An NCL Sun Experience: 22nd August to 5th Sept

[AquaMarineFerret]

In relative terms it is not all that far from Juneau to Skagway, so we really ought not to have been surprised to find that, when we awoke on Friday morning, it was another grey day. We were later told that, due to the local geography and weather systems, the general rule is that, dependent on wind direction, what the one gets weather-wise one day, the other gets 24hrs later.

 

Since our scheduled excursion wasn’t meeting until after 10am, we had a bit of a lie-in and were leisurely in getting ready to head out for breakfast. Mistake! We arrived at the Seven Seas MDR and found they had just finished serving for the morning! We had little choice other than to risk joining the queues at the buffet. My wife was not at all happy about this because of the risk of gluten contamination. With great trepidation she grazed on fresh fruit, yoghurt, sliced cheese and then brightened up when she discovered the cartons of chocolate milk and then the fresh-made omelettes. It was also possible to request GF toast and English muffins (although these had a habit of arriving belatedly or not at all). Even better (in my opinion) was that the coffee was decidedly better than that being served in the MDRs and went very well with the Danish pastries. I pigged out on Danish and water melon – a good balanced diet. ;)

 

Of course, the breakfast buffet was a bit of culture shock. It was a far cry from the relaxed gentility of the MDR breakfast and table service. Here you had to watch out for kids underfoot, fellow passengers who tend to look right through you with a cold thousand yard stare as they seem intent on walking over you rather than dream of acknowledging your existence and maybe stepping to one side, and those who just don’t seem conscious of anyone or anything around them when they’re grazing. You have to have your wits about you to avoid crushed toes or wearing your breakfast or someone else’s. And what’s with the compulsion to pile everything on one plate? Don’t people realise they can go back for more than one visit? Mmmm, pain au chocolat and baked beans – yum! Yes, the Garden Café buffet was an interesting experience; one we opted to try only for some of our breakfasts.

 

So, five days into our cruise we learned that the buffet was not that bad for breakfast after all, but more importantly, to check your dailies carefully – depending on the ship’s itinerary, the timings of the opening hours can change quite significantly.

 

Disembarking in time for a leisurely stroll into town, we ran the gauntlet of over-friendly furry critters and their camera-wielding confederates. Curiously, despite the previous afternoon’s experience, we shunned the shuttle service, preferring to brave the slightly damp weather and take some exercise. Skagway isn’t anywhere near as large as Juneau – it’s quite compact. Aside from a couple of quick visits to jewellery stores for the free trinkets on offer (assuming you can fend off the attempts to inspire interest in the main merchandise) it was no more than 10 minutes or so walk to the popcorn emporium (sensory overload!) Here we joined our Deluxe Yukon Sightseeing Tour engagingly conducted by Bryan. He drove us straight back to the dock to pick up two passengers from the Sun (fume) where an ambulance arrived amid much speculation as to whether it was picking up or delivering. Apparently, medical personnel are in short supply in Skagway, so the presence of cruise ships is a bonus. We then took a short tour around part of the town, before departing on the only road in/out (Tsunami evacuation route :eek:) and then across the border into Canada.

 

Despite the grey skies and intermittent drizzle, the 6hr tour was very scenic, interesting and entertaining. Bryan was a mine of information about the area as well as a great story teller. Our small coach party of about a dozen had a very enjoyable time, including a BBQ lunch (gluten free despite prior information to the contrary – assuming you didn’t try the home-made doughnuts) at the dog mushers’ camp and museum. Some members of the party had signed up for the extra experience of a dog sled ride, but we had one planned for later on our excursion list. When I got separated from my wife it was an easy matter of tracking her down: I went straight to the ‘meet the puppies’ area! Cuteness Overload! :D

 

Our drive through the landscape was varied and, if not always beautiful, certainly ruggedly majestic. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see it with a pleasing mixture of blue skies and cloud for that balance of light and contrast, but it was certainly worth visiting even on a day that refused to brighten up (until, that is, the ship was leaving!) Maybe things would be better on our return?

 

Wildlife? We saw a black bear behind. We may have seen a brown bear but it may have been a shadow, or a bush, or a tree stump, or…well, whatever it was it was “THERE!” “Where?!” “Right in front of you!” “Well give us a clue!” “There, in front of you!” We gave up. Also, the less said about the mountain goats and the woolly mammoth sighting at the dog musher camp the better, but suffice it to say, you need to visit to understand. Right at the end of the trip we did manage to cause a traffic jam on the only road into/out of Skagway as my wife, looking in the right direction at the right time – again – spotted a large brown bear on the hillside opposite, just as we were beginning the descent back toward town. So we had several vehicles backed up as their occupants admired the fine beast as it settled down for a nice siesta.

