Need Advice from Veteran Alaska Cruisers

[JerseyMom]

O.K., some of these questions may seem a little stupid but I know next to nothing about Alaska cruises. We are planning on going on the Norwegian Star's August 20, 2006 Alaska cruise out of Seattle and I have a few questions.

 

1. Will we need to bring heavy jackets or will light jackets be enough? We will probably do a glacier and/or dog sledding trip.

 

2. Any point in even bringing a bathing suit? Will it be warm enough to swim in the outdoor pool?

 

3. I have read that it is well worth it to spend the extra for a balcony cabin so we currently have an AF booked. Are there any better views on one side of the ship as opposed to the other?

 

4. How noisey is it beneath the pool deck?

 

5. We are booked in a connecting cabin - is there a lot of noise from the other cabin through the door?

 

6. Are there many kids in late August on this cruise? My last cruise on the Dawn had 831 kids on board but you'd never have know it - you hardly ever saw them until the last night when there were groups of teenagers hanging out in the stairwells - they were polite, though and not loud.

 

Thanks!

[Don Haynes]

Yes, bring a light jacket, no need for a heavy jacket.

Yes, bring your swimsuit. There will be sunny 70-80 degree days, and the pool is open.

Either port or starboard will do.

I have never been on the deck below the pool, so I can't really say. But the ships seem quiet by my standards.

I have never heard any noise from a neighboring cabin. But I am sure if they party hard and loud I would. Luckily, they haven't yet.

In August many schools are still out, which means there will be kids aboard. To avoid the kids, do this cruise after Labor Day.

[JerseyMom]

Thanks, Don. Looks like I can pack a little lighter than I thought.

 

I don't want to completely avoid kids - I will be bringing my 10 year old. I was curious about how many are typically on board. Even 5 if they are allowed to run wild can make the week miserable for everyone. As I said, even though my Dawn cruise had 831 on board, you would never have known it - even my Dad commented that the staff must be doing a great job keeping them busy.

[Boo's Mom]

Hi JerseyMom~

 

A lined raincoat should be the heaviest garment you need. We have done Alaska twice....and the raincoat was perfect.

 

Also, I would recommend shorts, t-shirts, a sweatshirt(s), windsuits, etc...

We brought along a hat and gloves...and used them on more than one occasion.

 

I am in Texas. We typically have started school in mid-August. However, next summer.....we are starting school in September.

 

I know the East coast traditionally has not started until September.

 

So, yes...there will be kids on the ship when you sail in August. This is good, as your son will want to have fun with the other kids.

[JerseyMom]

I almost forgot about the rain gear I will need - then again we would need that almost anywhere we travel in August.

 

Boo's Mom - I can't believe how early schools in the South go back - this summer we were in a restaurant in Tennessee and the waitress asked my son if he was starting school the next day - it was only August 9th! I hope all of your schools are air conditioned - most of the schools in my town are not and even going back after Labor Day can be miserable.

 

One more question - what ports do you have to tender in?

[Boo's Mom]

I almost forgot about the rain gear I will need - then again we would need that almost anywhere we travel in August.

 

Boo's Mom - I can't believe how early schools in the South go back - this summer we were in a restaurant in Tennessee and the waitress asked my son if he was starting school the next day - it was only August 9th! I hope all of your schools are air conditioned - most of the schools in my town are not and even going back after Labor Day can be miserable.

 

One more question - what ports do you have to tender in?

 

BTW, I was born and raised in NJ.

 

So, I understand your question about the a/c. We had NO a/c when I was growing up.

 

However, only every once in a while do we hear of any building that is not air conditioned here in San Antonio. And...this is usually a very poor family that cannot afford to have it in their home. We are always having "fan drives" in the summer...to give to these people.

A/C is pretty much a necessity here.

Many folks (including myself) carry a sweater around...because buildings can get very cold with the A/C going all the time.

Today...it will reach 103 here in San Antonio.

 

Tenders: Icy Strait is one port that passengers will always have to tender. A new port that cannot accomodate ships yet.

 

I know we tendered @ Sitka....and I don't know if that port tenders all the time....or if it was just our ship.

 

Basically, if a port can handle a ship docked....it can only handle a few ships. If there are more than a few scheduled to be in port, they will schedule some of them to drop anchor out in the waters...and they will tender the passengers to shore.

 

It's no biggie. It takes a little bit of your time....to get on a tender, etc...

 

Your itinerary (that you get when you recieve your final documents) should tell you if your ship is scheduled to tender. However, you will officially know when you get on the ship.

 

Hope this helps....

