booked jewel & maybe I ruined my bf 50th bd !

[luv2gamble]

Thanks you again so much for all your help. You have no idea how much i have learned just from you. Very helpful and now I can say I actually understand the route we are taking. :)

[bonvoyagie]

Luv to gamble - I am glad that you discovered SD Mike's review - I agree that his photos are awesome. He did go a bit later in the season so he had a better chance of getting to Sawyer Glacier.

 

One thing about AK is that you don't have to use NCL for your tours - there are lots of other tour operators who work within the port times of the various ships. For example in Skagway there is a helicopter tour operator who also does glacier landings with sled dogs - you could possibly use it as a backup to the one in Juneau - yes a day can make a difference in the weather (as can location). My motto is to be a flexible as possible and always have a back up plan B for any tour that could be cancelled by weather. I think I have mentioned www.cruiseportinsider.com as a great site to do your port research at.

[luv2gamble]

Luv to gamble - I am glad that you discovered SD Mike's review - I agree that his photos are awesome. He did go a bit later in the season so he had a better chance of getting to Sawyer Glacier.

 

One thing about AK is that you don't have to use NCL for your tours - there are lots of other tour operators who work within the port times of the various ships. For example in Skagway there is a helicopter tour operator who also does glacier landings with sled dogs - you could possibly use it as a backup to the one in Juneau - yes a day can make a difference in the weather (as can location). My motto is to be a flexible as possible and always have a back up plan B for any tour that could be cancelled by weather. I think I have mentioned www.cruiseportinsider.com as a great site to do your port research at.

 

Thanks, I will check it out. Yes, $549 is a crazy amount to pay. NCL made me feel like I better move on it. He said it will prob get booked up and as it stands now there was only 12 seats left for Juneau helicopter dogsled mendenhall. I heard that if you dont make it back to ship on time they leave without you,unless you book with NCL then they have to wait. Juneau makes me nervous bec we r only there 6 hrs. Skagway I might be more willing to take the risk bec we r there 10 hrs. Thanks for the suggestions. Hey, crazy question. My friend that is coming w me lives in florida and wants to buy complete waterproof very warm boots. Do you think Seattle is best to get that or Alaska or where LOL...:)

[bonvoyagie]

I would not worry about warm as much as waterproof. I find that if I keep my core warm my hands and feet also stay warm- however YMMV:D. From the sounds of things you plan on doing a glacier landing with a short hike - usually the outfitter will provide you with spiked boots for this outing. Unless you really plan on doing lots of trail hiking I would not worry too much about boots. I usually go with good running shoes that have been waterproofed. My favorite AK shoes were a pair of New Balance 748 - which I replaced several years ago with some real hiking boots (also New Balance). New Balance makes several replacements for the 748 like the 759, 956 and 959.

 

I have heard of people finding lots of winter clothes at Goodwill etc. They get them from people who have moved to FL from colder climes and got rid of them. Otherwise you can actually wait until Ketchikan (your first port) - there are some reasonable places to buy clothes at - my favorite is the Tongass Trading Company - there are at least three stores right around the cruise ship docks.

 

Make sure that you dress in layers so you can either peel or put on as needed. I am used to cool wet weather so I dress for AK much like home. The only difference is when you get around glaciers and melt water things get real cold real quick. I usually have some sort of lightweight waterproof outer shell, some sort of fleece under that, a long sleeved shirt and tee or under shirt under that - this combo allows me to retain a waterproof exterior while adjusting the inner heat retention layers as needed - you can't do that with a single heavy jacket :).

 

One nice thing about NCL is that you don't have to worry about dressing up for dinner - also I found that your cabin can be adjusted to keep it as warm as needed. They also keep the interior public spaces nice and warm too.

[sdmike]

Great advice on clothing, Bonvoyagie. Allow me to "second" the use of layers. On our coldest day (the boat ride into Tracy Arm where it was cold and sleeting), I was wearing an undershirt, long sleeve t-shirt, a fleece sweatshirt, and a Gore-tex rain jacket. I also had gloves and a hat. Three days later it was 75 and sunny in Victoria and I was in shorts and a T-shirt. I also didn't worry about boots, but I DID take 3 pairs of sneakers because in AK you're definitely going to get something wet.

 

Here are some "must haves", in my view, for an AK trip:

 

Digital camera with at least 5x zoom, extra memory card, batteries, etc. Don't want to visit AK and not take pictures

 

Layered clothing. You'll hit warm weather, cold weather, rain, etc. Have some gloves and a knit cap. Have a breathable rain jacket (goretex or equivalent). Have a couple pair of shoes for outside. I didn't find a need to buy or take hiking boots. If you have a pair of long johns for under jeans, take a pair.

