? for HELEN & the May 30th DREAM Cruisers...

[DrVal]

Hi! We are booked on the June 20th DREAM sailing and have a few specific questions.... we're hoping someone back from the 30th can answer...

 

1) There are a number of "sea" days on this sailing, can you see land from the ship on any of these "sea" days? If so, on which days? (this is so we can plan our early days & late nights.) ;)

 

2) Were there any detailed and informative lectures about the Alaskan landscape and wildlife onboard? When were they held? Were they crowded?

 

3) A 3 Part Question:

 

 

a) How long did you spend at Hubbard Glacier and how close did you get? Was there calving?

 

b) How long did you spend at College Fjord and how close did you get?

 

c) Is an excursion to these locations necessary?

 

4) Did you meet anyone on the ship that rented a car and did Portage Glacier on their own in Whittier? Any problems getting through the tunnel or back to the ship on time?

 

5) Did you notice independent tour operators with availability on the piers?

 

6) How was the entertainment?

 

and, finally,

 

7) I am a huge fresh fruit fan… was there a healthy supply & variety throughout the cruise?

 

Any other info from the "experienced" would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much! :D

[hcf]

Hi! We are booked on the June 20th DREAM sailing and have a few specific questions.... we're hoping someone back from the 30th can answer...

 

1) There are a number of "sea" days on this sailing, can you see land from the ship on any of these "sea" days? If so, on which days? (this is so we can plan our early days & late nights.) ;)

 

2) Were there any detailed and informative lectures about the Alaskan landscape and wildlife onboard? When were they held? Were they crowded?

 

3) A 3 Part Question:

 

 

a) How long did you spend at Hubbard Glacier and how close did you get? Was there calving?

 

b) How long did you spend at College Fjord and how close did you get?

 

c) Is an excursion to these locations necessary?

 

4) Did you meet anyone on the ship that rented a car and did Portage Glacier on their own in Whittier? Any problems getting through the tunnel or back to the ship on time?

 

5) Did you notice independent tour operators with availability on the piers?

 

6) How was the entertainment?

 

and, finally,

 

7) I am a huge fresh fruit fan… was there a healthy supply & variety throughout the cruise?

 

Any other info from the "experienced" would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much! :D

 

1. To the best of my memory, the first sea day after we left Seattle was totally at sea as we traveled west of Vancouver Island up to Sitka. The second sea day on Saturday was mostly sea until the ship headed closer to Juneau. The last sea day was land in sight all the way through. On the non-sea days, you see a great deal of land scenery as you approach each port. It is fun watching the ship dock and depart from the ports.

 

2. There were a few shore excursion talks about the ports in the mornings and a few "Navigational" Lectures in the afternoon. We did not attend any of them. I had done a great deal of research about Alaska and each port and booked my own excursions already, and we did not have any interest in learning about learning to read navigatinal charts etc. So, I can't say for sure if there were naturalists on board to talk about such topics as how glaciers are formed, wild life, etc. I wouldn't think that they would have been crowded because there were many competing activities going on at the same time.

 

3. a. We spent, in my estimation (I don't usually track time on a cruise), perhaps at least 2 to 3 hours at Hubbard Glacier. It was one of the highlights on this cruise. It was a wonderfully sunny and warm day and we saw quite a few calvings and heard the roars. We got quite close (again, can't tell you in measurements), with the ship turning by the huge glacial face. It was a magnificent sight with the blue ice sparkling in the sunshine. The crew even brought a large piece of glacial ice on board.

 

b. We didn't spend too much time at the College Fjords. We just cruised in and cruised back out, so, not as close as the Hubbard Glaciers. Strange thing was, College Fjord was listed on my original itineary, but they announced on the ship that the Captain was making an extra side trip to College Fjord for the passengers. Personally, I did not find the small glaciers (named for female colleges on one side and male colleges on the other) that amazing. They were quit small and dirty. But, others ooh and aahed over them. Each to his own, I guess.

