CruzLover80 Posted June 8, 2015 #1 Share Posted June 8, 2015 So we just got in last night from Seattle and I'm in a position to write a little something about our trip on the NCL Jewel. And YES, I did say cruising Alaska on a budget. By no means, I'm saying you'll spend under a grand, I suppose you could if you lived in Seattle but having to fly from Florida to Seattle and stay in hotels and worry about transportation etc... it can all be time consuming and costly. A little about ourselves, my husband and I have been married for a couple years. We are middle aged, our children are 15 and 20 and we did not travel with us. I'm not a blogger or anything, just a person writing a review, LOL. I will try to cut out all the useless information but will answer any questions you may have. Soo... here we go... and please remember this is budget friendly traveling! Seattle We stayed in the Ramada Tukwila/Sea Tac on Valley Highway (there are 4 so make sure of the address). We paid $84. a night with our AARP. The hotel offered a free shuttle to and from the airport and free shuttle to/from the link (both 24 hours). The room was very clean and comfortable. Hotel offered a pretty extensive free "continental" breakfast, not your standard muffin and coffee. Actually had hot breakfast items, eggs, sausage, waffles etc. I was very impressed and this saved us a couple bucks. Hotel is close to Amtrak and mall, both within walking distance but shuttle will transport you for free. We took the Link to downtown and did some sightseeing and returned to the hotel in the evening. We had made reservations with Matt from Seattle Express to pick us up at the hotel and take us to the pier (and we used them for our return as well). $12. p/p each way. It was extremely convenient. There were many hotels guests taking the link, but were waiting for some bit for the shuttle (especially if they did not make reservations) then had to walk with bags in tow to the port. Not my idea of fun. It was worth spending the $ for door to door service. On our return, we booked the Ramada Limited Tukwila on International for $55. for the night with AARP. It was just for the one night stay and also offered free shuttle to/from airport with the standard continental breakfast. Although it served its purposes, I would have preferred to spend the extra $30 to stay in the other Ramada. It was just nicer, newer and the bed was more comfortable. NCL JEWEL - CRUISE We had originally booked an inside cabin and upgraded to a guarantee balcony for an additional $540 (with an additional $200 OBC) when prices hit rock bottom the week prior to sailing. Although, I didn't plan on spending the extra $ for a balcony, I am extremely glad we did. We were in a aft cabin on the 10th deck, starboard. Good location, no noise whatsoever. The food was good and so was service. We did not eat in any specialty restaurant, but was pleasantly surprised to find out Chin Chin was free (I don't remember ever reading this online). If you don't mind the cooler weather, my suggestion is to grab breakfast at the Great Outdoors (aft) as there was always seats available. I thought the service was a snidge better in Tsar's then Azura (ambiance is better here though). We saw the Le Cirque Luminescence and the comedian Dave Nester show, both were great. This cruise didn't lend to a "party" environment, so we never checked out the late night venues. Plus adjusting to the time was different for us (we are from Florida). We did see plenty of whales blowing their "stacks" and some tips of mouths or dorsal fins, but not breaching (like in the movies), LOL. Ports Ketchikan - We took the city bus to Totem Bight Park for a whopping $1 p/p each way. The park was free to walk and was beautiful. Caught the bus back and walked around Ketchikan. If your going to purchase anything in port, please pay the extra and buy from the authentic shops. Nothing against the larger stores, but I would prefer to support the local economy with hand crafted items. Juneau - We took the Blue MGT Express for $20 p/p, r/t to the Mendenhall glacier. We took the mile hike to the glacier and water fall and it was absolutely BREATHTAKING. Although, I have been told it was no-frills with no explanation of the drive to Mendenhall, our driver was awesome!! A native that shared many stories of points and scenery and local tales. Upon return, we walked around the city and got back on ship. Make sure you plan according with time, so that you can allow for incidentals. Our bus going to the glacier broke down before it even left the port. They brought another bus and took us (resolved within 30 minutes). I don't make a big deal about things like that but that's exactly why I plan to be back in town within 2 hours of sailing. There were a large grouping of eagle