Is the last sailing of a season different?

I'm looking at booking an Alaska cruise with NCL. My husband and I enjoy going in September but have never done the *very* last sailing of the season. The date I'm looking at actually goes into the first week of October, I thought it might be fun to experience the later weather.

I wondered if anyone has experience of going on the last sailing of a particular season/itinerary and if it's different (NCL or not). I don't care about the weather, I'm thinking energy of the crew, condition of the ship, food quality, etc. Are the crew tired and ready to be done with it, or is it just like any other sailing?

Thanks in advance!

Michelle

The crew do not end their contract at the end of the season some may but not all

Usually the crew will be on for 6-10 mths & not all the crew leave at the same time

They bring on fresh supplies for each cruise

ever notice all those crates they load on the ship on embarkation day ??

Just because it is the last itinerary of a season for a particular sailing doesn't mean the crew is tired or done with it. They are all under long term contracts and although some may be leaving at the end of this particular cruise (and some may be just joining) most will remain of the ship for the next itinerary - wherever it is.

If the ship is re-positioning to a new region, there will be passengers on board for that and will be serviced by most of the same crew. So at least from the crew standpoint, the last one in that season is just another one for them. The stay with the ship regardless of season or region of sailing.

I also don't see any reason it would be different for the passengers as well. Food quality, venues, entertainment, crew energy, etc., would be the same as any other sailing. As to ship condition, the ships are maintained during each sailing. Nothing would be different there.

My question would be why would you think it would change?

I've sailed the final Caribbean cruise of the season (prior to repo to Europe) several times, and the final Panama Canal in April prior to Alaska as well. Yes you will hear crew members discussing that this cruise, or the repo one following, is the last one on their current contract. But being enthusiastic about seeing their families for the first time in 8 to 10 months will not diminish the service level. In fact they will be eager for one last positive comment card/mention on the survey/(perhaps) extra gratuity before re-upping their contract.

Some changes reflecting where the ship will be deployed may also begin, as supplies, shop inventory, and even food & drink could be delivered before the repo date. Which will make for lots of clearance sales for Alaska items in the gift shops.

Lots of end of season sales on souvenirs

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Princess has a 10-day round trip AK cruise out of San Francisco. Last September we took the "season finale," mostly, in hopes of hitting some weather. No such luck. I think we hit some fog, but that was it. We took the first Los Angeles-AK round trip ever this past April, and pretty much the same. It did rain in Ketchikan and we did hit some fog, but that was the closest we came to weather. Next year we are going to try, again--two Los Angeles-AK round trippers--the first one in April and the last one in September.

Anyway, regarding your specific question on observable differences. Yes, the stores are discounting their merchandise as the season closes. You can get baseball caps for less than $2. We like to visit the fudge shop in Skagway. I was disappointed that they were out of mint fudge.

I think the workers in the ports are more aware of the end of the season than the ship's crew. Many of them, especially in Skagway, work for the season and then spend the winter elsewhere--a lot of them head to the lower 48.

I'm looking at booking an Alaska cruise with NCL. My husband and I enjoy going in September but have never done the *very* last sailing of the season. The date I'm looking at actually goes into the first week of October, I thought it might be fun to experience the later weather.

 

I wondered if anyone has experience of going on the last sailing of a particular season/itinerary and if it's different (NCL or not). I don't care about the weather, I'm thinking energy of the crew, condition of the ship, food quality, etc. Are the crew tired and ready to be done with it, or is it just like any other sailing?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Michelle

As far as on the ship, it is just another sailing. The crew is going to be sailing some place the next week, even if it isn't in AK. The ship and food will be just like usual.

Your experience, no matter WHEN you cruise, will be unique to you. If you were to do a B2B, the different passenger mix would make the 2nd leg "feel" different from the 1st leg. No 2 cruises are the same. EVER!

The crew do not end their contract at the end of the season some may but not all

Usually the crew will be on for 6-10 mths & not all the crew leave at the same time

 

They bring on fresh supplies for each cruise

 

ever notice all those crates they load on the ship on embarkation day ??

Wait. There are new crew members in those crates?;);););)

Thank you all for taking the time to respond, especially those of you with firsthand experience.

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We've done the last cruise of the season on RCI Radiance (early September) lot's of sales in the ports and we did see the northern lights..but I must admit I much prefer our early to mid May cruises instead.

The two disadvantages I would think would be that there are fewer hours of daylight, and some of the shops will have closed for the season. EM

we did the last Alaska cruise on the Pacific Princess some years ago, it was mid September. The Pacific Princess is a small Princess ship, 35000 tons... we did round trip from San Francisco - 10 days.. on the last port, we headed out to sea... there was a storm heading north, we were heading south, had two days of rough seas, we felt it more because smaller ship... did not bother us... but there were folks who did feel it a lot. Otherwise typical fall weather... using the ships have sales on tshirts etc., at end of season,

With respect to the crew, most have little interest whether it is the first or last cruise of the Alaska Season, their main interest is the number of days until they "pay off". Only crew that probably show an interest is the Bridge Team, as on 7-day RT Alaska cruising you see the same section of coast every watch. Having completed 2 Alaska seasons in the 70's/80's, I still remember seeing the same light about the same time, on the same day every week.

Other than weather issues, the biggest issue with an Alaska cruise in October is the days are starting to get shorter. Haven't been North of Prince Rupert after September, but even there the sun is setting early (at least the occasional day you can see the sun). Weather impact will vary depending on whether you depart Vancouver or Seattle. The Vancouver ships use the inside passage some of the way, but the Seattle ships head out Juan de Fuca and go up the Pacific Ocean.