 

Leave umbrellas at home.

 

Take some binoculars. If you don't have any, borrow them - waterproof if possible, but not mandatory

 

Other than that, just normal cruise stuff. The big difference in AK is the scenery (camera, binoculars) and weather (layers, rain jacket).

 

Oh, the ship actually has really good prices on medium-weight fleece jackets. I decided I wanted one for sitting on my balcony and it was much cheaper than I thought it would be

 

This is my son and I on the excursion boat heading to Sawyer Glacier. The weather was miserable, but exactly what we wanted to experience in Alaska (yeah, dumb, but we're from San Diego and always have perfect weather). I was wearing about 4 layers here and was glad. My gloves were off so I could take pictures.

 

 

Then a few days later this was the weather:

 

Edited February 15, 2014 by sdmike

[luv2gamble]

I would not worry about warm as much as waterproof. I find that if I keep my core warm my hands and feet also stay warm- however YMMV:D. From the sounds of things you plan on doing a glacier landing with a short hike - usually the outfitter will provide you with spiked boots for this outing. Unless you really plan on doing lots of trail hiking I would not worry too much about boots. I usually go with good running shoes that have been waterproofed. My favorite AK shoes were a pair of New Balance 748 - which I replaced several years ago with some real hiking boots (also New Balance). New Balance makes several replacements for the 748 like the 759, 956 and 959.

 

I have heard of people finding lots of winter clothes at Goodwill etc. They get them from people who have moved to FL from colder climes and got rid of them. Otherwise you can actually wait until Ketchikan (your first port) - there are some reasonable places to buy clothes at - my favorite is the Tongass Trading Company - there are at least three stores right around the cruise ship docks.

 

Make sure that you dress in layers so you can either peel or put on as needed. I am used to cool wet weather so I dress for AK much like home. The only difference is when you get around glaciers and melt water things get real cold real quick. I usually have some sort of lightweight waterproof outer shell, some sort of fleece under that, a long sleeved shirt and tee or under shirt under that - this combo allows me to retain a waterproof exterior while adjusting the inner heat retention layers as needed - you can't do that with a single heavy jacket :).

 

One nice thing about NCL is that you don't have to worry about dressing up for dinner - also I found that your cabin can be adjusted to keep it as warm as needed. They also keep the interior public spaces nice and warm too.

 

Thanks for the layering info. I thought they just give you some kind of spikes to put over your boots. I didnt know they give you boots to use. That changes things, thank you

[luv2gamble]

SdMIKE,...Once again ty for info. Im expecting the weather to be cold because we are going May17th. I figure 30-50 degrees but who knows. I hear the glacier area is approx 20 degrees colder. Where is a good place to buy those light rain coats, I like them? Do you recall how much you paid for the fleece on ship?

 

Thanks again

[sdmike]

I think the fleece jacket on the ship was under $20. They had a lot of choices too.

 

This is the jacket I got for the guys (my sons and I)

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00359PMKG/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Here's what I got for my wife and daughter. We were very happy with all of them. My wife is 5'5 and 145lbs and she wore an XL in this style because she wanted room for layers.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Columbia-Womens-Arcadia-Jacket-Compass/dp/B00AG3YKPW/ref=sr_1_1?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1392502866&sr=1-1&keywords=columbia+rain+jacket

Edited February 15, 2014 by sdmike

[meatball_nyc]

I just want to pop in here and say how incredible your photographs are. Wow.

Thank you for all the info helping out the OP also.

 

 

 

~Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

[luv2gamble]

I would move away from that stairwell. The teen and kids club is on the port side of 12 (check the deck plan) near that stairway and there always seemed to be lots of loud traffic. I think you'd be safe with 11062 and forward (that's the area we were in), or aft of 11078. You won't be under the teen dance club (that would be murder), but you might want to move away from the stairway area a bit further

 

Hi SDMIKE, I went over the deck plans as you said. I am calln NCL tomorrow and changing the room for sure. Your 100% correct, ALL the kid activities was directly over my room. The room you suggested 11062 is avail and so is the room you were in 11034. Looks like 11062 is closer to elevator and I was going to take that one. Unless, you think the room you had is better for some reason? Your the pro and I will go by what you say. I did request for 2 twin beds rather than one queen. Would you happen to know which way I would have more floor space for getting around? Undecided, NCL said they put the two twins together for form an extra large queen or I can have 2 twins? Going by pics it looks like 2 twins there is more walking area unless thats because I see more carpet in the pic, lol? Thanks again for your help :)

[sdmike]

Luv to gamble - I am glad that you discovered SD Mike's review - I agree that his photos are awesome. He did go a bit later in the season so he had a better chance of getting to Sawyer Glacier.

