Norwegian Sun Glacier Bay from Vancouver

[CatsinShow]

Ok I did a Google search and searched on here. I'm not really finding anything recent (by recent I mean within the last 2 summers). Does anyone have the dailies from taking this cruise? Also I spoke to someone on the Norwegian chat feature. She had told me that none of the ports are tendered however, I found something online that says Juneau is tendered as is Ketchikan. Is she right? I later called up Norwegian direct and spoke to someone about booking a guaranteed room. I asked about upgrading like I asked earlier. He flat out told me that with the interior guaranteed rooms that based on the inventory that the odds are I wouldn't get a surprise upgrade. I then asked him about the ocean view guarantee. He told me that I have a good chance of not getting the little porthole thing. He added that I should book today because the deals will probably be gone tomorrow.... I'm on here because I'm assuming the guy is just trying to get me to book right away.

 

So in short....

1. Does anyone have a link to recent dailies from this ship and route?

2. Are any of these ports tendered?

3. Have any of you booked a guaranteed oceanview room on this ship and route and did you get a better room?

4. The ship departs Vancouver at 4PM. If I were to get on the ship say at 11, am I allowed to leave the ship or is it once you are on, you are on?

5. I saw the wifi plans.Can you get cheaper rates if you book it in person or do the rates stay the same (or even go up in person?).

6. How is the wifi once you get off the boat?

 

 

Sorry to be annoying. I just found this trip last minute and it's actually at a rate I could afford as a party of 1. My grandfather died less than a week ago and we had his burial today. We weren't that close but from it I started to realize to just live life because you want to make a lot of great memories since you never know when you will go (I know this is probably the obvious). I got laid off too so something like this would be a positive in my life.

[cuterlmt]

Shadowmeboy did a great review of the opposite route, southbound from Seward to Vancouver last summer.

We are doing both northbound and southbound. From everything I've read, none of the ports are tender ports. Also, the cruises are pretty well booked up.

From what I've read, you can get wifi in Alaska. I found a website, just by googling. The wifi on the ship doesn't sound very reliable. Also people recommend asking staff on the NCL Sun as they will know where the good wifi is in the port cities.

Also from what I've read, although you can get on and off in Vancouver, you have to go through all the immigration and customs stuff again. Our plan is to drop our luggage off with the porters and run around a bit close by until we decide to come back to board....

I'm sure you'll get lots of answers here. They've just started back on this route this week. Someone else posted their recent NCL Sun trip which was a bit different.

 

So sorry for your losses of your grandfather and your job! But yes, live life.

Edited June 10, 2017 by cuterlmt
additional info.

[mamasylvia]

First, I would caution you to pay attention to WHICH "Glacier Bay from Vancouver" cruise you are interested in. I just looked at the NCL website and the Sun has cruises that disembark in San Francisco, Seward, and RT back to Vancouver. If your planned cruise ends elsewhere, you will need to consider additional airfare costs when deciding what you can afford. Also, no one can tell you if they have booked this particular cruise because you haven't indicated which of the "Glacier Bay from Vancouver" cruises you are considering. IAC, since the Sun is one of the smaller ships, you may not even get a response from anyone who has saied on her, much less this particular cruise. That doesn't mean you wouldn't have a very enjoyable cruise on her. I know that you want to hear from lots of people who booked a cheap guarantee room and wound up in a nicer, more expensive room. I will be very surprised if you hear from more than one or two who were upgraded from a guarantee on ANY Norwegian ship. Norwegian, like any business, is in it for the money, and they do better by letting passengers bid additional amounts to be upgraded and using the guarantee passengers to at least get something for the smaller rooms in less-desirable locations. So let me turn the question around: would you still want to purchase the cruise if you absolutely knew that the guarantee room you purchased was the category you would sail in? Because I think that is very likely exactly what will happen. I don't blame anyone for trying to get the best deal they can, but I think if you build your hopes on crusing in a higher category than you paid for, you will be disappointed.

 

 

I just finished an Alaska cruise on the Pearl. Any port can be a tender port if all the docks are full, but both Juneau and Ketchikan have several cruise ship docks so the likelihood of having to tender there is low. Maybe the info you saw about tendering there was old?

