HandC4Me

Thank you

15 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

The NCL excursions for whale watching in Icy Strait Point use the same boats as for whale watching in Juneau.  The company is Allan Marine.  They are fabulous.  They can take up to 180 passengers.

If you go to NCL guest services desk on day one of your cruise you can ask for a week’s worth of anti-seasick tablets.  They are free and they work wonders for me.  I get seasick when the ship is in port and it’s a calm day! I also wear the wrist bands for acupressure and I take the anti-seasickness tablets every 12 hours.

YVRteacher, thank you so much for this info! It's exactly what I was wondering about (who operates the NCL excursion). And I really appreciate the tip about getting the seasick tablets from guest services also. You've been very helpful and I'm grateful; thanks again!

Thanks, all, for the many replies! Now we are considering doing our whale-watching tour via an NCL excursion (found out we had more excursion credit than we were aware of). If so, the size of the boat is out of my hands, so I think we'll just have to load up on seabands, Bonine, and green apples and hope for the best!

(If anyone has info on NCL's whale-watching excursions, I'd love to hear it!)

Trying to decide on a whale-watching excursion in ISP next week. I've read some great recommendations for independent tour operators, but I also just noticed that the NCL excursion is right at about the same price point. In the past, we've always used independent operators for tours as we felt we got a much better value. In this case, we do have some Excursion credit dollars to play with, so I'm considering the NCL tour. But of course I don't want to book it if it's known for being shoddy, using an inferior tour operator, etc.

There are so many knowledgeable people on this Forum; if anyone can share their input/experience with the NCL tour, I'd really appreciate it!

Sunkey1, thank you so much for posting your review! We will be on the Jewel July 4-11, Seward to Vancouver, so I really appreciate reading all you had to say.

We're hoping to book a whale watching excursion in Icy Strait Point, and I've seen some great posts comparing the different size boats in terms of how many they hold, and if there's enough room at the rail for viewing, etc. The one point I haven't seen yet is if the smaller boats have significantly more "movement" to them? We have a few people in our party prone to seasickness and I'm wondering if boat size would have an impact on that? We have the sea bands but not sure if they would help in a situation like that?

Any input on seasickness and whale watching is appreciated! 

Thanks, all, for the great ideas! My kids really enjoy the Bingo and Deal or No Deal games, so we may put some towards that. Starbucks drinks/cards and gift items also great suggestions. Someone mentioned using OBC in the casino -- so, that is an option? For some reason, I was under the impression you couldn't use your OBC there but I don't know where/when I heard that.

In the past, we've used onboard credit for the usual things like NCL excursions, shopping, "extra" drinks or dining, photos, etc. What are some other options? It's been awhile since our last cruise; I'm trying to think of some fun things to do with our OBC. It can't be used in the casino or for Bingo games, right? Or am I wrong about that? Please weigh in with your favorite OBC purchases. 

Great input - thanks so much, all! I'm very grateful. Looks like ISP it is!

If you had to pick one port to do a whale watching excursion, would you pick Icy Strait Point or Juneau, and why? I've read great reviews of different operators in each place. I'm wondering if there are other points to consider besides tour operators, ie, is one place more "known" for good whale spotting over another? We will be traveling July 4 - 11th. Many thanks in advance for any input!

We'll be on the Jewel for our Seward to Vancouver Alaskan cruise July 4 - 11. Departure time is 9:00pm that Monday. We've never sailed with such a late departure time before. Trying to plan our time in Seward that day. Any estimates on how early we'll be able to board? Thanks in advance for any input!

Apologies for this VERY basic question, but I'm trying to research NCL's Open Bar offering and my head is swimming a bit after so much reading.

Our TA quoted me a gratuity charge of about $320 per person for the Open Bar package. I'm trying to figure out how many ("standard", not premium) alcoholic drinks that might equal out to. I guess what I'm really looking for is current price range info on how much drinks are. Specifically thinking of (house) wine by the glass, and drinks like pina coladas, daiquiris, margaritas, etc; no beer.