 

c. Hubbard Glacier with its 6-mile face, definitely worth it. College Fjord, not sure.

 

4. We rented a car from Avis ahead of time online. It was a little walk to the general store where the rental was housed. (Cars were in great demand, book ahead of time). We went through the tunnel during the 9:00-9:15 am slot with no problem. Then we went to Portage Glacier to board the Ptarmigan Portage Bay cruise ($29 for 1 hr). On this cruise, you can get closer to the glacier than the Hubbard Glacier. There was also a naturalist on board to explain things. This was well worth the money. We did not see a sign directing to Portage Bay, you will have to be watchful for the Visitor's Center on the left side. You can visit the center for free while waiting for the first departure of the cruise at 10:30am. Try to beat the tour buses (pre-ticketed) there and get your tickets or there may not be room for you. After the cruise, we headed north along the Turnagain Arm and stopped at the various scenic turnouts. While we were able to spot some Dali goats high up on the mountains, we did not see any whales or other sea life. We ended up in Anchorage by noon; it was a quicker drive than we had anticipated. We just drove around Anchorage without stopping any place (it looked very much like a regular downtown) and headed back. We stopped at the Wild Alaska Big Game Conservatory near Girdwood and saw the orphaned or injured animals such as moose, black bears, porcupine, eagle, and other wild game that the conservatory was raising and rehabing to return to the wild. It was $7.50/pp, $5.00/sr cit, or $25 max for a carload. It was worth the money for a good cause. We went back through the tunnel at 4:30-4:45pm slot. Returned the car and ran back to the ship for the 5:00pm sailing. We probably should not have cut it so close. Car rental cost was around $80.

 

5. Yes, there were independent tour vendors at every dock with availability, and at lower prices. The helicopter ride and dog sledding in Juneau was $410 at the dock. Perhaps later in the season they may be more booked.

 

6. We did not go to any of the "shows" in the main theater. We had attended similar shows on other NCL cruises and did not find them worth the time to attend. Again, there were other activities going on at the same time that we preferred. For people who had not cruised, I am sure they will find the shows entertaining.

 

7. The fruit situations was quite disappointing. The standard fresh fruit every day at breakfast were cantaloupe, honeydew, orange, pineapple, and small red grapes. Then there is a large bowl of canned cocktail fruit mix, and some canned apricots. You get a few berries or mango pieces in your salads.

 

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. You can find some of my other listings by doing a search under hcf in the NCL, NCL Roll Call, and Alaska forum.

 

Overall, this was a wonderful cruise - very friendly and welcoming crew members, sunny weather, great wait staff in the dining room, superb food (we had eaten on the QE2), very low-keyed and relaxing.

 

There were glitches, as on any cruise, but we just accepted them as part of the experience.

 

:)

[mrsbubs]

What did most people wear on the optional formal nights? Were there many tuxedos?

Many Thanks

[gettingready]

What was your experience with dinning -- the waiting. I have sure read mixed opinions on this, from no wait to one poster who waited over an hour EVERY time.

 

Alex

[hcf]

What did most people wear on the optional formal nights? Were there many tuxedos?

Many Thanks

 

People wore a gamet of attire on optional formal nights, from casual (including jeans - not that it was condoned, but no one was scolded for it) to white tuxedos and long glittery evening gowns. The Dream has tux on board that one can rent for the entire cruise ($10?, not sure). There definitely did not were no pressure to wear any certain way. People dressed to meet their own needs and expectations of what their perspectives of a cruise should be. The dining experience had been very relaxed and low-keyed regardless of the night designations.

In a nut shell, do whatever pleases you, not what you think others would expect of you.

Hang loose, have fun!

 

Alex,

See my other post for you. Probably what other posters had described were the reality of their situations they had encountered. I believe if you take the time to find out all your options, you can plan your dinner time so that it will be a pleasant experience because it was relative under your own control. We maximized our waiting time as family board game time.

:)