We just came back from our second Alaska cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line. Our first was in 2018 aboard Norwegian Jewel but this time we were on Norwegian Encore, the newest (at the time) ship in their fleet and one that we knew that we loved sailing on in the Caribbean. However, I was a bit nervous about cruising in Alaska on such a huge vessel when my "Alaska Cruise Expert" friends all said that smaller vessels were better and as a new-comer that NCL wasn't going to be the best option. Well ... all I can say is that Heather and I had an absolutely incredible time on both of our Alaska cruises but Encore really surprised me with how good it was for cruising in this part of the world!
- Written by: James Hills
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Read more: Why We Loved Norwegian Encore For An Alaska Cruise
Our family just returned from our first Alaskan cruise. And it was one of the best vacations we’ve ever taken. On board were myself, my wife, our three kids (aged 11, 12, and 13), and my mother-in-law. Our cruise was a 7-day adventure from Seattle, Washington to three ports of call in Alaska, one in Canada, and the spectacular Tracy Arm Fjord. This was, coincidentally, not our first cruise, but was our first family cruise with everyone on board.
- Written by: James Hills
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Read more: Why Carnival Splendor Is a Great Choice for a Family Alaska Cruise
Let’s just start this discussion by saying we had a fantastic experience sailing on Viking Orion from Vancouver to Los Angeles. However, after being home for a few days and looking back I realized that many of the things I usually enjoy doing and sharing on a cruise were absent from this voyage. This was a very different experience and while many things felt similar to the time we spent on Viking Mani river cruise a few years ago, there were as many things that were completely different too.
- Written by: James Hills
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Read more: Sailing On A Viking Ocean Cruise Is Vastly Different Than Any Other Cruise I’ve Taken
While drinking fine wines and visiting wineries to do tastings is a goal for many oenophiles, there's a whole other world out there once you begin actually creating your own wines. While many cruise ships offer art lessons and some even feature cooking classes, a very small number allow you to move from "wine drinker" to "wine maker" ... or blender anyhow. In fact, if you were to visit some of the more presitgeous California wine regions such as Napa, Sonoma, or Paso Robles you would expect to pay hundreds of dollars per person for a similar experience. This might just be one of the few experiences that is actually less expensive on a cruise ship!
- Written by: James Hills
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Read more: We Made Our Own Bordeaux Wine Blend On Holland America Line Koningsdam
Most mass-market cruise ships are designed for the North American market, and specifically the Caribbean, even when the sail in other parts of the world. Over the past few years though we’ve been privileged to sail on two vessels that were custom designed for the Chinese market but then transferred to the West Coast instead. Norwegian Joy was the first and in that conversion, most of the “Chinese features” were eliminated but on Majestic Princess many of them were retained to potentially create a fantastic experience for folks sailing from Los Angeles.
- Written by: James Hills
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Read more: Majestic Princess Brings A Taste Of China To The West Coast Cruise Market
