Special Secrets for NCL Star to Alaska

[Newbeee]

We did our first cruise ever, last summer and we did it on NCL Star to Alaska. We had read some of the reviews beforehand and we were a little concerned because of the negative ones.

 

Let me tell you, we had a wonderful time, in spite of the "not so good weather".

 

But as an example of these negative opinions, we were having a great time on the cruise, and then made our last port call to Prince Rupert, Canada. We went ashore and found a restaurant with a deck overlooking the ocean. We proceeded to order lunch and a bottle of wine. While sitting there, we overheard another group of 6 people complaining about everything on the ship so we started talking to them about it. It was pathetic, I mean every little thing they were picking out and complaining about. And it was so fake, because it was so petty. It was like they were all in competition to see who could complain the most. Unbelievable.

 

So that proved it to me, that no matter how wonderful a cruise is, there will always be 2 or 3 percent who think that it was terrible. Go figure!

 

Anyways, I had to get that off my chest!

 

Now for the secrets -

 

Secret #1 - The Secret Hot Tub on Top Deck, Front of the Ship

 

We went up through this super steep canyon with the ship (called a Fjord) and about an hour ahead of time we got into this hot tub. We traveled and saw the entire Fjord from that hot tub. Everyone else was standing around us all bundled up in the freezing rain, while we were all half nude in that hot tub. We must have been in the hot tub for 4 hours that day! It was way cool!

 

Secret #2 - VIP Pass to the Midnight Chocolate Buffet

 

The night before the Midnight Chocolate Buffet, we ate at the Le Bistro restaurant. During dinner, the restaurant manager (a very nice French guy) came up and asked us how everything was. I said it was great and then my wife and I started to talk to him about the cruise. We mentioned that we were really looking forward to the chocolate buffet the following night. He then told us, "I'll get you in as a VIP one hour earlier than everyone else." We met him at a special entrance to the buffet room with about 50 other "VIP's" and we had first dibs on the chocolate. All of the other restaurant managers had their "VIP's". That chocolate buffet was unbelievable and awesome. The Secret - make friends with a restaurant manager prior to the chocolate buffet!

 

Secret #3 - Wine at the Shows in the Theater

 

It is ok to buy a bottle of wine at the bar and bring it into the theater (the bar will uncork it and give you two wine glasses). We always sat on the side of the theater on the top row and there was a little table ledge in front of the seats for the wine. The view was very good from up there because it is just above the stage. Get there a little early because these seats go fast. That was way cool.

 

Secret #4 - Lobster Night - First, Second & Third!

 

The lobster night was excellent. Everyone got a lobster tail and it was good, but to be honest with you, they were a little on the small side. No problem! After our nice waiter picked up our plate and asked how the lobster was, I said it was great but that I was still a little hungry. He said, "no problem, I will bring you out another one." Well, I feel a little embarrassed about it, but he did it a third time, too! After that meal I wrote up a positive comment card and gave to his manager upon leaving. That was too cool.

 

Secret #5 - Paying for use of the Spa

 

This is not really a secret, others on here have said this is a good deal. We did it and I am glad we did. They have a jacuzzi there with a lounger in it. So you just lay there horizontally while in the hot tub. I've been in hot tubs all over the place and this is the only one like this I have ever seen. This was awesome!

 

Secret #6 - Free Picture with Captain

 

They had a special picture night with the captain with a long line so we decided to pass it up. No problem! A few days later we saw him coming out of the buffet restaurant. I had my camera along! So I go up, introduce myself, and tell him how we love the cruise. I ask him if I can get a picture of him and my wife and he says, "sure". He was a really nice dude, I think he was Norwegian! Secret - hunt for the captain - he will be the one with most stripes on his shirt sleeve!

 

Secret #7 - All you can eat sushi

 

They will advertise about this special sushi deal in the Japanese restaurant. It is an extra charge, but it was well worth it. We must have eaten $200 of sushi! We simply marked the sushi we wanted and they brought it out on a large platter. Then we did it a second time! Unbelievable!

 

Bottom line suggestion - go with a good attitude and you will have a great time! :)

[4 cruisers]

Yeah, Newbeeee! We'd love to cruise with you! I THOUGHT there was still the jacuzzi at the front of the ship! I was told by some other cruisers that it was not for all guests! Glad to know I was right (this time!:p).

 

Graciousness goes a long way while cruising (and in life, in general!). Many people never figure that out and have a miserable "trip!" We like hanging out with people who are gracious!:cool: You rock!:D

[Toyz711]

in 2006, i did a different route then you...the star did glacier bay back then. my secret was having a hot bowl of chili, from the blue lagoon, to warm up from being wet & cold (sept weather...raining/sleet possible:D )

i did most of the glacier viewing from the balcony, family members (who needed to stay warm) did their viewing from the spinnaker lounge and the rest did theirs from the deck 12. i have a photo of a kid in the hot tub you are talking about.

