Please look at this NCL Cruise

[lovetotraveltx]

My husband and I (mid 50's) are going with friends (late 60/early70) on a one-way cruise to Alaska in June, 2015. We are also doing a land tour on our own with a rental car.

 

We have been leaning towards Princess and HAL in that order.

 

However NCL prices and itineraries are already out for 2015. Today they sent me an e-mail that they are already having a sale, which gives a free upgrade as well as an on-board credit.

 

The itinerary works too :)

 

Was wondering if you experts can please take a look.

 

Also, any experience with NCL in Alaska good or bad??

 

Thank you!

NCL Alaska northbound itinerary.docx

Edited January 13, 2014 by lovetotraveltx
typos/forgot a sentence

[bonvoyagie]

The sun's northbound trek is the best of the two - see both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier. In 2015 NCL will switch from Whittier to Seward for their final port. Seward is closer to Homer and Exit Glacier - Whittier is closer to Prince William Sound.

 

Buying now you should get your choice of cabins - I love the aft balconies and the Sun has some wonderful suites on the corner of the ship. As well as some great forward facing suites - they also have lots of balcony cabins all around the ship :D.

 

While the Sun is an older and smaller ship in the NCL fleet, she has been recently refurbished. The smaller size (around 2000 pax) is fine by me as I don't like crowds -however on an AK cruise there is not much action on the pool decks anyway - which is why I like a balcony :)

 

IMHO all of the large cruise lines do a good job in AK and the demographics on all of the ships are about the same - in the main season there will be a full mix of young families as well as older couples while there will be less families in May and early June and again in Sept due to school.

[lovetotraveltx]

Thank you for your reply! That's what attracted me Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay. Have you been on both NCL and Princess in Alaska? Which has better food and entertainment?

 

Do Naturalists/Rangers come on NCL as well while in Glacier Bay?

 

:)

[deladypilot]

We did this cruise this past summer. Loved every minute of it. There is a wonderful observation lounge in the front of the ship where you can see everything but stay warm and out of the wind.

 

On Glacier Bay day, a National Park Ranger will climb aboard the ship around 6:30 am and about an hour later give a talk about the Glaciers, wildlife etc. They will be on the ship most of the day and able to answer questions about everything.

 

We have been on 2 Alaskan Cruises and have a 3rd booked now. The views are awesome and there is a photo op at every turn so bring plenty of batteries etc

 

If it helps, here is a review of our 2013 cruise on the Sun

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1867710

[lovetotraveltx]

We did this cruise this past summer. Loved every minute of it. There is a wonderful observation lounge in the front of the ship where you can see everything but stay warm and out of the wind.

 

On Glacier Bay day, a National Park Ranger will climb aboard the ship around 6:30 am and about an hour later give a talk about the Glaciers, wildlife etc. They will be on the ship most of the day and able to answer questions about everything.

 

We have been on 2 Alaskan Cruises and have a 3rd booked now. The views are awesome and there is a photo op at every turn so bring plenty of batteries etc

 

If it helps, here is a review of our 2013 cruise on the Sun

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1867710

 

 

 

Thank you! Have you only done NCL to Alaska? What did you think of the food in the mdr and speciality restaurants? What type of cabins do you like on NCL?

[cw2go]

I have not sailed NCL so I will not be able to give you any personal experience with them but will try to give a little insight from my previous Alaska sailing.

 

I sailed Celebrity and my only regrets have been that I did not see Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier or Seward. We had a wonderful cruise and I honestly do not think it is possible to have otherwise. When I began my research many posters posted many times to pick an Alaska cruise based on itinerary. I could not wrap my head around this...I just knew that the kids program, MDR meals, ship and shows had to be a major part of my decision, well I was wrong. None of those things mattered in Alaska.

 

So much so that I am returning in July of 2015 on the exact same sailing you are seeking information about. I am in a mindset that I do not care if they serve me cardboard for dinner...:D Now of course I am kidding but on a serious note I am sure I will not starve on any cruise ship. I have done quite a bit of reading and NCL does not get the reviews of some other lines but for me the trade off is to see this itinerary.

GB is a dream for me, sailing Kenai Fjords and Hubbard are icing on top! It is primo in my opinion!