 

Of course the reps are trained to try to get you to book right away. The rep I spoke to last fall said the same thing and added that it was the last day for the promo I was interested in (3rd/4th sail free). I figured there was an excellent chance it would be "extended" but I went ahead and booked because I knew the deposit was refundable until final payment, and in the meantime I locked in a desirable room. (The offer was indeed extended but the mini-suites didn't last long anyway, so I was glad I had paid the deposit.) If you are considering a cruise in the very near future (within a month), available rooms could well be pulled from inventory any time now for the Upgrade Advantage program, although that likely wouldn't affect inside rooms (since no one could "upgrade" to the cheapest rooms! lol) I also wouldn't put a lot of faith in the rep's statement that you likely wouldn't get the little porthole. Since the larger windows are more desirable, of course they will go first to people who are paying the higher non-guarantee rate to pick the room they want.

 

I am not sure what you mean by "booking wifi in person." Do you mean once you board? On the Pearl, I saved a $3.95 "setup fee" by buying mine before the cruise, otherwise the prices stayed the same. Likewise, I'm not sure what you mean about wifi off the boat. The ship wifi does not extend off the ship. There are probably places in each port that offer free wifi to customers but I didn't even look for any, our port time was limited so I wanted to spend it seeing Alaska. Again, I have no experience on the Sun, but on the Pearl, the ship wifi was fine. I shared wifi access with my husband and 2 adult children, we took turns using it on board, and we were all able to check email and Facebook and I was able to play a couple of online games as well. (Not for very long, I wasn't in Alaska to play games, but a few minutes each day let me keep up with things.)

[BirdTravels]

1. Does anyone have a link to recent dailies from this ship and route?

2. Are any of these ports tendered?

We have never tendered at any of the ports. HOWEVER, if the port is busy, there is a potential of having to tender.

3. Have any of you booked a guaranteed oceanview room on this ship and route and did you get a better room?

The route is very popular, so the potential of getting a balcony are low.

4. The ship departs Vancouver at 4PM. If I were to get on the ship say at 11, am I allowed to leave the ship or is it once you are on, you are on?

Technically you can. But you'll need to talk with the ship because you would be that salmon swimming up stream in a flood of embarking passengers. They pull the gangways at 3:30. Muster is at 3:30.

5. I saw the wifi plans.Can you get cheaper rates if you book it in person or do the rates stay the same (or even go up in person?).

Not cheaper on board. In fact, you can waive the activation fee if you pre-book it.

6. How is the wifi once you get off the boat?

It is satellite wifi. It is generally fine. Not good for any kind of streaming or large emails. We use it for facetime voice and skype voice calls. There will be periods when you are sailing where mountains block the ship's view of the satellite and obviously, you won't get any signal then. And other than Vancouver, you will be in U.S. ports most days,,, so your cell phone plan from home will work fine. DO NOT ever use cellular data on the ship,,,, obscenely expensive.

 

Enjoy your cruise. We sail Alaska for the past two summers. And spend every evening (in your case out on deck) watching the whales and dolphins. Simply spectacular.

[cuterlmt]

The routes this summer until 9-11-17 on the NCL Sun are northbound and southbound from Vancouver to Seward. Obviously, you will need to find a way back from Seward as they aren't round trip, unless you do a back to back.

I found the wifi website, it is wificafespots/com/wifi/state/Alaska. I don't know how accurate it is, but worth a try. But again, other folks recommend talking to (or following) ship crew members to find the best wifi wherever you are. I refuse to pay such an exorbitant price just to have wifi on the ship, when I can just check in with family when I am enjoying my time in the ports. But I don't need much access and people don't really need access to me.

 

You might check out the Alaska board as they have lots of good info there as well, specifically about Alaska cruises.

[newbe dave]

Regarding WIFI, The prices you see are most likely what you get on the ship. Look for an promos like Latitudes member or something like that.

 

I have my first Alaskan cruise booked on the Sun for August so I do not have experience on this. But I can get WIFI from my cellular carrier in the US and, even in the worst signal, it will be as fast or faster than the ship. And I have already paid for it. So I not planning on using internet my two days at sea and then check Email and other things while in port. I get some minutes free for being Platinum but I figure that is only for emergency and to print boarding passes the last day.