by the port and on our route to/from the glacier. Skagway - With the additional OBC we received, we did the White Scenic Pass train with NCL. It was definitely a beautiful view. My DH loved it, I thought it was overpriced, although, I am glad we did it. Next time, we plan on driving up to the Yukon (as was our initial plan before OBC). Alternatively, I did see tours taking that route for $45 at the port. Sawyer Glacier - We were originally told that the ship would do a full 360 so that all balcony cabins can get a front view of the glacier. Well we ended up doing about a 270 and starboard cabins never got a full frontal view. Since we were aft, we did get a great view of it. You may want to head up to the observation area, we didn't because we felt our view was just as good. Grab a bottle of wine and enjoy the view. There were plenty of seal pups on floating ice. Victoria - We took the shuttle for $10 p/p, r/t from the port to downtown, but I later found out, there was a city bus that we could have taken for a couple dollars from the port. We walked around downtown, did a free tour at the legislative building (absolutely stunning), Chinatown, a couple of alleys, etc. All in all, Victoria is a very beautiful eclectic city. Overall, this was definitely a trip of a lifetime, one that we will definitely do again. This part of the country is absolutely stunning! So ask away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruzLover80 Posted June 8, 2015 Author #2 Share Posted June 8, 2015 Oh one more thing! Packing I notoriously am an overpacker and a procrastinator. This trip required me to do some planning. I took out everything I was planning on packing and cut it in half. Both my husband and I, went for 10 days with just carryon luggage for each of us. I packed 3 pairs of jeans (different color), 1 pair of black slacks, and a bunch of t-shirts a couple of long sleeve shirts and 1 pair of boots, dress flats and a pair of sneakers. We used space saver bags, which helped tremendously. Most of my outfits were interchangeable and stayed within the same color scheme. NCL is definitely the cruiseline to use for Alaska, no need to dress up and bring unnecessary clothing. We did laundry at the hotel prior to sailing, took advantage of the $19.95 laundry special onboard. Hint* - use a pillow case inside the paper bag and roll your clothing in the bag to get the most bang for your buck. Bring a bathing suit and a pair of shorts. When I was told this I laughed like people were crazy. We live in Florida and there is no way I'm wearing shorts/bathing suit in 75 degree weather. LOL. In Ketchikan, I put on my bathing suit and was sunning. The weather was absolutely beautiful!!! I agree with everyone layers. It's cooler in the mornings and it's always colder on your balcony then it is in port. We ended up taking off our jackets (not coats) most afternoons in port, we had light waterproof jackets that served it's purpose. The coldest weather was in Skagway, our jackets stayed on and sometimes we used our hats as it was drizzling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saraphine Posted June 8, 2015 #3 Share Posted June 8, 2015 Thank you for posting your review! I feel your pain about the cost flying in and hotels add to your vacation. I always have to do the opposite...west coast down to Florida! The time change, even though only three hours, can be a doozy! I wish that my local port had more exciting cruises leaving from it, I would be on a cruise ship every weekend if that were so! :D There's only so much Alaska and Pacific Coastal a girl can handle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruzLover80 Posted June 8, 2015 Author #4 Share Posted June 8, 2015 I had made up my mind that I would try to stick to Florida time but with the meal schedule on the ship, that went wayward within the first two days. I woke up at noon today and wasn't able to go back to sleep until 2am Florida time. It weird how quick your body adjusts. It's going to be a little hard going to work tomorrow, LOL. Living in Florida, we have always just been able to hop on a ship with no real plans. This was really different for us. I can officially say I feel your pain with all the planning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amarvel Posted June 8, 2015 #5 Share Posted June 8, 2015 That's a bummer about the 360 view that's about what happened to us 2 years ago. But 3 weeks ago on the jewel we did the 360 twice around each side got 2 or 3 views. But it depends on the ice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruzLover80 Posted June 9, 2015 Author #6 Share Posted June 9, 2015 That's a bummer about the 360 view that's about what happened to us 2 years ago. But 3 weeks ago on the jewel we did the 360 twice around each side got 2 or 3 views. But it depends on the ice. That would've been great. Like I said, it wasn't like we didn't get to see it, we absolutely did, just not head on. Plus the wine tasted better on our balcony, LOL. