{"id":18104,"date":"2012-08-01T11:50:32","date_gmt":"2012-08-01T11:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/?p=18104"},"modified":"2021-10-28T16:47:03","modified_gmt":"2021-10-28T16:47:03","slug":"cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/","title":{"rendered":"Cruising Alaska with Spencer Spellman, the Traveling Philosopher"},"content":{"rendered":"

\tCruising Alaska with Spencer Spellman, the Traveling Philosopher<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\tWe sent Spencer Spellman, a.k.a. The Traveling Philosopher <\/a>on an Alaska cruise on the Norwegian Jewel<\/u><\/a>.\u00a0 Get his full report here.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\tHow am I supposed to fill up my time on a cruise ship? That\u2019s typically one of the first questions most people first ask when thinking about their first cruise. As a relatively independent traveler, it was also my first question. \u00a0So for those new to the cruising experience, this can serve as a guide from the highlights of my cruise last week to Alaska on Norwegian Jewel<\/u><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\tLeaving Seattle<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\tNorwegian Jewel<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\tSunset south of Kethikan<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/p>\n

\tAccommodations<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\tSimilar to what you would find from your typical vacation hotel, the accommodations of a cruise vary significantly. The basic room is just that, and for those who want nothing more then a place to sleep.\u00a0 I had a mini suite with a balcony, which made for a nice place to unwind every night, sometimes even enjoying a cocktail and slice of cheesecake on the balcony. Who knew that cheesecake tasted even better while watching mini icebergs float by.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\"\"\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\tTurn-down service<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/p>\n

\tAnd then there\u2019s The Haven, which I like to call the hotel within the hotel. The Haven brings a more luxurious experiences, coupled with more privacy. Some of the perks include features of the ship that no one else has access to, including a private courtyard, pool, and sundeck, invite to a VIP party, and personal concierge, just to name a few.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\tPrivate\u00a0Pool at the Haven\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\tDining<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\tThis here was my biggest point of reluctance going into the cruise. When cruise dining comes to mind, I typically think of set dining times and formal attire, which is far from how I travel. However, that\u2019s what peaked my interest with Norwegian Cruise Line<\/u><\/a>, that of what\u2019s called \u201cfreestyle\u201d cruising. Guests are more than welcome to dress to the nines, but it\u2019s not a requirement. Guests can dine when and where they want. There are the typical main dining areas that are included in everyone\u2019s cruise rate, but then there\u2019s what is referred to as specialty dining, which is a more personalized dining experience at several different types of restaurants, including Asian, French, Italian, Brazilian, and American steakhouse.. These restaurants charge a cover fee, which is never over $25. This includes your appetizers, salads, soups, main entrees, and desserts. The only stipulation is that reservations are recommended for the more popular restaurants<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\"\"\u00a0\"\"\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\tAnd that leads into an even more specialty dining experience, known as The Chef\u2019s Table Experience. By the end of course nine, this dinner has earned its name as an experience. Yes, that\u2019s right, nine courses stretching over a time period of a couple hours. The Chef\u2019s Table Experience included meeting the Master Sommelier, Andrea Robinson, and Executive Chef, Kevin Green, who walked us through every part of the meal. It introduced me to many foods I wasn\u2019t even familiar with. It then comes as no surprise that dessert was my favorite part of the meal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\tNightlife<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\tThis was another facet of the cruise that I had no idea what to expect. Much of what I had heard about Alaska cruises was that it was an older demographic. Therefore I didn\u2019t expect there to be any raging, youthful parties. While the first night was low-key with many people turning in early because of long travel days, the nightlife on Norwegian Jewel grew in excitement each evening, with the White Hot Party on the next to last night being the climax. Guests are encouraged to wear white and put their dancing shoes on. And dancing they did! The party started at 10:30 and continued well into the morning hours. Even if you\u2019re not a night owl, this is a great party, because it sees a lot of the cruise staff in a more informal setting to get to know them better.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\tEntertainment<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\tEach day featured a variety of different entertainers. The headlining shows happened at night, including stand-up comedian Dave Naster, juggler Charles Peachock from America\u2019s Got Talent<\/em>, and Cirque Bijou<\/em>. Cirque Bijou <\/em>was the cruise favorite, as guests had to arrive early to grab seats. The show happens twice on the next to last night of the cruise and features an array of acrobatics, gymnastics, bungee-jumps, dancing, and singing. Cirque Bijou <\/em>is unique in that it was created specifically for the Norwegian Jewel<\/u><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\tWhile many of the activities I\u2019ve mentioned have been for adults, there are plenty of things to keep your kids busy. Each day featured a variety of different Nickelodeon-centric events, such as eating with characters from some of the television shows. Nickelodeon\u2019s Slime Time Live! took me back to my childhood, as contestants are picked from the audience to undergo Nickelodeon challenges; and if you know anything about Nickelodeon\u2019s challenges, then you know it gets messy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\tExcursions<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\tLast, are the excursions. I really believe this is what makes an Alaskan cruise. What\u2019s different about an Alaska cruise<\/u><\/a>is that it features scenery and wildlife that is hard to rival. Few places in the world can you get so close to bald eagles perched on an island or humpback whales rising for air and then diving back in.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\tMy biggest recommendation for the shore excursions is to spend some time looking at your options. Many of the popular shore excursions, such as whale watching, are your typical group tour, where you\u2019ll be transported around in a motor coach. If you\u2019re traveling with a significant other or on your honeymoon, then you might want something more personalized and intimate, such as a seaplane ride or taking a helicopter to one of the glaciers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/p>\n

