The Alaskan Jewel! Welcome Aboard….You don’t Exist!

[jenseib]

Excited to hear about your trip! We're looking at doing an Alaskan Cruise for the extended family next year and my sister REFUSES (gasp!) to do Disney. Norwegian is one of the cruise lines she is pushing, so I will be looking forward to reading!

Welcome!!!

Well there was a lot of good and but also some bad with NCL. I will tell you the bad is not normal though.

 

[jenseib]

So let’s get this boring non picture part done with so we can get on to the fun stuff!!!!!


A little background…



Last year I was very fortunate to travel 4 times throughout the year. In Feb. 2014 I went to Disneyland (for the first time) for a work conference. I had a wonderful time with a co-worker and hope to meet up again with her next year.


In March Claire and I went to Disney World and Sea World and then Skip flew down and met up with us to go on the Disney Magic and we also went to Universal Studios and Legoland. Another pretty darn good trip.


In August I had a 1 day conference located at Disney World. I flew down Friday, went to the conference most of the day Sat and then hit the Villain’s party at Hollywood Studios. On Sunday I went to the Magic Kingdom then over to Universal Studios and flew home Monday. I was solo that trip but did meet up with another co-worker for some of my park time. It was a nice little break from the real world.


Finally in Sept I cruised on the Caribbean Princess out of Ft. Lauderdale with my Mom. This was actually work related, but it was mostly pleasure on our part.


I was lucky and Skip did not gripe too much at all about my travels but he did gripe about any plans I wanted to do this year. He wanted to do another family vacation but he wasn’t sure on the timing. Ever since I had come back from California he kept talking about wanting to go. It then kind of faded away but it was always there that we would be going to Disneyland this year. I was aiming for Feb and that got brushed aside because of work reasons at home for Skip. Then April was tossed around…well tossed by me, but it got thrown back in my face.


So in April we took a quickie weekend trip a few hours away from home to help satisfy our travel urges.


By the end of April though I was really wanting to get something planned. It is Disneyland’s 60th anniversary and I wanted to stay onsite to make the most of it. Skip is famous for deciding last minute…yes we have planned trips to Disney World with less than 2 weeks to go.


I started doing a little more pressing about what time frame he was planning on going and he finally said the first or second week of Aug. The first would have to work for us because if we went the 2nd it may run into Claire starting school.


Then he sprang it on me…I don’t want to go to Disneyland. Yeah my heart sunk. Where would you like to go? I asked?


You won’t want to go there but I want to go somewhere that starts with an A. Well my first thought was Aulani, Disney’s resort in Hawaii, but Skip had no clue what I was even talking about there.


Finally he said Alaska! Yes…Yes!!!!! I would love to go to Alaska and there are cruises there. I have no idea why he thought I wouldn’t want to go. I had asked several years ago about going and his comment was “who in their right mind would ever go to Alaska for a vacation?”


Well I have shows like Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers and Gold Rush, to name a few, to thank now because Alaska now was at the top of his list and he very much wanted to go.


So the searches began. Like I said, Disney wasn’t giving us many options and the prices were high, but surprisingly Skip wasn’t saying no to Disney. In the end going out of Seattle was just going to work out better and we had many more choices and a much better price range. So on the last day of April I put the NCL Jewel on hold to get the free beverage package and then I also put a Princess cruise on hold as well. The prices were pretty neck in neck so I then had to decide which line would work better for us as a family.


I reached out on Cruise Critic and asked some questions. Of course I got a lot of mixed answers. But I worked through it and I decided to go with NCL for a few reasons. Skip and I have sailed NCL before for our honeymoon 12 years ago…and actually I have sailed with them once before as well. The drink package was a big perk. We are not big drinkers but on vacation Skip likes to have some beers or other drinks and they can be pricey. This would be nice not to worry about how much they cost. And I just felt the whole freestyle thing would be more to Skip’s liking. He likes to be pretty casual and dressing up is usually a challenge.


