Well, hello there (aka what I see outside my hotel this morning)

[jaja]

Have a GREAT time..!!!! (rain or shine)---we LOVED our Alaska cruise (alas not NCL) and hope to do Alaska out of Seatlle in 2014--can't wait to hear all about it...!!!!

[bean24]

Enjoy have a great time. We were on the Jewel a few months ago, she's a beauty with a fantastic crew.

[sdmike]

 

Does it roll into the water like in "1941"?

 

Only if I shoot it with a howitzer or a Japanese sub!!

[sdmike]

Can you get a hotel any closer to the port? Shame you must travel so far to board the Jewel :)

Have a great trip. We are already waiting for the review!

 

Lol. That was sorta the plan. One nice thing about being a frequent flyer... Free airfare and hotel for 6 :D

[kerrytens]

Have a great cruise Mike! I can't wait to read your Alaska review

[kato92]

Have a GREAT cruise:)

[Journey11]

Lucky you! Beautiful pictures. I am excited for you. I know you and your family will have a wonderful cruise. I really like the Jewel.

[Davechipp74]

i can see the balcony i had on my panama canal cruise in may :D

thanks for the memories

[Journey11]

Lol. That was sorta the plan. One nice thing about being a frequent flyer... Free airfare and hotel for 6 :D

 

WOW! That is nice.

[debnjoe1438]

I love the view out side your window. Enjoy your trip.

[Medtech2]

Forecast is rain every day in every port. I'm still gonna have fun. I have 2 pairs of shoes and a rain jacket :)

Alaska is on my bucket list...have fun!

And we want every detail!

[meltingmoments]

An envious * hello * from the rainy North West of England!!

 

Have a fantastic cruise and I look forward to your review. :)

When you get home, we'll be but a few short days off our Epic Med trip......excited?? Me???.......ok then.....just a little!! ;)

[sdmike]

Hey folks! 10 minutes to sail away and thought I would check in on a few things. First off, I can tell you that the rooms under the pool deck are NOISY. Sounds like a herd of elephants upstairs. Oh my goodness :eek:

 

We had our hotel porter take our bags to the ship porter at 10:30. It's the way to go. :) Best $20 in tips I ever spent. No line to the counter, a million helpful checkin agents, and we were waiting patiently by 11. At around 11:15 we started boarding. Rooms were ready at 1:30, and bags arrived by 3.

 

Another thing, the Jewel now has a NOODLE BAR on board. It's been running for just a few trips now. Since it was absolutely one of my favorite things on the Epic I'm very happy :)

 

The ship is in great shape and the crew is very friendly. But I have to say I prefer the Epic. I REALLY have to watch myself and be careful about making comparisons. The Epic just seems more open and bright, where on the Jewel I often find myself in narrow hallways. Maybe it's just because everyone is out and about now.

 

Ok...we just opened our balcony dividers. Hope we don't get in trouble :D

 

Bye again!

[bluesea777]

Hey folks! 10 minutes to sail away and thought I would check in on a few things. First off, I can tell you that the rooms under the pool deck are NOISY. Sounds like a herd of elephants upstairs. Oh my goodness :eek:

 

We had our hotel porter take our bags to the ship porter at 10:30. It's the way to go. :) Best $20 in tips I ever spent. No line to the counter, a million helpful checkin agents, and we were waiting patiently by 11. At around 11:15 we started boarding. Rooms were ready at 1:30, and bags arrived by 3.

 

Another thing, the Jewel now has a NOODLE BAR on board. It's been running for just a few trips now. Since it was absolutely one of my favorite things on the Epic I'm very happy :)

 

The ship is in great shape and the crew is very friendly. But I have to say I prefer the Epic. I REALLY have to watch myself and be careful about making comparisons. The Epic just seems more open and bright, where on the Jewel I often find myself in narrow hallways. Maybe it's just because everyone is out and about now.

 

Ok...we just opened our balcony dividers. Hope we don't get in trouble :D

 

Bye again!

 

Time to close the laptop and ENJOY the cruise - try to stop comparing Jewel with Epic, won't you? :) (I found it hard when we were on Star last Jan after 2 Epics).

 

See you back here next week!

[sdmike]

I FOUND THE CREPE STATION!!! Mwahahaha! :) :)

[WaldosPepper]

Wow, what a great way to start your day, and your cruise! Enjoy every second of your trip, and the ship~ she's got a fabulous crew! Looking forward to hearing all the details when you return. :D

[phrogpilot73]

One nice thing about being a frequent flyer... Free airfare and hotel for 6 :D

My initial reaction was to be jealous... Then I realized that my business trips involve our RV and an RV park on the beach! (One end of the RV park is the Atlantic Ocean, the other end is the Intracoastal Waterway, the only downside is occasionally being woken up by artillery firing a couple hundred yards from the RV park)

 

I do have to say thanks for the thread - my wife and I are looking at the Alaska Cruise out of Seattle for my 40th birthday next year, and we now know where we want to stay the night before!

[ripjerry95]

I love the jewel thanks for the pic! Seattle is one of my favorite cities

[Sea Turtle]

Hope you enjoy your cruise to Alaska!! I’ve had the privilege of three weeks of Alaskan cruising during the past ten years, and can’t wait for my fourth week to come along one day.

 

Your posts really helped me plan for my first cruise with NCL on Epic; and, now just yesterday I booked my second cruise with them on Jewel for next year, Vancouver to LA. So I will anxiously await your review.

 

Bon Voyage to you and your family! :cool:

[shepherdqueen]

Have a wonderful vacation! Can't wait to hear all about it when you get back!!

[Medtech2]

I FOUND THE CREPE STATION!!! Mwahahaha! :) :)

Crepes made with the chocolate fondue sauce--diabolical!

[gi_pam]

I watched you sail away!! We sail on the Pearl tomorrow, so we'll be following on behind. My sister and I were walking around downtown and stopped in Olympic Sculpture Park (I think it's called?) before meeting the rest of our crowd to go up the Space Needle. We were there when you sailed on past. What a beautiful day here in Seattle. Hope the weather holds for us tomorrow!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[sdmike]

Just got back (still sitting in my room, waiting for my kids to finish eating)

 

I will post a review in the next couple of days, but a couple of points

 

The ship was full...over 2800 pax...and it felt that way often. The Epic with over 4,000 felt less crowded.

 

We saw the sun 3 times - 2 gorgeous days in Seattle, and one in Victoria. Needed every jacket and piece of rain gear in AK. Loved it anyway. :)

 

The food was very good, as was most of the entertainment (better than any except the Epic).

 

The Tracy Arm excursion was, in a word, amazing. Wait until you see the pictures!

 

We caught 20 salmon with Ken of Northern Lights Charters in Ketchikan. They are currently being smoked for shipment to San Diego

 

Alaska is stunning. Other than getting up close to Sawyer Glacier, the starboard side balcony view of Sullivan Island while heading south out of Skagway is the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen.

 

Much more to come later, but overall I would give the trip an A-. Would I do it again? Absolutely!

[djmess]

Can't wait to hear every detail. Doing the same trip, ship, and time frame as you, next summer.

 

Getting the 3rd Epic trip in first tho. It is by far my favorite NCL ship and have to stop myself from comparing othe ships and cruises to it. They don't compare.

 

Never had a bad cruise, so looking for all the valuable insight I know you will deliver.

[kerrytens]

Welcome back Mike. I'm looking forward to the review and photos!