IRMO and the Last Minute, Use it or Lose it, Very Inexpensive, Southbound Alaska Cruise (Jewel, 28 Aug - 4 Sep)

[IRMO12HD]

And to finish the long title here so that it fits the 125 character rule (also in fine print :-) 😞  Seward - Vancouver, BC (with apologies and tribute to Judith Vorst.  IYKYK.)

 

It pays to read the fine print.  Yes, it does.  When one doesn’t, one may find oneself in a position of having to either 1) book a cruise, or 2) lose $150 from an unused CruiseNext certificate.  And that, oh ye who trouble to read this, is why I’m booked on Norwegian Jewel, sailing out of Seward on August 28 (at the weirdly late hour of 9 pm), on a 7-night voyage to Vancouver, BC.

I thought I had until November 2023 to use the CN Cert – but thanks to illuminating comments from people on this board, I figured out (and confirmed with Norwegian) that I also had to SAIL by November 23.  I live in Washington’s Inland Empire, so the choice was pretty clear – either a Mexican Riviera, Pacific Coastal, or Alaska cruise.  After some quick research, I settled on this one because (1) it was super cheap (like $259), (2) had NO single supplement, (3) offered a 35% discount plus a 10% military discount, (4) I wanted to see Alaska again, having been there in 2018 on Westerdam, and . . . well, you get my drift.
I opted for an Interior Guarantee (because it was cheap, and I don’t mind interior cabins – I plan on spending LOTS of time on deck), and with the $300 CN cert, and even with $290 port fees and taxes, I ended up paying just $138 out of pocket.  Of course, there’s airfare to Anchorage, service charges, and an overnight stay in Anchorage, among other expenses, but IT’S ALASKA, BABY!

That’s my introduction to this, my kind of live review.  I have limited experience sailing on NCL; most of my travels have been on RCL.  As I said, this is my second time cruising in/around Alaska; Westerdam was actually a North Pacific Crossing, so we visited Juneau, Glacier Bay, and Kodiak en route to Hokkaido and Yokohama, Japan.
To keep my cost (and my weight gain) down, I opted out of the Free At Sea Drinks offering.  Scheduled Teppanyaki for my FAS Specialty Dining, and am definitely taking advantage of the Shore Excursion benefit.  I did apply for and receive my $100 Shareholder Benefit OBC.  We’ll see how I fare with the 150 minutes of Internet; I will be assiduous about logging off right away to conserve my precious minutes, and will be availing myself of (free) Wi-Fi whenever available.

With one day and a wakeup before I fly to Anchorage, I need to get packing.  More tomorrow!
 

Edited August 26, 2023 by IRMO12HD
Edit title for appropriate length

[SomewhereGirl]

Will be following along as I sail this route in 3 weeks.  How did your interior guarantee work out?

[schmoopie17]

8 hours ago, IRMO12HD said:

 

With one day and a wakeup before I fly to Anchorage, I need to get packing.  More tomorrow!
 

How do you say you're a veteran without saying you're a veteran? (Even though you DID say you're a veteran earlier). Takes me back to my short-timer days...many, many moons ago.

 

Although, I'm still at a loss to figure out how NCL calculates the Veteran's Discount. It always seems to be less than 10%. But whatever it is, is better than nothing.

 

Edited August 26, 2023 by schmoopie17

[IRMO12HD]

6 hours ago, SomewhereGirl said:

Will be following along as I sail this route in 3 weeks.  How did your interior guarantee work out?

@SomewhereGirl I lucked out on my interior guarantee -- a midship cabin on the 9th Deck.  It's so nice that there's no way I'd give it up for a luck-of-the draw paid upgrade to Oceanview at a cost of at least $100!

[SomewhereGirl]

26 minutes ago, IRMO12HD said:

@SomewhereGirl I lucked out on my interior guarantee -- a midship cabin on the 9th Deck.  It's so nice that there's no way I'd give it up for a luck-of-the draw paid upgrade to Oceanview at a cost of at least $100!

That's a great location for interior!  I hope I'm as lucky!  I wouldn't give it up for an OV either.

[Jldevlin]

The Jewel is our favorite  ship. You will love the spinnaker lounge to whale watch. We have been sailing lately in interior cabins and have not regretted it. 

