Jewel in Alaska 9/7 Review w/ pics

[terrydtx]

Sigh. Really? It's an optional tour. It's a CHOICE, not nickel and diming. :rolleyes:

 

My point is on HAL and Celebrity these tours are free, but NCL charges $55 so it is one more example of ala cart pricing or nickle and diming. Fresh squeezed orange juice is free on X and HAL too but I found out today extra charge on NCL.:confused:

 

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[sdmike]

My point is on HAL and Celebrity these tours are free, but NCL charges $55 so it is one more example of ala cart pricing or nickle and diming. Fresh squeezed orange juice is free on X and HAL too but I found out today extra charge on NCL.:confused:

 

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You said the tours were free only for their loyalty program members. It's free for higher level NCL program members too.

 

I'll gladly save $500 on my cruise and spend the savings on things that I MIGHT want, like a $55 tour, fresh orange juice, etc. I like having the option of not paying for things I don't need or use. If you'd rather pay more to have more included, you have a choice of lines that work that way

Edited September 18, 2013 by sdmike

[terrydtx]

You said the tours were free only for their loyalty program members. It's free for higher level NCL program members too.

 

I'll gladly save $500 on my cruise and spend the savings on things that I MIGHT want, like a $55 tour, fresh orange juice, etc. I like having the option of not paying for things I don't need or use. If you'd rather pay more to have more included, you have a choice of lines that work that way

 

Mike, lets drop this as I do not want to hijack this marvelous review by the OP, who I apologize to for making the original comment about charging for the tour.

Edited September 19, 2013 by terrydtx

[bmlovell]

I just want to tell you what a great job with those photos as I stared to open up your review I said to my husband I don't think Alaska is a cruise I want to do . Let me tell you by the end of your review I have changed my mind and we have begun looking at sail dates and price . ;):D:Dwow it looked like a trip of a lifetime thanks

[triptolemus]

I just want to tell you what a great job with those photos as I stared to open up your review I said to my husband I don't think Alaska is a cruise I want to do . Let me tell you by the end of your review I have changed my mind and we have begun looking at sail dates and price . ;):D:Dwow it looked like a trip of a lifetime thanks

 

Thank you... I appreciate that. I will try to get Victoria done and wrap this up tomorrow morning.

[debshomespun]

I just want to tell you what a great job with those photos as I stared to open up your review I said to my husband I don't think Alaska is a cruise I want to do . Let me tell you by the end of your review I have changed my mind and we have begun looking at sail dates and price . ;):D:Dwow it looked like a trip of a lifetime thanks

 

These are my exact thoughts too! Cruising to me is sun, beaches and HOT weather...these pictures are beautiful and the train ride looks fabulous! I am going g to check into Alaska.

[triptolemus]

Victoria, B.C., Butchart Gardens, Downtown Victoria

 

Friday brings us to Victoria and the last full day of our adventure. Our plan today was simply to disembark the ship and head out to Butchart Gardens on our own. By this point, I had had enough of tour guides. They talk in a particular cadence which turns out to be contagious; after the fourth guide, I started talking like them!

 

We remembered from last year that crowds at the port are severe – everyone wants off – and it was true again this year. After a short delay while the ship cleared Canadian customs, we bailed out onto the docks.

 

There were a multitude of transportation options here. Electing a taxi, we queued up for about 15 minutes before we were stuffed into a tiny Prius and shuttled away. The ride to Butchart Gardens was a long one – longer than I guessed, but admittedly I did not research this. Victoria is so beautiful I just assumed the Gardens were right around the corner from everywhere. The taxi’s meter nickel and dimed us all the way to the Garden to the tune of about $50 one way. If I had to do it again, I’d probably book a tour through the ship. But it was nice to be away from the crowds, too.