A bonus will be the end of season sales, both on shore and aboard the ship. Another bonus is that very few ships are left cruising Alaska in October, so the ports shouldn't be too busy

First sailing of the season might also result in opposite things. Some shops might not be open yet. Thinking about our cruise to Montreal in April/May...Bar Harbor was still pretty much closed.

The crew won't act any different other than they have have their opportunity to see all and tell all, getting to newer ports could be exciting for them.

Jim

Agreed with the others; I would have no concern with going on the last cruise of the season as far as the ship/crew. I would be more concerned with whether you will have as many excursion options / all the businesses will still be open. Early October is later than many of the cruise lines stay in Alaska.

We have done Alaska in both May and September. Much preferred May due to the longer days and it seeming more Alaska-like (cooler weather, more snow on the mountains, more ice in Glacier Bay). May was only slightly more expensive than September. Plus May is closer to halfway through the year, when I get itchy for a vacation (vs. September which is getting closer to winter break).

Hi Michelle,

I know you've already responded again, but I did want to say that I asked a similar question once. I was concerned (but only slightly!) when we took our first repositioning cruise - wondered if some things would be different, the mind set and actions of the crew, the food, the whole experience, really. I got many of the same answers you did: that some crew may be leaving but most would stay on and just continue to do their job regardless of itinerary and such.

Enjoy your Alaskan cruise. It's beautiful country. :)

Thank you all for your insights! Still mulling dates over, definitely after Labor Day, but still considering which week.

Last time we did a September Alaska cruise, Ketchikan was a downpour all day. Luckily we're Washingtonions so are unphased by rain.

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We have done the first sailings in Alaska in May and did one in mid September last year. We had beautiful weather on both ends of the season. You get to see Salmon (end of their season) in September and in May you get to see the budding of the trees. The weather is always iffy so come prepared for rain and dress in layers. Water proof footwear is a good idea. We sprayed our shoes with water proof spray and that did the trick. I love Alaska and I couldn't say I preferred one end of the season over the other. Go and have fun.

Thank you all for taking the time to respond, especially those of you with firsthand experience.

 

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Our very first "real" cruise (not counting one night overnight sailings on BC ferries and Viking Line (Stockholm to Helsinki) was in 1987 on Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam. The cruise was the very last HAL Alaska cruise and was terrific. The weather was lousy in Ketchikan but beautiful in Juneau and Sitka and the sail to and within Glacier Bay was perfect. There was no indication of any diminution of service or entertainment quality on board. The best part was the sunset viewings from the Crows Nest cocktail lounge that occurred well before our late seating dinners at 8:00pm.

Thank you all again, I truly appreciate the thoughtful and constructive responses from those of you who have experienced last of season sailings. We love September Alaska cruises, things seem a bit more relaxed. And there is no bad weather, just poor wardrobe choices!

Thank you all again, I truly appreciate the thoughtful and constructive responses from those of you who have experienced last of season sailings. We love September Alaska cruises, things seem a bit more relaxed. And there is no bad weather, just poor wardrobe choices!

Your "no bad weather" is probably "tongue in cheek" but wouldn't want to give Alaska rookies the wrong impression. Having worked this coast (Alaska & Northern BC) for 35 years and I can assure you they have some horrible storms, especially in the winter. On the East coast when they get storms they get names and lots of publicity, but on the West Coast we take shelter and ride them out.

We may not get Cat 5 TRS, but 100 kts+ storms are not infrequent.

I still recall one storm when on the old Island Princess in September (back in late 70's), outside Icy Straits we hit 70kts + winds, which resulted in a very quiet ship. Most pax sick and probably 1/2 the crew.

Your "no bad weather" is probably "tongue in cheek" but wouldn't want to give Alaska rookies the wrong impression. Having worked this coast (Alaska & Northern BC) for 35 years and I can assure you they have some horrible storms, especially in the winter. On the East coast when they get storms they get names and lots of publicity, but on the West Coast we take shelter and ride them out.

 

We may not get Cat 5 TRS, but 100 kts+ storms are not infrequent.

 

I still recall one storm when on the old Island Princess in September (back in late 70's), outside Icy Straits we hit 70kts + winds, which resulted in a very quiet ship. Most pax sick and probably 1/2 the crew.

Heidi:

Our first Alaska cruise we were held in port at Skagway due to high wind (in the 70-80 mph range) and once out on the water it was like bucking over rollers in a small craft all night long!

As a western Washington coastal resident have lived through quite a few of those no-name cyclones you mention! We just fire up the woodstove, stockpile water and take care of our neighbors who may not be prepared.

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We’ve done a number of TA repositionings - with a number of stops in Europe before crossing, so they could be called “last sailings” on their European deployment — never noticed anything unusual, as most of the crew were staying on board - a few mentioned that they were looking forward to a new cruising area, so if anything there was a sort of upbeat mood.

Heidi:

 

Our first Alaska cruise we were held in port at Skagway due to high wind (in the 70-80 mph range) and once out on the water it was like bucking over rollers in a small craft all night long!

 

As a western Washington coastal resident have lived through quite a few of those no-name cyclones you mention! We just fire up the woodstove, stockpile water and take care of our neighbors who may not be prepared.

 

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We are only a few miles North of you in metro Vancouver, so we get the same weather.