 

Returning to town, we did another small tour of the couple of blocks we missed on the way out, complete with guidance as to the best free wifi location, the messiest neighbours, the creepiest house, and what the local school kids get up to on prom night (allegedly). We thanked and tipped Bryan handsomely, leaving him sprawled in the gutter and headed for the nearest bar to celebrate our first bear. ;)

 

Finally, as I mentioned earlier, the weather began to cheer up a little as we walked back to the ship and, as it departed Skagway we saw some tantalising glimpses of the magnificent mountainous scenery around the town.

 

Once aboard we prepared ourselves, dressing up a little more than usual, because Friday was the day we had agreed on giving one of the speciality restaurants a try. Intrigued by the reports on CC, we had opted for the La Moderno churrascaria. If we thought the MDRs refined by comparison with the Garden Café, this was another step up. We liked the quiet and calm world we stepped into once past the greeter’s podium. It wasn’t a particularly busy night, so we were quickly shown to a table for two at one of the windows where we could enjoy the improving weather and coastline it revealed. A quick discussion with the staff reassured my wife that they knew not to ‘poison’ her with gluten and then the parade of courses began.

 

A couple of words of warning here: this is a carnivore-fest and not for the small of appetite. I could have dined all evening at the ‘salad buffet’ alone! Neither of us was fully prepared for the constant bombardment of new meat variations that were presented to us. I fear that in the end we failed to do La Moderno justice – we simply could not fit everything in! I recommend that you eat very sparingly during the day you have a reservation here and ensure you are properly hungry when you sit down at the table. The food was very tasty, interesting to try and (if you didn’t turn your little red/green token red side up) continuous. As ever, the staff were lovely: all smiles and happy to help. Yes, we enjoyed the experience but decided not to repeat it on this voyage – maybe the next time…suitably starved and prepared.

 

That evening, having tracked Colibri down to the Observation Lounge, we relaxed with a couple of after dinner drinks. Well, I say relaxed, but an undercurrent of tension remained: I was still finding it difficult to reconcile myself to paying $27+ for two ‘long pour’ glasses of North & South wine (the kind for which we would pay $6-$7 per bottle at home) and my wife was still stressing over MDR breakfast times - I had singularly failed in obtaining the daily for Saturday! For some reason she took it upon herself to ask a nearby unsuspecting couple if they knew the breakfast times. Next thing I know, when I return from the bar, we’re all at the same table and, for the remainder of the cruise, they were our favoured evening companions. Thanks to our friends from Florida for making the experience that bit extra special – you were great company and responsible for us staying up well beyond sensible bed times with early starts for excursions!

[AquaMarineFerret]

Saturday was Glacier Bay Day. No need to be worried about missing the Seven Seas MDR – we were up well early! Rendezvous with the glaciers was 8am so we weren’t going to be late. The Observation Lounge and its outside deck beckoned and we knew they would quickly fill up. We were not wrong.

 

Overnight a minor miracle had occurred: the clouds had rolled away. We approached Glacier Bay in beautiful early morning sunshine, marvelling at the landscape as the sun gradually rose and played across the hills & mountains, the water and the ice – wow! National Park Rangers had by now joined the ship and their informative talk was probably the best use to which the ship’s PA system had been put to-date!

 

At this time of day, a good set of layers was appreciated (as were the hot drinks and snacks arranged in the lounge). A very ‘fresh’ wind blows from the ice but believe me, you want to be outside for the maximum experience and enjoyment of the spectacle. We visited Marjorie and then Lamplugh, each different but both gorgeous and set in magnificent surroundings. At both stops the ship slowly pirouetted on the spot to give everyone a view wherever they were on the vessel. The glaciers obligingly calved for us. A sight and sound not to be missed. Allow me to put this word to good and proper use: “AWESOME!” :p

 

In some ways, following the encounter with Glacier Bay, the rest of the day was kind of anti-climatic. The weather remained fine, the sea placid and the coastline a joy to watch as it glided by. I prowled the decks wanting more: a raft of sea otters waving merrily or juggling shells, a pod of Orca leaping in a chase for salmon or sea lion, a demonstration of bubble net feeding by Humpbacks… Yes, pure greed! Instead I had to be content with the first decent sunset of the cruise and…a green & white stripy swan(?) The Hubbard encountered beckoned, billed as bigger and better. “Ice Ice Baby…!”