Then I did some more looking and saw that the price of a Penthouse Suite was really not all that much more than the mini suite I had put on hold. It would be more room…..location was a huge plus to me…AFT…and it would include the beverage package, the specialty dining package, gratuities for he and I and $75 shore excursion credit for each port. Those perks were almost an even match for the price increase and it was well worth it in my opinion. I called in early May and asked about upgrading and was sure to ask if those perks would be with it and yes it was, so I made the change and put our deposit down.


Then the search for a hotel started. At first I was looking near the airport because they had shuttles, but then to do anything worth wild it was going to cost and arm and a leg to get there, so I turned my search to Downtown. I really wanted the Marriott but at this time the price was already close to $500 a night with taxes. Wow! I searched all the downtown hotels that peaked my interest or was recommended by others and the bottom line was we were going to be paying $400 plus for the night. I then looked to see what NCL offered and I found it. The Crowne Plaza. It was going to be $313 for the night. Not cheap, but compared to the booking directly with them it was a bargain and I added that to the reservation, which then included transfers from the hotel to the port.


I then searched out shuttle options and was given many suggestions but in the end I went with the Shuttle Express. I called to make a reservation as I wanted to prepay and the girl I got was a total idiot. She told me they don’t take reservations and just where to find them at the airport and I can schedule my return at that time. I really didn’t like that idea. I know I read others had made reservations so about a week or so later I called back and got someone who actually took my reservation and allowed me to prepay.


We looked over excursions, but Skip wouldn’t commit to any. He really liked the Deadliest Catch themed one in Ketchikan, but he didn’t like the price…oh by the way….all excursions for the most part are pretty costly in Alaska. Since we were new to the area and also since we had shore excursion credit we decided we wanted to book straight through NCL. Finally I made a decision and called about 2 weeks before the trip and made them. Since we had the credit we were told we don’t prepay, but that they will bill it to our onboard account and each day the credit would be applied. I booked for the 3 Alaskan ports and left Victoria go for now and we would decide later.


I also set to the task of making specialty dining. I decided the first night we would go to the main dining room, as well as the last night since we would be in Victoria that night and the rest I made reservations.


Not too far before our actual vacation NCL changed port times on a lot of cruises and mine was no exception. The only change was for Victoria though. It really was no biggy to me for the most part. We would be arriving later and leaving later, but we didn’t have anything specific planned…though I thought about Butchart Gardens.


All was set.


Now on to packing. I started putting things I thought we would need in piles in a spare bedroom all summer long. At one point I pulled out sweatshirts and jackets. I told Skip to try some on and he said he would not need any. I told him it could be chilly and it could be rainy. He said “If I need something, I’ll buy it there”. Ok then. I did pack a zipped up sweatshirt and that was it for him.


I got finished packing for the most part about 2 days before leaving. It really was a challenge as I just wasn’t sure what types of clothes to bring and how much of it we would need. I actually did a good job and only ended up bringing home a few clean clothes…most of everything was worn at least once.


I took the day before we flew off of work officially though I did finish up some last minute things. We cleaned out the fridge, double checked we had all we needed, packed the back packs , mowed the grass and did all those fun last minute things you need to do before vacationing.


And then we all tried to sleep. We had to get up early for our flight and it was going to be a long travel day, but excitement was settling in. Even Skip was excited and he was a chatter box about all our upcoming activities.


On to the fun!!!!

 

[dizneeat]

I am here Jen! Need to go back to read now!

 

[pepe3penelope]

Awesome start! Loved reading about your thoughts on planning. I don't know how you do it with a husband that helo you plan in advance. I'm Such a planner...that would drive me nuts!

 

[AussieMumma]

Im in! A cruise in Alaska is definitely on our bucket list. Can't wait to hear all about it

 

[dolphingirl47]

I am still playing catch up on Dis and I don't think I have finished reading yours...or maybe I have?

I don't think you made it quite to the end. It is now finally finished. In a little over 5 weeks I am off on my next Disney adventure and in the meantime I have 3 days in the north east of England and a week in Dubai to look forward to.

Corinna

 

[mom2rtk]

Trying to dip my toes back in the world....
I'm looking forward to hearing about your cruise. Alaska is a bucket list item for me

CAREY!!!!!!!

Where have you been? So glad to see you here!

