u/goddessofolympia

Just got back from the 6/20 sailing.

Some notes-

-I had a Solo Inside cabin on Deck 5. It was the same size as cabins that had families of 5, which is crazy to me, but, hey, "kids sail free", that's Norwegian. There was a fair amount of running in the hallways. Tired-looking parents were probably just happy to have the kids wearing themselves out. Noise was ok after the kids went to bed.

-the ship is beautiful. The Observation Lounge is perfect for Alaska, and it was usually possible to get some kind of seat, although it'd be nice if they'd restrict nappers and kids making pillow forts.

-the comedian Orlando was GREAT. Reflections on stuff that happened in his life with a funny retelling. The (adults-only) night with the colonoscopy and Ayahuasca experiences was memorable. I have seen comedians on cruise ships who just repeated the same material and tossed in some random swears for adults only, but Orlando was charming and relatable. The Social was at capacity.

-The Beatles Experience from Argentina...these guys filled the main theater, they were so good. The later songs were really impressive. Interesting to think that they have now played these songs hundreds of times more than The Beatles ever did. All 4 members did a great job of matching the vocal tones of the originals, and I realized that a couple of them just plain had better voices. Excellent instrumentation and arrangements, too. Faithful to the album versions while suggesting there was a lot more in the tank.

-I know some folks go nuts over Siglo...not sure why. When it's impossible to ID De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da by The Police until the chorus, there's an issue. I caught part of 4 shows, for a total of at least a couple of hours, thinking I must be missing something, but nope, not a fan.

A Beatles cover band is one thing, because they can stick to specific material, but I wish these cruise lines would quit booking nothing but lounge acts and cover bands and hire some good bands with original material.

And regardless of genre, I get soooo tired of the cheesy lounge-singer tropes (making everyone sing along, turning the mic around, fake-Sinatra-crooner phrasing, changing lyrics to include "topical" lines). I don't want to hear REM à la Lawrence Welk, and I hope that I'm not the only one.

Food was overall good.

I was impressed by the trip to the galley during the (paid) ship's tour, and loved hearing about the consistently-high food safety inspection ratings.

Breakfasts were inconsistent. A couple of times Waffles and French toast were served so cold that the whipped butter wouldn't melt. The Local seemed to do best on this compared to Savor/Taste...the trip from the central galley to the main dining rooms must be too long to ensure that food stays hot.

The American Diner was very good, particularly the chicken salad sandwich and pulled pork sliders. It's open-air, which in Alaska does not do French fries any favors. Even digging right into fries, it was impossible to finish them before they turned cold. The table next to me looked very unhappy with their $7 milkshakes and left half unfinished.

A standout bad dish at the Savor/Taste lunch was the Monte Cristo sandwich. Deep-fried lump of dough with some lunch meat. An excellent dish was Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp at dinner.

Got steaked out at Cagney's, 2 visits. Delicious, but that Thick-Cut Bacon appetizer was equivalent to a half-rack of boneless ribs, and would have made an entree on its own. The crab cakes had lots of crab, but far from the fresh-crab Alaska taste of your dreams. I had the regular-sized filet, which was a lot of food, but I'd seen a review that the quality was better than the petite filet, and, judging from what I saw at an adjoining table, that was accurate. Meat temperatures were precise. Don't order Medium Rare if you'd really be happier with Medium. Don't order Rare unless you don't mind close to Moo.

Le Bistro was delicious. I lived in Paris 2 years, and this was good. A standout was the pork chop. The French onion soup was identical to the one at Cagney's and in both cases would benefit from a different presentation (it comes in a very large tureen), especially at Le Bistro. The mushroom soup was excellent.

Because of the shortened port times, I went on NCL shore excursions in each port.

Sitka: Took the Cool Bus to the Raptor Center, which rehabilitates injured birds and releases them if possible. They had a tiny eaglet, just a bit of fluff, plus owls, eagles, and hawks. It was great that volunteers were plentiful, and actually approached visitors to offer information on the birds and answer questions. The flightless eagles had beautiful open enclosures set into the forest next to a river. The owls and hawks had large enclosures that allowed them to hide away inside if they chose, but they seemed more interested in watching us. We got to see the birds being fed. The snowy owl looked very polite as it consumed a whole rat.

Then walked through the rainforest to downtown for the free shuttle, then went on the Expedition Vessel and Wildlife Quest (just 5 other passengers). We saw a grey whale, a pair of sea lions, and many eagles. The small boat pulled into a shallow inlet for a glimpse of the wily Sea Star. The naturalist was excellent and we learned about why Alaskan towns aren't built up the mountains...very shallow soil over rock, trees have root systems that spread out, and devastating landslides are common. Teddy was the captain and Liam was the naturalist. The tour provider hires excellent staff.

Allen Marine was the provider, in case anyone wants to book directly. The tours had a mix of passengers, and the ship won't leave without you if any of them booked through NCL.