 

Ah, but I almost forgot. Earlier in the week we had been intrigued and amused by the signs for Rock You Tonight that had suddenly appeared. It turned out not to be ‘tonight’ when you read the information; it was Saturday night. We decided that if, after our evening meal there was still room in the Stardust, we would give it a go. For a free show it wasn’t at all bad. The performers were full of energy and enthusiasm and the musicians accomplished. To be honest, we both agreed that the lead male singer wasn’t as good as he thought he was and that Simon Cowell would make mincemeat of him, but we enjoyed the show very much. The music was a good cross-section of the kind of music we enjoy, ticking a good few boxes and straying into other music genres despite the rock emphasis. Yes, good fun and entertainment to pass the evening away. But it didn’t stop there: next up were members of the crew for some extra light relief. Nice to see them taking the time and joining in the fun. Obviously they don’t take themselves too seriously, which is a pleasant touch. Plenty of happy smiling faces all around. :)

 

This was by direct comparison with our experience with NCL itself. We finally received a letter (dated 29th Aug and clearly chiefly aimed at passengers joining the ship in Seward), attached to the cabin door, confirming the much-discussed itinerary change ("Dear Valued Guests..." - ha!) Yes, Juneau and Icy Strait Point would, indeed, be visited in reverse order. You don’t say? Is there any sensible reason you could not have told us this weeks ago? You cannot claim you didn’t know it would happen. Fortunately, our excursion company had contacted us well in advance and we were ready for the change. Well, mostly…

[AquaMarineFerret]

Oh, you are kidding!?! Another silly o’clock get-up?! Yep, rendezvous with the Hubbard itself was scheduled for 7am and entry to the bay an hour before that! We reckoned that anyone caught out the day before was going to be extra keen to be there on the front row today. So we dragged ourselves out of bed and off to breakfast not long after 6am. Yes, we’re glad we did since you ask!

 

The sun had barely begun to climb over the mountains, making the approach very dramatic with the strong contrasts of light and dark, together with a fine assortment of clouds to add to the impact of the scene. We seemed to crawl toward the glacier crouching at the head of the inlet; grasping the scale and perspectives was not easy at first. It was only when the facts and figures were announced that brain and eyes made headway in putting it all together. No wonder the captain kept his distance when executing that slow rotation – there were 4-5 storey chunks breaking off the thing!

 

Again, that unrelenting wind assailed us as we approached. Once again we were grateful of our layers and also of more good weather. Yes, and getting our paws on a warm mug of something in the lounge afterward! Interestingly, due to the local topography, when we neared the glacier the strong cold wind shut off. We reached a point in the lee of glacier and mountains where we were sheltered. Excellent planning! ;)

 

Indeed, it was fortunate that the wind dropped because it had been whipping away the commentary of our Park Ranger (Sophie?) With the constant excitable conversation of those on the front deck together with the powerful breeze it was difficult to hear more than a fraction of what was being relayed to us over the PA system. It was just as well we returned the following week to hear it all again!

 

Up on the Observation Deck, with the length of the glacier face and all the surrounding grandeur it was difficult to know which way to look at any point in time. The sun's (and Sun's) progress kept picking out new features, the ice changed colour continuously, there were cracks and groans and reports as the ice shifted and then, every now and then, huge chunks fell into the sea, followed by the rolling roar of ‘White Thunder’.

 

In the throng it was easy to miss some of the calving events because you simply could not adjust your position or, indeed, see over or around fellow tourists. You picked a spot and stayed put, hoping that sooner or later the slow pirouette of the ship would give you a prime view of a really good 4-5 storey collapse of an icy pinnacle. So, this is where my earlier recommendation comes into play: give the Promenade Deck a try.

 

Incidentally, I simply detest the overuse of the word “AWESOME!” It seems to have become an adjective to describe anything from, more often than not, the trivial things like the simple act of paying the bill in a bar to describing the power of a tsunami or the vastness of space. How to belittle a word that is supposed to convey power, majesty and wonder! :( Describing the encounter with the Hubbard as “AWESOME!” seems in today’s world, to me anyway, inadequate. Therefore here’s one for you: “Awe-and-then-some!” :D

 

And all too suddenly (about an hour later) we were turning our back on the Hubbard Glacier and returning down the bay, by now drenched in golden sunlight. I have not dared count the number of photos taken on the glacier days of our cruise, but I would guess (without taking time to open up those folders on my groaning laptop) that of the 4000+ I took during our two weeks, the majority must have been during those few hours. You won’t envy me trying to pick out the best shots for a holiday montage!

 

Sunday then became just another sea day: reading the Kindle and keeping an eye (and ear) open for wildlife. How can so much ocean seem so devoid of life? Because 99% of that life is below the surface, you idiot! One brief sighting of a passing humpback and maybe a sea otter (small floating log that rolled and dived) was my lot. I’m sounding ungrateful aren’t I? But how do you follow a class act like the Hubbard? The rest of the day was another anti-climax and nature plays by its own rules. We were, as it turns out, increasingly lucky and were thankful because from what we heard the weather was being uncommonly kind, allowing rare views of the coastal icy peaks marching away into the far distance. Alaska is HUGE!

