A Jewel of an Alaska Cruise...in a GV...with Pics!

[brunolvr]

Love your pictures, Cubechick! They are beautiful!

It amazes me the difference one week can make in the amount of ice in Tracy Arm Fjord and near Sawyer Glacier. Here's some pictures from just one week before you, June 3rd. The Jewel barely made it to Sawyer Island where it waited for us.

 

Our excursion boat made it just to that "sticky out point" on the right.

 

 

 

[Cubechick]

Wow, Sandy! I can't believe all of that ice!

 

They said it could really vary week-to-week. I guess they weren't kidding!! :eek:

[deladypilot]

Love all the photos

[BritChickBN1]

I'm loving your review. We got off the Gem the same day and I STILL have post cruise depression. :o

[Epic_Bear]

We did the Tracy Arm excursion in 2011....it is so amazing! In my Top 5 for sure, if not number one ship excursion.

[time2cruise1]

It was remarkable to say the least.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - Jim

[Cubechick]

Day Five – Skagway

 

Once again we all went our separate ways. DH and I on a horseback riding tour, one friend on the White Pass train, and the other on a local tour.

 

Again our tour didn’t leave until 10:30 am so we had time for breakfast. Another trip to the buffet, but this time not a good one. DH’s food was fine, but I selected biscuits and gravy. I was fully anticipating the biscuit being the consistency of a hockey puck (they have been on every ship, every cruise!) but the gravy was the most disgusting thing I have ever had. Anywhere! The gravy is generally pretty good; warm to hot with chunks of sausage. This “gravy” was ice cold, had zero sausage and a strange sweetness that was simply awful. I hastily dumped that and grabbed a roll and some cheese instead. Thankfully there is plenty of other food to choose from, but that was truly terrible and stands out in my mind!

 

A van picked us up at the pier for our tour. We were the only passengers from the Jewel; everyone else in the van was from the Pearl.

 

It was about a 30-minute drive to Dyea and the ranch with the driver providing commentary along the way. Comparing notes with our friends later we found that we had been given the same spiel as he received on his town tour. They must all take the same class, lol. On the way to Dyea we stopped at a scenic outlook:

 

 

I had been a bit nervous about the horseback ride because I’d torn the ligaments in my knees a few months ago and am still healing. Of course I thought my problem would be getting onto the horse (a fear quickly dispelled as they had us all use mounting stairs). However it turned out that it was the ride itself that killed my knees (as my physical therapist predicted). I had completely forgotten the pressure riding at even a snail’s pace puts on those joints. Oh well. I was still glad I went…but glad that the next day was a sea day so I could rest!

 

 

DH and I enjoyed the experience, but there are things to be aware of to set your expectations properly. You are in the saddle a full two hours, riding slowly through dense rainforest. The guide on our end of the line (we were a group of ten) was very entertaining and shared a lot of good stories. Finally you arrive at the Dyea tidal flats on the shore of the Lynn Canal. It really is a breathtaking location and you have time to take pictures and the guides take pictures of you as well.

 

 

 

But you aren’t there for long and it’s back the way you came. I think this would be very boring for experienced riders…or maybe an experienced rider would look around more often as they wouldn’t be so focused on their horse. (I found it took me awhile to get comfortable, as it had been 30 years since I’d been on a horse…give or take a year or two). The horses were very well trained and mostly well-behaved. However they are horses, with minds of their own. DH’s kept tossing his head down trying to yank the reins from DH’s hands so he could graze. Finally the ride was over and we had the post-Alaska-tour traditional salmon spread on Ritz crackers and cocoa.

 

Once back in town the driver offered to drop people in town as well as back at the ship. We got off near the Skagway Brewing Company with the intention of having lunch. There was a line to get in and I was having a hard time getting through to our friends to see if they wanted to meet up. The cell towers in Skagway get overwhelmed when the cruise ships are in town and service becomes spotty. Just be aware of that when you’re trying to contact people or if you were planning on doing anything online while in port. Since I didn’t know how many people I needed a table for, I walked closer to the ships and another bar that I knew was larger; the Bonanza Bar and Grill. Sure enough, I found a table for four and was able to get in touch with our friends and let them know we were there.

 

The four of us enjoyed lunch there (halibut and chips for me, burgers for others) and some nice Alaska Brewing Company Amber Ale. Ironically the Red Sox were on television…just as they were five years ago when we were in this same bar!

 

 

After a quick stop at the Alaska T-Shirt Company for a Christmas ornament and a t-shirt, we walked back to the ship. There was a formidable line of passengers waiting to board. At first I thought it was because tours had returned all at once, but we quickly realized that both gangways were closed! There was a forklift moving the mid-ship one around. I think we waited about five minutes before they opened one of the gangways and the masses of people could begin boarding. We would later find out that it was due to the tide changing that they had to move the gangways around.