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenseib Posted June 9, 2015 #7 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Any pictures??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruzLover80 Posted June 9, 2015 Author #8 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Any pictures??? I will see if I can upload any. I was having difficulties the other day. What type of pics are you interested in? I have few of the ship, mostly in port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenseib Posted June 9, 2015 #9 Share Posted June 9, 2015 I will see if I can upload any. I was having difficulties the other day. What type of pics are you interested in? I have few of the ship, mostly in port. I'm all about visual so any is great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruzLover80 Posted June 9, 2015 Author #10 Share Posted June 9, 2015 I'm all about visual so any is great! I do have dailies as well. Let me see what I can do when I get home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finn girl Posted June 11, 2015 #11 Share Posted June 11, 2015 We too are traveling from Florida to cruise Alaska on the NCL Jewel. Arrive a day early in Seattle, staying at Crowne hotel, and a day afterwards as well (different hotel) and flying home on AA the next day. Never been on NCL. Recommendations? Food? Activities on ship? So did you do any other excursions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
js4rq Posted June 11, 2015 #12 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Sounds like you had a great cruise, cheers for the review! If you have any photos of the ports, please share! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruzLover80 Posted June 11, 2015 Author #13 Share Posted June 11, 2015 We too are traveling from Florida to cruise Alaska on the NCL Jewel. Arrive a day early in Seattle, staying at Crowne hotel, and a day afterwards as well (different hotel) and flying home on AA the next day. Never been on NCL. Recommendations? Food? Activities on ship? So did you do any other excursions? NCL is not that much different from any other line. I always like to see the shows, we saw Luminescence that was good, as well as the comedian and Tina Turner tribute. Honestly for me, between the time difference and all the walking in ports, I was too exhausted to visit any late night venues. So I really cannot comment on them. For the most part, the gentleman singing in the atrium was AWESOME! The cruise does not lend to partying, more so, sit back with a glass of wine and listen to some music. In regards to activities, there is always something going on. We did partake in the liquor tasting :D. That was the most generous guy ever. We are not much drinkers, but he kept handing out those little cups. Free drinks, sure why not! You can never go wrong with food. :). My favorite was the bbq that they do poolside at lunch time. They really pull out a large bbq, which I had never seen on any other NCL or Carnival ship (usually bbq inspired food) not an actual bbq. I am not sure if most of the ship went to specialty dining because it was a breeze every time I went to the MDR. I believe we ate in the buffet 3 nights. Those were the only excursions we did. The time in the ports didn't really allow us to take any other excursions. We are not the type of couple that needs to fill every minute, so we do have a lot of down time. Same thing with being onboard. The scenery is so beautiful that we really just enjoyed sitting on the balcony and watching it go by. We are so used to the Caribbean and just the vast ocean, it's nice to see the passing mountains, birds, whales etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruzLover80 Posted June 11, 2015 Author #14 Share Posted June 11, 2015 I have tried uploading pictures, but for some reason it's not allowing me. Does anyone know any better way to have pictures uploaded other than trying to attach on cruise critic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenseib Posted June 11, 2015 #15 Share Posted June 11, 2015 I have tried uploading pictures, but for some reason it's not allowing me. Does anyone know any better way to have pictures uploaded other than trying to attach on cruise critic? Yes. don't load directly....it's a pain. You need to upload your photos to a host. like flickr or photobucket. If you upload to photobucket, then copy the IMG link and paste is here. If you load to Flickr then copy the BBCode and paste it here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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