We will never do an NCL cruise again. The food is terrible and doesn't match the areas you are visiting. Forget having any kind of food from Alaska. The service is lacking, your drinks will rarely get refilled, and you may not even get them at all. The ports are all the same and definitely NOT the real Alaska you would see.
Just do NOT bother with NCL please go to another cruise line.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Very easy and quick to get through the Seattle Terminal. We were checking in and on the boat in about 10 mins. Fastest we have been part of.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
1 out of 5
Sorry food just sucked. Nothing that relates to Alaska unless you count the 1 night of dried out Salmon on the buffet.Forget about having any Halibut, Crabs, Salmon, Caribou, or any other food you might think would be in Alaska. Instead you'll see plenty of food from Asian, Indian, Mexican,etc. Also forget thinking about getting refills on any drinks. Your lucky of they actually refill the water. Your beer/mixed drink will show up halfway through dinner. If you ordered a soda it may NOT even show up at all as we had that happen about 3 times when our son ordered a Sprite.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
The VR arcade is big money for a game that lasts between 30sec and maybe 3 minutes. Laser Tag is open maybe 2 hours a day, and the go karts are the same with weird random hours and long lines.
The Spa lost my wife's appoinment that I booked and paid for Months in advance.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The Choir of Man was awesome to watch. We did see the Beatles Invasion a couple times and they were alright to watch.
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
Our room steward Roni was really good and took care of things even getting maintenance to come up right away for a slow draining shower.
Main dining room staff, forget it, they cant be bothered to get your drinks from the bar. Your drink may show up halfway through the meal, if you drink it all just plan on not having another because they will never get it. My son would order soda and a few times his drink just flat out never showed up at all.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
it was alright nothing special really.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We actually got upgraded to 13892 which was a balcony starboard side with an angled deck, The angled deck gave quite a bit more room to the balcony area outside and was really nice to spread out on.
NCL docks in a terrible spot and you either have to walk over a mile in the cold/rain or wait inline for a shuttle bus. Nothing really to see in town unless you like those godforsaken Effy, Del-Sol, Whatever the stupid bamboo sheet store is, and gold/jewelry store. Forget seeing any locally handmade Alaskan or Native items/artwork for sale
Same as every other port, the NCL dock sucks. Not as long of a walk to town but the town is the same as every port. Nothing really to see in town unless you like those godforsaken Effy, Del-Sol, Whatever the stupid bamboo sheet store is, and gold/jewelry store. Forget seeing any locally handmade Alaskan or Native items/artwork for sale.
However, the White Pass train ride is definitely a must do. This is an absolute amazing train ride up and over into Canada. Hard to believe they actually walked that route through the mountain pass.
A very laid back and stunning sea day. A balcony makes this sea day worth the trip. Just sitting on the balcony watching the scenery go by is so relaxing. The scenery is too beautiful to describe and really can only be experienced. We happened to see whales, orcas, harbor seals, sea otters, bears while travelling into and out of Glacier Bay. It didn;t matter what side your balcony was on as they would spin the ship in 360's giving both sides the opportunity to see the glaciers.
My son and I did a lake kayaking trip on this one and it was an amazing couple of hours on the water.
The port however is like all the others. There's a tourist trap souvenir shop where you meet the guides for excursions. There is absolutely no way to walk to town at all. It's a long bus ride away and you need to wait in a long line to even go. Nothing really to see in town unless you like those godforsaken Effy, Del-Sol, Whatever the stupid bamboo sheet store is, and gold/jewelry store. Forget seeing any locally handmade Alaskan or Native items/artwork for sale.
This place is a complete waste of time. We wasted money on a brewery/distillery tour. You'll get 2 samples of whiskey and 3 beer samples. Supposedly you get a driving tour after word but by then its 10:30 at night and you will not see any of the parks/gardens. This is a 4 hour port call at night when its dark, you cannot walk to town as again its too far away. Better off just staying on the ship
You walked right through the terminal building at Wards Cove which Norwegian uses as it's port which consists of ONLY NATIVE ALASKAN artists whereas which includes the very things you complained about not being available. In fact, the taxes at Wards Cove are cheaper than they are for similar priced items in Ketchikan.
Your food expectations for a mass-market cruise line are unrealistic. Unless you're on a premium/luxury line, you're going to get the same food as you get anywhere else. The food is loaded in Seattle for the week, and you get what you get.
Ports need research and then you know exactly where to find and purchase the local crafts and goods & where to find authentic local food. Research helps you avoid all the chacka tourists traps, except to walk past them getting to where you want to go.
You lost me at being upset they didn’t have Caribou or crab on the menu. Salmon served in MDR regularly. You obviously don’t understand what cruising entails.
You do realize most ports are tourist traps because most of the business generated is from TOURISTS. And do you think different cruise lines get a different experience in the same ports?
Agree with you that the ports that ALL cruise lines visit (not just Norwegian) are set up for the TOURIST DOLLAR because it seems that's how most local manage to survive but an Alaskan cruise isn't about shopping it's about nature, the wildlife, beautiful scenery and the memories. Your kayaking adventure sounds wonderful.
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