 

[mom2rtk]

Wait..... Skip was a resister????????

 

[Zarina]

I am excited to hear about your trip and the cruise line comparison. I am really enjoying all the details, so helpful! We did DCL Alaska last summer and want to go back, can't decide if to stick with Disney (have two young boys who loved the club and lab) or venture out with another line and do different itinerary.

 

[jenseib]

I am here Jen! Need to go back to read now!

Yay!!

Awesome start! Loved reading about your thoughts on planning. I don't know how you do it with a husband that helo you plan in advance. I'm Such a planner...that would drive me nuts!

It drives me crazy when he can't just settle on something so I can plan. He loves all the last minute of it and I hate it. He hemmed and hawed about excursions and I am so glad I finally went ahead and decided what to do without his OK because then he later asked if I went ahead and made them and was all giddy about them.

Im in! A cruise in Alaska is definitely on our bucket list. Can't wait to hear all about it

Thanks for joining in.

I don't think you made it quite to the end. It is now finally finished. In a little over 5 weeks I am off on my next Disney adventure and in the meantime I have 3 days in the north east of England and a week in Dubai to look forward to.

Corinna

I will have to get over there. This day has already gotten totally away from me. I have Gracie over night tonight and she is taking a late nap which means she will be up late tonight too.
Have fun. I really need a Disney adventure in my future. Well I have one but it's not till Feb.

CAREY!!!!!!!

Where have you been? So glad to see you here!

And then she disappeared again. hahaha

Wait..... Skip was a resister????????

I know you are totally shocked. He seems like a guy who be all for me traveling all the time and spending oodles of money right?

I am excited to hear about your trip and the cruise line comparison. I am really enjoying all the details, so helpful! We did DCL Alaska last summer and want to go back, can't decide if to stick with Disney (have two young boys who loved the club and lab) or venture out with another line and do different itinerary.

I can't wait to go back. I may try Princess next time...or another line. Or go back to NCL. It will probably depend on perks and price. But we would really like to add on land if possible too next time. I hope we can do it in a couple of years.

 

[jedijill]

I couldn't put off planning that far....you are a patient person!

Why do I think Skip's packing choices will come to haunt him?

Jill in CO

 

[jenseib]

I couldn't put off planning that far....you are a patient person!

Why do I think Skip's packing choices will come to haunt him?

Jill in CO

I could probably pack 2 pairs of underwear and pair of socks and a pair of jeans ...maybe an extra shirt and he would be happy all week. You know , all you have to do with underwear is turn them inside out and it's like a new pair? hahaha. I can only imagine what it was like to travel with him before I came along.

 

[jenseib]

Before I get started with our first day, I do want to add a few things.


About 2 weeks before our cruise I was in contact with someone from Concierge. They asked our likes and wants and anything we may need.

Our anniversary is mid July, so I had added this was an anniversary trip. I also requested foam pillows, an egg crate topper for Claire’s bed, and hot cocoa packets for our room. Also extra towels and a few other odds in and ends and she said she had it all noted and attached to our reservation. Great. One less thing we would have to ask about.


Also about a week or so before our cruise NCL announced that as of Aug. 1st the gratuities/service charges were going up. Now Skip and I were already covered in the promo, but Claire wasn’t. I decided to prepay hers. The savings wasn’t huge, but hey, every penny counts and we were already spending the most we ever had on a vacation. (the flights were killers and I still cringe at the price we ended up paying, but it could have been more, I guess. That’s one of the downsides of not booking WAY out ahead of time)


Skip did not know what kind of room we had, except that it was a balcony. I was a bit nervous on what he would think when a butler would show up daily. I just knew he would cringe about it. I was a bit nervous too really. We just are not the type to need extra pampering. I figured we would play it by ear and if we felt uncomfortable we would let him/her know that we didn’t need any extra services.


And then I wasn’t sure about how to tip the butler. I read up on it on Cruise Critic and there were a lot of heated debates on how much to tip. I came up with a price that sounded acceptable to me and stashed that money in an envelope. I figured if the service was exceptional we could add more and if it was less, then we could take away.

