North to Alaska! Review of NCL Sun NB and Denali by Rail

[Sue Do'nym]

Hola! I love to read long reviews and have my favorite reviewers to read. I like to live vicariously in others vacations so this review will be long and detailed. I do a lot of research on cruise critic but this trip was a gift so I had no say in how we did anything. As soon as I was told and did the research I was pleased with the choices. Just for your info the players are DF-who gave the sea portion of the trip and DM who gave the land portion of the trip. Big Bro-he would kill me if I called him dear and Sis in Law-which I will shorten to Sis. They have 3 boys, whom I will call Larry, Moe and Curly. Larry is 19, Moe is 17-and is in charge. Curly is 14 and is one of the friendliest kids you will ever meet. In fact, if you were on the ship and saw a very tall curly haired boy leading a group of tweenish kids-that was Curly. He was in charge of the Ice Cream Brigade. He was in heaven once he learned he had unlimited access to ice cream...but I am jumping ahead...

 

We all travel from different locations in the South. Big Bro traveled with DF and DM for reasons that still escape the rest of us but we were told that was the way it had to be. Sis had charge of the 3 stooges. She was scheduled to fly out Saturday and had plenty of time to drive to the airport 3 hours a way and still be there in time for the international flight. Fortunately she discovered the night before that the time had been changed to super early in the morning so the 3 stooges had a last minute pack and sis in law had to pack them into a car and get to a hotel in the city asap. All was accomplished but last minute stress is never good. I had no flight issues and arrived in Vancouver without issue about 8pm. There was a long walk to customs through a fake forest in the airport, which if I had not been tired would have loved to explored and read the signs...but I was...I got through customs by 9:00pm Vancouver time...and headed straight out for a cab. No issue to get a cab-there was a line of them and the price was $35 Canadian Dollars. We had booked rooms at Pan Pacific based on what I read on Cruise Critic. It was a nice hotel, location was awesome for a cruise.

[Sue Do'nym]

Arrival at Pan Pacific was easy as was check in. I was worried as the confirmation I had was in DF's name. But he had taken care of everything and my keys were ready to pick up. Staff was courteous and advised I could still order room service. Sweet. I checked the room service menu as soon as I got to my room. My luggage was brought up by valet shortly. I ordered the pork belly blt with fries. It was good, but much heavier than I wanted. However, it was the only "sandwich" option on the menu which was all I wanted.

 

Long ago, on my first European trip, the lady I stayed with did not let me sleep and kept me awake til normal bed time for the city I was in...at the time I really hated her but I have come to realize she was right. So I went to bed 11ish Vancouver time and woke up at a reasonable Vancouver hour. The parental unit wanted breakfast. The Stooges were fast asleep (teenagers) and Big Bro and Sis are runners so they had asked for a running route. They were told the Vancouver sea wall makes for a great run so off they went. I went to breakfast with the Parental Unit in the Pan Pacific restaurant. Options were a buffet-which DF got and really enjoyed or menu breakfasts...I got an egg white omelet off the menu-excellent. After breakfast we had planned to head to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. However Big Bro and Sis are not back yet...where are they? We finally hear from them...it seems the sea wall had construction that completely blocked the way. Forgive me for the miles, but I am estimating here-they wanted to run 10ish miles and were told the sea wall was 12ish miles...apparently construction blocked the way at 8ish miles. So the options were go back they way they came, which meant 16ish miles or find a way home...they did not have an international plan on their phones or GPS but Sis did not want to run 16ish miles so they headed into the city with no map and lucked into a taxi! Luckily they had money on them but YIKES!!!

[Sue Do'nym]

All together-the stooges are awake and we head out...we stop at Starbucks which is right front of the Pan Pacific for a fuel up for those who did not eat yet. In order to get to the Capilano Bridge, I had read there was a free shuttle near the Pan Pacific. We walked around and there were several lines for tours, I asked until I found the correct one-it was easy and of course after asking multiple strangers, I realized there was a sign...Doi...On to the shuttle bus and off to the bridge. It was a nice ride up-maybe 20 minutes? We are in the park by 10:30 am, purchase our tickets with no lines...So how was the Capilano Suspension Bridge and was it worth the price? Absolutely. Everyone enjoyed it, the young and old. DM has some walking issues (which she does not like to admit and will probably yell at me when I show her this review, but it is true) The rest of us are relatively healthy-I had some knee issues-in fairness, I injured my knee while dancing to Gangnam Style (this is relevant to later portion of review) but overall everyone was able to do all the walking at this park without a problem. We first crossed the suspension bridge. Now, I knew this would be hard for me-I have some issues with heights-not paralyzing but I don't always like to look down...but it was so bouncy! I was starting to feel sick, as was Moe...he mentioned something at which point Big Bro looks around and realizes Curly is intentionally bouncing the bridge by stepping in certain locations on the bridge. Big bro stops that by using the special "Dad voice" (you all know it when you hear it...) The rest of the journey across the bridge is much better. On the other side is a "tree top adventure" It is not an adventure but it is like walking through a real life ewok village. Which my sci fi loving clan noted several times. We then walk through raptor ridge. It was cool-different birds sitting with experts who would answer questions and pose for pics. We then headed back across the bridge. It is now noonish and becoming much more crowded. We go to the Cliff Walk-this was so cool-even if you cannot make it across the bridge-try this! It is very stable but there are so many good views! I am going to upload pics as I can but have been told no people pics-teen age boys have long social media lives ahead so will post scenery as I can.

