Our Cruise to Alaska - June 2017
This post is part of our Cruise to Alaska updates. We booked a cruise with Norwegian Cruise Lines and want to give you all the detail we possibly can so that you can make an educated decision for your travel plans.
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| Price will vary depending on which week and which ship you choose. |
- Our itinerary was as follows:
- Day 1 - Embark from Seattle, WA
- Day 2 - Day at Sea
- Day 3 - Juneau, AK
- Day 4 - Skagway, AK
- Day 5 - Cruise Glacier Bay
- Day 6 - Ketchikan, AK
- Day 7 - Victoria, British Columbia
- Day 8 - Disembark, Seattle WA
Your price will vary depending on the type of room you choose and when you sail. We figured that Alaska would be cold (it was), and the daylight would last well into the night (it did), so we booked an inside cabin with no window. This is the least expensive option but still very pleasant. You can expect to pay around a 20% premium to have the exact same room but with a port-hole window. We paid around $2,500 for our accommodations on the ship.
We booked several months in advance, and recommend you do the same. We did all the regular internet searching, trying to plan our trip for the least amount of money, but eventually (and surprisingly) found the best deal by booking with NCL directly. They offered us a specialty dining package for free (not counting the cost of gratuity -- which I'll address in another post) and that sealed the deal in our minds. We had to put a deposit down and were given another month to pay the full amount.
Your can manage your cruise via NCL's customer care phone number, but we opted to do everything online. The online portal for Norwegian is a decent enough experience. You'll be provided an easy-to-follow to-do list on how to both prepare and make payments for your vacation. Our cruise itinerary took us to Canada so we were required to bring our passports. If you do not have a passport, getting one can take anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months, so plan ahead. Get a US Passport
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| Here's the landing page on NCL.com once you have logged in. |
Once you have booked and paid for your cruise, you will need to complete the check-in process. You can do this up to a couple of week before sailing. We did it a month and a half in advance because why risk it? Once you have all your documentation and have checked in you will be given the opportunity to print out your boarding documentation and luggage tags. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU DON'T FORGET TO PRINT AND BRING THIS DOCUMENTATION. It makes check in at the Pier much easier and efficient. In the online portal you will be able to choose a time to check in at the Pier. This will vary somewhat depending on your cruise and ship, but we chose a 12:30pm to 1:30pm check-in time. We figured we would get there as early as possible to avoid possible delay.
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| There will be plenty of help to get you ready. |
We flew into Seattle Tacoma International Airport the day prior and stayed at a hotel near the Airport. The next morning we took an Uber to the Pier. We chose a ride-share option because it was on-demand and much less expensive than any shuttle service we could find. The ride was around 30 minutes and cost $36. That may seem steep, but shuttle services generally charge $15-20 per person and you'll be at the mercy of their scheduling, not to mention the fact that you'll have to share the ride with a bunch of strangers. One thing I'll mention; if you're upset at the idea of $40 for a one-way Uber ride, you probably aren't going to like the nickel and diming that a cruise line is going to inflict upon you.
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| Traffic will likely add 10-15 minutes to this time estimate. |
The Seattle pier address for Norwegian Cruise Lines is: Pier 66, 2225 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98121. When you arrive there will be no place to park. Curbside drop off is the only option whether you arrive via shuttle or whether you take an Uber/Lyft.
This is the moment where things appear to be crazy and disorganized. The line you'll see is the baggage security check line, and it seems worse than it is. We only spent around 30 minutes in it before we got through. This is where your paperwork and luggage tags comes in handy. If you have forgotten your tags, don't stress. You can get extra tags at a small stand to the right of the building of the line you're standing in. You'll have to know your cabin number and will need to hand-write both it and your name on the tags and affix them to your luggage. You'll need to do this before you get through the line and into the security check building.
Once you get inside the building with your luggage, you'll pass your bags through a very airport-esque screening machine and you won't have to worry about them until they arrive at your cabin that evening. This is a good thing to remember also; YOU WILL BE WITHOUT YOUR BAGS FOR SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE THEY ARE DELIVERED TO YOUR CABIN. It would be wise to keep anything vital (medication, phone chargers, etc.) and anything valuable with you. YOU WILL ABSOLUTELY NEED TO KEEP YOUR PASSPORT AND PAPERWORK WITH YOU.
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| The view of the ship outside of the security screening area. |
From here you will follow a walkway to another area for a security screening. If you have brought alcohol with you, there will be a check stand after the metal detectors where you will be required to deposit your booze. They will give you a receipt and return it to you at the end of the trip, but they don't allow you to bring your own beverages. Per NCL's terms and conditions, you aren't supposed to bring your own food or beverages onboard. However, we were easily able to smuggle a sealed bottle of water and some beef jerky through security without a problem. Baby formula is also accepted.
Once you get through security the stress of travel ends and your vacation begins. Enjoy!
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| The view while boarding the ship. |
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