Alaska was a wonderful experience and so was the Norwegian Jewel. We went to Denali afterwards and I felt somewhat deserted by NCL. While the tour was wonderful, NCL set it up to be frantic. Two nights in Denali at Grizzly Bear Lodge would have made more sense.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
I was told I had to bring coconut milk on the ship because the ship didn't have any unsweetened coconut milk on board. I had to get some that was already cold and bring it in a bag of ice and a long line through the impossible process of getting on the ship. It was a royal pain. Everyone in line ask me why my bag was dripping for an hour and a half. It was a drag.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Tzar's Palace was wonderful and had food that could accommodate my food allergies. This restaurant also had Rico who knew what to do with food allergies and who made my life smooth when it came to eating period on the nights I ate what Rico served I did not get sick. The Garden Cafe had no gluten free bread that did not also have corn in it. I could only get gluten-free bread without corn in Tzar's Palace. You also had no corn free condiments so I got to have a plain hamburger one day when everything else in the place that was served had gluten in it.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The fitness center looked particularly boring so I walked the ship instead. I did not rock climb. It was really too cold to get in the pools or the hot tub. There was no place inside the ship that someone could swim when it was cold. The spa seemed like an exclusive place for people with a lot of money and did not seem welcoming. At one point I did tai chi on the outside of the ship and wondered why there wasn't taichi classes when this is something that can even be done seated for elders. I also wondered why there wasn't dance classes twice a day, two different kinds of dances in two different locations, and all of this included in the package so that people did healthy kinds of activities that offset the constant eating.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Your staff is the best part of the experience. All your staff are wonderful and caring and attentive and we really appreciated them. Rico was by far the best and he knew something about food allergies from his own life so he was attentive and made sure I could eat without endless agony. On the nights he did not serve me it took three and four sets of questions for everybody to do the same thing he did easily and effortlessly the first time. When I ate food that he served I didn't get sick. He knew my allergies and he paid attention so I could eat safely.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
NCL ships are always clean and well-maintained. We were comparing it to another ship that was in the port and it was very obvious that NCL cares for their ships and that others do not do that quite as well. Thank you.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Ship tip
If you have food allergies, get clearance to bring your own condiments, your own coconut milk if you need it, and anything else you need that make sure you can eat safely. However it would be really nice if the ship stocked unsweetened coconut milk, and corn free relish and corn free catsup.
This was fun. We had a wonderful time in a large canoe and paddled over to and Island where we had a salmon bake kind of experience and it was really nice.
This was wonderful! I got to go ziplining. I miss the whale watch because I usually get sick on whale watches and only learned later that the water was like glass and I probably could have gone. I would have loved to have a way to do both in the same day.
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