[Sue Do'nym]

We finished the cliffwalk and headed back for the free bus. We did not have a long wait, but looking at the lines now heading in...we made the right decision to go early. The line just to buy tickets was winding and long as was the line for the bridge...The free bus checked all our hand stamps to make sure we went on the bridge. So while the bus is free they want to make sure you went on the bridge...Back into Vancouver and now the most important question for marathon runners, teenage boys and the grown ups is-lunch! We want something quick/local and interesting-that will not scare the boys. We discover Tim Hortons. I have heard of this chain through tv...so I know it is doughnuts, but it meets all our requirements-maybe not local, but something we cannot get in the states. Tim Hortons delivers. Big Bro and I had the turkey jack croissant, which was good-I got the side of doughnut for the combo meal. I mean, a combo meal-that offers a doughnut as a side? How much better can it get? Overall, everyone is happy with Tim Hortons-when you have a group that contains super healthy runners and teenage boys and both are happy- you know you have found a good place! Next up-DM wants to go to FlyOverCanada. I am a Disney fan so as soon as she says it is Soarin, but for Canada, I am in. The rest are along for the ride and as it should be, what DM wants DM gets. (kidding, she is super sweet and asks for very little, so if she wants to do something, we all agree) So FlyOverCanada is Soarin over Canada. Soarin is my favorite ride at Epcot- I did not pay, but I think- it was $20 per person and would happily pay that. It was fun and we bought the pic that was taken of the whole family. Highly recommend if in Vancouver.

[Cubechick]

Thank you for posting. We were just talking about doing this cruise tour in a couple of years. ;) Looking forward to the rest of your review. :)

[Sue Do'nym]

So after FlyOverCanada we have a discussion about the HOHO. That was my original plan based on research-Capilano followed by HOHO. However, in discussing with Sis- ( the only other person in our group who does research) our only interests are Gastown and Chinatown. We decide both are walkable from the hotel so we take advantage of the hotel wifi so I can confirm directions(as the ultimate planner-a lot of this falls on me) We then head to Gastown. It is easily walkable from Pan Pacific. We find the Steam Clock, stop at a cheesy souvenir store-Curly gets a Canada hat which makes him easy to spot...other than being 14 and 6/4...We also find the statue of Gassy Jack-there are several restaurants of interest-including a BBQ restaurant where we debate whether or not they will properly brew sweet tea-we never went in, but if any one knows-that will settle a family debate! We then begin the walk to Chinatown. This may be my best advice. If you want to go to Chinatown from Gastown-the street that goes directly there is not the best...Big Bro went on high threat alert (minus the weaponry-did I mention we were southern-yeah we are all missing our usual arms here) It was not that bad-I have been through worse, but I am the city girl. There were a lot of pan handlers. The one guy eating his cheese sandwich with his duct taped flip flops did not seem that threatening but there were a few I walked by a little more quickly than others. The funniest was the woman who was completely indignant that none of us would give her a quarter. None of us had any cash on us anyway, but she was so mad at us for not giving her money, that I got mad! We finally make it to China town-the street fair is straight ahead, but we are so fed up, we decide to head for Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens, which we find after a little walking. I enjoyed it. The others thought it was too small...There was a high school orchestra playing classical music-DF is a pianist so we all enjoy the classics occasionally. They were great-the lady in the gift shop said it was a nice change from what they normally play. My take was I would have liked to sit and enjoy the zen. The rest of my party wanted to know where the rest of it was. Cost was $12 per person (I paid here) we walk back and end up on better streets that what we arrived on. Clearly the lesson is do not walk directly from the Gassy Jack Statue. Back at the hotel we discuss dinner. DM is having problems walking so we ask her what her range is. She says one mile. We consider a couple of places but decide to eat at 5 Sails in the hotel. We are a little worried about the teens, but as long as there is red meat, they are fine. My dinner is amazing. I have the quail appetizer and the catch-seafood in a lemongrass broth that is to die for, followed by the Gran Marnier Souffle. Amazing. Eat here if you are a foodie and at the Pan Pacific.

