Coastal Connection & Waterfront views-NCL excursion Ward Cove

[smokey11]

It looks like new this season NCL has added an excursion that is $99 per person and it goes from Ward Cove to downtown Ketchikan. In the morning from ward cove they serve doughnuts and coffee and from downtown to ward cove in the afternoon they provide local beer tastings. Has anyone tried this excursion yet?  It seems pretty high at $99 per person when the shuttle to and from ward cove is free. 

Edited May 19 by smokey11

[SightCRR]

If it extends your stay in the downtown area it might be worth the 100 bucks. 

[smokey11]

The last shuttle from downtown to Ward cove is at 2:30pm and that is the time the excursion boat leaves downtown so not any extra time in downtown, but I bet it would save standing in a long line for the shuttle. 

[nordicacres]

Oh, funny. I posted on the NCL board about the same time you posted here! We are considering taking this alternate form of transportation back to Ward Cove, but don’t sail until late June. Hopefully someone can pitch in.

[dmwnc1959]

3 hours ago, smokey11 said:

It looks like new this season NCL has added an excursion that is $99 per person and it goes from Ward Cove to downtown Ketchikan. In the morning from ward cove they serve doughnuts and coffee and from downtown to ward cove in the afternoon they provide local beer tastings. Has anyone tried this excursion yet?  It seems pretty high at $99 per person when the shuttle to and from ward cove is free. 

Keep in mind that there is the NCL shore excursion discount of $50 per passenger #1. 

[Northern Aurora]

Interesting to read that this alternate mode to transportation to downtown Ketchikan allows folks to "bypass the long lines often associated with other modes of transportation."  So just how well is that shuttle working?

[VUCruiser]

Thinking about doing the return via this NCL excursion (one-way back to ship) in September while getting on a very early free bus shuttle in the morning. Hope others who purchase this option over the summer will post their experience...Was there only one boat going?  Did they only sell tix for the # they could carry? (I don't want to pay and end up waiting for the boat to make a return trip...) Did it drop you at downtown? With the $50 off NLC excursion credit, it may make going into town doable. We have not traveled into Ketchikan on our past two visits to Ward Cove-we only walked on the paths near the ship (great view of the ship!) and hit the shops...Have been to Ketchikan on another cruise line so have done Creek Street so not feeling it is a must do...

[Mbcruiser704]

I, too, am hoping others who travel in August will report back!

[smokey11]

Just checking if anyone has done this tour?

 

[donaldsc]

I see it as a way of NCLof trying to extort money from passengers after they madea horrible decision of parking their ship out of town in Ward Cove.  Instead of just walking off your ship into town as you can do with most of the lines you get to pay $100 to get there.

 

Paying $100 for "free" donuts, coffee and beer seems a bit much to me.

 

DON

Edited Friday at 04:14 AM by donaldsc