Another service for suite guests is Concierge. Now I knew Florentina was the concierge person on the Jewel. I still wasn’t sure exactly how much we would ever actually need or use her. I had prebooked everything, so again I figured we would play it by ear. This is another person to tip, so I added what I thought was appropriate to my special tip envelope and again if we needed to add or subtract to it we could.


I also made up another envelope for extra tips like porters, bus drivers, excursions, etc. I put 5’s and 10’s in that envelope to make it easier to have easy access to money when needed.


For those that don’t know, Skip is a dairy farmer. He and his brother actually retired early spring. I knew they would go nuts with just general farming, but they were also going into the beef cattle business. They are so used to being active and working so much, that it was a culture shock for them to have so little to do now and sure enough within a month they decided to go back into the dairy business. However they were going back in in a different way. They ordered a robot milker so they no longer had to be there to milk the cows twice a day every day. The cows will be able to just go up to this milker and get milked when needed. All summer long the robot has been in the processed of being installed and the milking parlor is going through a transformation to accommodate this machine. A lot was going to happen while we were gone and Skip’s brother Dave tends to panic when Skip isn’t around. Luckily with all this extra relaxation they have had over the summer, he was not too nervous and things were going pretty smoothly.


A few nights before we left, a bunch of “the guys” came out to the barn and were having a few beers and chit chatting…..or really shooting the bull is probably a better term for their chit chat.


I walked out to nosey in on the latest farm gossip. Of course the conversation turned to our upcoming trip. All the guys were jealous and Skip was really eating it up.


He then asked if I ever booked any excursions. Yes I did! (no thanks to you and your input).


I told him what they were and he was very excited I booked the Deadliest Catch one. I knew this was going to be a big thing for him and I also knew this was one thing that was making him want to go to Alaska. He beamed a big smile when I told him about it and all the guys once again were jealous and excited. Skip did not seem too excited about the other excursions, but I knew he would be happy with them once we got there. He was just unfamiliar with them and he is one who likes to be familiar with everything. (He is NOT good with change in most cases…to a point it can drive me batty).


I was so glad I had booked these excursions though as they promised to be pretty exciting and I could tell he would be disappointed if I hadn’t prebooked.


Now…I promise on to day one next!

 

[Mickey4me!]

Looking forward to reading more!

 

[Magic 2013]

Following!

 

[jenseib]

Looking forward to reading more!

Thanks! I hope to get some up later today.

Following!

Welcome!

 

[westcoastfldisneygirl]

I'm here! A cruise to Alaska is definitely on the "sooner than later" list. Can't wait to follow along!

 

[jenseib]

I'm here! A cruise to Alaska is definitely on the "sooner than later" list. Can't wait to follow along!

I hope I can give you good reasons to go even sooner!

 

[jenseib]

Day 1, July 31, 2015, Traveling to Seattle

The plan for today was to leave the house by 6 AM. We had a 9:40 flight out of Detroit, which is the closest big airport for us. We were driving to my Aunts house and then she was driving us to the airport.


I got up around 5ish to get ready and Skip and Claire were not far behind me. I had packed the car with the suitcases the night before so we should’ve been ready to go….but I know better than that. Skip of course had to run out the barn a couple of times to check things and it probably was about 6:10 before we actually left the house.


I drove to my aunts….I always drive and Skip tells me how to drive from the passenger seat. I asked Skip if he had cigarettes and he said just the packs he had in his hand. UGH! I told him to be sure to pack some and he NEVER does. I knew he could get some on the ship at a reasonable price so I wasn’t too worried. I asked if he brought his phone charger. NOPE! He and his brother Dave have dumb phones and share a charger out in the barn. He said Dave would need it to keep his phone charged. Of course it won’t help if Skip’s phone is dead. Luckily I was pretty sure my kindle charger would work with his phone and I had that packed.


Aunt Mary was ready and we moved our suitcases to her CRV, made a potty break and soon were on our way.


On the way we chattered away about our trip. Aunt Mary told us about their trip to Seattle a while back and how they wanted to see Mt. Rainier. She said they were going to ask at the hotel desk how to get nearer to see it and low and behold that day the clouds and mist that had been around for the whole trip had lifted and they could see the Mountain right outside their hotel. I was hoping to see the Mountain myself.


