Alaska Cruise - Embarkment

[Work in Progress - feedbacks are always welcome]

The Day

Today is 9th Jun 2012.  This is the day we are getting on the cruise ship!  We are taking the Norwegian Jewel on a 7 days Alaska trip from Seattle!  This is our first cruise and there are so many unknowns.  I hope this is going to be fun for the whole family!  

Getting There

  

On our way to the cruise ship terminal, I realized that I had forgotten my motion sickness medication - dimenhydrinate.  We pulled up to Rite-Aid to pick some up.  I was definitely not going to spend 7 days on Norwegian Jewel without dimenhydrinate!

After the fact: I took a tablet before boarding the ship.  Since I did not experience motion sickness, there wasn't a need for me to take additional tablet.  This is unexpected since I usually gets motion sickness easily.  I am not sure why.  Having say this, I did observe a number of passengers who have the motion sickness patch behind their ear.  Therefore, this must really be based on a individual body.

Checking in Luggage

Mark, our neighbour dropped us off at Pier 66 at around noon. The terminal was already packed with people when we got there.  It took us about 20 minutes to check in our luggage.  The actual process of checking in the luggage is pretty straightforward - just hand over the luggage to the handlers at the end of the queue. The luggage will be scanned and sent on board theNorwegian Jewel.

Tip: I should have tagged our luggage at home, it was chaotic to complete this simple task on the spot.  The 2 essential pieces of information needed on the tag are your name and the cabin number.  It is better to use the tag they send you in the package. 

Tip: There are 2 ways to skip this line and they are as listed:

1. Pay the porter (no sure how much) to check in the luggage. This is a logical choice if you have lots of luggage.  Remember: You need to tag your bags before the porter can take over.
2. With only carry on luggage,I saw a number of passengers carried only one small luggage that they can carry in themselves.

Tip: I saw people carrying a case of bottle water which made me nervous.  Luckily, on board Norwegian Jewel, whenever I needed a drink, I could head over to Deck 12 for water.  In addition, we packed water bottles that came in handy.

Security Screening

Next, we joined the security screening queue which was longer and much slower.  The nice thing was, we ran into a group of Singaporeans.  We knew they were from Singapore because they were carrying the red passport.  The interesting thing is, after this encounter, we did not run into them again throughout our trip!  Norwegian Jewel is a really big cruise ship!

Fact: There are ~2000 passengers and ~1000 crew members.  That means about every third person I come across on Norwegian Jewel is a crew member?   

The port security checked our passport against our ticket. The security screening process is similiar to that of the airport.  After this, we took the elevator up to the 2nd floor.

Destination Alaska Coupon Book

While in the queue, we walked passed a booth with lots of Destination Alaska Coupon Book.  I highly recommend taking one because:

1. There are coupons that you can use on all 3 Alaska ports - Ketchikan, Skagway and Juneau.
2. Look at the last page of the book for information about the free Alaska "Gold Rush" 2012 Coin Collection and the free Alaska "Charm Bracelet" 2012 collection.

Free coins and bracket

Tip: At each store, two adults are required to be present to collect both the coin and the bracklet.  Otherwise, a choice has to be made between the 2.  In addition, the Destination Alaska Coupon Book is needed to redeem the items.  Lastly, the store assistant will ask for the cruise ship name and stateroom number.

Cruise Checked In

This is where we actually checked in to Norwegian Jewel and is the final queue before we board the Norwegian Jewel.  An "important" task to perform here is to adjust yourself as your picture will be taken multiple times very soon.  There were about 15 check in counters opened that day.

Below are the transactions that happened here:

1. They need the ticket from you to start the check in process.
2. If you are a non-US citizen, your passport is validated by a custom officer.
3. A credit card is needed to hold a deposit.
4. You need to sign a form conforming that you are well. 
5. A picture is taken then the image is embedded in the cruise card key.
6. The card key for each member your party is issued here.

Card Key

The card key is the single important document on board Norwegian Jewel.  Here is why:

1. Without the card key you cannot get off or on the cruise ship during the trip.
2. You pay for everything on board the Norwegian Jewel using the card key.
3. The card key contains your stateroom number,but it is not printed on the outside of your card.
4. The card key contains the emergency assembly station location number.  
5. If you have kids, you need the card key to check in and out your kids from Splashdown Kid's Club.
6. When dining at the restaurant, they usually ask for your card key.
7. Most important of all, you need your card key to enter your stateroom.       

Boarding Time

At around 1:30pm, we were done and finally ready to board Norwegian Jewel!  Right before we board the Norwegian Jewel, there was a cruise ship photographer there to take our boarding picture. 

Tip: Put up a big smile here, as this picture will be on display for the next 7 days on board the ship if you are not buying them.  :-).  It costs ~$19 dollars to buy the 8x10 photo on board the ship. 

The photo card that tells the boarding time.

Photo Gallery

After that, we followed the ramp up to Norwegian Jewel.  We took  pictures and videos on our long way up, as Norwegian Jewel is so beautiful!

As we stepped onto the ship, we were welcomed by the washy washy girl.  They were there to ensure that we our hands are clean.  :-)

Tip: Handshaking is discouraged when on board the ship.

Fact: According to the CDC (The Center for Disease Control) Keeping hands clean is one of the most important ways to prevent the spread of infection and illness.  Information source - http://EzineArticles.com/5425312.

The Alaksa Cruise Series

1. Alaska Cruise - Embarkment
2. Alaska Cruise - Day 1
3. Alaska Cruise: Day 2
4. Alaska Cruise: Day 3 (Ketchikan)
5. Alaska Cruise: Day 3 (On board)
6. Alaska Cruise: Day 4 (Juneau)
7. Alaska Cruise: Day 4 (On Board)
8. Alaska Cruise - Day 5 (Skagway)
9. Alaska Cruise - Day 5 (On Board)
10. Alaska Cruise: Day 6
11. Alaska Cruise: Day 7 (On Board)
12. Alaska Cruise: Day 7 (Victoria, BC)
13. Alaska Cruise: Day 7 (Last Evening)
14. Alaska Cruise: Day 8 (Disembarkment)
15. Alaska Cruise: Reflection