NCL Sun to Alaska w. Authentic Alaska landtour

[jodymc]

We returned a couple of weeks ago from Alaska and it was wonderful. We flew into Seattle on a Fri. night and spent 2 nights at the Hampton Inn Southside. A bit of a distance from downtown but the price was right and they provided free shuttles from the airport and to and from the lightrail. It was very easy to get into the city and back to hotel. We went to Pikes Market, did the Duck Tour, some of us did the ferris wheel and space needle. I would recommend this hotel if you dont mind staying outside the city.

Sunday morning we had Sabra Limo pick us up and take us to the Amtrack station as we were booked on the Cascades Express from Seattle to Vancouver. Sabra Limo was right on time and brought an extra car due to our numbers and luggage. Beautiful scenery and a very relaxing rideon the Cascade Express...took about 4 hrs.

In Vancouver we stayed at the Blue Horizon, located right downtown so very convenient. Large rooms and nice hotel, staff very helpful. Some of our group did Capillano Suspension Bridge. We walked to the pier and did the ride "Fly Canada", very fun, just like Soaring at Epcot. Just a tip pay the extra $2 so you are not in general admission, you pretty much just walk on.

Left Monday on the NCL Sun. Yes the ship is starting to show its age but is still very nice. I felt the entertainment somewhat lacked, for example there was a comedian who had shows at 7 and 9...what happened to the late show. I have been on other NCL ships in the Caribbean and there was much more entertainment. Maybe it is just the nature of this trip and an older crowd. Food was ok, not the best I have had, but I never complain :)

First stop was Ketchikan on Wed. where some of the husbands did a private fishing charter with Ken from Northern Light Charters. They really enjoyed it and highly recommended Ken. The rest of us did Ketchikan Taxi tours with David. Very informative and really got a feel for Ketchikan, saw tons of eagles. We then went and shopped on Creek St.

Thursday we were in Juneau and did a whale watch with Orca Enterprises (Capt. Larry). Saw a lot of whales, nice ship and not too crowded. We then got dropped off at Mendenhall Glacier...one mistake we made was to follow the trail the bus driver told us about, basically just took us into the woods when we really wanted to get to Nugget Falls....if you want to gt to falls I believe you follow trail from the visitors center.

Friday was Skagway and we went with Brian from Beyond Skagway Tours. Beyond Skagway Tours is a private tour and we had a van for 11 of us. Brian was fantastic, we saw bear on the side of the road and if we went by some wildlife Brian would turn around so we could see it. I highly recommend Beyond Skagway Tours.

Sat we were on the ship going thru Glacier Bay, unfortunately it was pouring rain but still beautiful. Sun we were at Hubbard Glacier. I have to say by Sunday I was def. ready to get off of the ship.

NCL was very organized and we had special luggage tags and met our landtour in a specific area. WE basically just walked off of the ship and onto the bus. All of our luggage was transferred for us. The land tour is run by Alaska Premier tours and was fantastic. Our tour guide was Andy and our driver was Mike....both were fantastic, cant say enough about them. So off we went from Whittier to Homer. We stayed at the Best Western in Homer...some of the reviews were not so good but we thought it was really nice, large clean rooms, free breakfast, friendly & helpful staff...what more could you ask for. It is not a 5* hotel but I have to say I didnt see any of those in Homer...haha. At night we got dropped off at Homer Spit, fun shops and places to eat...a real beachy type of community with fishing charters all coming in....alot of fun.

Tuesday we left for Anchorage. We were orig. booked at the Sheraton downtown but got moved to the Millenium...glad we did, again a very Alaska feel to the hotel and right on the water. Big deck outside and can sit and watch the seaplanes coming in and out.

WEdnesday we left Anchorage and headed to Talkeetna...wish we had more time there, it is not even on the tour, other than catching the train there but luckily we arrived about 1/2 hr early so had the opportunity to walk around a bit.

We took the train from Talkeetna to Denali. The tour has private cars and yes they are domed on the railroad. It was awesome. So you go in the car and the downstairs is the dining car and you go upstairs to your seats. There is a tour guide in your car and a bartended with a full bar set up...best Bloody Mary I ever had :) Anyway when you are ready for lunch they take you down to the dining car to eat...excellent food and reasonably priced. Got to Denali about 3pm and checked into hotel...I think it was called Denali Village...nice hotel, again an Alaska feel to it. WE signed up for the white water rafting which was worth every penny. We met at 6pm and they took us to the villge where we put on dry suits and off we went. I highly recommend this. Orig. I was going to do the "float" which is a level 1 rapids but I let Andy talk me into the white water rafting which is level 3-4, and I am so glad I did. I thought I would be really scared but I wasnt and it was amazing. I think it was about $80pp.

The next day, Thursday we went and saw the iditerod puppies and then on to Denali park. We took the 6-8 hr. tour that was included. It was fascinating but a bit scary. You are on a glorified school bus which are the only vehicles allowed past the paved area. So it turns into basically a gravel one lane road that circles the mountains....and let me just say there are no guardrails!!!!! We saw alot of wildlife and the views are amazing but at times dont look out your side window or you will just see a stright drop down.