 

I consider ship-board WIFI to be less important on a cruise that hits US ports (versus Caribbean or Europe cruises). It looks like your other questions are well answered. Enjoy your cruise.

[CatsinShow]

Okay thanks again. I think I will just pay the extra $21 a night for an oceanview even if the means I end up with the little porthole. It seems like I have a better chance of a slightly better room paying for that versus saving a little money and doing the interior.

 

The cruise starts in Vancouver and gets off at Seward. I found pretty reasonable airfare at $338 roundtrip. I figure I will also get 1 night in a hotel before the cruise, and 1 night in Ancourage after the cruise. I use Priceline for nearly every hotel so each night at the hotel with tax won't be more than $120 each. I'm looking into excursions right now. Assuming I book this (I'm very close to doing it because I've never seen any Alaskan cruise for 1 person be this low for 1 person....again the single supplement fee as I typically travel alone anyway) I'm looking at $1281 + the gratuity you do for the workers on the ship + any wifi + excursions + transport to/from airports + food in Vancouver and Anchorage. Seems like a good deal for a 9 night trip. The hotel I will probably get in Vancouver is walking distance from the port which is nice.

 

What I meant about wifi was is it cheaper to buy a plan once you are on the ship versus before you start your cruise. I see here it is the opposite. What I meant about wifi off the ship was if there's wifi like from stores or restaurants off the ship that when I get off, I can send a few emails out before I get back on the ship.

 

Have any of you spent time in Vancouver? I went to Tripadvisor and Googled this but I figure it wouldn't hurt to ask here. My mother has been to Vancouver and just told me how clean and pretty it is. I've been trying to figure out if I should spend more than 1 night there to sight see but aside from maybe taking a bike ride in Stanley Park and going to an aquarium (which I could skip as I have 2 great ones near me that I've been to many times), it seems like it's just a city to bike ride in, eat, and go shopping. Are there any "musts"in Vancouver? I know this is subjective. I just feels like everyone loves Vancouver and I'm just not sure why aside from it being clean and pretty.

[BostonGal35]

we did the Sun last year from Vancouver to Seward. All three ports (Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway) were docked, no tenders.

 

once you pass thru security and customs in Vancouver, you are pretty much checked in and on the ship. To leave would be a pain. I highly recommend arriving a day or two early to see this beautiful city. then once you are ready to go to the ship, go, check in and stay put.

[CatsinShow]

we did the Sun last year from Vancouver to Seward. All three ports (Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway) were docked, no tenders.

 

once you pass thru security and customs in Vancouver, you are pretty much checked in and on the ship. To leave would be a pain. I highly recommend arriving a day or two early to see this beautiful city. then once you are ready to go to the ship, go, check in and stay put.

Thanks Boston. You don't by any chance have the dailies uploaded do you? What would you say was the overall age when you went?

[xlxo]

Have any of you spent time in Vancouver? Are there any "musts"in Vancouver? I know this is subjective. I just feels like everyone loves Vancouver and I'm just not sure why aside from it being clean and pretty.

Vancouver can easily fill two or three full days.

• Day 1: Grouse and Capilano. Evening with Fly Over Canada
  
• Day 2: Hop on with emphasis on Stanley Park and Granville Island
  
• Day 3: Whistler Day trip?
  
• Day 4: Victoria Day trip?
  
• Day 5: Vandusen? Storybrooke? Orca whale watching?
  
• Day 6: Some may choose to fly into Seattle and ride the Amtrak train into Vancouver to start their journey.
  

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[CatsinShow]

Just booked my cruise =)

[mamasylvia]

> your cell phone plan from home will work fine.

 

This is not necessarily true, depending on your carrier. My son uses Verizon and I think he had full coverage almost everywhere. I am with T-Mobile and I had talk & text but no data once we left Seattle. My husband is on TracFone and he never has data (dumb phone) and only had a voice connection at a couple of the ports (sorry, don't remember which one). Best thing to do is check with your carrier.

 

Congrats, Cats! Did you go for the oceanview guarantee? Do head over to the Alaska board if you haven't already, there are tons of threads going about all the ports you will stop at, and you can get advice on going from Seward to Anchorage as well. Look at Alaska Airlines to get from Seward to wherever your round trip will fly from, they have reasonable one-way prices and claim the best on-time record in the industry.