[Sue Do'nym]

After a lovely night's sleep we are up and at em once again. I have breakfast with the parental unit in the hotel restaurant again. Buffet for others, egg white omelet for me (why mess with success?) Family debate about when to call luggage services to get our luggage...I am used to solo travel so I call as soon as we get back from breakfast. Bell man appears and does not have stapler although I have pre-printed luggage tags and have read on CC that he will take care of it. He assures me it is no problem and he will take care of it...will I ever see my bags again? I watch the Criminal Minds Marathon-we previously debated when to go to the cruise terminal but at 10 am a knock tells me everyone is bored and would rather wait in line in the cruise terminal than kill time in the hotel. This works out very well for us. We are in lines, but none are at a standstill. We get through customs and checkin very quickly. We left the rooms before 10:30 am and are on the boat by 11:35 am. No time to sit down in embarkation area! I will later hear that there were those stuck in line for 2 hours, so my advice is get there early! DM and I want to wait for the dining room to open but the runners and the teen boys cannot wait so we head to the buffet...

It is not noon and the ship is not full and yet the buffet is chaos. I grab a sandwich, but everything you read about the NCL Sun buffet is true. It is chaos. The lines are long. Through the week, I avoid the buffet as does the rest of the clan. We all find alternatives that suit us, but this is an area that needs improvement-desperately. I loved the Garden Cafe on Epic and am so disappointed in this area but not sure how it can be fixed. It is in a small area and they cram a lot of people in to it...I walked through at different times of day and it was always crowded...The other issue-I bought the UBP ahead of time. My sticker is on my card-no issue. But I cannot find someone to get me a diet Pepsi. I ask multiple people and someone finally takes my card but it still takes nearly 30 min to get a Pepsi! This does not speak for bar service in the buffet. On the epic there was a dedicated bar. I did not realize how awesome this was until I was on a ship that did not have one! The other issue, we all have UDP-but not stickers-being the researcher, I alert the others to the problem they did not know we had...the fab five decide they also want the soda card-the bro and sis are not drinkers, but if the tea is not good, the only option is soda. We head to guest services to get the UDP sticker and add the soda program. I handle it first-non issue. Soda sticker has to be added at the soda table...and this brings up the other issue of the trip. On the original booking DF was able to book the three teens in one room. Not sure how, I told him it was not possible but when he called back to make another change, he was told he had to be in the room with 2 teens and the third would have to be in a room with another adult. Problem solved by putting DF in with Moe and Larry and Curly with DM. I told him this was common and a general solution and switching would be no problem...well, switching was a problem as the cruise went on. The biggest issue could have been solved by putting Curly in the non drinking cabin but it was what is was and what was done was done. So DF and Curly had to switch keys anytime he wanted a drink or to go off the cruise ship. Also Curly had the soda package and DF did not. They keys are color coded and cut to ensure no underage person gets an alcoholic drink. In 1 week, Curly had 1 bartender who said, this is not your card...otherwise, no issues. It was a pain and DF would gripe frequently through the week about it. Lesson learned-if you have to do this, and have a non drinker-put that person in the kids cabin.

[DkswartzFamily]

Following!

[Sue Do'nym]

