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Susan Ironside

Age: 48
Occupation: Trading Standards Officer
Number of Cruises: 1
Cruise Line: NCL
Ship: Norwegian Sun
Sailing Date: September 5th, 2004
Itinerary: Alaska

Well, we too read all the reviews and wondered whether people were just being fussy or whether we should be worried. Well, we needn’t have worried – we had a lovely cruise and decided that people either were being fussy or were just unfortunate. This was our first ever cruise so we had no idea what to expect.

>From start to finish the service we received was excellent. Staff were extremely polite at all times and the food was wonderful. Our stateroom (category D) was lovely – plenty of storage and very clean. It was kept immaculately throughout the cruise and it was a lovely touch to have our beds turned down each evening, a chocolate on the pillow and usually an animal made out of towels on the bed. The first of these made us howl with laughter as it was a dog wearing a pair of our sunglasses. The ship itself was very clean also.

Embarkation:
Embarkation was busy but reasonably swift with the biggest delay being due to US immigration and that was mainly because of the volume of people – but we were served refreshments while we waited and there were plenty of seats, so no hardship there. We discovered that we could drop off our hire car (Alamo) right at the terminal and also leave our luggage there prior to check-in. The drop off for luggage and car were both in the underground car park at Canada Place below the Pan Pacific Hotel. Lots of car hire companies seemed to have their drop off there also.

For UK travellers –before travelling, we were concerned at reading in the press that some American cruise lines do not provide the necessary US visa waiver form and that people had had to travel to London and obtain a visa at considerable expense. We made enquiries and were told this was not necessary with NCL and this turned out to be correct. The green visa waiver card was provided at check-in. Of course, if you don’t qualify for the visa waiver you would need to get a full visa before leaving the UK as you are going from Canada to the US. Also, make sure the retained portion of the green card is removed from your passport on re-entering Canada – these apparently have to be returned to US immigration (Canadian customs took them and did this for us) as they then record that you have left the US – this avoids being accused, next time you visit the US, of overstaying previously and being denied entry. This has apparently happened to some people according to the newspapers. We had actually found, prior to leaving that our green cards were still in our passports from last time. We sent them off to Kentucky in the US as instructed on the US Immigration website but you have to enclose proof that you returned to the UK within the 90 days max allowed etc. We sent it recorded delivery but also took copies of our letter and the cards and evidence just in case of problems – of course, there wasn’t a problem but you just know if you don’t take the precautions it will all go wrong.

We checked in very easily and were given our key card – this acts as your room key and also as a payment card on board for any purchases. It can be linked to your credit card so that the gratuity charge and any purchases can be charged at the end of the voyage and you don’t have to queue up on the last morning to pay your bill in cash.

On entering the ship, our card was swiped (this happens everytime you embark or disembark so make sure you keep it with you – all members of your party need to have their own with them). We were greeted and shown to our stateroom by very friendly and polite staff and then set off to explore the ship and get some lunch. We loved it although the various welcome events etc got a bit confusing – so many places to go, things to see etc.

Food:
Our first experience of the food was the Garden Café buffet. A very wide choice of food and it all looked appetising. I think the worst thing was trying not to be a glutton – some people clearly didn’t try – we saw many plates piled high and some people seemed to do nothing but eat for the entire trip. Everything was clean, staff polite and helpful and tables cleared promptly. We often ate breakfast in the Outdoors Café and this too was very good. It wasn’t difficult to eat healthily if you wanted to as there was always plenty of options and lots for fresh fruit, vegetables, salads etc. – you could also indulge whenever you wanted in lovely desserts.

We didn’t bother with any of the restaurants that required a cover charge - not because we were mean but because the food in the other restaurants was so good. Rather than eat buffet the whole time, we ate in the restaurants in the evenings – Pacific Heights and Seven Seas. Service was excellent – staff really seemed interested in you, whether you were having a good time and whether everything was to your liking. Pacific Heights was our favourite – the only downside was that the menu there was the same for the whole week – several choices but if there were items you weren’t keen on then you either had to go elsewhere or eat the same thing some nights. However, we rang the changes with Seven Seas and that too was excellent. Pacific Heights is quite small and you have to book but we nearly always had a window table and the staff were some of the best on board. I think some people have said that the portions were not large – we found them sufficient but if you were still hungry you could always go to the buffet for an extra pud or something – no one but you was counting! By the way, if you have a bottle of wine that you don’t finish you can have it put aside for the next night – doesn’t matter if you don’t eat at the same place, it still turns up.