[KAYEF]

You may want to call NCL (frequently) to make sure they are using all the ports they list..................

just an idea because of what happened last summer............:confused:

Alaska is always wonderful, exciting, gorgeous. :)

If you layer, you will always be plenty warm.

We rented a car in Juneau because we knew where to go (getting to Mendenhall Glacier is a no-brainer). It's a very small area, miles wise. It was much less expensive than shore excursions and we didn't have to deal with all the bus -stuff.

Be sure to go to one of our favorite museums in the entire world....

The Alaska State Museum. Actually, you can walk to it from the ship, but it's not published in any ship information.

Get a AAA book and tear out the sections for each port you will be going to; that will give you good ideas.

A hint..............it was misting (our only rain) the day of Hubbard Glacier and we had the BEST views from a lower deck (like 7 or 8) plus we were less wet!

You will love, love Alaska

and

be sure to enjoy Seattle first ................... or after. It's gorgeous and you can just walk everywhere from where the ship docks.........very different from most points of departure.

[KAYEF]

You may want to call NCL (frequently) to make sure they are using all the ports they list..................

just an idea because of what happened last summer............:confused:

Alaska is always wonderful, exciting, gorgeous. :)

If you layer, you will always be plenty warm.

We rented a car in Juneau because we knew where to go (getting to Mendenhall Glacier is a no-brainer). It's a very small area, miles wise. It was much less expensive than shore excursions and we didn't have to deal with all the bus -stuff.

Be sure to go to one of our favorite museums in the entire world....

The Alaska State Museum. Actually, you can walk to it from the ship, but it's not published in any ship information.

Get a AAA book and tear out the sections for each port you will be going to; that will give you good ideas.

A hint..............it was misting (our only rain) the day of Hubbard Glacier and we had the BEST views from a lower deck (like 7 or 8) plus we were less wet!

You will love, love Alaska

and

be sure to enjoy Seattle first ................... or after. It's gorgeous and you can just walk everywhere from where the ship docks.........very different from most points of departure.

[dter]

I'm thinking of going on that August 20th cruise myself. We're booked for August 13th on the Star, but apparently the same cabin is $130pp less on the 20th. Oh, and I also live in Jersey!

[CPT Trips]

I have a slightly differant take on some of your questions. We found that a polartech fleece worked well layered with either a light jacket or a rain jacket for glacier days. Be sure to take gloves (small and lightweight will be enough and easy to pack.

We enjoyed being out on the public decks when cruising the glaciers and scenic areas. I guess we like the company (also extra eyes to spot critters). This allowed us to save a few bucks by getting a regular cabin (rather than a balcony) and put it towards shore excursions. Just an option to consider.

[johnql]

1. Will we need to bring heavy jackets or will light jackets be enough? We will probably do a glacier and/or dog sledding trip.

2. Any point in even bringing a bathing suit? Will it be warm enough to swim in the outdoor pool?

3. I have read that it is well worth it to spend the extra for a balcony cabin so we currently have an AF booked. Are there any better views on one side of the ship as opposed to the other?

4. How noisey is it beneath the pool deck?

5. We are booked in a connecting cabin - is there a lot of noise from the other cabin through the door?

6. Are there many kids in late August on this cruise? My last cruise on the Dawn had 831 kids on board but you'd never have know it - you hardly ever saw them until the last night when there were groups of teenagers hanging out in the stairwells - they were polite, though and not loud.

1. Leave the heavy jacket at home. I would recommend a light, rainproof, hooded jacket or windbreaker. Think layers when approaching an Alaska cruise.

 

2. Bring your bathing suit. The temperature is unpredictable. You might find the temp suitable for outdoor swimming. You can also use the spa's indoor lap pool.

 

3. A balcony in Alaska is well worth it. Nothing like a leisurely room service breakfast on the balcony.

 

4-6. Can't really help you with these.

[calmac]

I suggest you take a look at the Alaska CC board on the Ports of Call section. The information available there is not ship specific but it covers all you ever need to know about Alaska - very comprehensive. Two contributors in particular - Budget Queen and Yukon - have very extensive knowledge of Alaska and cruising in Alaska. I found both the NCL board for ship info and the Alaska board for port info incredibly helpful prior to our Alaska cruise this summer.

 

I'm sure you'll have a great time sailing to Alaska.

[JerseyMom]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

 

Boo's Mom - I lived for a short while as a child in San Antonio (Air Force brat) and got my Master's degree from the U of T. My sister still lives in Austin. Our schools have no air conditioning because when they were built, they were built by builders in exchange for getting permits for these mega developments that we have all over Jersey back in the late 60's and early 70's. One way the builders cut corners was no central air conditioning.

 

Kayef - thanks for the suggestions. I know a lot of people were disappointed about missing Glacier Bay - I am keeping my fingers crossed that this won't be a problem for our trip. I think I am almost as excited about Seattle as I am Alaska - never been to Seattle before. I think we may spend a few days there both before and after.

 

dter - I noticed that the prices are even better on the following trip but that won't work for us because it is too close to the start of school. If that works for you, you might want to look into it. Otherwise, maybe we'll see you on the cruise - I don't think that there is a roll call started for that one yet.

 

CPT Trips - I have a light weight polartech fleece jacket that I think would work well - probably worth it to pack it. I am also putting on my list for the trip gloves - if I don't, I will forget to bring them. I've noticed a lot of people who mentioned that they got use out of the gloves.

 

johnql - we are definitely springing for the balcony - got spoiled on my first cruise and now I can't imagine cruising without one. DH has a tendency towards sea sickness so it really helps if he can step out into fresh air from time to time. I guess I'll bring one bathing suit just in case - instead of the 4 I usually bring when going on Carribean cruises.

 

Calmac - thanks for the info about the Alaska board - I took a peek and there is a lot of great stuff there.

[KeystoneCruiser]

1. Will we need to bring heavy jackets or will light jackets be enough? We will probably do a glacier and/or dog sledding trip.

 

2. Any point in even bringing a bathing suit? Will it be warm enough to swim in the outdoor pool?

 

3. I have read that it is well worth it to spend the extra for a balcony cabin so we currently have an AF booked. Are there any better views on one side of the ship as opposed to the other?

 

4. How noisey is it beneath the pool deck?

 

5. We are booked in a connecting cabin - is there a lot of noise from the other cabin through the door?

 

6. Are there many kids in late August on this cruise? My last cruise on the Dawn had 831 kids on board but you'd never have know it - you hardly ever saw them until the last night when there were groups of teenagers hanging out in the stairwells - they were polite, though and not loud.

 

Thanks!

 

Did the Star this year in July.

 

1.) Light jacket was sufficent, even in Glacier Bay. Didn't do dogsledding, so might need a heavy jacket for that. I found myself in either long sleeve shirts or a sweatshirt or the jacket every day, but no heavy coats.

 

2.) My daughter went swimming the day we left Seattle and the first part of the first sea day. She also went on the last full sea day, but didn't stay very long. I hardly ever saw anyone in the pools, but saw many people in the hot tubs.

 

3.) Balconies are definately worth it for Glacier Bay. It is so much nicer to sit there than to fight the crowds on the outside decks. The Captain turns the ship so all sides get great views of the glaciers.

 

4.) We were on Deck 10, so I can't answer this question, but we were directly below the Spinnaker Lounge on the Pride of Aloha in 2004 and never heard a thing.

 

5.) We had connecting cabins (Catagory BA) and although we had family in the connecting cabin and had the door open some, when it was closed, we never heard a thing. (and my nephew crys and screams a lot)

 

6.) We went in late July, there were quite a few kids and they were annoying. Especially the pre-teens. They didn't like kids club or teen club and didn't go. Instead they chose to run the halls and stairwells. Almost knocked my elderly mother down some stairs. I was told by one boy that I could not use an elevator because they were using it for "elevator tag" and I would make him lose. Used it anyway and got to listen to his foul mouth yelling at me for the next three floors. When I complained to the Reception Desk, they replied that "kids will be kids" and did nothing about it. Someone is going to get seriously injured if that kind of behavior is tolerated on all cruises on the Star.

 

In conclusion. Love the Star, my favorite ship. Great itinerary and great ports. Alaska is undescribable in words. Have a great trip.

[calmac]

We sailed out of Seattle on the Dream this summer. We stayed in the Westin in a Puget Sound view room. It was lovely to wake up in the morning and see OUR ship!! That made me even more excited about our cruise, if that were possible. :D

[mccruzer]

1-I took a lightweight jacket with a zip out fleece liner, worked great. DONT forget the gloves:) We did a helicopter landing and it was cold!

2-Though it didn't rain once, I didn't see anyone use the pool, but some used the jacuzzi's.

3-Gotta have a blacony! We had an AB on the port side and while both sides see Glacier Bay, our side definitely had a lot more viewing time than the starboard side. Had friends in for breakfast, it was perfect.

4-No noise at all from our connecting room.

5-My 4 yr old son was one of only 40-something kids on the entire cruise. Everyone was back in school for the most part, so he and his friend had the run of the Kids Crew, especially during the late night hours. It was them plus the magicians daughter. They had a blast.

 

It was our first cruise and thought the Star was great!