Many thanks in advance for any input!

Got it, thanks for confirming the 20% charge!

JamieLogical, thank you so much for spelling everything out! Very helpful!

Like fjg473, I too am wondering about the best way to monitor for possible price drops. Is there an app for this? (Isn't there an app for EVERYTHING?! 🙂) What's the best way to check for drops?

Thanks so much for your amazing review! We are booked on the Encore for June 22, and this has helped with many of my questions. One thing I'm still wondering about, however, that maybe you (or some other knowledgeable member here) can answer: by June, the itinerary will have changed to Bermuda -- do you think this will greatly affect the Dailies? I mean, I know that obviously Port Days, excursions, tendering, etc will all be different, but do you think "other" activities will also be affected? We're trying to do some reservations planning, and get an idea of activities/shows/times, and I'm just wondering about that. Does NCL have a "template" for daily activities, and just change the pertinent port info? 

Many thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts on this!

Newbie here, with a question about pricing (not new to cruising, just new to idea of possible price-drop situation): We're booked on the Encore out of NY to Bermuda on 6/22.  Final payment has been made. IF there is a price drop, what is our recourse? Contact NCL and... what? Do they refund? How does that work? Could we angle for an upgrade instead? What's the best course of action?

Many thanks in advance for any insight. I have been doing a lot of reading, but can't seem to find anything that spells out what you can do if a price drop happens. I truly appreciate the helpful spirit of this board, and commenters' patience in helping those of us still trying to learn the ins and outs!

Helping a friend plan her day in Costa Maya; unfortunately Jamies and Maya Chan both sold out for the day they will be there. Other recommendations for a good beach? They are a family of 5; kids range from 7 to 16. Just looking for a nice beach to relax and enjoy the sand/water. Some place that offers food too would be great. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Thank you for the replies! They did decide to stay at the Microtel in Saraland - nice to hear good things about it!

Hi, trying to help a good friend plan her first cruise. They are on Carnival, leaving from Mobile. Can anyone fill me in on how much parking is there at the Port? Are there other parking options, such as at a hotel w/ a shuttle to the port? And if so, do you need to stay at the hotel, or can you just pay to park there? Thanks in advance for any info - suggestions and advice very much appreciated!

CruisingNole, were you just on the SUN from May 28 – June 1 Key West/Havana cruise? Because I was, and I’d have to say I have a completely different perspective. I’d have to agree with the “It was no Booze Cruise” assessment. To the contrary, my husband and I were both (happily) surprised to find a definite lack of drunks. We did most all activities – Sail Away party, Karaoke, different parties in the Bliss, hanging out by the pool – and, other than a dumb heckler at the comedian’s show, and a couple uninhibited dancers at the White Hot Party, we never really saw anyone I’d classify as inebriated. For us, anyway, it was the most mature, enjoyable crowd we’d ever cruised with. And super friendly – we met so many nice people!

If we ARE talking about the same cruise, this is certainly an interesting example of perspective! :D

We ended up having a great embarkation just now. Got to Port about 9:30, did have to wait in line w/ a few other “earlybirds” but then they let us in to Terminal 10 at about 10:00. Smooth paperwork check-in, then waited till boarding started around 11:30. Walked right on. Just finished up delicious lunch in the Garden Cafe. Couldn’t ask for a better start to our much-anticipated cruise! :D

Taking an Uber to Port from our hotel and wondering how early we can get in to get line.

Dawg67, were you able to get into the port before 10:30? We like to get there early, but we were told today (at our hotel) that the port doesn't even open till 10:30. Yet we were able to choose 9:30 as a pier arrival time. I don't mind waiting there, but do hope to at least be able to get in. :)

So great to hear! We are leaving for the airport in an hour to fly to Port Canaveral, will board the Sun on Monday. Can't wait! Do you happen to still have any dailies by any chance you could snap a pic of to post?

Many thanks for the reply BobsFamily, but I will be on that same cruise with you! :D

I was hoping to get a look at some Dailies before we head out.