 

The Gardens are large, and were created by Mrs. Butchart to heal the land after it was used as a limestone quarry. You could easily spend two days here exploring. We had a little over three hours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Butchhart House -- which is huge -- is now used for a deli, restaurant, and, yes, beer. Amazingly, there is not one single gift shop.

 

 

No, just kidding… there are two gift shops!

[terrydtx]

FYI another way to get to the gardens is public transportation. Last time we were there we took the pulic bus from the pier to the gardens for a couple of dollars each. I got this tip from CC ports threads.

 

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[triptolemus]

Not my child, but she was adorable…

 

 

The one downer about taking the taxi out here is that there typically isn’t one waiting to take you back! So as other folks are boarding busses you start to feel a little stranded. Not to worry, though. The first taxi driver gave us his number. A quick phone call to him and 20 minutes later our yellow chariot arrived. I prepared my nickels and dimes for the ride back to town. We decided to head to the Empress for a cocktail. I’m not going to bother with pictures of the Empress. There are tons already.

 

After our cocktail, we stepped outside and found the sun had set an the Parliament building was aglow. It’s a tricky shot because there are throngs of people everywhere. This one’s mine, but I’m going to replace it with one from the internet.

 

 

There was also a drummer and a bagpiper here. The piper really tried to get people excited about the music, but it wasn’t clear who was out of gas; him or the cruise crowd. I’m sure he’d had enough of making a spectacle of himself all day and was ready for a stiff whisky.

 

 

 

Little bit more to come…

[triptolemus]

FYI another way to get to the gardens is public transportation. Last time we were there we took the pulic bus from the pier to the gardens for a couple of dollars each. I got this tip from CC ports threads

 

Yeah, we should have done this, or something else. I didn't research it at all. I mean, not one bit. Shame on me...

[Molokai-Chuck]

Great review of your sailing! Thanks.

 

Chuck

[mpcaruth]

I am one of those cruise critic members with a short attention span, and typically only look at the photos in long reviews. I really enjoyed your photos, especially those of the train ride (great color and composition). Thanks for sharing!!!

 

We will be sailing the Jewel this winter to the Caribbean, and I cannot wait.

[Poipu04]

Great review! We were on the Pearl the same week. It was nice to see what Butchart gardens looks like in daylight; we had the night tour. There is no comparison.

[triptolemus]

Great review! We were on the Pearl the same week. It was nice to see what Butchart gardens looks like in daylight; we had the night tour. There is no comparison.

 

I bet! Like I said above... one could spend several days (and nights) exploring Butchart. Its a remarkable place.

[bowbiter]

I was on your sailing too. Great pics. We did completely different things in port. It is crazy how different everyone's experiences can be on the same ship.

 

BTW we sailed Tracy arm/sawyer in the am because this late in the season ice is am issue and they wouldn't be able to get through if they kept w the pm sailing.

 

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[CactusFlower527]

I just want to tell you what a great job with those photos as I stared to open up your review I said to my husband I don't think Alaska is a cruise I want to do . Let me tell you by the end of your review I have changed my mind and we have begun looking at sail dates and price . ;):D:Dwow it looked like a trip of a lifetime thanks

 

I feel the same way now, but also because I remember an older gentleman I used to work with (probably my folks' age at the time)... he and his wife cruised twice a year and they'd been EVERYWHERE. He said the Alaska cruises were their favorite. Now I can see why

 

Hopefully we get to do one of these in 2015 (next year is Hawaii)

[ignorance]

Yeah, where you see the Jewel at the end of the tram cables is where she docked and remained until departure. Skimming my photos, the only other ships I can make out are the Pearl (duh) and the Sapphire Princess. The Jewel plus the Golden Princess makes 4 ships, so still not sure who 5 was.

I was on the same cruise on Jewel. Hi!

 

I think it might have been a HAL ship.

 

I just checked another site and it says that the ships in port that day were: Jewel, Pearl, Amsterdam, Sapphire Princess, and Radiance of the Seas. I don't know if I completely trust that list, but I remember Pearl and Sapphire Princess and a HAL ship.