We talked about the excursions we had planned and what we hoped to see and do. After a bit Aunt Mary said to watch for signs to turn onto another highway. Oh…..I saw that a while back, is that where we were supposed to turn? Shoot! Skip confirmed he had seen us pass it too. I then pulled out my phone and asked Siri to get us to DTW. She seemed to think we could still get there by getting off at an exit in about 10 miles. I then called Uncle Geoff (Aunt Mary’s husband) and asked if he thought we should turn around or keep following Siri’s directions. Geoff said to turn around.


We thought about it and we knew we were pretty far from where we had seen the turn off and decided to follow Siri. We also started seeing planes, which is usually a good sign you are close to the airport.


This route actually ended up being better as my Aunt said when she went back home there was an accident and we would’ve been stuck in traffic and probably pretty late to the airport.


We arrived and pulled our bags out and said our good byes to Aunt Mary and went to the curbside check in and left our bags.


Smokers have to make 1 final stop before we go in, so off to the side we went.


Claire was ready!!!


dtw1 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


We headed in through security and it was pretty painless for us. Since Claire is 10, she and I still can go through the old scanner. Skip has had 3 hip replacements….yes I said 3…. 2 on 1 hip and 1 on the other, so he had to go through the body scanner and then they typically wand him down as well.


We grabbed our carryons and back packs and headed to our gate. We were hungry so Claire and I went to find some food. I knew what I wanted. Earl of Sandwich! I think I got some sort of ham and cheese, though I no longer really remember, but it was very tasty. Claire is picky and options were limited this early in the morning so she got a muffin from another spot. She headed back to sit with Skip and I stopped and got us some drinks as well.


We sat and ate and Skip headed off to find something for himself.


dtw2 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


earl by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


He seemed to be gone quite a while and I was starting to wonder where the heck he went. Finally he came back and told us he got some breakfast at Ruby Tuesdays. He went in and sat down and had a full service meal. LOL!


We saw that our plane had arrived…I think it was a little bit late…and so we made a last potty stop before it was time to line up.


sw1 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


I prefer Southwest and I earn the rewards points through them. I took 3 roundtrip flights with them for free last year! When booking air, I kept watching Southwest and Delta. Delta was quite a bit higher plus I would have to pay for bags. The plus to Delta was that was a direct flight. When I booked the cruise I looked at SW’s prices and they were high but doable. But I stupidly waited as I was busy and I really thought they might go down a bit. Stupid mistake on my part! They went up after that that then the ideal flight ended up being booked for the way home. In the end I manually put in making a connecting flight in Chicago (it was automatically putting in Arizona or Denver) and I got the price down a bit and the total trip hours would be a bit shorter. If I had booked when I originally looked though I would’ve saved about $400 or more total for all of us.


We boarded and found seats. Claire thinks she needs a window seat and then shuts the shade. I have to remind her that when in the window seat you are not allowed to shut the shade unless mom or dad says its ok. The point of the window seat is to look out. I also informed her I would be on top of her at times looking out and trying to get some pictures.


I feel bad for Skip because he rarely ever gets the window seat anymore. Maybe on our next trip I will be nice and let him have it one way.


We took a selfie as we got ready to go.


sw17 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


This flight was only like 45 minutes. As soon as we leveled off they were serving drinks and snacks and then picking up trash and then landing again. I love flights like that. We had a couple of extra flight attendants on our flight. One was sitting across the aisle. We started talking about looking for our next gate when we got off and this flight attendant was going to be on that same flight. What a small world.


sw16 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


Once we got off we made potty stops again and then found our gate number. But wait….what is that smell???? POPCORN! Boy did it smell good. I think it was called Nuts on Clark. Skip said after we got to our gate he would come back and get some. The line was long and our gate was in another concourse so I told him he better get in line now. He was in there for quite some time and our flight attendant friend was in there as well.