After the visit to guest services, I decide to sit at Java Cafe and take advantage of UBP-I order a diet pepsi and later a prosecco. DM sits with me and has a gin and tonic. The rest go to check out the fitness room. Priorities people! The Amber Strings (the classical group on ship) appears and begins to play. They were great and I wish I had sought out more of their concerts. Rooms are open at 1:35ish. I have Balcony 8259. DM and DF...umm... I mean Curly have a balcony on 10 as does Big Bro and Sis. Moe and Larry and the third one have an inside on 10. Everyone is happy with their rooms. Except the poor room steward who has 3 teens in an inside...poor room steward...Muster is at 3:30 pm. My big suitcase arrived just before muster. I throw it into the room. I had the time wrong so leave a little too early. Run into the parental unit-we head to the game room and hang out until we see people gather for muster. Muster is on promendade deck-this is new for me-I have only been on new ships where muster is in a random theater but interesting...At muster the guy we will clearly eat should food become scarce makes himself clear. Hint-he is the obnoxious one still drinking from his bucket of beer and shouting during muster. Post muster-I unpack. Plenty of space. I loved my studio on Epic but clearly more space in balcony meant for two. I then head to sail away BBQ. It was awesome. Burgers, steaks and chicken and rice dish. There is also line dancing-where I see big Bro, Sis and Curly leading the crowd in Gangnam Style. Blackmail pics are taken for later use...I head down to take advantage of the balcony. I also had many pre cruise gifties to take advantage of which include several bottles of wine ( my friends know me well) and chocolate covered strawberries! All are lovely and I receive a nice and totally unnecessary bottle opener wit NCL logo. So then I wait to leave...and wait...and wait...Seriously are we ever going to leave? Finally we leave! Next is LeBistro! Another issue-because there are 8 of us and we all had UDP, DF asked me to handle reservations. Mostly a non issue with a few exceptions-LeBistro was one of our non issue nights. So I have UBP and they are in a promotion with Veuve Cliquot. I like champage and I check the price $8. should be covered under UBP-right? Wrong! The waiter quickly tells me he will give me the $12 pour which is the better deal and I will only be charged $4...but I have UBP! I did not intend to have any charge for alcohol... $4 is not going to break my budget, but I am annoyed. There were other drinks to purchase and it was not clear this was not included. Warning given for those after me-on to the food! I had the escargot-excellent. Lobster tail. Awesome. Profiteroles. Awesome. Other reviews-Fruit de Mer-excellent. Beef tenderloin- a hit with teen boys. Pork tenderloin-Moe loved his. Biggest hit-fruit with chocolate fondue. For those on a Paleo diet-mega hit. Le Bistro was a fan of all. The grown up kids listen to music in observation lounge. Youngest plays dodgeball. Older teens hit Dazzles for the 18-25 mixer...which appeals mostly to 40-60 year olds...again with the yikes!

[Seascape88]

Good reading. We are enjoying it quite a lot. We are planning to sail to Alaska next year.

[Sue Do'nym]

Wake up...no scenery...and the boat is rocking...they later close the pool it gets so rough. Break into the mini bar for a diet Pepsi-no price list in my room...hmm...not sure what this says for my room steward whom I have not met yet....I head up to see if the buffet is crazy in the morning. It is. But I run into my family who already have tables together so I avoid the crazy lines by going directly to the omelet station followed by the waffle station. Still no way to take advantage of my UBP in the buffet area...After breakfast I hang out in the Atrium cafe so I can get my fill of soda. Not much going on for a sea day. Weather is iffy so hit the gym...the gym is nice. Not too busy. Recumbent bikes, elliptical machines and treadmills. Only line seems to be for the treadmills. TV units are attached to most of the machines so you can watch the NCL TV offerings while you work out. There are also weight machines and a rowing machine. I read and relax. I go with DM to lunch in main dining. DM gets calamari and fish and chips-she likes her choices. I get the chicken nachos-not great...and the shrimp pasta, which is good. I also get a peanut butter cheesecake for dessert that is just ok. Not much peanut butter flavor. The parental unit goes to the spa. They enjoy massages but dislike the hard sell at the end. Otherwise typical sea day-very relaxing. It is Dress up or Not night but my crew chooses not. We have reservations at Cagney's. Cagney's is everyone's favorite of the restaurants-at the end of the week after we have eaten at all the specialties, it stays the favorite. After dinner, a few of us head for karaoke. Karaoke is fine-the selections are limited but they have a few of my favorites. The only issue is the waiter/bartender in Las Ramblas. It takes forever to get the waiter's attention and when he brings me my glass of wine-it is the stingiest pour I have seen so far about half a normal pour...I have UBP so I decide I will just order a second glass-in order to have one full glass. At this time I also want a soda for a jolt of caffeine. I know you cannot get 2 alcoholic drinks at the same time, but the soda portion is supposed to be unlimited. I have frequently gotten a soda and an alcoholic drink at the same time without issue. In fact, this was the only time I had an issue. I cannot get the waiter's attention so I go to the bar myself. I ask the bartender for a glass of wine and a pepsi. She tells me no, I can only have one drink at a time. So I ask for the wine. I set the wine on my table and come back for the Pepsi. She again says no, it is against the policy to give more than one drink at a time. I ask her, even Pepsi? She assures me she is right. I point out the soda is unlimited and I have never had an issue before. I am about to go slam my wine and come back for the Pepsi when she finally gives in...and runs my card for the Pepsi...which was bizarre and only happened one other time in the week long cruise. I head back to the table and share with my folks what had happened. The entertainment guy in charge of karaoke was sitting with us and he goes and talks to the bartender. Not sure what he said cause at that point we all decide the thrill is gone and head to bed.