 

Yes, we went at the end of July and into early August. Certainly later in the season will be different than early

[sdmike]

Hi SDMIKE, I went over the deck plans as you said. I am calln NCL tomorrow and changing the room for sure. Your 100% correct, ALL the kid activities was directly over my room. The room you suggested 11062 is avail and so is the room you were in 11034. Looks like 11062 is closer to elevator and I was going to take that one. Unless, you think the room you had is better for some reason? Your the pro and I will go by what you say. I did request for 2 twin beds rather than one queen. Would you happen to know which way I would have more floor space for getting around? Undecided, NCL said they put the two twins together for form an extra large queen or I can have 2 twins? Going by pics it looks like 2 twins there is more walking area unless thats because I see more carpet in the pic, lol? Thanks again for your help :)

 

I think you were on the opposite side of the ship from the kid/teen activities so you wouldn't have been UNDER them, but still having a cabin door facing the stair lobby would have been loud.

 

Well, I don't think there's much of a difference between your other two choices. I know that 11034 is a good room, so go with safe? One nice thing is that the wall between 11034 and 11032 is a bulkhead and likely thicker and more sound proof. The balcony divider doesn't open between the two either. You might also have more quiet since there is less traffic away from the elevators in general. Since the ship isn't gigantic you're still plenty close to both the front and mid-ship elevators.

 

Looking at 11062 there might be a couple of issues. You're under the bathrooms and showers on deck 12, so I don't know if you'll get more noise (people and plumbing) having that over you. 11062 also has a connecting door, which MAY let in more noise if it's anything like a hotel room. On the Epic it took away closet space, but I don't think that's the case on Jewel class minis. An advantage of being in 11062 is that it's midship and will have slightly less movement. However, the inland passage in AK is so smooth that this isn't likely an issue at all.

 

As for the beds, in a mini you will have two options. You can have the main bed separated into two twins, or one can take the queen and the other can sleep on the couch with a curtain between the two. You can try it either way. Just let the steward know what you want to do. If you use the couch make sure to get a mattress topper to soften it. We had a couple of teens sharing one and they were fine, but I think I'd opt for splitting the big bed (it is combined in my pictures)

Edited February 16, 2014 by sdmike

[isaiahsnana]

This would be perfect for you to do with your friend, I have done it on vacations with my grandsons and plan to do it on my trip with my daughter and three grandsons (10, 4. and 14 months) on the Pearl to Alaska in June: get a book of stamps for post cards. Each day, starting at the airport to leave and on the flight, I ask them what they liked most, or in the case of the 10 year old he will write it himself, write about it on a picture postcard and mail them at the first chance. I do it every day sometimes twice a day if it was eventful and when they get home they will have cards to go with their memories of the trip to add to a scrapbook or photo album.

[sillymonkey23]

I just wanted to chime in and say that you and your friend will have an amazing time in Alaska! My husband and I cruised last summer (August 2013) on the Pearl for our anniversary and we had the most magical time. Sailing through Alaska is almost like finding yourself lost in a fairy tale. It is truly breathtaking! We loved Alaska so much we are planning on returning this summer (August 2014) with my parents, and this time we will take the Jewel.

 

You mentioned that you are doing the dogsledding helicopter trip, so I wanted to share some of my helicopter photos with you. Husband and I did a helicopter tour in Skagway. I know you mentioned you will likely do the tour in Juneau. Still, I think these photos might help you to really see the beauty of Alaska by helicopter.

 

[/img]

 

 

I am glad that you are finding Cruise Critic to be helpful. When I was planning my trip, I relied heavily on info that I learned from these boards to help me make decisions and know what to expect.

[mylife4Jesus]

Silly monkey, what beautiful pictures!

[sillymonkey23]

Silly monkey, what beautiful pictures!

 

Thank you! It was such a beautiful day! Probably one of the best days of my life. It was our 8-year wedding anniversary and we were in Alaska for the first time, on a helicopter ride to the top of a glacier! The memory makes me smile and I am thankful for these photos that remind me how blessed my husband and I are.

[luv2gamble]

Thank you! It was such a beautiful day! Probably one of the best days of my life. It was our 8-year wedding anniversary and we were in Alaska for the first time, on a helicopter ride to the top of a glacier! The memory makes me smile and I am thankful for these photos that remind me how blessed my husband and I are.

 

thanks, what beautiful pics :)