Itinerary and Excursions:
Ketchikan – quite a small place, fairly interesting but not our favourite. We went on the Neets Bay Bear Watch in a float plane which was excellent if expensive. The guide was really good and full of information. We saw three black bears and even saw one catch a salmon. The floatplane flew over the Misty Fjords so I’m not sure it would have been worth doing just the Misty Fjords excursion – we felt we had two for the price of one. Fortunately it stayed dry for that part of the trip although it poured with rain later and for the rest of the day. Disembarkation was by tender on this stop (the only one where we had to do this) so there was a bit of a queue to get back on the ship but it moved fairly swiftly.

Juneau – a pleasant town but not a lot there. We didn’t do any excursions here as we were only there for a few hours. The people were very friendly and some nice shops. It was a lovely sunny morning and we could have gone up the Mount Roberts cable car if we had been stuck for something to do.

Sawyer Glacier – after leaving Juneau, we sailed up the Tracy Arm Fjord to the Sawyer Glacier. Again, not sure whether the people who paid extra to go on the Tracy Arm Fjord excursion in the morning would have got good value in doing it separately. We were lucky to do it in beautiful sunshine and blue skies – spectacular scenery. The glacier was great although we couldn’t go too close because of the ice in the water.

Skagway – we thought this was the loveliest of the places we visited. Very picturesque town. We decided to see if we could do the White Pass Rail Trip under our own steam. It was $99 each on the ship but we found you could walk the 10 minutes to the station and do it for $89 each – not a great saving but it paid for a few treats. Very easy to book on one of the three departures that day and no problem in getting a seat. The ship-booked passengers get on by the ship but the train then goes to the station and picks up extra carriages – we got the impression they put on however many carriages were needed for the numbers booked – we were told no-one ever had to stand. Bottled water was supplied on board but no other refreshments so we had lunch on board ship before we went. The three hour round trip was spectacular and we really enjoyed it. The onboard commentary was very interesting although a little hard to hear at times. The seats reverse on the return trip so you always face the direction of travel and the people are encouraged to swap sides of the train at the top so everyone gets to see the view from both sides – therefore, it doesn’t matter what side of the train you start out on. Again the great weather helped.

Wrangell – a pretty little place but very much a working fishing town. Not a huge amount to see but nice just walking around and visiting Chief Shaker’s Island. The churches on Church Street were very pretty too.

Our return voyage was supposedly through the Inside Passage again but it actually goes out into the Pacific during the night – as we found to our cost. Unfortunately it was quite rough on our last but one night and I succumbed to terrible sea sickness, as did quite a few others. I finally managed to crawl on deck at about 3pm but felt ill for a few days as I seemed to have strained every muscle in my upper body throwing up. I think for future reference the fact that we were right at the front of the ship didn’t help as we were told afterwards that it is better to be aft or midships. Having planned to have a lovely relaxing last day aboard, it was a shame not to be able to enjoy it and have the nice meal we had looked forward to. Still, no-one is responsible for the weather but I did wonder whether, as they said they would be going through the inside passage, that they shouldn’t have gone out to sea instead. I think it may have been a cost cutting exercise as they wouldn’t need the pilot ships out at sea. It was lucky it wasn’t the last night before Vancouver that it happened as I would never have made it off the ship the next morning. My husband was queasy but not ill as I was. What was really annoying was finally making it on deck and finding loads of people tucking into huge plates of food as though nothing had happened! We did hear that I was certainly not the only one to be ill though and it was the only low point in an otherwise excellent trip.

Overall:
Fellow passengers were a mix of origin and age - not a lot of children at this time of year. We were amazed at how rude some people can be to the crew - makes you ashamed. Sadly it always seemed to be the people who clearly thought they were a 'cut above' and should have known better. They actually succeeded in demonstrating their lack of real class. However, we also met some lovely people.

So, overall we were delighted with our cruise, the ship and the crew. Food and accommodation were excellent. Our first cruise so nothing to compare it with but we were pleased. Prior to going we thought the automatic gratuity system was a bit much but actually it was relaxing not having to worry about tipping and we certainly got the service we paid for. Cabin staff were also very friendly and efficient. The only downsides were the cost of excursions and that penultimate night of rough weather. We would travel with NCL again.

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