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You're welcome! Have a great cruise!

In my experience, the buses were all lined up at the dock, but there is a little distance in between the ramp and where the buses are parked. There is kind of an overhang and excursion buses are to the right and buses to the city are to the left of this section. I'd say walking to the bus is 50 feet? Just a guess. Definitely call NCL with any questions and have an amazing time!

Thank you for sharing. My NCL Encore July 2023 cruise had fantastic food -- 7 layer cake at Cagney's, chocolate mouse in Manhattan Room, egg quiche in the Observation Lounge. Indian food in the Garden Cafe etc. Did you try any of these? Let me know how the next NCL cruise food experience is!

Also, check out my NCL Encore dining tips video: th-cam.com/video/9uo4oA1OfIQ/w-d-xo.html

I'm sorry, I don't remember the exact time we boarded. We entered the ship in group 1 right after preferred boarding. I believe we did muster station drill first. We then were among the first to check out the pool and buffet, and it was late enough to enjoy lunch.

This was in Herring Cove, Ketchikan Alaska.

Check the Norwegian website for a list of complimentary restaurants. There are complimentary restaurants and then Specialty (extra fee) restaurants. Check out this video that explains complimentary versus specialty dining: th-cam.com/video/9uo4oA1OfIQ/w-d-xo.html

Lucky you! Enjoy

You're welcome. I needed this for my first cruise so thought it would be helpful. Have an amazing cruise!

I booked it through my cruise line, the Norwegian Cruise Line (Encore).

Thank you! July.

I believe the tax rate is 2.5% for all of Ketchikan.

When did you go? What would you leave behind next time?

@@LivetheLifeMedia , just returned July 1-14. I brought too many formal clothes, not many people dress up

Yes, Alaska is very casual with smart casual or business casual the most you'll need for the fanciest dinners onboard. Hope you had a fantastic time!

Amazing! How was your June weather in Alaska? Have a fantastic trip to the Panama Canal!

@@LivetheLifeMedia Almost perfect weather. Rain on the sea day, on the way there, and Fog on the way to Victoria. Pretty sunny on every Port day. Did a solo studio, for Alaska, but decided that 21 days required a larger inside cabin.

Wow! That's fantastic! I've never been there. Have a great trip.

NCL requires you to arrive at your ship no later than 2 hours before departure. I agree that the Observation Lounge has great snacks. More info in this food review video: th-cam.com/video/2kbtEolnCHc/w-d-xo.html

Nice!

I agree! The sunlight was hitting it just right.

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for sharing! The bus ride is definitely fun. Have a great return trip to Alaska!

It's a great one, isn't it? Did you have a lot of snow?

Very cool! That's a great option--doing a combo tour. I just learned about this option this morning in a YT video by The Travel Scouts. Did your bus tour stop at the Alaska welcome sign?

Yes, I signed up for that one 😀 and I am so looking forward to it in August for our cruise…

@@MA-tq5xz Great - I hope you have a wonderful time!

As a first-time cruiser, this was a surprise to me. Lotion is something you typically find in a hotel. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I enjoyed NCL and would sail again.

We did a 14 day repositioning cruise on NCL $3000 covered 2 one-way airfare to Rome, 2 nights in an air bnb, free at see (3 speciality dining, wifi, $50 off excursions and the drink package) NCL is fantastic in our opinion. I do look for deals on a weekly basis.

@@lindasobin7007 Good to know and thanks for sharing!

Thank you for watching!

True! That's a good option. Thanks for watching!

I was on the Bliss in June, for a 7 day Alaska. I'm, also on the Encore, in October, for a 21 day Panama Canal cruise. Both ships are pretty much the same.

So happy for you! I might go back in Aug/Sept 2025, this time including a visit to Denali.

That's when I went last year! July 2-9. We had perfect weather. It's a great time to go. Hope you have an amazing trip!

Thank you! I keep checking the weather. It still seems cold to me right now. I am cold natured from TX lol so not use to the cold. What was the temperature when u went like 65-75°? Also im assuming ship deck is cold how cold was that? Lol then im wondering how cold inside the ship will be?🤔.

@@bleumustang6362 I'm not used to cold either. It felt like low to mid 60s for early morning and evening, and then 70s (very sunny & hot) for afternoon. The temps outside of the ship on deck did shift from warmer to cooler, but not very chilly. Inside temps also shifted in common areas but cabin always seemed comfortable. At times common areas were warm for me, and I wanted shorts, other times I wore sweaters and was fine. If you get cold easily I recommend pants and long sleeve shirts and then have other layers (shorts, sweaters and jackets) to layer up and down on the ship, on the deck and on land. Excursions such as whale watching can get cold--take a warm jacket or at least a sweater for that one.

@@LivetheLifeMedia thank you so much for your great helpful info. I so appreciate it! I want to bring a pair of light sweatpants but i guess the thick ones will probably be over kill. I also bought some warmer rain pants but i probably won’t need them tho i may still bring them just incase! Lol. This is a hard decision lol.

@@bleumustang6362 I did bring light joggers, which I wore onboard and they were comfortable. I also brought the 2 light-weight waterproof pants shown in the video and while it didn't rain (which is highly unusual), the light ones would have been all I needed as I had other layers at the ready (jeans, sweater, light weight puffer jacket etc). It doesn't hurt to throw a few extra items in just in case, either for cold or heat!

Second week of August

Wonderful! Have an amazing cruise!

Thank you so much! Glad you found it helpful.

You're welcome. A new video, "Alaska Cruise: The Ultimate Packing Guide" will be posted very soon!

Thank you! I will check those out and fix them.

The links are now updated in the description. Here they are as well: Ocean Blue: static1.squarespace.com/static/640cdcbdfb86be708645453f/t/64f4a8c15327c060a19f0c0b/1693755586369/Ocean%2BBlue%2BNCL%2BMenu%2Bwith%2BPrices.pdf Le Bistro: static1.squarespace.com/static/640cdcbdfb86be708645453f/t/64f4a8a580b09834aea02c3f/1693755558999/Le%2BBistro%2BNCL%2BMenu%2Bwith%2BPrices.pdf The Local Bar and Grill: static1.squarespace.com/static/617ac6f28abd337ac8fc5f75/t/65a5b96543d23822e7a5bc94/1705359727065/The+Local+Menu+Norwegian+Cruise+Line.pdf Thank you for watching!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks so much! Have the best time!