to the pedestal when checking out. Wondering what that was all about?

I think you have to book in advance. All who were on our shuttles had reservations. Now, if they had space on a given bus? Who knows? I don’t know that they’re set up for cash/credit fare collecting, though. If memory serves, you can cancel within 72 hours for no charge.

Chief’s recommendations are very worthwhile. Answer some of the other questions… I do self disembark. That’s usually because I have a flight just before, or just after noon. So, I try to be at the airport by 9:00-10:00 ish. I know some want to tarry around the ship. But, with the mad dash to get one more breakfast, or coffee, or many still having issues that require a trip to Customer Service, I want to avoid all of that. The last breakfast simply isn’t something that is worth the throngs with the same idea. Coffee? Different story. That’s not an option I can do without. 😉 That’s why I like having a coffee maker in the cabin. I’m out of the cabin by 7:30-ish. Mentioned on this trip, even though the line to disembark was pretty long, it moved quickly. If there are bottlenecks, it’s usually because the immigration facial recognition camera isn’t working well. Most of the time, that’s not an issue. Sometimes….well….it’s a government agency. “Nuff said”! Another reason I pack lite, I DON’T want to drag around big bags…wheeled or not. The pathway to disembark is usually narrow and winds through the casino. All those folks that packed a 5 room house into their luggage are miserable hauling it on and off the ship. Plus, I don’t want the possibility of searching/losing luggage in the terminal to be a possibility. It’s not. It’s with me all the time. Frankly, I don’t think anyone dressed better or worse than me, even though I had way fwer outfits to fit in my rollaboard. I was out of my cabin, through immigration (facial recognition), off the ship going down the gangway in about 15 minutes. I used Shuttle Express (shuttleexpress.com) to and from the airport. I think it was $25 each way (plus $1 for each checked bag). Their shuttle was right there outside of the terminal upon disembarkation. I think they have a shuttle running every 15 mins from/to the airport. Prompt, professional, clean, good value. ’It takes about 40 minutes to get to/from the airport to/from the pier. Construction? Yes! I’m not driving, so I don’t really care. About 2-3 days into the cruise, you should have a note in your cabin about using the “FREE” luggage service, where you can have the cruise line transfer your bag to SEATAC, who will load it on your flight, for no charge (except you have to pay the checked bag fees of your individual airline). They’ll deliver special luggage tags, and boarding passes to your cabin, all checked in and ready to go, the day before departure. Word of caution…if your flight leaves before noon… even 11:59 a.m., they can’t offer the service. I know. I tried with a flight that was departing at 11:57 a.m. No go!!!!! Hope this helps.

OBC, Tips, etc....it's ALL the cruise lines' way of supplementing their staff's wages. They all charge it. The nomenclature may be different, but they all do it. Celebrity does, too. They may say "tips included", but what they really mean is the fare is higher because it's included there.

Thanks…I’m certain you’re going to have a grand time!!!!!

Thanks…pick up the new car today, actually. Glad you enjoyed the review. Was just looking over the final bill. Got out of the trip under $150 for the DSC on my account from NCL and that was it. Offset by about $300 in casino winnings. So, given it was a pretty cheap fare to begin with, and included FAS, I feel good about it. 😉

I have, indeed! We’ve done the Caribbean and Mediterranean together. He’s not near the fan of cruising I am, however. The pic is my son, me and my nephew L to R, on a Carnival Cruise a few years ago.

The weather in June should be perfect. Bliss is the absolute right ship for Alaska because of the Observation Lounge! Plus, it’s an overall beautiful ship!

Tossing around the idea of sailing the Viva or Prima. But, son, sisters, Niece and Nephews are in the midst of planning a trip to Italy. But, if I stumble on a deal, who knows. I still have some cruise next certs to use. Glad you enjoyed it!

Love that!