 

To be fair, there was one highlight to the afternoon of Day 7 – the motion of the ocean and the swimming pool. Located on the upper sun deck, we couldn’t see the pool area, but when I got off the sun bed to fetch a drink, I returned quickly to fetch my wife. A combination of the ocean swell (nothing major as far as we had been aware), the ship’s course and who knows what else was creating a wave machine effect. The aft end of the pool would alternately vary between almost empty to overflowing with a cresting wave. The kids were having a whale of a time! The Health & Safety Police would have kittens! Fortunately, the Fun Police weren’t in attendance and the kids continued to have a great time. It was good fun to watch too; so unexpected.

 

I would like to say at this point that with very few exceptions I found the motion of the ship very smooth. In fact, on occasion it was almost as if we were stationary and a vast CGI screen was being shown to us – it was strangely unreal. Again, we were lucky with the weather: even the dull wet days had relatively calm seas. The only time it got uncomfortable was in the Seven Seas MDR when what I presume (with no information to contradict me) that some form of adjustment was made to the ship’s engines/propulsion system. This was noisy and caused a good deal of juddering, quite uncharacteristic by contrast with the rest of our progress when underway. I can’t quite bring myself to think of the crew throwing the propellers into reverse, but that’s how it felt. I kept thinking of The Hunt for Red October and felt like crying out: “Captain, we’re cavitating!”

 

With the excitement of changeover day ahead of us we finally retired to our cabin to be greeted by our new daily and towel critter: a camel? No, there's no hump - it could be a brontosaurus? Erm? :confused: We had been informed that there was no set programme or logic to the appearance if these fun creations. Each steward decorated his/her rooms according to whatever skill set he/she had and was comfortable with. We noted in passing one room with its door open that the resident towel beastie had been adorned with a pair of the occupant's sunglasses. :)

Edited September 28, 2016 by AquaMarineFerret

[karoo]

 

 

 

This was by direct comparison with our experience with NCL itself. We finally received a letter (dated 29th Aug and clearly chiefly aimed at passengers joining the ship in Seward), attached to the cabin door, confirming the much-discussed itinerary change ("Dear Valued Guests..." - ha!) Yes, Juneau and Icy Strait Point would, indeed, be visited in reverse order. You don’t say? Is there any sensible reason you could not have told us this weeks ago? You cannot claim you didn’t know it would happen. Fortunately, our excursion company had contacted us well in advance and we were ready for the change. Well, mostly…

 

 

Ha! Ha! Yes NCL were the last ones to let us know.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[easyboy]

Really enjoy reading your review! Following.

[pokerpro5]

Enjoying this review. Very British!

 

I assume you were referring to my NCL Sun review (from August 2014) when you talked about the "critical review" which raised the issue with the "Cruise the Inside Passage" claim for Day 2. I see you experienced the same disappointment.

 

Note that this didn't stop various trolls and NCL cheerleaders from bashing me for pointing this out.

 

How did your experience on the Sun compare to mine? Anything else I wrote which rang true two years later?

 

My review is in my signature.

[AquaMarineFerret]

Enjoying this review. Very British!

 

I assume you were referring to my NCL Sun review (from August 2014) when you talked about the "critical review" which raised the issue with the "Cruise the Inside Passage" claim for Day 2. I see you experienced the same disappointment.

 

Note that this didn't stop various trolls and NCL cheerleaders from bashing me for pointing this out.

 

How did your experience on the Sun compare to mine? Anything else I wrote which rang true two years later?

 

My review is in my signature.

 

Interesting - I will read your detailed review and respond in due course.

[AquaMarineFerret]

Carefully checking our daily for Monday 29th August and cross-referencing our own itinerary, we discovered we would be able to take it easy whilst the ship emptied of the majority of guests: after all, it docked at 5am or earlier! :eek: The daily was informative and encouragingly detailed in coverage of the disembarkation process – we studied it with interest in preparation for a week hence. That morning, as we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, the colour-coded sequence counted down and baggage-wheeling passengers rapidly diminished. We relaxed and kept out of the way as much as possible, enjoying the touching scenes as fond farewells were exchanged.