On Friday we left for Fairbanks, stopped along the way at the Alaska Pipeline which was fascinating. Once we got to Fairbanks we checked in and then did the River Tour which was alot of fun and quite educational. We stayed at Rivers Edge and the rooms are all seperate cottages along the river. Very quaint and nice. Loved this hotel and they had a great restaurant.

I recommend reading as much as you can on these boards....every excursion I booked was due to what I read from others. I also recommend taking half the clothes you plan and twice the money you plan. I had read this on the boards too....I did listen to the part about money but I def. overpacked. Many of us shipped some stuff home because it would have been way over in lbs. on the plane. Hope this helps those that are already booked or planning to book this trip. I highly recommend it.

[grobma]

Thanks so much for the review! We'll be on this exact same trip in 2 weeks. It seems that everything is exactly as I've come to expect - including all the helpful information from these boards.

[deladypilot]

Thank you for taking the time to write a review of your cruise/tour. We so miss the Sun and her crew and it is always nice to read about it

[SUNNY D]

Thanks for your review. We are doing this itinerary next June and plan to fly in early and fly out later to get some land touring in like you. This is our first time on NCL and know Sun is probably the smallest oldest ship we have experienced but the majority seem to think she is special in her own way. Cant wait!

[biojeep]

Thanks for the review. We have communicated in the past about this tour and since you are the first person that has given an extensive review on Authentic Alaska by NCL I am eager to hear as much from you as possible.

 

I would like to know now that you have completed it - would you have rather done the land portion as a diy tour? Also, is there much free time or is all your time spent travelling by bus or train? Did you have a balcony on the ship? Do you have any information & costs for the extra land tour options that are available at each land stop.

 

As you can see there is a lot I would like to know from you - so any specifics would be great. We had planned doing NCL authentic next June but are reconsidering & may do a diy land tour after cruise. We have sailed Alaska on the Pearl in the past & loved the ship but are hesitant about the Sun.

 

Hope you can share more details. Glad you enjoyed your trip!!

[debnjoe1438]

Thanks for the review. Looking forward to my trip next year. :D

[jodymc]

I also had thought about doing a DIY tour but didn't due to the number of people we had going. Now that we went I have to say I wouldn't do anything different. The land tour was excellent and I feel that we would have missed a lot doing it on our own. Our guide Andy was great as was our driver Mike. Yes, there is a lot of driving however there will be whether you do it yourself or not because of the vast size of Alaska. We never got bored on the bus. Also, on the train from Talkeetna to Denali we had a private domed car for our tour group with a dining car below us and a private bar on the train with us, along with a private tour guide from the train. Pretty much any where we stopped was inc. in price other than whitewater rafting in Denali or helicopter ride in Denali and plane rides in Fairbanks to the Arctic Circle. I know the rides to the Arctic are about $400-500 and I believe the whitewater rafting was between $80-100. There is not a lot of time for added excursions however you do have some time to explore....for example we went to Homer and after checking in the bus took us to Homer Spit which is really fun. We had a cpl of hrs there but if you wanted to stay longer our guide gave us the name and no. of a taxi to call.

As for the ship, we did not stay in a balcony as that would have been an added $1600. WE stayed in a midship inside cabin on deck 9 and it was perfect, good size and great location. As for the ship, I would not say I loved it...I prefer the bigger ships like Epic which have a lot more to do but understand that it is the smaller ships that need to go into Alaska.

[marthalee]

We have a group planning a 10 day Alaska cruise and a couple of them are worried about getting seasick. Did anyone get seasick on your cruise and what are some good preventive measures?

[don't-use-real-name]

We have a group planning a 10 day Alaska cruise and a couple of them are worried about getting seasick. Did anyone get seasick on your cruise and what are some good preventive measures?

 

The Alaskan tours are only done during the prime months in the summer and

where the ship is actually out in the Pacific Ocean the ocean is rather calm

and uneventful. Oh my gosh 6 foot waves tickling the ships keel will have no

effect on the ships motion. The portion done in the inside passage is protected

and is least apt to ruffle any sea-sick feathers. The only dismaying weather

effect would be Cold Rain but that will not induce seasickness but rather keep

you inside the ship sheltered from the very elements that "might" precipitate

the "Mal de debarquement".

So don't worry - be happy - take the pill or a patch if necessary but this really

shouldn't be necessary the Alaskan waters are not like the Atlantic Ocean during

hurricane season more like a moon light cruise on a sea of glass !

[marthalee]

Thank you!

[fishin' musician]

If you are doing a north or south bound crossing the Gulf of Alaska can get pretty bumpy. Also, on Seattle round trips you can encounter some rough Pacific Ocean as you sail out of the San Juan Straits and along Vancouver Island. The calmest itinerary would likely be an inside passage round trip from Vancouver.

Edited February 24, 2015 by fishin' musician

[Budget Queen]

We have a group planning a 10 day Alaska cruise and a couple of them are worried about getting seasick. Did anyone get seasick on your cruise and what are some good preventive measures?

 

Absolutely you can encounter rough sailing. Doesn't matter what one past cruiser experienced, no way to predict. ;)

 

Consult a health care professional for the best preventive options. Every over the counter med has side effect potential, and a message board knows nothing about any medical histories. Not the place for medical advice.