Edited August 26, 2023 by Jldevlin

[YVRteacher]

The Jewel is by far my favourite ship. I hope you enjoy a wonderful cruise! 
 

 

 

[Von & John]

Fabulous Price - If I wasn't heading to the Lower 48 for work tomorrow for the week - we'd jump on that price...

[eileeshb]

You have a fellow traveller also doing a live review 

Saint Greg also on jewel

[IRMO12HD]

Whew, long day!  My DH bought a Honda Ruckus so we had to go pick it up this morning.  Of course, he loves it, and I ALMOST told him "I told you so!" -- but I didn't! Come to think of it, his Ruckus matches his trike (black) and my Ruckus (just 12 years older than his!) matches my Heritage (orange!).  Anyway, so that took an hour and a half out of my planned activities for today, which included yard work (gotta be done), packing (this is THE LATEST I've ever started packing, although I have been planning for several days), and finishing up some things that I promised I'd do.  Well, I'm almost done them.  

What did I pack?  Raingear, jeans, shorts, a couple of nice shirts, hiking boots, comfy boots, short sleeved shirts, long-sleeved shirts, -- and a bathing suit, in case I decide to brave the pools.  Oh, and some Washington wine (yeah, I know there's a corkage fee) in Wine Skins, so I can bring back some Alaska beverages.  I'm not too much of a partygoer, so am leaving behind any semblance of costumes.  I'll be one of those on the outside looking in, watching people have fun, and enjoying that.

My first shore excursion will be riding the train down to Seward; with the FAS $50 credit, it came out to be a little less than what I found online -- and I like the 1:00 pm departure much better than the o'dark forty-five (i.e., 6:45 am).

My first objective once I board?  Finding O'Sheehans because I'm going to be hungry!  

Good night! 

[IRMO12HD]

On my way! Hanging out in the Alaska Lounge in the N Satellite at Seattle. My favorite one here (there are 3) because it looks out on the Active part of the runway (for takeoffs anyway)

[IRMO12HD]

I put an AirTag in my checked bag.  I like being able to reassure myself that it’s on the plane with me.  I have 2 days worth of clothes in my backpack just in case …

 

Here are some pictures from my originating airport. Care to guess where it is?

 

[IRMO12HD]

Great view of Mount St Helens. Usually our flight path takes us north of Rainier, so this was a nice sight. 

Exit row 17 — total of two seats taken; no one in 17 DEF!

 

[IRMO12HD]

Whoops.  Need to work on my photo insertion skills.  Here is the side that was blown away

 

[Von & John]

Have a Great Flight - Enjoy the day in ANC & the train ride tomorrow!!
The Jewel will be waiting for you w/ plenty of cocktails & food @ O'Sheehan's.

There should be food & beverage available on the train to  purchase, as well.

Cheers  --  Von

[IRMO12HD]

Catching up on my blog

 

I can blame my lack of continuity on:

1. Lack of connectivity 
2. Lack of cell coverage
3. Rain
4. Long lines
5. Repeat.

Ok, enough griping.  I’m now onboard, settled in, with two meals and one sleep under my belt.

 

Here are my lessons learned so far — and some tips (of the advice type).

1. Best deal in Anchorage as a “Senior” is public transportation. $2.50 for a day pass got me several trips each day between the airport, my AirBnB, and downtown Anchorage. HOWEVER, service stops at 7-7:30 on weekend nights. That’s how I know that an Uber is more expensive ($16)
2. The shore excursion for the train to/from Seward is a good price with the Free At Sea $50 credit, but bring snacks!  Water and ice are free, but food is pretty spendy. Oh, and the only place to store carryon baggage is under the dinette-style seats — about the same size as under seat storage on an airplane.  And, you’re just as likely to be riding facing backwards as forwards
3. Embarkation took place in the rain and I didn’t feel like NCL was very proactive in getting people out of it. The train got in about 5:45 and we got out car by car, with the cars closest to the terminal getting out first. OK, but by the time our car the last car, farthest away from the terminal) got off, there was a line outside the terminal, with people standing in the rain … and half the building was empty for the Haven guests — all 10-12 of them.  Really poor space management.
4. Plenty of plugs! My interior cabin has 4 110v outlets, about 5 USB, and 1 European (double round prong). I brought my own extension cord (10 foot) so don’t know if they would have had one to loan me for my CPAP.  A gallon of distilled water was in my cabin as I requested)
5. Chin chin was awesome for my first meal aboard. Light but filling.
6. Getting on the WiFi (for just using the NCL app was super difficult for my iPhone yesterday and my iPad today.
7. IMessage does work once you’re on the WiFi