 

We had already received advance notification that although there would be no need to move cabin, pack our luggage and be processed through customs again, or any other major inconveniences, we would have to visit Customer Services and be issued with our new Freestyle passes after breakfast on changeover day. Aside from fellow passengers who thought that the queuing system was optional, this was no problem. Yes, we did have an excursion booked, but it wasn’t an early one. Soon after breakfast we were proudly displaying new, sea green passes on our lanyards, basking in the warm glow of knowing we were now fully-fledged Bronze members of the Latitudes programme. Woo-hoo! :rolleyes:

 

By the time we chose to leave the ship for the day there was little in the way of traffic going our way and even the furry critters were seemingly in hibernation. Delivered to our room along with the information about changeover were stickers to be displayed prominently, identifying us as returning passengers.

 

Going ashore was a breeze – we were warmly welcomed and directed toward the main building by friendly local ladies urging us to spend lots of money in their town! Quickly marching through, flashing our smiles, stickers and passes, we joined a milling throng of people who were booked on tours, booked on transfers or looking for a free shuttle into town. We were scheduled to meet our excursion at 10.45am so had time to see a little of Seward beforehand, though preferably not the dock area where we had stalled.

 

Our original plan was to catch a shuttle into the centre and either walk or shuttle bus it back to the rail depot where we would join our trip. After several minutes we realised the apparent futility of trying to go anywhere soon, so decided to walk – it was yet another beautiful sunny day after all. We took a leisurely stroll away from the unglamorous dock area, along the marina and the RV park, dropping in at a couple of early opening tourist traps in search of postcards and any other items of interest along the way.

 

On our walk we met a few locals and their dogs (well, more like a few local dogs and their owners). Both two-legged and four-legged locals were friendly and at least 50% were happy to chat awhile. We learned that the weather before this week had been variously rainy every day for between 3 and 9 weeks. OK, you get the general idea and I believe the local population were in shock (and probably suffering from dehydration after a couple of days without rain :)). I must say that with the sun shining and skies blue, even the dock area of Seward was looking really quite pleasant. The views across the water and up the wooded slopes behind the town were lovely.

 

Retracing our steps, we met up with our tour guide, Josh, and a select group of fellow tourists. We spoke to one couple who had travelled down on the railroad and would be returning at the end of the day - how I wished I could do that journey! However, with only a day in Seward we were settling for the so-called Real Alaska Tour. This comprised 6½hrs of local sights and experiences: the Seavey ‘s Ididaride sled dog experience, lunch with a member of the team (no, he wasn’t the one gnawing on a bone), a trip to the nearby Exit Glacier and also a rather pleasant stop-off to visit a woodland salmon stream.

 

It was a varied and interesting tour, with something for all of us. The sled dog ride wasn’t quite the hair-raising, heart-thumping scary experience described by some but was good fun even so. That and the tour around the establishment were informative and impressive. The care and effort that goes into the operation and those races! Our personal guide for the sled dog experience, Meredith, was entertaining and clearly lived and breathed her ‘work’ - she was 22 I think and been sledding since she was 6. The highlight for many of our group was, naturally, cuddling 3 week old puppies. Awwwww!

 

The journey up the valley to the Exit Glacier parking was very scenic though impeded somewhat by road works, but Josh was clued-in and told us the background to the works and what was going on, which alleviated the delay.

 

From the parking area we took a ramble to see the glacier via various pathways. For the fit and able it was relatively easy, posing a minor challenge for older members at a couple of points, but nothing they weren’t prepared to tackle under the watchful eye of their companions and guide. It was nice to stretch the legs and see some scenery on foot. Josh pointed out the date posts all along the trail, going back to the late 1800s, that marked where the face of the glacier had been (I should have had a photo taken next to my year of birth). This glacier continues to retreat, the progress hastened by recent minor earthquake tremors. Though we couldn’t approach the glacier itself, we were able to handle some of its ice a little further down the flood plain. The views were splendid.

 

After the glacier, we headed back toward Seward, taking a minor diversion to see some of the salmon making their way upstream. This was hardly spectacular, there being no more than a handful in the stream. However, the setting was pretty and peaceful. Indeed, we were more excited about the various fungi we found and photographed among the trees of this tranquil place. :)

 

Finally, Josh drove us back into Seward where he filled us in on the events of the earthquake and tsunami of 1964, and also the annual lunatics’ Mount Marathon race up/down the local mountainside, before giving us the choice of a drop-off in town or back at the train depot. All-in-all a very enjoyable excursion but we were ready for a bit of R&R aboard.

 

By now the new intake was arriving: the dock area was filling up even though the ship wasn’t due to leave for a few more hours. If I have any criticism of the organisation here it is that there should be greater clarity regarding how new passengers and back-to-back passengers are dealt with. I thought it was logical that there would be an ‘express lane’ for those spending a changeover day in the area before returning to the ship – wrong! We were simply tacked onto the end of the queue for new passengers. True, it was no big deal in the final analysis, but it would have been good to know in advance rather than have to pester already busy staff to discover how the system worked.