\tDowntown Ketchikan<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\"\"\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\tWhale watching near Juneau<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\"\"\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\tSawyer Glacier in Glacier Bay\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n
Feature Story:\u00a0<\/div>\n
\n
Featured Story <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
Inside an NCL Alaska Cruise <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Feature Type:\u00a0<\/div>\n
\n
Recent News <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\"Inside <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n

\tWe sent Spencer Spellman, a.k.a. The Traveling Philosopher <\/a>on an Alaska cruise on the Norwegian Jewel<\/u><\/a>. Get his full report here.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
Start Publish to Front Page From:\u00a0<\/div>\n
\n
Tue, 2013-05-14 (All day)<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cruising Alaska with Spencer Spellman, the Traveling Philosopher \u00a0 We sent Spencer Spellman, a.k.a. The Traveling Philosopher on an Alaska… …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":13834,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1786,1787],"tags":[],"authors":[2228],"class_list":["post-18104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-company","category-news","authors-expedia-guest-author","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCruising Alaska with Spencer Spellman, the Traveling Philosopher | Expedia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cruising Alaska with Spencer Spellman, the Traveling Philosopher | Expedia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cruising Alaska with Spencer Spellman, the Traveling Philosopher \u00a0 We sent Spencer Spellman, a.k.a. The Traveling Philosopher on an Alaska… ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Expedia Travel Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-08-01T11:50:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-10-28T16:47:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/7-size_490x4531420leaving20seattleoctet-stream.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"490\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"453\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jamie McNeely\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jamie McNeely\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/\",\"name\":\"Cruising Alaska with Spencer Spellman, the Traveling Philosopher | Expedia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/7-size_490x4531420leaving20seattleoctet-stream.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-08-01T11:50:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-10-28T16:47:03+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/593dbd40dd1d061c8d049105752b2c5e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/7-size_490x4531420leaving20seattleoctet-stream.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/7-size_490x4531420leaving20seattleoctet-stream.jpeg\",\"width\":490,\"height\":453},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Explore\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Company\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/company\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/company\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Cruising Alaska with Spencer Spellman, the Traveling Philosopher\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/\",\"name\":\"Expedia Travel Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/593dbd40dd1d061c8d049105752b2c5e\",\"name\":\"Jamie McNeely\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jamie McNeely\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.waveinteractive.com\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/author\/jamie-mcneely\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cruising Alaska with Spencer Spellman, the Traveling Philosopher | Expedia","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Cruising Alaska with Spencer Spellman, the Traveling Philosopher | Expedia","og_description":"Cruising Alaska with Spencer Spellman, the Traveling Philosopher \u00a0 We sent Spencer Spellman, a.k.a. The Traveling Philosopher on an Alaska… ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/","og_site_name":"Expedia Travel Blog","article_published_time":"2012-08-01T11:50:32+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-10-28T16:47:03+00:00","og_image":[{"width":490,"height":453,"url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/7-size_490x4531420leaving20seattleoctet-stream.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jamie McNeely","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jamie McNeely","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/","name":"Cruising Alaska with Spencer Spellman, the Traveling Philosopher | Expedia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/7-size_490x4531420leaving20seattleoctet-stream.jpeg","datePublished":"2012-08-01T11:50:32+00:00","dateModified":"2021-10-28T16:47:03+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/593dbd40dd1d061c8d049105752b2c5e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/7-size_490x4531420leaving20seattleoctet-stream.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/7-size_490x4531420leaving20seattleoctet-stream.jpeg","width":490,"height":453},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/cruising-alaska-with-spencer-spellman-the-traveling-philosopher\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Explore","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Company","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/company\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/company\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Cruising Alaska with Spencer Spellman, the Traveling Philosopher"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/","name":"Expedia Travel Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/593dbd40dd1d061c8d049105752b2c5e","name":"Jamie McNeely","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jamie McNeely"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.waveinteractive.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/author\/jamie-mcneely\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18104"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18104"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18104\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56203,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18104\/revisions\/56203"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18104"},{"taxonomy":"authors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/authors?post=18104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}