Juneau: The excursion title was Whale Watching and Wildlife Quest, again the provider was Allen Marine. A large vessel with big windows, a bathroom, free coffee, and an open-air viewing area on the bow. There were about 40 passengers, and probably room for 120...not crowded at all, and we started out with a group of at least 100. They had several boats in the harbor and divided the large group so that everyone would be comfortable and not crammed in. Very well done. The captain was Merlin and the naturalist was Lauren. We stopped to watch a bald eagle eagle dragging a 30-pound king salmon to shore, right next to a startled harbor seal that jumped into the water.

Then we happened across a pod of 5 orcas (I think the captain was excellent at spotting wildlife) and later a humpback whale.

And 5 glaciers along the way.

That afternoon was scenic cruising to see glaciers. The huge ship can't get close, but we got a good view, with harbor seals and sea lions floating by on small icebergs.

In Icy Strait Point I reserved the Whales And Drones tour...you can go directly through Captain Josh at Hoonah Whales And Drones. I highly recommend this excursion. Captain Josh is extremely knowledgeable about humpback whales and, thanks to the $$$$ high-altitude drone, has an extensive knowledge of their behavior, which he shares with researchers. Check out his YouTube channel. We saw whales lunge-feeding along the shore, using their pectoral fins to drive schools of fish into their mouths. The captain said that this is a feeding behavior that he's rarely seen, and that the whales teach one another. More whales on the way back...at one point we were encircled by whales...they came near us, we never approached them too closely. We also saw sea lions and a huge raft of otters. And a Sitka black-tailed deer while waiting for the van ride to the marina.

Ketchikan had the shortest port time, and the Bliss docks way out at Ward Cove, where Norwegian has built an excursion hub/giant gift shop. I didn't want to have to spend the limited time on a shuttle bus into town, so booked the Totem Bight State Park and Lumberjack Show excursion to maximize time. Totem Bight State Park was just 5 minutes away by bus. The tour guide was Spencer, just 21 and from Phoenix. He did an excellent job of driving and also knew all about the totem poles in the park, not just basic information. Norwegian has built a venue for the famous Ketchikan Lumberjack Show right at Ward Cove. I have seen the original show in Ketchikan, and this was just as impressive. They even had a Q and A with one of the athletes beforehand.

Victoria was just a technical stop, with no one getting off, but dinner at Le Bistro was wonderful and The Waterfront on Deck 8 was a great spot for watching our arrival into Victoria.

All in all it was a wonderful cruise. I do have a couple of complaints about issues which I realize could have been ameliorated had I done a better job of looking out for myself.

First (my fault), I made the mistake of asking for directions to the $500 spa raffle. The spa employee said "oh, yes, I will take you", but went the long way in order to guide me through the thermal suite and push everything from Dysport injections to acupuncture. I asked 4 times to go to the raffle, was assured that we were on the way...and of course I missed it. Which is fine. After that, I wouldn't have set foot in the place again if it HAD been free. Jerk. Anyway, I won a $100 spa credit on a previous cruise and it barely covered a totally meh manicure (would be $30 on land) accompanied by more pushy sales crap, so I feel very comfortable avoiding the spa.

Second, and far worse: Between the time I left home and the time I boarded the ship, NCL changed the time of the paid ship's tour from 1 pm to 8:45 that morning. YES, it was printed on the Shore Excursion tickets, BUT I was not given the option to cancel the tour. There's a big difference between 8:45 AM and 1 PM. I very much did not appreciate being awakened at 8:45 to be told that I was late for something that I would never have paid for if it had been advertised as a morning tour.

AND I was told that there was no refund.

So other people on the tour had to wait while I threw on clothes and went.

In future, if I go with NCL I will surely check my paper excursion tickets immediately rather than assuming that the time I was given would be accurate.

Then I had to sit through a video on how Norwegian prides itself on "executing perfectly".

No.

Norwegian should do better.

I'll write and tell them my experience...not for an apology or expecting compensation, but in the hope that they can prevent future passengers from having unhappy experiences.

It wasn't a great tour, certainly not worth waking up early or paying for, but I did learn a couple of interesting things. The desalinization plant onboard produces water that is just fine to drink out of the tap...but "it is not recommended to drink it over a long period of time continuously". This is because the desalinization process strips it of minerals. Drinking water in the buffet and dining rooms has minerals added in a separate treatment. I noticed that, indeed, after drinking the tap water for a while, it no longer tastes refreshing or "water-like". So I used a clean glass to refill my water bottle at the buffet.

And when female workers give birth, they are given "priority to get their jobs back".

Washington State has a Family Medical Leave program that includes maternity leave and paternity leave, and the ship employees are NOT going to be considered independent contractors under state law and are clearly eligible, so hopefully the state will audit the employer and they'll get better than that soon. It shouldn't be a big expense for NCL and might in fact make it more attractive to future applicants.

I loved my cruise and am happy to answer any questions!

Selling a car?

Got back from Bliss to Alaska!

Changing check-in times and last-minute Qs.

Coffeemaker?

Some tongs for your warm, smooth salad