 

 

You may recall that I mentioned a sign-up sheet to dine with an officer at our Meet and Greet? Well tonight was the night. Our group plus a family on our roll call were dining with the Captain. When we showed up at the meeting point I saw other roll call members all set to dine with the Hotel Director and other officers.

 

Dinner was in the main dining room, Tsar, and off of the regular menu. I mentioned earlier in my review that Captain Persson is enjoying his first command on this voyage having been newly promoted. He is very enthusiastic and obviously enjoys meeting people a great deal. Dinner was just a lovely experience with good food and wonderful conversation flowing. I noticed that the Hotel Director wrapped his dinner up long before we did. Toward the end of the meal, the Captain asked if we’d been to see the bridge yet. We had not. So he pulled out his phone to check his schedule and arranged for a meeting time for us the following sea day. How nice was that?

 

After dinner we ventured out to Shakers for a post dinner cocktail. I have to say the chocolate martinis were wonderful! I highly recommend them if that is something you like!

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoying your review and beautiful photo's.

[NJLVW]

Your photos are breath taking! Please continue. This review with pictures is fantastic!

[zounds]

Thank you !! I'm enjoying this very much.

[sdmike]

I did that same trip and have very similar AK pictures, but that GV...wow! :) Some day...some day...

[Cubechick]

I did that same trip and have very similar AK pictures, but that GV...wow! :) Some day...some day...

 

Indeed! Never thought I would see the day that we got to do it!

[Cubechick]

Days Six - Sea day

 

Today we all kind of got off on our own starts. DH wandered off to the buffet for breakfast. Another of us decided to stay in. The other two of us decided to give O’Sheehan’s a try (plus we had to go to the reception area anyway to drop of declaration cards for Canada that were due by 6:00 this evening). O’Sheehan’s was a very pleasant surprise. I had the corned beef hash with an egg and my friend an omelet. Service was prompt and the food hot. We both agreed it was the best breakfast we had on board the ship.

 

While we dined, we could see the fruit carving demonstration taking place in the atrium below. And all around us staff were hanging World Cup banners getting ready for a month of festivities; and plenty of people lined up to drop off their declaration cards. Thank goodness they had a dedicated person walking the line, gathering up those cards (although it would be more efficient if they just put out a drop box).

 

It was a gorgeous day at sea. The wind was from the stern of the ship (the Captain had promised that would be the case last night at dinner) so the pool area was protected and you could see the people out in droves. (Not just the little kids who will use the slide no matter the temperature!)

 

 

Later we would have lunch at Moderno. There was a bit of excitement when a medical emergency was announced over the PA system. Our waiter suddenly bolted from the restaurant, only pausing long enough to pass hurried instructions to another waiter. We speculated amongst ourselves if our waiter was responding to the announcement. Sure enough, our waiter was on the response team. He returned before our meal was finished, apologizing for the inconvenience. We assured him that an apology was completely unnecessary. If anything we found it interesting to have it confirmed how well all crew is trained and that the ship isn’t only relying on the small medical staff on board.

 

I really wanted to join my fellow passengers enjoying the sun, but we had a date with the Captain. Captain Persson met us at the Bridge Navigation Room as promised, and brought us onto the bridge. He then spent the next 30 minutes giving all of us that were at his table the night before a personal tour. It was awesome!

 

 

In all of my cruises, I have met Captains ranging from indifferent to friendly, but none of them hold a candle to Captain Persson. I realized in retrospect that we would see him throughout this sea day; walking the pool deck, greeting passengers, seeing that everything was going well. Later, during the Latitudes Silver on up wine and cheese party, we would see him talking to guests (and this was after performing a vow renewal). (I have been to Latitudes events where none of the senior staff showed up and never the Captain.) Captain Persson is a true asset to NCL…I hope they appreciate him!

 

Before the aforementioned Latitudes Party, I did get in some sun time. Not something I expected on an Alaska cruise in early June, but I will take it!!!

 

Tonight we had dinner at Moderno to mixed reviews. They did a poor job maintaining the buffet (several empty sections despite the fact that we dined fairly early) but did the best job I’ve seen at Moderno making certain that you received the cuts of meat that you wanted. The waitress actually checked with us to see what we had been served and what we would like (and how we would like it cooked!) and facilitated that happening. I have not experienced that on another ship to date. Despite some kinks I think Moderno will prove to be a very good restaurant on the Jewel.

 

I actually broke out of my mold and went to the show, Cirque Bijou this evening. I have a mixed opinion about it. I thought the acrobatics were generally very good (with one exception), but I found the dancing to be uncompelling and the accent affected by the master of ceremonies (?) to be unintelligible. It has been years since I’ve liked a show outside of the Broadway shows on the newer ships and that trend continues.

[cruiserninja1]

I am loving this review! Thank you for all the pics !

[Cubechick]

Thank you everyone!

