Oakman58

Be sure that any pair of binoculars you purchase are fog proof and waterproof, especially if you plan and Alaskan cruise.

I drink a lot of coffee but I'm not a coffee snob. My taste buds adjust to whatever coffee is available. I love having an early morning cup while sitting on a balcony watching the ocean roll by. The only time I drink specialty coffee is when I'm on a cruise line that includes the coffee bar with their drink package. I've never had an issue with coffee on any cruise ship.

I'm glad so many people enjoy cruising on the Explorer of the Seas. I have a cruise on her Dec 1st and this will be just my second cruise on RC. My very first was in 2005 on Rhapsody of the Seas and I didn't I didn't care for cruising and how things were priced. The envelopes on the bed the last night of the cruise came as a complete surprise. In wasn't until we did a Panama Canal cruise in 2015 for our 40th wedding anniversary that I became hooked on cruising. Since then we've taken many cruises on NCL, Holland, Carnival, and Princess (one and done with Princess). I'm looking forward to trying RC again and looking at recent videos it looks like the Explorer of the Seas is still a beautiful ship.

I agree, Port Valet in Seattle is awesome. We even had them take our carryon luggage. I wish other ports had such programs.

I completely agree with you. I understand that it's fashioned after a dinner club, but I don't want to dance or hear loud music during dinner. I want to have a conversation with my dinner companions. I don't recall them having music every night, but I could be wrong.

Which is why all the NCL ships built after that use that same efficient and effective bathroom organization...NOT! The bathrooms on the Epic are an experience in sight, sound, and smell. 🙂

Just an FYI, here is the link to the Cruise Passenger Bill of Rights. https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/CruiseIndustryPassengerBillofRights052313.pdf

I don't tip the porters on the dock. When the room steward introduces him/herself I give them a $10 bill and thank them for delivering my luggage to the cabin.

Actually I think they mentioned two accounts and the whole password thing was about merging accounts into one. It's quite possible I set up an account a long time ago that I had forgotten about. Back then the Latitudes program wasn't automatic, you actually had to join. Regardless, I got the discount so I am happy.

Actually I still don't know why it didn't show up. The fix involved me changing my password which in itself turned into quite an ordeal, even the tech help I had was surprised at how difficult this had become. It was during this time the fact that I wasn't receiving email from NCL. The tech tried to send me a link for a password change and her email was returned as undeliverable. We even verified that they had the correct spelling of my email address. Once I finally got logged back into MyNCL I was able to use ID.me to verify my status. My thought is my status simply didn't go through the first time for some reason. I used ID.me for the Princess cruise I took last January and it was quick and simple. Holland America didn't even require ID.me which really surprised me.

Well it took almost all day but I finally got the discount applied. Funny thing we found out, my system rejects any email from NCL. This would also explain why cruise confirmations were always going to my wife's account. Thanks for all the suggestions.

So I went through the NCL website and did the ID.me so I could get the Veterans discount. I received an email from ID.me stating my military status was verified for access to Norwegian Cruise Lines. When I booked the cruise through my NCL PCC he said he couldn’t find it so he couldn’t apply the discount. I’m kinda disappointed in this so called joke of a discount.

Some pics from our recent visit to Yellowstone NP.

Here's my 2 cents. I would choose Princess because Celebrity isn't allowed to cruise in Glacier Bay National Park which I consider a "must see" for a first Alaskan cruise. For your 2025 Sep time frame I would choose a one-way like the Caribbean Princess because it visits both Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay National Park.

When my wife and I go on trips I take pictures for my own enjoyment and memories. I don’t want to weigh myself down with a number of lenses or other heavy equipment. My camera is a Canon SX 540 that has a 50X optical zoom lens. I believe it’s considered a bridge camera, something between a simple point and shoot and a DSLR. The wildlife in these pictures were at least 200 to 300 yards aways from me. I did crop these pics for better detail. On our excursion in Ketchikan the boat we were on threw fish in the water to attract eagles. The eagles were fairly close to the boat so I was able to get these pictures.

I agree with dd57, if you plan to take photos of wildlife bring a camera with a long optical zoom lens.

My advice for what it's worth is pick a cruise that visits Glacier Bay National Park, you will see a number of glaciers while cruising in the park. Also bring a decent set of binoculars, ones that are fog proof and waterproof. Personally, I think you picked the best time frame for visiting Alaska.

I loved our excursion on the Aleutian Ballad. It was awesome when they threw out fish for the eagles. I don't have expensive camera equipment so I was thrilled at the photos I was able to get from the boat.

I thought I would add a few more pictures of eagles that I didn't include in my Alaskan Eurodam trip report. I'm tickled how good these pictures turned out. I was so focused on enjoying the eagles I didn't even notice a cruise ship was coming into Ketchikan.

I'm not a specialty coffee guy but one thing that hasn't been mentioned, in the Pinnacle Bar on Deck 2 you could get specialty coffee in the morning. Here's the price list.

No there was an outside staircase also just outside the elevators.

Don't count on seeing any whales in October.

I ditto what CafeBruno said. I was on the Eurodam June 17 - 24 for our Alaskan cruise. We were impressed with the friendliness of the crew, the food was good but I did experience some minor hiccups. Our room steward was awesome and I thought the ship was very clean and fresh. I not going to doubt the original posters experience but to me, it sounds like a Karen. I posted a trip report with pictures of my cruise in the Alaskan subforum. Here's a link. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2948920-alaska-trip-report-holland-america-eurodam-jun-17-jun-24/#replyForm

Thank you for the nice comment. I might have overdone it with all the pictures I included.

I think the pros you list for the Encore outweigh the cons, especially with your father being disabled. If you do stick with the Seattle itinerary, be sure to look into Seattle's Port Valet.