 

Anyway, we were ‘processed’ reasonably quickly and greeted by the inevitable cuddlies and also: “Washy-washy!” We did have some extra entertainment in form of a group behind us in the queue to board: one of the ladies clearly was not happy about the delay in getting aboard (I sensed that the trip here may not have been smooth) and her husband was seemingly quite happy to keep poking at the hornet nest with comments not exactly geared to improve matters. My thanks to this gentleman for the amusement that eased our boarding process.

 

Immediately upon boarding my wife headed for our room to freshen up and claim somewhere on the top deck before the hordes settled in. I was delegated to head to the Atrium to renew our Viva Vino wine package. Another 8 bottles please, my good man! With the choice of trawling Seward in search of equivalents and paying $15 each for the corkage having lugged them aboard, or paying the $196 plus 18% for bottles from the Sun’s cellar, I’m afraid we, er, ‘bottled it’. Unfortunately, the list had changed – oh no! :eek: I had to make several new selections and was disappointed to find that the South African white we had really enjoyed the previous week was no longer among the options. Luckily, the alternatives I chose turned out to be acceptable. I kept meaning to ask about the wine from the previous week – surely they must have some left over? Ah well, never mind. My deliberations certainly kept the next gentleman in line amused.

 

That evening we began to hear (and grow jealous of) those who had joined us in Seward: the rail journey sounded fantastic as did the overland tour of Denali National Park. The weather had been surprisingly good and views of the mountain a rare treat for visitors. Oh well, maybe next time, eh?

[karoo]

I wasn't overly happy about the changes to the Vino Vino either as I always purchase the NZ Sauvignon Blanc. My second choice, the Italian Pinot Grigio also wasn't available. [emoji19] So I spoke to the beverage manager and Yay! I was able to get my NZ Sauvignon Blanc [emoji4]. (Well the officers did give us a card with all their direct numbers on it at the M&G and tell us to give them a call if there was anything we were unhappy about and they would try to help us.)

[emoji106] Thumbs up to the Beverage Manager!

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited October 1, 2016 by karoo

[AquaMarineFerret]

I wasn't overly happy about the changes to the Vino Vino either as I always purchase the NZ Sauvignon Blanc. My second choice, the Italian Pinot Grigio also wasn't available. [emoji19] So I spoke to the beverage manager and Yay! I was able to get my NZ Sauvignon Blanc [emoji4]. (Well the officers did give us a card with all their direct numbers on it at the M&G and tell us to give them a call if there was anything we were unhappy about and they would try to help us.)

[emoji106] Thumbs up to the Beverage Manager!

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Good for you! If the new wine hadn't been a decent replacement I think we would have made the inquiry. Perhaps I should have asked anyway, just to gain the information. However, the alternative was perfectly quaffable. ;)

[AquaMarineFerret]

Another lovely day dawned and we were faced with another easy day at sea. By now we were the ‘old salts’. We already had seven days of experience. It was our turn to watch with amusement as the ‘newbies’ familiarised themselves with the ship and its routines. Now we could extend a little gracious advice and assistance along the way. Smug. :)

 

However, this wasn’t completely true because there are obviously repeat (and loyal) Sun voyagers, not to mention the select few that, like us, were fortunate enough to be doing the back-to-back. By now we were recognising faces from dining tables, excursions or evenings in the Atrium or Observation Lounge. We could meet and exchange notes and experiences of excursions. We enjoyed occasionally sharing a dining table with a random selection of new people, hearing their background and cruise stories. It felt rather cosy to be part of the community. My wife has suggested that the next time we cruise we come prepared to play American State Bingo: we see if, during conversations aboard, we can tick all 50 off the list before the end of the holiday. :D

 

As Latitudes Bronze members we now had invitations from NCL to a couple of events: a cheese & wine reception and also a cocktail reception. Ooooooh, free drinkies! Yeah, that’s what a lot of people clearly thought! With nothing pressing to do, we wandered along to the Stardust Lounge close to the appointed time and…hit the tail-end of the queue stretching out of the door. You know something? The promise of a free cocktail to accompany what was obviously going to be the sales pitch to gain even more Latitudes points by purchasing more NCL products just didn’t quite cut it – we moved on.