When he came out he said it was like the Soup Nazi. Now Skip can tell a tale or 2 at times so I am not sure if I believe him or not. But he said they weren’t supposed to talk or chit chat and he asked the person next to him which kind to get and she whispered to just get the special. I do know that at one point I looked in and told him Claire and I were going somewhere and he put his fingers to his lips to tell me to be quiet. LOL.


He came out with the special which was Caramel and cheese mixed together. The caramel was much better in my opinion. He got a big bag and said it was $27. That better be darn good popcorn….and it was.


We headed to our gate and stood at one of the plug in tables to stretch our legs and recharge our devices a bit. I always bring along mobile chargers but I try not to use them while in the airports if I don’t have to. I rather save the juice for the actual plane ride.


We munched out our million dollar popcorn and soon it was time to board again.


sw15 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


We found our seats and soon were in the air. This flight was going to be a bit over 4 hours. That’s the longest flight Claire has ever been on, but she had electronics and she was fine. We also brought extra snacks and of course they served drinks and snacks. I had 4 drink coupons from SW and I turned 1 in for a free Bud Light. Skip didn’t want any. I had thought we would each have one on the way there and one on the way home, but I returned with 3 unused coupons, so I guess I better see if I have any friends who want them as they expire in Dec.


Our flight offers free TV and music but I could not get the kindle to connect. I was already aware this would probably be a problem from looking online beforehand. Several people around us with different types of tablets tried to connect and they all had issues. This is something SW should fix. Not everyone owns an Apple or Driod device.


I could get it on my computer but I was using it to edit pictures from a day trip Claire and I had recently taken. I could also get it on my iphone but I was listening to an audio book. Claire has my older daughters old iphone just to use with wifi and she too was listening to an audio book….and there sat Skip. Luckily I had downloaded my book to both my phone and kindle, so I handed him the phone and set up the TV and I listened to my book on the kindle. I really think after this trip, Skip may join the real world and get a smart phone. He used my phone on more than one occasion for various reasons.


As we got closer to I could see mountains so I would randomly take pictures out of the window. I will state now that I knew my phone pictures would be off on the time stamp because of the time zone changes but the 2 other cameras I took, The Canon SLR and the Olympus point and shoot should’ve been on the same time…but when I organize them in flickr they are NOT lining up right, so at times during this report I may have pictures out of sync….which might not bother you, but drives me BATTY!!!!!


sw2 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


sw3 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


Mountains really excite me. I live in Ohio in about the flattest part of the state there is.


sw4 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


sw5 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


sw6 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


sw7 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


sw8 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


sw9 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


sw10 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


sw11 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


sw19 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


sw12 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


sw13 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


sw18 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


sw14 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


And there it is! Mt. Rainier. At least I was pretty sure it was! I was pretty excited to see it.


sea12 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


And soon we were landing! Yay! I get antsy on long flights, but I made it in one piece and our vacation was now officially starting.


As we taxied I got this picture with my phone and I must say I thought it was an awesome shot.


sea11 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


Once we got off the plane we made our way down towards luggage claim…but first things first. Smokers who have been on a plane for hours need to a bit of fresh air. I found a sign that said the smoking areas were on either ends of the building. Well we were in the middle. So we just took off one way and found the area and some people were a little less grouchy after making that stop. (Ok really no one was grouchy and Skip had been chewing Nicorette gum while on the plane).


We headed back to the luggage claim and they were just coming off and we found our bags easily….and doubled checked to be sure they were ours. A few years ago my dad had grabbed the wrong bag and we didn’t find out till the next day. Luckily the airport had their right bag and the exchange was easily made before we had to board the ship.


Off to find Shuttle Express. I had my directions written all out and they were easy to find. The only problem for us was pulling several suitcases and Claire can’t seem to handle more than a carryon bag. I think next time I would invest in one of those carts just to make it slightly easier on all of us.


I checked us in and we were told we would have a little wait, so they sat down and I walked around the area and took a few pictures.


sea1 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


sea2 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


sea3 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


sea4 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


sea5 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


sea6 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr

 

[Beth D]

I'm in! Sounds like you plan ahead like i do! I've already got my tip envelope started for our cruise in Feb! Lots of 1, 5 and 10's!

I can't wait to hear more!