[Sue Do'nym]

Finally! We have arrived at civilization! DM, DF and I have breakfast in the main dining room. This solves my soda problem as I am able to have a waiter bring me soda to my heart's content. They have a buffet area in the main dining or you can order off the menu. The buffet includes pre made omelets, fruit and pastries. I order eggs Benedict off the menu. Big Bro and Sis are taking the kids on the NCL Zipline tour. They loved it-said it was the best thing they did. Their guide was awesome. I am taking DF and DM on a self guided tour of Ketchikan. We get off the boat and our first goal is to get the bus to Totem Bight State Park. The smartest thing I did this day was stop and ask for the bus and the time. It seems Ketchikan has re-done the bus system so the correct bus is the NB Silver line. We are told it arrives up the street at 26 past the hour...of course it is 25 past the hour now and I see the bus heading for the stop. Luckily there is a line of people so I just keep walking and hope DF and DM can catch up before the bus leaves. They make it! I pay $6 for the all day pass-because it is the same price as one way out and one way back for each of us. The ride takes about 20 min. The park is neat-but small! We have walked around and taken pictures in less than 30 minutes. Nothing to do but wait for the bus to come back...we have 45 minutes to do that...A cab shows up and I decide to ask how much-he is chartered but tells me that a cab back to town will cost $30! Umm...no...I can wait. Once back in Ketchikan we begin a walking tour. I found a book recommendation on CC-Inside Passage Walking Tours so I am using that. It was easy to follow and led to all kinds of cool stuff. Without the book the only thing I would have seen was Creek Street. This way, we saw the Totem Heritage Center, the largest gold nugget, whale park and some great places to view the harbor as well as Creek Street. The book has several recommended places to eat-I choose Annabelle's Keg and Chowder House as DF and DM have headed back to the ship. I order the chowder sampler and a diet coke-I really dislike Pepsi so am most happy when I can find coke products. Big Bro and the rest show up as their guide recommended the place as well. I order the chowder sampler-very good. Service is a problem. I have to ask for my check 4 times and it takes 45 minutes to get the check from the first time I asked. The waitress lost her tip because I paid with what cash I had-at this point I was afraid what would happen and how long it would take if I gave her a credit card. Big Bro had the same problem-we could not figure it out, because the restaurant was busy-but not that busy...We decided the food was worth it but plan to be there for awhile because of the service issue. Back to the ship for more relaxation. (and napping...) Tonight's dinner is Teppanyaki. What happened next was totally my fault-because I knew I should have taken care of this issue as soon as I got on the ship. Because we had a large group and all had UDP, DF had asked me to take care of reservations ahead of time. I tried online, but the only one I could get that would accept a party of 8 was LeBistro. Moderno would only accept 7...Teppanyaki 6, La Cucina...5 and Cagney's was not existent. So I called. The NCL rep was able to give me the reservations for Cagney's and Moderno for the correct number. However, La Cucina and Teppanyaki she told me just to show up and the Maitre D could handle it. I asked her if I needed to do anything on board before the reservation...and she told me no...this happens all the time...Sure it does...except Teppanyaki is tiny and popular and sure enough...adding 2 people to our reservation of 6 was a problem. They told us they could add 1, but not 2. So we start discussing what to do instead. We discuss switching restaurants, switching nights, but I think our host realizes that will leave him with a very empty table-so he works a miracle and gets us all seated. Was it worth all the trouble? Probably not...but it was fun and a different experience. The next morning I went down to the restaurant stand near guest services and made sure the rest of our reservations were correct for the rest of the week. So my advice is do that your first day even if or esp if NCL rep has told you it will be fine...

[DkswartzFamily]

What was the upcharge for teppanyaki? I was having trouble finding the cost

[ravenjls]

Love the review so far! We also plan on doing the Capilano Sus. Bridge and Grouse Mt., and the Fly over Canada - I am so glad you thought they were worthwhile!

 

Can you tell me the times of the main shows? Did they have it 2X? Ive seen the dailies where they only had one show a night and then Ive seen it where there was an early show and a repeat later on.

[debnjoe1438]

Thanks for the review, I've read some, will read more later:)

[beachpeke]

Would love to hear more of your trip. We are leaving in two weeks for the same adventure.

[Sue Do'nym]

What was the upcharge for teppanyaki? I was having trouble finding the cost

 

Teppanyaki was $25. The cost for all the specialties was printed daily in the daily;) To save you time from searching the cost for each as of my sailing- Cagney's $30, La Cucina $15, Le Bistro $20, Moderno $ 20. Sushi at Ginza a la carte.

[Sue Do'nym]

Love the review so far! We also plan on doing the Capilano Sus. Bridge and Grouse Mt., and the Fly over Canada - I am so glad you thought they were worthwhile!