[CatsinShow]

Thanks Mama =) I did go for the Oceanview guarantee

[BostonGal35]

I dont have the dailies, sorry.

 

Average age was around 50. NCL did all the usual parties at night but they were over early. Port days are very long and full. A handful of us still stayed up but it was definitely a very quiet ship at night after 10.

 

We took the train thru NCL.to anchirage airport to fly home. I highly recommemd. That was the only ship.excursuon.we booked.

[Rulers Mom]

Cats, what date are you cruising?

 

In defense of the early to bed cruisers in Alaska :D I believe it's a 4-5 hour time difference from the east coast.

 

However, it is daylight until late and sunrise is early. I believe it was dark from 11pm to 3am when we were there over Memorial Day 2015.

[www3traveler]

The only Vancouver to Vancouver Alaskan cruise for the Sun is Monday the 18th of September. Should be a wonderful cruise even for this late in the season.

 

Sometimes boarding in Vancouver can be a real nightmare. If you are wanting to see anything in Vancouver, I would come in a day or two later or stay a couple of days. Boarding the ship itself should begin by 11:30 A.M. Not sure what the Canadian Customs rules are about being on board before the scheduled sailing time. For US ports, it is two hours, so I would plan to be on board no later than 1:30 P.M. just in case.

 

Sorry to hear about your Grandfather. I have lost two good friends in the last three days.

 

The Sun is wonderful small ship. She is laid out differently than most Norwegian ships. Lots of outdoor deck space including off the Observation Lounge on Deck 11.

 

I have sailed on her twice as a solo passenger both with an inside cabin. Loved it. Only in the cabin long enough to sleep and shower.

 

Enjoy

[CatsinShow]

I'm sailing out Monday June 19 out of Vancouver. My mother has been on 2 or 3 Alaskan cruises (Celebrity and Princess). I chose this particular Northbound cruise because she told me the highlight of all her trips has been Glacier Bay which many cruises don't do (but mainly the price!). I don't know the next time I'll be in Alaska so because of this particular cruise and the price, I grabbed it.

 

My mom did tell me that the Vancouver port can be a nightmare. On NCL's website I had a choice of the following time slots:

1-1:30

1:30-2

2-2:30

2:30-3:00

 

I signed up for the 1:00-1:30 however is it faster to be super early and 1 of the first groups on (and better chance to get an upgrade) or to actually be in the last group?

[www3traveler]

I'm sailing out Monday June 19 out of Vancouver. My mother has been on 2 or 3 Alaskan cruises (Celebrity and Princess). I chose this particular Northbound cruise because she told me the highlight of all her trips has been Glacier Bay which many cruises don't do (but mainly the price!). I don't know the next time I'll be in Alaska so because of this particular cruise and the price, I grabbed it.

 

My mom did tell me that the Vancouver port can be a nightmare. On NCL's website I had a choice of the following time slots:

1-1:30

1:30-2

2-2:30

2:30-3:00

 

I signed up for the 1:00-1:30 however is it faster to be super early and 1 of the first groups on (and better chance to get an upgrade) or to actually be in the last group?

 

I would be at the terminal no later than 11 A.M. just in case embarkation takes for ever. You have to drop your luggage, go through Canadian Customs and the embarkation process. Then you will lead to a holding area and boarded by Group Numbers.

 

I would not count on being able to upgrade at this point and certainly not on board ship. You might be able to upgrade depending on how you booked this cruise- directly from Norwegian, a travel agent or a third party. I would call as soon as possible. These cruises are usually completely sold long before now.

 

I hope you have a wonderful time.

 

I love The Sun

[CatsinShow]

I would be at the terminal no later than 11 A.M. just in case embarkation takes for ever. You have to drop your luggage, go through Canadian Customs and the embarkation process. Then you will lead to a holding area and boarded by Group Numbers.

 

I would not count on being able to upgrade at this point and certainly not on board ship. You might be able to upgrade depending on how you booked this cruise- directly from Norwegian, a travel agent or a third party. I would call as soon as possible. These cruises are usually completely sold long before now.

 

I hope you have a wonderful time.

 

I love The Sun

 

Okay thank you! I was actually hoping to be one of the last ones on so I could get a little more time in Vancouver (I really just wanted to do Stanley Park anyway and I'm coming in the day before at 1:00 so I will try to get it in then!). I'll do what you suggested.