 

I hope to finish this up tomorrow. :)

[cb3thatsme]

Do you by chance have any photos of the Sugarcane Mojito bar?

 

I'm disappointed to hear it isn't a great place to linger it looked really cool on Getaway :(

[time2cruise1]

Do you by chance have any photos of the Sugarcane Mojito bar?

 

 

 

I'm disappointed to hear it isn't a great place to linger it looked really cool on Getaway :(

 

 

Here you go. Same bar that was there when it was the Star Bar.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - Jim

[Cubechick]

Here you go. Same bar that was there when it was the Star Bar.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - Jim

 

Thanks for the assist! I didn't have a pic. Unfortunately, those two table tops you see in the foreground are the only tables dedicated to the bar. You can certainly stop by for a drink, but I wouldn't hang out there. I felt like we were in the middle of the restaurant. :rolleyes:

[Cubechick]

I have to break my promise. I couldn't finish today since the Montreal airport blocked Flickr. :mad:

 

Tomorrow!!

[cb3thatsme]

Thanks guys!!! Its really odd that they feature "Brand New Sugarcane Mojito bar" and its the same as before lol I guess new drinks but I was hoping for something similar to Getaways...

 

I like to have one bar in the evening where I can go hang out for a little while during the evenings and chat with the bartenders I guess this won't be that one!

[Cubechick]

Day Seven - Victoria, BC

 

Another cloudy day greets us. This time the weather suits our moods as the dreaded packing day has come. (Seven day cruises are just too darn short!) We had a final unimpressive breakfast at Moderno (I didn't know that hot cakes could be rock hard!). Years ago, DH and I started walking off our own luggage (regardless of when we disembark). We find this makes packing a little less painful as we have our bags until the following morning and there isn't a big rush to get everything done. So I did some preliminary sorting and pile-making so “real” packing later would go quickly.

 

The sun did come out for our afternoon in Victoria, however it remained quite windy. We docked perhaps 30 minutes late and took our time getting off of the ship as we didn't have any excursions planned. The lines for the taxis and shuttles are next to each other. The shuttle takes you downtown for $11 round-trip per person. The cab will run about $10 to go downtown for up to 4 people. So if your party is between two and four people, a taxi makes more sense than the shuttle.

 

A word of caution here. Don't let your cab driver just dump you where it is convenient for him. Instead of our requested destination, our driver dropped us off at the Parliament building with a vague gesture that the pub we sought was two blocks to left. No true. It was more like five blocks, and if you didn't make a jog to the right to cross the street, you weren't going to find it. Not that it was a big deal ultimately, but it wasn't right of him to dump us so he could scurry back to the ship to pick up more passengers.

 

The area in front of Parliament is very pretty, so it was worth pausing to take a few photos before continuing on our way.

 

 

Our plan was a repeat of our stop on 2009, which was a pub-crawl...not that two stops make much of a crawl, lol! The first pub we stopped at was the Bard and Banker. We grabbed a table outside and enjoyed our first pint. They have several beers to choose from, including a nice selection of local brews. They do take USD, (on a one-for-one basis) but warn that your change could be Canadian.

 

 

The next pub, The Irish Times, is owned by the same company, but has a slightly different menu. The Irish Times also has outdoor seating, but it was in the wind so we opted to go inside. The pub is very large, so even with the ships in town, we were able to find a table in the back. Another pint was in order along with something they called "Irish Poutine" as a snack. Essentially traditional Poutine (French fries, gravy, and cheese curds) but with Dubliner cheese thrown in. Definitely pub food!!

 

 

A couple of more ships were due to arrive in port soon, so we cut our day in Victoria short and headed back while we knew it would still be easy to grab a cab. We walked a couple of blocks from the bar to get to a street that was heading back to the port (lots of one way streets here). This cab driver was much better than our last! Originally from Greece, he emigrated over 40 years ago. We had a lovely conversation as he drove, and as we neared the port he shut off his meter to keep it at $10. Very nice man!

 

 

We ignored packing for a little bit longer and had a pre-dinner cocktail before heading to Teppanyaki. Our tablemates were a couple with a small boy and his grandmother. I have to admit a silent groan went up when they were seated with us...and the baby was fussy throughout dinner...but his parents were responsible, taking turns leaving the restaurant to walk him around. I felt badly that they couldn't sit and have a nice dinner, but was glad they allowed us to do so. We ended up having a nice conversation with them as they traded shifts.

 

Alas, packing could no longer be ignored, so off we went to finish that so we could enjoy the remainder of our last night on board.

[capp]

Yay, just found this! A perfect thing to read while on nursing duty!:D

[time2cruise1]

Thank you for the walk down memory lane. [emoji106]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - Jim

[cruiserninja1]

I love this review !

[jenseib]

Great review!..don't be shy..come back and finish it off! ;)

 

I love reviews with lots of pictures and yours seems to be the only one I have found since the drydock last year. Thanks for taking the time to write it.