 

Can you tell me the times of the main shows? Did they have it 2X? Ive seen the dailies where they only had one show a night and then Ive seen it where there was an early show and a repeat later on.

 

 

We all loved Capilano-go in the morning-it was getting so crowded as we were leaving! Fly Over Canada was awesome as well. The Main shows were at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm in the Stardust theater. We never went-mostly because we set dining at 7:30 pm. I would have set the dining time for 5:30 or 6pm if I had known show times. The ship always had a lot going on-music everywhere so I never felt I missed out by not catching the shows. Have a great trip!

[Sue Do'nym]

(sorry for delay-that whole work thing keeps getting in the way of having fun)

On to Juneau! Today we have booked through NCL the Whale Watching Mendenhall Glacier Tour. Based on my extensive reading of cc...I had wanted to book Harv & Marv but I have nervous nellies in my group who are terrified of being left in port so they wanted to go through NCL to have the reassurance they would not be stuck in Juneau should something go wrong. Early wake up and off to try the buffet at 7am to see if going earlier helps...not so much...I wander around and finally end up in the Moderno section-which is perfect! They have an omelet station and a waffle station right next to each other. Otherwise a fruit bar, some bread, no toaster. No visible way to order a Pepsi...Overall I am pleased and once again the advice from previous reviewers is correct-it is much easier to navigate the Moderno section and easier to find a seat! We meet at the Atrium cafe where I am able to easily indulge in my soda habit until the boat is cleared at 10 am. Our meeting spot is off the boat and easy to spot. We are quickly directed to the correct bus-keep your group together if you want to spend the day together-you could end up on separate buses even if on the same excursion...unless that is what you want-there was one guy who chose a different bus from his wife on purpose. The boat was comfortable-binoculars were provided and there is space for everyone on the boat to have a comfortable seat and a good view. There are two observation decks, one above and one below. The naturists were great-informative and funny. Within 10 minutes of leaving the dock we actually see a baby whale breach. Our naturist is very quick to explain this never happens and do not expect to see it again! No one got a picture it happened so fast but it was a once in a lifetime sight. The naturist explained the calf was trying to get its mother's attention so it could feed, so it jumped to get mom's attention who was feeding below. We saw a lot more whales that day-none breached, though I did get a whale tail picture! We also see sea lions play. On the boat they have a gift shop and a little snack bar-I have a burger and considering the facilities, it was not bad. Overall highly recommend the NCL Whale Watching Tour. Next we head to Mendenhall Glacier. This is the part I would like to do again. We are only given an hour and the more interesting trails start at an hour. My bro and sis in law decide to take the boys on the waterfall trail that according to the map is an hour-but it is only 2 miles and they are all runners so they know they can make it. I stick with the parental unit and we walk the observation/photo point which is only a 10 minute walk. I think the trail times are an exaggeration, but on a first visit, it is hard to know these things. The glacier is beautiful. We see people kayaking and can see those that made it to the waterfall trail. I head back to the nature center to catch the glacier film. It was interesting, but I would rather have hiked the waterfall trail. Afterwards, back to the bus. We are at the dock furthest from town and there is a shuttle that runs from the boat to town. Our bus driver drops off those that want to explore Juneau at the in town stop and takes the rest of us back to the boat. We had amazing weather-it is 75 and sunny. So I decide to head into full vacation mode and head straight for the pool deck to drink a pina colada in a lounge chair. Ahh...vacation. Tonight we have dinner at Moderno. It is excellent-the servers are great. We are able to get seconds of anything we request. My personal favorite was the lamb. The roasted pineapple spears are also a hit. They bring a selection of desserts that we all share, but nothing leaves an impression. Afterwards, I go to the photo wall with the mom-she is very into buying the photos. Sigh, this means I have to start cooperating with the photo people. I listen to the piano guy in the Windjammer. He is good, but is finishing up a game and it is not clear if anything else is going to happen-he puts on a tape and walks away so I start to leave...guess again-he was taking a break. He starts to play but I am committed to my exit. I really think cruise ship sleep is the best sleep. I may need to book another cruise to catch up on all the sleep I have lost since I got back! I leave my curtains open and watch us leave port...we move so slowly it is hard to tell if we even move. I keep my curtains open and am very confused throughout the night as I cannot tell if we are even moving. It never gets dark either! I knew that intellectually, but it was very different to experience it. I miss stars...

[Sue Do'nym]

Another early morning...I decide to check out the Great Outdoors this time-we have had warm weather but I still take a coat because it is a little chilly in the morning. The Great Outdoors is a good set up-they only have one side open at a time and I cannot find maple syrup anywhere...it is probably in the closed section. I run into the 3 stooges and we have a breakfast together. One thing I really liked about the Sun is that you did run into each other more than on the mega ships so even unplanned meals can happen.