 

With the upgrade, I called Expedia (where I booked) they said that the only upgrade that they had were the penthouses (out of my price range lol). She put me on hold and called NCL to find out if I could get one when I called.She said that NCL said to keep checking my emails to see if I get room offers and to ask guest services when I'm on the ship. I checked around online just now and all that's left are the penthouse suites that are almost $7,000. I guess everything did get sold out.

[CatsinShow]

I just called NCL to see if the agent I called could tell me something that the other agent couldn't. Didn't work lol. They said that they cannot tell me how many rooms are left.

[Rulers Mom]

 

I have sailed on her twice as a solo passenger both with an inside cabin. Loved it. Only in the cabin long enough to sleep and shower.

 

 

I would love to pick your brain, www3traveler....My husband and I are cruising the Sun on 7/3 northbound. It is our first inside cabin in many years.

 

After my 2015 Alaska trip with an expensive balcony, I swore I would not spring for a balcony in Alaska in the future. Even with blackout curtains the sun poured in at 3am. So here we are booked on the 4th floor, and I'm kinda freaking out about a room without a balcony. (Although the price was awesome....)

 

What activities did you participate in, that kept you out of your room? What is there to do, besides eat? The Spa?

 

Thank you in advance,

 

Bridget

[Rulers Mom]

I'm sailing out Monday June 19 out of Vancouver.

 

Wow, your trip is next week!! SO awesome!

 

Please upload the dailies when you get back!

 

I am so happy for you and look forward to reading your review!

 

Bridget

[nw gardener]

Have a great time, just got back on the 5th, really thought the Sun crew was A+. Check on the NCL board for shadowmeboys blog on the Sun late last year, great pictures and some good tips. And join your roll call and go to the meet and greet (2nd sea day) as you will meet folks who will probably also have great tips and some of the ship officers also attend. I also just submitted my review with pics which should be posted tomorrow under the cruise review tab. You will love it!

 

Sent from my SM-T580 using Forums mobile app

[www3traveler]

I would love to pick your brain, www3traveler....My husband and I are cruising the Sun on 7/3 northbound. It is our first inside cabin in many years.

 

After my 2015 Alaska trip with an expensive balcony, I swore I would not spring for a balcony in Alaska in the future. Even with blackout curtains the sun poured in at 3am. So here we are booked on the 4th floor, and I'm kinda freaking out about a room without a balcony. (Although the price was awesome....)

 

What activities did you participate in, that kept you out of your room? What is there to do, besides eat? The Spa?

 

Thank you in advance,

 

 

 

Bridget

 

I usually leave my cabin by 5:30 A.M. and head to the buffet for my first cup of coffee. I usually do not go back to my cabin except to change clothes or get something I will need going ashore until 10:00 P.M. or later. The Freestyle Daily delivered each evening will provide with all the activities for the next day. Lots of things to do every day whether you are in port relaxing on board ship or you are at sea. The Daily has activities listed from about 9 A.M. to about 1 A.M. Pick and chose what interests you. Lots of people bring books to read, if I bring a book I rarely get more than a chapter or two read in the entire cruise.

 

I have so much fun on any cruise. I have been on 35 Norwegian cruises with 3 currently booked.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Cats, how exciting! I'm embarking on my fourth Alaska cruise (this one is on the Pearl) the day before you board the Sun.

 

As someone else said, if you purchase wifi before you get on the ship, you won't have to pay the $3.95 fee. The ships wifi is slow, but it's reliable. Anyway, I've never had a problem with it. I always purchase a small package to keep in touch with family. In Alaska, you can find wifi in ports and since it's in the U.S., you won't have the expense of international.

 

The chances of getting upgraded without purchasing an upgrade are small and once on the ship even smaller. Book what you're happy with. As someone else mentioned, be sure and check out your roll call. If they're planning a meet and greet, it's usually on the first sea day at 11 a.m. and the details would be on your roll call thread. They may have tours planned that you can join. I find the Alaska roll calls to be quieter than most--ours has no tours at all planned, but we are having a meet and greet.

 

I've cruised three times to all of the ports you mentioned and have never tendered at them.

 

Have a great time!