🛳 Best SHOPPING in Alaska? A short day in Ketchikan NCL Bliss
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- čas přidán 28. 04. 2024
- We only had a few hours in Ketchikan due to docking late, plus having to shuttle from Ward Cove to downtown Ketchikan. We did a quick walking tour, then headed back to the ship. We were pleasantly surprised with the shopping in Ward Cove, and highly suggest doing your shopping here if you are cruising on NCL!
Your videos are amazing! Super informative and to the point! Thank you again!
Thank you for the positive feedback!
Hey saw a Tesla Model Y going under the bridge! Cool to see EVs in Alaska!!
Thanks for sharing the video a lot of good information. I must say you’re the first person. I’ve heard say anything negative about the lumberjack show. So I think we’ll have to judge for ourselves.
For me, it was way too gimmicky, and I found there to be too many long gaps between the action.
When on my Alaska cruise last year in May. Was the best. Very nice weather. No rain.
Very lucky! There was a huge trade off with the weather versus being the only ship and it being so nice and quiet in the ports.
I was told not to cruise with NCL for Alaska when I planned my trip in two weeks.
Curious if they gave you a reason? Because I am currently making a video of why NOT to cruise Alaska with them...
NCL parks out at Ward Cove to avoid berthing fees. The locals hate Ward Cove.
Interesting... the locals and the cruise passengers have something in common...
You video is very informative and much appreciated. Quick question, when it was time to board the shuttle bus that brings you back to the ship, did it go straight back to the ship or were there stops along the way? Wondering how far in advance we would need to be on the bus to make it back in time.
Just straight to and from downtown and the port. The line gets very long, I would say budget 30 minutes each way to stand in line.
Thank you for this info.
I was on this cruise aswell and being my 4th Alaska cruise this was absolutely the worst one I've ever taken. It was flat out just one of the worst cruises I've taken. The buses for almost every port was absolutely pathetic and terrible planning on NCL's part. I did an Alaska cruise through Carnival about 3 years ago peak summer season and we docked next to all the main cities no problem.
I absolutely adore some of these places (especially Ketchikan) so the amount of time we were docked there felt like a complete scam to me. Don't even get me started on Victoria. Absolutely the worst Alaska itinerary on the market and NCL should be embarrassed of this poor exuse of a route.
Really glad your speaking about it because for most people who don't get to vacation very often I feel as if this would be a complete rip off to them.
Video incoming this week. I believe it was on my Juneau video that someone told me how negative I was being about the ports... and I truly didn't start really complaining until Ketchikan. I just laughed, because they have no idea how terrible this itinerary truly is and how much I am going to rip into it in this upcoming video.
@rogerh2694 Who said it was 10 minutes? It was an hour in Sitka, and in Ketchikan it was a 30 minute wait both there and back. When you only have a few hours in port it makes a big difference.
We are on the NCL Encore to Alaska in July 2024 with a similar itinerary. Thank you for the heads up about the promotions at the logging show, and the time it takes to do the shuttle trips. Hard to understand why the ship spends so little time in some of the ports. I imagine it might be to do with port fees or some other cost cutting thing.
I believe it is the port fees. I still need to work on another video explaining the issue with the shuttles more... I think it's important that people know how little time you get in port with NCL when they are debating on which cruise line to take.
Totally agree it's lame you have like no time in port :( I wonder if the in-town port can only handle the size of smaller ships like NCL Joy. Has the Bliss and Encore ever docked in town?
I'm really not sure. I'm going to do some digging for a future video about this glaring issue. I am also curious about the possible size constraints. Where does Ovation of the Seas dock? That's much larger.
We’re going on this cruise in July and now I’m really apprehensive about it 😢
Which part are you apprehensive about? I think you will be ok, because you know what the issues will be going into the cruise and can plan accordingly. If you're not doing an excursion, just be ready to disembark immediately, and you won't have issues. We didn't, and that caused us to experience the longer lines for shuttles.
We don’t have any excursions set up but I’m dreading the shuttle bus to Ketchikan. I did see that the time in port is limited but really wanted to explore the area. I’ll just make the best of it!
@judyklock7597 Just be prepared and ready to disembark before the all clear is given and you will be OK. I would also suggest not doing shopping downtown, head back to Wards Cove and shop there. That will relieve a lot of worry with the shuttle back.
@@journeywiththejaneks thanks so much for your advice!
@@judyklock7597 you're welcome. I'm glad I could help!
Add another reason not to do Alaska on NCL
It's definitely something people need to consider if this is their once in a lifetime trip.
Absolutely agree, there was not enough time in Juneau and Ketchikan
I am going to do a secondary video about these docks for NCL... people need to be aware of how inconvenient they are, as there is already such limited time in port. And this is something that may make a big difference for people debating which cruise line to take. Ketchikan was by far the worst one and I just could not hold back my frustration.
I totally agree, our time was so limited who is going to get off the ship at 6:00 am we got off at 8:00 am we got right on the shuttle to down town we barely had time to see creek street eat some seafood then back to the boat but the line to get back to the ship was insane
We actually only waited about 10 minutes on the ride back, so I didn't get a video, but the line was building up like CRAZY behind us. I am sure the line was insane closer to departure time...
@@journeywiththejaneks we have really been enjoying your vlog series!! this is helpful to know!!! it's the main reason why I chose to sail princess to alaksa instead of NCL. someone told us the dock issue was frustrating for them too so we booked with princess instead.
I really enjoyed your videos 😊 you have so much information
Are there some native Alaska gifts in shop?? We are going in June. Our first ever cruise. Sailing on NCL Encore.
Your best bet for native Alaskan gifts is Juneau. There are a bunch of locally owned shops downtown if that's what you're looking for.
Can you tell me about the weather in early September
From what I researched, it's going to be a bit cold, highs in the 50s.
What do you film with?
My cell phone. I have a Samsung Galaxy S23.
What is your video editing software you use?
@@antneed15 iMovie
Gosh with time constraints you would be hard pressed to participate in an excursion.
The excursions leave right from Ward Cove, so you can definitely do one, but don't expect to spend time downtown as well. Once this daily vlog series ends, I am going to be doing a lot more videos explaining individual issues or questions, so stay tuned.