For the first part of my day I wander Skagway on my own using my book with the walking tours-it is a very interesting town. Lots of history with a nice mix of touristy stuff. I stop at a couple of stores-one of my favorites is Kirmsies Curios (cannot remember correct spelling) They have neat jewelry and I buy a really cool necklace designed by a Russian artist for a reasonable price. I later am dragged into a more pushy jewelry store by a clerk who sees me admiring some necklaces in the window-I buy a whale tail necklace from her, which I felt was overpriced but may have been my reaction to the sales tactic of let me tell you it costs $800 but I will practically give it to you for $200! I liked the necklace and it was my choice to buy so I should not complain so much....My original plan was lunch on the ship but it is getting close to tour time so I decide to eat in town at the Skagway Brewing Company-another book recommendation. Great place-I sit at the bar to avoid service issues as I am short on time. They have interesting beers and the food is very good as well. I enjoy my popcorn shrimp and fries. Then I have to book it to get to the meeting place for the tour.

[Sue Do'nym]

As I am running to meet our tour group, I get a text from my family wondering where I am...I had run into a few of them in Skagway but we all did our own thing in the morning. I try to reply but no service! I make it to the meeting place with time to spare-they had the wrong time for meeting the tour so were there a half hour early-and some (DM-ahem) were having a minor freak out I would miss the train. We select our train car...you have to do this quickly-not a lot of time to select. After our experience look and see if anyone getting our your car has a serious camera-if they do...move to another car...Once again we had great weather-85 and sunny...but the train has no ac...and our car does not have any windows that open...so the only breeze comes through the open door...and it is not much of one, especially when the train is stopped. Even when the train is stopped, it is still hot. For this reason, we have a lot of unhappy people in our group on the train. The scenery is beautiful, but that is all there is to do...look at the pretty scenery...so not a favorite of our action loving group. Personally, I liked it. It was slow and a nice change of pace...but I had a fairly active morning. The scenery was nice. There was a nice outside platform on the front and back of each car to step out and take pictures. My only issue was with the photographers who hogged the outside area-the conductor and guides repeatedly said to take a picture and move aside so others could take a picture as well...we had one person at the front and one at the back who stayed in the best spot on the outdoor platform the whole trip! Sis got very irritated cause she could not get the pics she wanted. I elbowed the guy out of the way (politely) a few times to get pictures-he would move...but you had to move him...You cannot switch from car to car but it seemed every car had 1-2 of those. So if you choose this excursion-carefully inspect your fellow travelers and stay away from the serious photographer as they seemed more inclined to take on this role. As we came back down the mountain, two stops were offered, one at the train station-there was a gift shop and it was closer to town if you wanted to take another look at Skagway. A lot of our group got off here, because they were tired of sitting and figured it would be quicker to get back to the ship. (It was) The rest of us stayed on and sure enough, we had to sit and wait a good 15 minutes before the train track could be switched and we could head to the spot closer to the dock.

Back on the ship and ready for a snack, I hit the crepe station-amazing! It is the same place they serve the ice cream...also the waffle station in the main buffet in the morning.

Tonight's dinner is La Cucina. No issue with reservation, but the biggest table only seats 5 so we split into two groups of 4. I have the pesto pasta...it is ok...other big hits are the osso bucco and the steak & polenta. Overall, the pasta is ok...but the meat dishes are a hit. We have the best servers in this restaurant. Funny and friendly and super attentive. Post dinner, the grown ups discover the observation lounge-good mellow music and great bar service...plus the kids cannot seem to find it so bonus! (We love the kids, but some days you need a break)

[Sue Do'nym]

Another early morning! The Park Ranger has a talk scheduled at 7:15 am in the Observation lounge and since I am up anyway, I go to listen. The talk is more of a preview of things he is going to say later but I am glad I went. They also have a portable gift shop that they bring on board, so I buy a few things to support the national park. I then grab breakfast in Moderno-although selection is limited, they have my two favorites (omelets and waffles). I also grab my camera (the real one) and a book to keep myself entertained. I head back to the observation lounge. My plan was to sit and read and pop out when something interests me onto the deck...the plan does not last long...Glacier bay consists of 2 glaciers-one living, one dead...I quickly become some interested in the talk about the glaciers that is coming over the speaker to see what is described. The crew/captain/whoever is steering the boat does an excellent job of driving slowly into the bay and close up to the glaciers so all can see. The boat is turned multiple times. I end up at the very front and on the left hand side which is the best for viewing the still "live" glacier as you it see it first-but all sides get an equal chance to see it. Everyone at the front where I was would move aside and help others get pictures of the glacier or take pictures of themselves with the glacier. Eventually I headed down to the promenade deck to get some pictures from that angle. I see a small boat that has been to the glacier and is coming back to the boat-looks like NCL sent their own photographers out to the glacier and they are taking pictures of all of us taking pictures of them...the rest of the day is typical sea day. DM and I have lunch in main dining-we both are desperate to avoid the buffet. Dinner that night is Cagneys and after having tried every specialty on board-a definite hit!