So.,..what did I think? Pretty obvious, I hope. Great cruise! PORTS Alaska is a true wonder. Aside from not being able to get to the tippy top of the White Pass, a rainy day in Juneau and a puzzling stop in Victoria for a few (very few( hours), the weather was relatively mild...perfect for Alaska cruising. Take the Juneau lift to wander around at the top. Well worth it. White Pass Rail ride is worth it, too. OBSERVATION LOUNGE....Love...LOVE this venue. It supports a 270º+ view, perfect for whale watching. With a geographic locale that is as picturesque as Alaska, that view was worth a million bucks. Plus, the bar/wait staff there are just great...attentive, engaging, funny, happy to be there. It was my go to place. Sometimes, I'd just grab a Bloody Mary and a Chocolate muffin (deeellllisshhh) and some fruit for Breakfast there. At lunch, they usually had cold cuts, buns, flatbreads and/or focaccia and more fruit (the fruit on this sailing was fresh and very flavorful, no over/under ripe pieces)...all good. ENTERTAINMENT...said it before, say it again, NCL has the Best entertainment at sea, bar none. Jersey Boys was my fave. While, the SICX show was entertaining, the plot was thin and probably geared more towards the farer gender. Not a bad thing. Just not MY THING! Beatles in the Cavern Club was excellent. And, even some of the smaller shows like the comedy/magic show were good (although, I could tell how they did a couple of their tricks, and I was sitting pretty far back). They were funny! Piano players and piano/bass duo in the Observation Lounge were always good at night. I missed @ChiefMateJRK favorite, Silgo, however. He recommended them highly, though. The rest was pretty standard fare.....trivia, 'how to", bingo, etc...all the typical games you find on cruise ships. FOOD...again, probably as good as any I've ever had on any cruise ship. I had 4 SDP meals.....Food Republic, Los Lobos, Teppanyaki, and Texas Smoke House. I'd do any of them again, without hesitation, nor complaint. TX Smoke House was fun and had great BBQ, but they also had a band. Not a country fan, but they played a lot of Johnny Cash, who I do happen to like. Just not a fan of the "pop-country lite" you hear today. Even the food in the Local was good. When I wasn't in a Specialty Dining venue, I was chowing down at the Local. Great Burgers...Chicken Salad was really good, too. Sometimes, I'd just get apps, get a couple of beers, sit overlooking the Atrium and have a grand time. SERVICE....Top notch...throughout the ship...from Customer Service, to my cabin attendant, to Cruise Next personnel, to waitstaff, to bartenders, etc. Everyone seemed to want to bend over backwards to accommodate. Granted, I don't ask for much. But, even when I was at Customer Service quizzing them about the dismal internet, they took care of me, with a smile and no real pushback. INTERNET.....well, this was dismal, Look, I know we sailed in the mountains and we were in Alaska. But, there does seem to be some sort of disconnect and/or incompatibility with ANY cruise internet connection with Cruise Critic. One would think that given so many are both frequent cruisers (who provide a good amount of content here) and also faithful followers of Cruise Critic, they'd both get together to figure out what should be a fairly simple compatibility solution. My suggestion? Forego upgrading to the premium WiFi package and wait until you dock somewhere to connect to your service provider's LTE or 5G connections. SHIP...it's a newer ship, so what can possible be bad. Well...nothing! It's BEAUTIFUL! There was always someone around cleaning, regardless of where I was, or what I was doing. I didn't spend much time in my cabin, but even from down the hallway, my Cabin Steward made it a point to either wave or greet me by my name whenever he saw me. He always was asking if there was "anything more" he could do for me. If it matters, I was in cabin 9190, a Club Balcony. I asked for a coffee maker, and got it. I asked for extra towels, got them. My laundry was delivered the day after I sent my clothes out (always had them ready to send out early a.m.). Ship was clean as a pin. GUESTS....'ya know, usually on every cruise, there's a person who really frosts my posterior. Not this time. Yeah, there were some I just shook my head at. But, no one who was thoughtless, rude, or generally unpleasant. Plus, I met some wonderful people who I now consider my cruise friends. @ChiefMateJRK along with his beautiful wife. Kim and Alice Demaris, Daniel, and all who participated in the Meet and Greet. What a wonderful group. NCL took care of us, too. Let's face it, our fellow cruisers make our trip. This was particularly true of this cruise. Everyone was great. I don't know that I can say much more. My cabin was comfy, the shower was hot, the view was spectacular from my balcony. This was my best cruise. But, I say that right after I sail every cruise, and is true until I book my next one. 😉 Hope you liked this. Thanks for joining me.

I was pleasantly surprised how much I really liked Los Lobos.

Again...ALL ENTERTAINMENT ALL OVER THE SHIP WAS EXEMPLARY........regardles of how large or small. The Beatles in the Cavern Club was quite good, too. I HATE lines. So, didn't wait in line for the CAVERN CLUB. I found plenty of SRO spaces, and was happy to be looking over the crowd. I just couldn't get any good pics.

Oops..forgot one.....

I love ship artwork. I don't think it gets enough pub.

My last SDP was in Food Republic. I know NCL's staples includes Cagney's and LeBistro. Gotta say, those 2 are quickly dropping down my SDP list given the outstanding offerings on the other SD venues on board the newer ships. Tuna pizza (was quite good) and Reuben Dumplings. At the desert before I took a pic, but it was icecream with chocolate and cake offering.. How can that be bad?

Braved the trip home. Once again, just as long on the way back as it was on the way to the cruise. Ride on the way home was pretty bumpy, but there were some thunderstorms sweeping along our route. Dragging a bit today, but given I had most of my laundry done on board, and I didn't take that much with me to begin with, really makes it a pretty easy chore. Promised the the dailies when I got home, since it was close to impossible to post them while on board. Not sure what happened to Day 1, but it wasn't in my stack!

I remember that. Part of the growing trend for people thinking they can get/have anything they want, whenever they want, say anything they want, to anyone they want, with no repercussions. Just start saying "no" and it will eventually stop.

Oooohhhh baby. Looking forward to this.....!

If they don't come pick up belongings after 30 minutes, I'd have no issue in picking them up and taking them to the towel station personally.

True…would be fun to see them try, though!!!!!😉 BTW….never had anyone stop me from taking a plate of anything to my cabin…!

Still can. Not sure the price, but they’ll deliver it anywhere on the ship! Forget what NCL calls it but it was advertised on board. As far as preordering a pizza in rhe Garden Cafe? No such thing. OP…. you let someone scam you! Should have told the peeps they deliver pre-ordered pizzas to the Haven Concierge Desk, and to go retrieve it there.

Sorry….don’t know!

Yep…until they stuck some really good fares under my nose. They made some things they did after the restart were plain idiotic. Those PO’d me. They did other things that were brave and I gave them credit for. Bottom line, regardless, they are in full swing, again and for this cruise, at least, are doing great!!!!

and…we’re back! 7:30 a.m. left my cabin…7:45 a.m. going down the gangplank. Review and lots more pics to follow….