 

07-Sep-13 08:00 07-Sep-13 16:00 Seattle, Washington, United States Of America 6892Westerdam, Star Princess

07-Sep-13 16:00 09-Sep-13 07:00 At Sea

09-Sep-13 07:00 09-Sep-13 15:00 Ketchikan, Alaska, USA 8390Volendam, Coral Princess, Sapphire Princess

09-Sep-13 15:00 10-Sep-13 14:00 At Sea

10-Sep-13 14:00 10-Sep-13 22:00 Juneau, Alaska, USA 11251Norwegian Pearl, Radiance Of The Seas, Amsterdam, Sapphire Princess

10-Sep-13 22:00 11-Sep-13 07:00 At Sea

11-Sep-13 07:00 11-Sep-13 17:30 Skagway, Alaska, USA 7370Norwegian Pearl, Sapphire Princess

11-Sep-13 17:30 13-Sep-13 14:30 At Sea

13-Sep-13 14:30 13-Sep-13 21:30 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 6892Westerdam, Star Princess

13-Sep-13 21:30 14-Sep-13 08:00 At Sea14-Sep-13 08:00 14-Sep-13 16:00 Seattle, Washington, United States Of America 6892Westerdam, Star Princess

[triptolemus]

I was on the same cruise on Jewel. Hi!

 

I think it might have been a HAL ship.

 

I just checked another site and it says that the ships in port that day were: Jewel, Pearl, Amsterdam, Sapphire Princess, and Radiance of the Seas. I don't know if I completely trust that list, but I remember Pearl and Sapphire Princess and a HAL ship.

I would have to agree... that sounds about right. Thanks!

[triptolemus]

Well - finally.

 

As promised... Tracy Arm to Sawyer Glacier in 12 minutes... 4 hours of sailing the Tracy Arm presented at 20x speed in 720p HD.

 

It's not the best but it's ours, and the Benny Hill stops after a minute or two! :eek:

 

Hope you enjoy.

 

 

After the first 3 minutes of this video, I changed the camera position in order to get the glacier without our heads bouncing around in the shot. I clamped it to the aft starboard hull steel on the outside of the ship.

 

Cheers! If anyone wants the Seattle sailaway... I'd be happy to post it since I'm going to work it up in the next few days.

Edited October 10, 2013 by triptolemus

[bowbiter]

Well - finally.

 

As promised... Tracy Arm to Sawyer Glacier in 12 minutes... 4 hours of sailing the Tracy Arm presented at 20x speed in 720p HD.

 

It's not the best but it's ours, and the Benny Hill stops after a minute or two! :eek:

 

Hope you enjoy.

 

 

After the first 3 minutes of this video, I changed the camera position in order to get the glacier without our heads bouncing around in the shot. I clamped it to the aft starboard hull steel on the outside of the ship.

 

Cheers! If anyone wants the Seattle sailaway... I'd be happy to post it since I'm going to work it up in the next few days.

 

Great time lapse video!

 

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[zounds]

I enjoyed it very much! Thanks.

[cruiseclues]

Really very fine pictures...so enjoyed your review and the fantastic scenes. :):):):)

[MooseyMoo]

Thank you so much for the review! We are sailing the Jewel to Alaska this summer and your review has me even more excited. Great pictures!

 

Thanks for the bridge and galley tour! I did a couple seasonal contracts on NCL in the late 90's as a YC. I did one or two unintentional tours of the galley as I got lost in the crew area and exited an elevator into the heart of the kitchen. Those first couple days on a new ship were crazy trying to memorize the pax and the crew areas. :rolleyes: I haven't been on a Norwegian ship since and I'm so excited to cruise NCL finally as a pax!

[watchdiva]

WOW!! So glad I found your review...we are sailing on the 10 day Pearl next year and the beauty of Alaska shines through your photographs! Great narrative also...