[Sue Do'nym]

After a semi late night enjoying the observation lounge I sleep in for the sail in to Hubbard...I hear reports that it was very foggy...and there were huge ice chunks so our Captain declares that it is not safe to try to see Hubbard Glacier so we have headed back out to sea for a regular sea day. DM and I meet for lunch in the main dining and decide to see the special matinee show of Aaron Shaw-he is famous for one of those reality shows...which I do not watch so no clue which one-according to him he has a lot of opera in his normal set. But for this set he is doing a lot of 50s and 60s music, which makes DM happy...for some reason she thinks I will not know any of the songs:confused:but I do and he is very talented. I really wish we caught his standard show...so I highly recommend catching him if you are on the Sun...

More typical sea day relaxation-ie nap. The grown ups meet pre dinner in the observation lounge for drinks...Then off to Le Bistro for our last meal together on ship. We had discussed switching to a different specialty if there was another favorite, but everyone was happy with Le Bistro. Another great meal and although no one else stayed up-I hit the karaoke. There was a good crowd and everyone in there was having fun-which is the best part of karaoke-I like when the other people support the other singers-no matter the skill level, which they all did. Different person manning the Karaoke-I got the feeling this was the position all the entertainment staff suffered through...on other ships, one guy did all the karaoke-which I liked cause once they get to know me-they usually start giving me different things to sing which I would not think of...but it was fun and both times I did karaoke on this ship, I enjoyed-sign up was easy-it was by tablet and song selection was limited. Plus there was always a nice crowd. Anyway...off to bed following the karaoke!

[Sue Do'nym]

I love traveling with family because I did not pay attention to any of the disembarkation announcements but others did so I did not miss out on picking up tags because they were picked up for me. The 3 stooges, DF and Sis had to head back to the real world so they had selected the NCL Bus option to the Anchorage airport. DM, Big Bro and myself were headed on a little adventure courtesy of the Alaskan Railroad. DM booked the second portion of our trip through the Alaskan railroad company and other than some confusion at the first bit-everything went swimmingly and I would highly recommend. I apologize I do not know the cost but I saw it once and thought it was reasonable.

We had different disembarkation times so breakfast was on our own. I went to the main dining, but the menu was so limited-I would not recommend doing it on the last day. NCL Sun tries to keep you off the disembarkation floor but we all ended up there because that is where the coffee bar is! So we hung out and drank some additional diet Pepsi waiting to depart. We heard from the bus riders that they saw some wild life but the bus ride was long! When our group was called, we had no problems getting off the boat and finding our luggage. Next step was calling the number to find out where we were supposed to meet-luckily the Kennai Fjords tour had a booth and bus right where we exited. They put us in a group for the next bus, that bus dropped us off at the train depot, where we checked in and they took our luggage-and told us not to worry-it would make it on the train to Anchorage...we trust a lot of people with our luggage. We then our shuttled to Kennai Fjords tour location-they have some trouble locating us, but we are found and checked in-always carry your confirmation documents! We have a lot of time before the tour starts so we head to a local place for coffee and pancakes-delish!

[Sue Do'nym]

This was amazing-if you make it to Seward-take this tour! I had originally thought we had seen whales and wild life so what difference would this tour make? It was a completely different experience.

 

We were on a small boat-plenty of room although the seats were divided by a table which made it harder to get in and out than our whale watching tour. However, the boat was overall easier to get around and had a front viewing portion and back viewing portion. They also gave us a wildlife watching guide/checklist they we all enjoyed filling out. The first thing we saw was an otter playing as we left the dock. We saw whales-at one point we were surrounded by different types of whales-as Big bro said, we must be on top of something they want to eat! We saw so many sea lions. The scenery was incredible! Then we went to visit a glacier-I know...another glacier! But it was cool and different from what we had seen before and once again-with a smaller boat we were able to get even closer than we had on the Sun-We saw mountain goats beside the glacier-they are hard to spot at first, but once you spot them-you will see them again and again. Then we went to the bird watching spot-another amazing experience. So many different types of birds all in one area. The tour is long-there was a lunch provided and the naturists were excellent. I feel like all I can say was it was amazing because it was-highly recommend!