 

More later!  Got to conserve minutes and bandwidth

[IRMO12HD]

Had to get to Juneau for a usable cell signal.  My primary gripe with internet on this cruise is that for some unknown reason, I have to log in just to get on the WiFi. Even though I can log off in a couple of seconds, it still docks my account a full minute. Not earth shattering, but annoying. 
At any rate, to catch up …

Tuesday

Hubbard Halted

 

Well, the glacier didn’t halt, but we did!  I tried breakfast in the Tsars Palace dining room. Beautiful surroundings, tasty avocado and egg wrap, and awful coffee!  Tried two different batches, with one undrinkable and one marginal.  Explored the ship and found some favorite places watch the world go by, went to a really nice military reception (well done, NCL!).  Then I made my way up forward on Deck 8 to the viewing area for Hubbard Glacier. We sailed out of mostly cloudy but still visible skies into fog that grew denser and denser. While we waited our turn. Norwegian Sun came out — taking with her the remnants of clear skies. Shortly thereafter Captain Stefan announced that we wouldn’t be able to go closer to the glacier due to ice floe size and current variations. So. No glacier today, but we’ll head up Tracy Arm Fjord on Wednesday and hopefully see Sawyer Glacier.  Teppanyaki for dinner — so good!

[CrabbyPatti]

@IRMO12HD Pasco,WA for the airport!  Have a great trip!

 

Denise

 

[IRMO12HD]

Some pictures to go with our no-Hubbard day…

[IRMO12HD]

OK, I’m back.  True to form, this has turned out to be a cruise review, rather than any kind of live blog because, well, I didn’t get the unlimited Internet package.  But, that’s all right because now I can relate my pros and cons, my successes and not-so-successes, and things I would urge a friend to do and look for.

Chapter 1:  Norwegian Jewel — the ship, my cabin, and dining

 

The ship:  I really like the size of the Jewel and her amenities.  Most of the kids I saw onboard seemed to enjoy themselves and managed to have fun without negatively impacting others.  The Sun deck (forward, Deck 13) have great views, shielding from the wind, and air exchangers that kept me warm on the foggy days. 
 

 

Another favorite quiet, shielded spot was a little niche forward on both sides of Deck 7 on the Promenade, just forward of these  large wrapped boxes:

 

 

My favorite restaurant: definitely O’Sheehan’s.  Food (and drink) 24/7 and the food was consistently good.  The hostesses were kind to me as a solo, and did their best to find me comfortably located tables, sometimes by the window and sometimes near it.

#2 and a close second is Chin Chin.  The servers were so good-natured and kind, and I found the food and the portion sizes just right.

 

Chapter 1A to come: my cabin:  Interior Cabin 9589

[IRMO12HD]

Chapter 1A: Cabin 9589

 

I haven’t been in an interior cabin on NCL, but I feel that this cabin was different in a couple of respects, some pro and some con.

 

The bed (or beds, as I asked my steward to separate them — I like having the room) is perpendicular to the entry, rather than parallel.  I like this layout, as it puts the bed in line with the ship, rather than across it.

its location, while sandwiched between Decks 8 and 10, proved to be a little “noisesome” as the closet/bathroom end, and the side opposite the entry bordered a crew area, as well as the space above it.  Not intolerable, but I did hear some noises around 0’dark-30 (I.e., 4:30 am), and took a minute or two to go back to sleep.

 

 

The floor and hallway location were ideal to me.  Just around the corner to stairs and elevators. One deck down to my fave O’Sheehans and two decks down to the Promenade, my ice supply in the Bliss Lounge, and Azura MDR and Chin Chin.

 

 

Edited September 5, 2023 by IRMO12HD
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