 

Incidentally, spurred on by the sting of $27+ for two glasses of wine, this week I decided to be adventurous: if we had a couple of drinks from the bar, I would try the cocktail of the day. I widened my horizons a little during the remainder of our holiday, although I believe that the so-called Day Dreamer’s Daiquiri I had from the Atrium bar should be served with a health warning – wow, that’s zingy! No chance of me suffering from scurvy during the rest of the voyage, that’s for sure! :eek:

 

The Sun was not due to arrive in the vicinity of the Hubbard for our second visit until about 3pm, with arrival at the bay entrance around 2pm. Until then we enjoyed the sun or, as usual, I alternated between that and forlornly gazing out across the ocean in the hope of a major whale sighting – fool that I was!

 

I was mildly diverted by the Captain’s announcement, something that seemed unique to Sea Days, over the PA. There must be someone among the passenger list who appreciates the level of detail delivered over the PA, but I did have to wonder. Yes, it was good to have confirmation of the weather conditions, where we were headed and at what speed, etc, but are there really people keen to know the atmospheric pressure, the longitude and latitude, the sea temperature? Was there someone noting all down in a little book? OK, to be fair, it beats the cheery call to join the bingo-philes!

 

Now then, given that only a couple of days previously we had visited the Hubbard at 7am in the morning, we were mildly curious to find out what difference it would make to see it quite soon afterward in the afternoon. And, I might add, from the new perspective of Deck 6…

 

…quite a lot as it turned out. Clearly, there had been a good deal of activity since we were there on 28th August – the amount of floating ice in the vicinity had considerably increased. The Sun calmly nosed its way through this icy debris in which small bergs of a surprisingly intense blue bobbed next to ‘normal’ ice or pieces containing dark debris. If you have ever had cause to empty the icy/slushy contents of a defrosting freezer draw into your sink, that’s how it sounded as we passed through.

 

Although we had previously been told that the blue of the densest ice shows most intensely in dull conditions, the colours of the glacier in the afternoon sun were seemingly much more pronounced and varied. This long period of sunny days was having an effect too. The amount of noise (groaning, creaking, cracking) was greater and we witnessed more calving activity. I have to say that this second visit was even better for sheer splendour and excitement. Based on the number of photos taken during the previous visit I had promised myself that I would only concentrate on the real action today – FAIL!! Everything looked so different I simply had to keep clicking away.

 

Did our relocation to the promenade Deck work out? I believe so. It was so much easier to adjust position and not inconvenience fellow viewers. It was a quick transition through the ship to the opposite side as the Sun pivoted. We had longer to view the glacier face because we could stand at the longer sides of the ship. The fact that the lifeboats and superstructure of the ship were above and around us didn’t matter because what we were looking at wasn’t that close and didn’t get obscured. Only once in a while, when using extreme wide angle, did I get railings and uprights in the frame. Yes, it worked for me.

 

Again, disappointingly soon after we arrived at the Hubbard we had to bid it goodbye. It’s just as well: I would have run out of memory cards! What a magnificent place to visit! How I will ever choose between all the photos I took is beyond me.

 

That evening, to finish the day, I captured a few images of another half-decent sunset between finishing our meal and meeting up in the bar with our friends. Returning to our cabin later, we were greeted by, of all things, a penguin (and that wasn’t the last encounter with said bird either).

[BlueLadyBlue]

Still enjoying :D:D

[rochelle_s]

I do hope at the end you will share some of those 4000 photos. You have a wonderful ability in your writing to paint a picture in the minds eye but having been to Alaska myself as the saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words.

 

Keep the review coming.

 

 

Rochelle

[AquaMarineFerret]

I do hope at the end you will share some of those 4000 photos. You have a wonderful ability in your writing to paint a picture in the minds eye but having been to Alaska myself as the saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words.

 

Keep the review coming.

 

Rochelle

 

Thanks Rochelle. I did think about posting photos but hesitated on two counts: we were very lucky with the weather so I don't want to promote unrealistic expectations of what fellow travellers might see/experience, and I am not entirely sure how to post photos to do the images justice - I note that uploaded attachment sizes seemed very limited.

 

AMF

[cincicruisers]

"AWESOME" review. (lol I could not resist)

[karoo]

I'm loving your review and the way you write! Very entertaining! Photos???? Not needed! Just google trees, mountains, glaciers! [emoji6]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[AquaMarineFerret]

"AWESOME" review. (lol I could not resist)

 

Oh Ha-Ha! :p

 

AMF

[AquaMarineFerret]

How does this work out then?

 

AMF

[karoo]

How does this work out then?

 

 

 

AMF

 

 

Yes- I saw lots of spouts and tails too! Almost felt like being home except they jump out of the water over here!

PS- Did you here about the 9 Aussies arrested in Malaysia for wearing budgie smugglers???

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited October 4, 2016 by karoo

[OhJinkies]

How does this work out then?

