Table Of Content
There will usually be important information printed on your ticket about where to meet up. While this was inconvenient, they did provide easy and efficient shuttles that brought us to and from the ship. And there are plenty of shops with souvenirs and a nauseating amount of jewelry stores at each stop. But if shopping is your thing, you will find plenty of stores to check out. So while summer offers your best chance for better weather, you should still expect some rainfall and cloudy conditions. When the cruise commences, the Norwegian Cruise Line will charge the final bill to the card or debit card you have on file.
Enjoy the Freedom to Cruise Alaska the Way You Like
The 6 Best Cruises for Northern Lights Viewing - AFAR Media
The 6 Best Cruises for Northern Lights Viewing.
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Some vacations combine a cruise of spectacular coastal Alaska with a land tour that features transportation by motor coach or train and hotel stays. Before or after your cruise, you might explore Denali National Park in Alaska or the resort towns of the Canadian Rockies, for example. We were particularly impressed with the ship’s amenities, comfort, and cleanliness. The staff were friendly and always willing to help, making our journey even more enjoyable. All in all, we found it to be excellent value for money, adding to the overall comfort of our vacation.
Alaskan Itineraries
Surprisingly, the weather was on our side, even though it was the beginning of September—a month that can be hit or miss in Alaska. The skies were clear, and the sun was out, making it a perfect day to lounge by the pool or take in the ocean views. In summary, Ketchikan is a multifaceted destination that offers a mix of nature, history, and adventure. Despite the slight hiccup with the docking location, the port serves as a condensed version of Alaska’s beauty and culture. After this nature-filled morning, we explored downtown Ketchikan.
Welcome Aboard Norwegian Encore
The layout of the room had the desk and sofa closer to the entrance and the bed closer to the balcony, which is our preferred layout. We also liked that there were USB outlets near the bed for charging our phones at night. Our cabin was 12718, a Category BA cabin located pretty far forward on the starboard side of Deck 12. This cabin looked in really good shape still considering the ship is a few years old now. It had modern décor and was a pretty standard size and layout when it comes to balcony cabins. For this Norwegian Encore Alaska Cruise Review, we flew into Seattle a day early as we always recommend.
Cruise lines do prefer if you book through them so they can make sure you can safely and punctually get to your excursion and back to the ship. In the boarding process, you will receive your room key, which also doubles as your credit card. You will be asked to attach a credit card or debit card before boarding the ship. Stuffed from dinner, we made our way up to the Observation Lounge to catch some of Archie’s set, this was the only musical act on the ship that we hadn’t seen yet. So, we enjoyed the music, views of Victoria, and some espresso martinis.
We would have liked to have experienced more shows on the ship, as well as wish the family-friendly activities (go-karts & laser tag) did not cost extra money and did not require reservations. Depending on which type of stateroom you’re staying in, you can make specialty dining and entertainment reservations 90 – 130 days in advance. Our day began with a local whale-watching tour that set sail from Hoonah Harbor.
This section of our Alaska cruise review provides a detailed day-by-day itinerary breakdown. We’ll guide you through each day’s highlights, port of call activities, and activities aboard the Norwegian Sun, from scenic cruising along glaciers to immersive cultural experiences. For those wanting to truly experience Alaska, its offers up to 14 day sailings with plenty of port visits and scenic cruising. This ship has a variety of sailings, from a couple of different departure points, in addition to land-based tours for those wanting a more in-depth Alaskan experience. Since we were being hosted by the cruise line on this sailing, we then met with our onboard contact before beginning our typical embarkation day routine.
Choose from eight Cruisetours to see the heart of this great land. Join an adventure of a lifetime aboard the Aleutian Ballad, as seen on Discovery Channel’s - The Deadliest Catch. Cruise on the Wilderness Explorer expedition vessel through Misty Fjords, a waterway that ancient glaciers carved out of the rugged landscape. Among the advancements to be made in 2024 is finalizing shore power for all three Seattle cruise berths, six years earlier than initially forecast. If you enjoy beautiful nature, then there is an abundance of scenery that will simply make your jaw drop. And the onboard entertainment was the second biggest highlight of the trip.
Dinner and Some Laughs
We’re excited to provide you with a candid review of our experience, offering insights and tips to make your decision and voyage even more enjoyable. So, settle in as we share the details of our Norwegian Jewel Alaska Cruise Review from Vancouver to Alaska. A quick lumberjack photo later, we immediately took the quick walk back to our bus which got us back to Ward Cove around 1 PM. This is one of the benefits of booking shore excursions with the cruise line.
Unfortunately, this was a glorified shore excursions talk with some Alaska facts interspersed. Curated Alaska programming is definitely one thing we missed on NCL. Norwegian Encore boasts all the bells and whistles of modern mega-ships making it an attractive option for families and multi-generational groups.
Following the comedy show, we headed over to Q for Nashville Nights and Lights. This pretty much consisted of a country line dance class followed by live music and dancing. It’s too bad there wasn’t a country band featured in this venue as there was in pre-COVID times. With a busy morning, we decided to head back to the room to rest a bit before our busy afternoon. One of the nice things about Norwegian Encore, when compared to our recent Princess cruise, was the abundance of spaces to glacier view.
With most of the glacier viewing done around noon time, we made our first (and only) visit to the Garden Café for lunch all week. The selections were pretty typical of a cruise ship buffet, with nothing really wow’ing us. After our balcony, we ended up spending the rest of our glacier viewing time between the Vibe Beach Club and the pool deck.
As on every day of the cruise, we spent our downtime relaxing, playing cards and cribbage in The Atrium, attending presentations & shows, eating, drinking, and enjoying the ship. If you fail to get the restaurant or reservation time of your choice, head to Deck 6 (in Teppanyaki) immediately upon boarding the ship as this is when the remaining reservations are released. Familiarize yourself with where your stateroom is in relation to the complimentary dining, main atrium, Observation Lounge, and pool deck. In order to not feel overwhelmed by the size of the Norwegian Encore, I highly recommend that you study the ship’s deck plans prior to departing on your Alaska cruise. For comparison purposes, we took a 7-day cruise on Norwegian Encore that featured 5 ports of call.