[my_god_its_full_of_stars]

Hi Newbeee.

 

Thanks for posting with your tips and your experiences on board the Star last year.

 

We will be going early in the season (May 10th) on the Star, and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind answering some questions. :confused:

 

First off, did you happen to keep your dailies, and if so, any chance of uploading pictures of them? (I realize they'll be some changes, but would like to get an idea of what to expect.)

 

Did you do any excursions? If so, which ones did you do? Any that you wish you had done instead from others' reactions/experiences?

 

You mentioned the "lobster night" ... Did they do this on only one night? Which night was it? ... (oh, and is it mentioned on the daily?)

 

Your tip for the spa use sounds like a winner ;).... Were there many others on board who also followed suit? I've also seen various pricing, what did you pay for it? (If you don't mind me asking....) And, finally, does the spa pass allow only the person purchasing it to use the facilities (photo ID?), or could we just buy one and pass it between the two of us as either one of us feels like using the pool area/spa?

 

Mentioning the spa ... are the fitness/gym machines free to use, or are they considered part of the "spa"?

 

Last one, (for now), the "all-you-can-eat" sushi sounds fantastic! :D We were planning on eating in the sushi restaurant anyway, but love the idea of a "deal" like that! Was it hard to get reservations after the announced deal? Was the deal just an intercom announcement or was it in the daily?

 

Okay, whew! Sorry for the twenty (or so) questions:o , and I understand if you don't feel like answering any or all of them. It's my first time to Alaska, first time in 22 years going again on NCL, and our last cruise (on Carnival) was just average, so I would really like to make this one special. And, as they say, knowledge is power, and that entails questions.:)

 

Thanks in advance of any information you (or anyone else who has sailed the Star to Alaska from the past season) may want to impart.

 

Looking forward to sailing on a Star ..... :D

 

pj

[Newbeee]

Hi Newbeee.

 

Thanks for posting with your tips and your experiences on board the Star last year.

 

We will be going early in the season (May 10th) on the Star, and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind answering some questions.

 

1. First off, did you happen to keep your dailies, and if so, any chance of uploading pictures of them? (I realize they'll be some changes, but would like to get an idea of what to expect.)

 

2. Did you do any excursions? If so, which ones did you do? Any that you wish you had done instead from others' reactions/experiences?

 

3. You mentioned the "lobster night" ... Did they do this on only one night? Which night was it? ... (oh, and is it mentioned on the daily?)

 

4. Your tip for the spa use sounds like a winner ;).... Were there many others on board who also followed suit? I've also seen various pricing, what did you pay for it? (If you don't mind me asking....) And, finally, does the spa pass allow only the person purchasing it to use the facilities (photo ID?), or could we just buy one and pass it between the two of us as either one of us feels like using the pool area/spa?

 

5. Mentioning the spa ... are the fitness/gym machines free to use, or are they considered part of the "spa"?

 

6. Last one, (for now), the "all-you-can-eat" sushi sounds fantastic! :D We were planning on eating in the sushi restaurant anyway, but love the idea of a "deal" like that! Was it hard to get reservations after the announced deal? Was the deal just an intercom announcement or was it in the daily?

 

7. Okay, whew! Sorry for the twenty (or so) questions, and I understand if you don't feel like answering any or all of them. It's my first time to Alaska, first time in 22 years going again on NCL, and our last cruise (on Carnival) was just average, so I would really like to make this one special. And, as they say, knowledge is power, and that entails questions.:)

 

Thanks in advance of any information you (or anyone else who has sailed the Star to Alaska from the past season) may want to impart.

 

Looking forward to sailing on a Star ..... :D

 

pj

 

 

OMG I wish I was going on that cruise with you! You're gonna have a great time.

 

Let me try to answer your above questions.

 

1. Dailies - Yes, we do have some of the dailies. I have to find them and will try to figure out how to upload them here. It may take a day or two to figure it out. Afterall, I'm a "Newbeee".

 

2. Excursions - Well, we drove to Seattle from the east coast (in 3 weeks - Denver, Yellowstone, Teton, Glacier, SLC, etc.), then after the cruise we drove on up to Alaska via the Alaskan Highway and then spent 3 more weeks driving around Alaska. So we did the cruise's Alaska port calls on a budget, to conserve money for the rest of our trip.

 

But we had a great time, so here is a "budget version" of the port calls -

 

Ketchikan - We took the tram to the top of the mountain there (purchased tickets at tram). Then we walked all around the town and gift shopped. We had a great time - Ketchikan is really a neat town.

 

Juneau - Took the bus to the Mendenhall glacier (purchased ticket on the dock after getting off the ship - was maybe $15 pp rt). This is a great deal because that glacier was enormous and we could get pretty close to it. Then we came back to town and walked around Juneau.

 

Skagway - Instead of the train, which is a little expensive, we took a tour bus up the famous gorge to the top of the pass (purchased tickets in the town). They both travel the same valley and we could see the train numerous times while on the road. And the bus stops many times along the way so we could take pictures. This was a great deal, I think it was maybe $30 pp rt. Then we walked around the town and got a beer at the "Red Onion Saloon".

 

Prince Rupert - Bar/Restaurant hopped from one great deck with a view to the next. There is not a lot to do in this town, but they have some fantastic restaurants with views. The town is elevated high above the ocean there, so you can look out for about 100 miles over the bay. The weather was great here too!

 

 

Anyways, let me see if I can find our stuff from the cruise, and then I will finish answering.

 

You'll have a great time! :)

[Newbeee]

Hi Newbeee.

 

Your tip for the spa use sounds like a winner ;).... Were there many others on board who also followed suit? I've also seen various pricing, what did you pay for it? (If you don't mind me asking....) And, finally, does the spa pass allow only the person purchasing it to use the facilities (photo ID?), or could we just buy one and pass it between the two of us as either one of us feels like using the pool area/spa?

 

Mentioning the spa ... are the fitness/gym machines free to use, or are they considered part of the "spa"?

 

pj

 

I just found the first sail day's Daily! This Daily has info about the spa special (it is uploaded to cruisecritic) -

 

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/showfull.php?photo=2222

 

 

Hope this helps !

 

PS - There is a staffed counter at the spa and they actually collected both my ID card and my wife's ID card upon entry and checked our picture, so no, it can't be passed among different people.

 

According to the ad, it is only offered to the first 50 people and then they do not sell anymore, so that limits the number of people in the spa - it was never crouded for us.

 

Pricing - we paid $120 for both of us like the ad says.

 

The fitness center is right upstairs from the spa and it is free. We would work out for about an hour, then go downstairs to the spa, shower and hit the sauna, hot tubs and pool.

[my_god_its_full_of_stars]

Hi again.

 

Thank you for the link with the spa info, and what you did in the ports! (For a "Newbeee", your link posting skills are perfect!:))

 

I know that the trip is a ways away, but I'm VERY excited about it, and your information helps to solidify some things that I'd like to do while there.

 

It sounds like you and your wife had a fantastic trip... would love to do that kind of trip myself --- have always fancied driving north thru California, Oregon, Washington, Vancouver, then heading east to explore Canada, taking my time to enjoy.

 

For Juneau, we are now thinking of modifying our plans a bit and skipping the whale watch. Since you took the shuttle service up to the Mendenhall Glacier, does this give you access to the glacier itself? Can you walk on the glacier or just get some nice pictures?

 

Thanks again.

pj

[Toyz711]

this might help you:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/districts/mendenhall/

no, the hiking trails don't take you to the glacier. if you go over to the alaska boards, they have people there that can tell you how to get to the area across from the falls.

whale watching was what i went for, my in-laws did mendenhall.

at mendenhall, they have a visitor's center ($3 charge), no charge for the views outside. many of the local vendors, for whale watching, will either pick you up or drop you off at mendenhall..some have to charge the $6 fee that the shuttles do. you can combo those 2, they are in the same area. whale watching, through a local vendor, is at auke bay...very near mendenhall. in fact, you can see the glacier (through the mountain) from the tour boats.

[my_god_its_full_of_stars]

Hi Toyz711....

 

Thanks for that website and your insights on the glacier.

 

Now I'm vacillating .... In your opinion is the whale watching worth it in Juneau as opposed to any of the other ports? (Tho, in Skagway, we are pretty much set on the railroad trip, so that port would be out.)

 

Due to our schedules, we'll never see Humpbacks in Hawai'i, so I was hoping to see them in Alaska, but others have told me that we're going a bit too early to really be able to experience them feeding, breaching, and cavorting about. Do you think that in mid-May, we'd be able to see this? Or, would just a general walkabout the town, going to the glacier, and maybe a tram ride up Mt. Roberts would suffice?

 

Sorry to ask so many questions ... just wanting to try to confirm what I've read in guidebooks, here (and elsewhere), and heard from others.

 

Thanks so much for all your assistance.

 

pj