 

AMF

 

If you upload some of your photos to a site such as PhotoBucket, each photo will be accompanied by an IMG code that you can copy and paste into your message. So the images are linked rather than embedded here on CruiseCritic. That way, you can easily insert some good-sized images into your posts (with links to larger versions if you prefer).

 

Example:

Edited October 4, 2016 by OhJinkies

[AquaMarineFerret]

Yes- I saw lots of spouts and tails too! Almost felt like being home except they jump out of the water over here!

PS- Did you here about the 9 Aussies arrested in Malaysia for wearing budgie smugglers???

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Yeah, but fortunately for me the NCL Freestyle dress code is obviously very relaxed. :D

[AquaMarineFerret]

 

If you upload some of your photos to a site such as PhotoBucket, each photo will be accompanied by an IMG code that you can copy and paste into your message. So the images are linked rather than embedded here on CruiseCritic. That way, you can easily insert some good-sized images into your posts (with links to larger versions if you prefer).

 

Example:

 

Thanks for the tip: I will have to see about resurrecting my Flickr account or updating the Google storage I use. The attachments on CC will never do Alaska justice! ;)

[AquaMarineFerret]

Yes- I saw lots of spouts and tails too! Almost felt like being home except they jump out of the water over here!

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Sadly, we were informed that seeing jumping whales in Alaska is rare - because they are feeding apparently they are not quite to inclined to jump out of the water on a full stomach - how inconsiderate of them! :rolleyes:

[AquaMarineFerret]

For some reason, when we came to disembark for Juneau, there was a long queue. It snaked, a bit like the Conga, around the Atrium, through the Four Seasons entrance area and back. Maybe it was because the Sun was early docking? Possibly the good weather conditions were affecting the ship’s progress because we seemed to be repeatedly ahead of schedule. Maybe on this occasion it caught the port personnel out? Dunno. It mattered little – today was a ‘free day’, we had nothing planned.

 

So, we stood in the queue and socialised. My wife is much better at such things than I am – she’ll strike up a conversation even before the hat gets dropped. Me? I’m by nature a shy and retiring type, happy in my own company. I’m not as bad as I was before my extrovert wife shook me up, but I’m still not the sort to open conversations (one reason for avoiding M&G sessions, I guess – maybe next time now we’re surer of our ground). However, having a nice camera and lenses hanging from my small frame tends to attract attention (which can be a bit irritating when I'm actually trying to photograph things!) So I soon found myself wrapped in conversation with a chap keen to talk cameras and the possibility of somehow justifying splashing the cash to his wife. Dangerous territory! Aha! Saved by the port clearance! :rolleyes:

 

This time the Sun had pride of place: right in the centre of things, disembarking virtually next to the Tramway. A queue was already building up for the ride up the mountain, so we decided to mooch awhile and maybe return later (we didn’t). We raided various of the jewellery stores for their free trinkets. Wise to their tricks and how the system works, we split up, each armed with a small sheaf of vouchers. We found that the sales staff didn’t bother with me – I was not a prime target. Was it worth the time and effort? Well, we do have folk back home who would find the baubles of interest and, besides, some of them are ideal charity raffle or lucky dip prizes at local shows our little furry charity attends.

 

Where we did spend a small fortune were the outlets of the Tongass Trading Company and its clones. The sales were on, so we bought souvenir T-shirts and gifts for ourselves, friends and family. By the time we had finished shopping it was time for a light lunch and some more of that fine Alaskan ale. Back to the Hangar for us.

 

I’m afraid to say that thereafter, despite the continued fine weather, we spent the afternoon visiting the shops and bars. To be honest, we were ‘iced out’, so the Mendenhall Glacier now held no attraction and, having already spent a fair few bucks, we decided not to splurge on tickets for the Mt Roberts Tramway for a bird’s eye view of Juneau. Instead we did venture into the Red Dog Saloon – a right tourist trap – where we perched ourselves at the bar and allowed ourselves to be entertained for an hour whilst sampling the local soft drinks (ahem). It was like being thrown into a Benny Hill sketch! :D

 

Returning to the ship laden with packages, we were surprised to hear that there was rumour of a chance to see the Northern Lights. Yes, really! Unexpectedly early – usually not this far south until later in September, we were told. Well, with an early start the following morning, we missed them. My wife did say she saw a strange glow on the bridge cam in the middle of the night though – hmm. The following morning at second breakfast I overheard one chap saying how he had stayed up until gone 4am watching the display that had started well after Midnight! They certainly didn’t seem to be cooperative enough to show themselves before we went to bed. Wistfully, I wondered if there was a chance on another night…

[Thrilled2012]

Loving your review!

 

My parents were on your sailing. Reading this review really makes me wish I had joined them :rolleyes: