This is a very informative and interesting cruise. It was interesting to see how people live in these areas of Alaska. Even though the towns and cities have decent populations, they are a distance from any other city. We really enjoyed the ability to sightsee and hike walking distance from the ship. The glacier was great - especially the NPS Rangers coming on-board to share information.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
quick and easy
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Enjoyed the LaBistro and Food Republic specialty restaurants. Like all cruises, the food is plentiful and good. The NCL food isn't doesn't have the same level of sophistication as Holland America.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
The adult only area hot tub is nice. The loop water slide is a lot of fun. The go-cart track is nothing special, but just to have driven a go-cart on a cruise ship is worth it.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
There was a lot of variety of music throughout the ships bars/lounges.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Like all cruises, the service was wonderful.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
layout was good in that activities that appeal to a certain demographic are near each other.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
It was actually called a mini-suite, but was just a little bit bigger balcony room; with it being a new ship and the bigger room, the bathroom had plenty of room. I felt we needed to go to the mini-suite to have a bathroom/shower that was normal size.
The Roberts Tram was interesting. We had a discount, but I'm not sure it would be worth the full price. On the other hand, there really isn't much else to do in Juneau. Note that the shuttle/bus from the pier to town is free.
We did the train ride (round trip) and ocean rafting. Both were interesting - we saw more from the train. The NPS has done a wonderful job working with the town to keep the downtown representative of what it looked like during the gold rush. There is much to learn here. Also, there are several hiking trails starting right in town. The Point is under 2 miles round trip and very scenic.
It is great that the NPS rangers come right onto the ship. It was very informative to have them there to share information. I was disappointed that we left the first glacier early to stop at a second glacier and then never stopped at the second glacier.
The self quidded walking tour was interesting (maps at visitor center). The hillside streets and layout of homes in the Newtown area are very interesting. The downtown area is very touristy.
We went for a several hour walk and saw the parliament building, old hotel, shopping areas, and inner harbor. Even though it was dark and stuff was closed it was an interesting walk.
The Port Vallet service offered by the Port of Seattle is amazing (look at their website). We used the service so we were off the ship by 8am, went sightseeing on our own, and took the light rail back to the airport - excellent!
I have cruised Norwegian before and felt the same way about the food compared to Royal Caribbean. I was hoping the Joy would be different. Going in February.
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