 

I hope you enjoy which ever cruise you choose,

Patty

[deladypilot]

Thank you! Have you only done NCL to Alaska? What did you think of the food in the mdr and speciality restaurants? What type of cabins do you like on NCL?

 

We have only sailed NCL to Alaska and our next is booked on NCL as well. We are a very laid back couple. I have always found crew to be extremely attentive to our needs and always greet us with a smile and hello/good day. We are not foodies in any way and we do not cruise to eat. So im not a good judge on that. We pretty much look at eating during vacation as something we have to do. However, we did celebrate our 25th Anniversary on the Sun so we went to Il Adagio for dinner. It was fantastic and they brought out an Anniversary cake for us. We ate in the MDR once the entire trip and the food was good as well as the service. The rest of the time we ate at the buffet and were happy. I would not call it 5 star (its buffet food) but it took care of the hunger. Friends of ours ordered a pizza on Glacier Bay day and had it delivered to the Observation Lounge. They said it was really good pizza.

 

We sailed in Mini-Suites and found the room to be plenty big enough for us. Loved the balcony as I am an early riser (4:30 am) and would drink my coffee and watch the sun come up over some of the most amazing views. Our next cruise we will be in a 2 bd room suite because we are taking our 2 adult children and my mother. Cheaper to get a suite then 2 Mini-Suites

 

Feel free to ask away and I will try to answer

[300dtc]

We have only sailed NCL to Alaska and our next is booked on NCL as well. We are a very laid back couple. I have always found crew to be extremely attentive to our needs and always greet us with a smile and hello/good day. We are not foodies in any way and we do not cruise to eat. So im not a good judge on that. We pretty much look at eating during vacation as something we have to do. However, we did celebrate our 25th Anniversary on the Sun so we went to Il Adagio for dinner. It was fantastic and they brought out an Anniversary cake for us. We ate in the MDR once the entire trip and the food was good as well as the service. The rest of the time we ate at the buffet and were happy. I would not call it 5 star (its buffet food) but it took care of the hunger. Friends of ours ordered a pizza on Glacier Bay day and had it delivered to the Observation Lounge. They said it was really good pizza.

 

We sailed in Mini-Suites and found the room to be plenty big enough for us. Loved the balcony as I am an early riser (4:30 am) and would drink my coffee and watch the sun come up over some of the most amazing views. Our next cruise we will be in a 2 bd room suite because we are taking our 2 adult children and my mother. Cheaper to get a suite then 2 Mini-Suites

 

Feel free to ask away and I will try to answer

 

My DH and myself are going on the Sun to Alaska for the June 2nd sailing. What kind of clothes and shoes did you take? How did you find the weather? I was looking in your photos and it seemed like everyone had jeans, tennis shoes and short sleeves or a light jacket, do you think this would cover all contingencies? On the ship do you need long sleeves during the day? Sorry, I'm a worrier about being prepared! Thank you for any help...

[JimS4210]

Thanks for the great review. We'll be on the Sun June 23rd. This will be our very first cruise, so we have no idea what to expect. Your review and pics really helped a lot. Thanks!

 

Jim

[deladypilot]

My DH and myself are going on the Sun to Alaska for the June 2nd sailing. What kind of clothes and shoes did you take? How did you find the weather? I was looking in your photos and it seemed like everyone had jeans, tennis shoes and short sleeves or a light jacket, do you think this would cover all contingencies? On the ship do you need long sleeves during the day? Sorry, I'm a worrier about being prepared! Thank you for any help...

 

I am one of those people that freezes at room temperature but I never found that I was cold. I usually wore jeans and a sweater and my light rain jacket. I have been twice and the only time I ever used gloves when I was standing on the glacier on our helicopter walkabout excursion on our first cruise. For the most part I work my work boots but that is because I have weak ankles and they help hold me up. I think most people wore tennis shoes or some type of water resistant shoes. It does rain alot in south east Alaska so be prepared with a rain jacket and resistant shoes. It is not the rain that leaves lots of puddles on the ground, more like a steady drizzle or light rain.

 

The standard for packing for an Alaskan cruise is to think layers. You can always take a layer off if you get warm. For that my husband wore a long sleeve t-shirt and a long sleeve colored shirt.

 

Hope that helps

[lovetotraveltx]

Thank you all for your replies. I know it comes down to my personal choice/preference. But, your comments are very helpful. :)