Pack & prepare tonight
Luggage out and ready — 2 free checked bags per person. Lay out travel day clothes. Charge all devices. Print/download confirmation #ZZQ4RTX
Aug 13–22, 2026 · ■ Mike · ■ Sam (11) · ■ Nana · Alaska Inside Passage
Pack & prepare tonight
Luggage out and ready — 2 free checked bags per person. Lay out travel day clothes. Charge all devices. Print/download confirmation #ZZQ4RTX
Book Uber in advance
3:15 AM pickup — schedule it the night before in the app so there's no scramble at 3am. 45 mins to AUS, arriving ~4:00 AM
Early night — lights out by 9 PM!
Sam especially. It's a big trip and a brutal start — get as much sleep as possible before Alaska!
Delta DL0780 · AUS → SEA Booked
Departs Austin 6:13 AM · Arrives Seattle 8:34 AM · Nonstop · 4h 21m · Confirmation #ZZQ4RTX · Seats 21D (Nana) · 21E (Sam) · 21F (Mike)
Uber to luggage drop · 7 bags stashed Booked · $48.79
Bag-storage spot a 2-min walk from Pike Place Market · Drop off 10:30 AM · Ref #PS7T2KQ8 · Hands free for the whole day! 🟣
Original Starbucks & Pike Place explore
1912 Pike Place — birthplace of Starbucks, steps from the bag drop. Fish throwing, market stalls, lunch. Completely bag-free!
Pick up bags · check in to hotel
Collect bags at 3:00 PM · Head to the downtown hotel (Confirmation #DM3FK2X) · Check-in 3:00 PM · Perfect timing!
Dinner in Pike Place area · early night
Freshen up, dinner nearby, early night. Pier 66 is just a 10-minute walk in the morning — head there as early as possible! 🚢
Embarkation — Club Balcony Suite 14210
Head to Pier 66 (2225 Alaskan Way) as early as possible. Suite guests have priority boarding — get on early, drop carry-ons in the stateroom, explore the ship, go-kart track with Sam. Sailaway party on deck at 4 PM 🥂 Check Freestyle Daily for Choir of Man show nights & book seats
Garden Café / The Local Free
Buffet or casual pub fare while settling in
Explore the ship
Aqua Park waterslides, go-karts, Observation Lounge, Mandara Spa, Vibe Beach Club — first full day to find your favourites
Choir of Man ~7:00 PMConfirmed on board
The Jungle pub show — live percussion, rock hits, singing. All three will love it. Book seats Day 1
La Cucina 9:00 PMBooked
Italian — osso buco, carbonara, affogato. Perfect post-show dinner on a lazy sea day
Free shuttle to downtown Free
Book ahead at reservation.sitkadock.com — runs continuously, 15 min ride into town
Sitka Sound Science Center ~Free
Sam's highlight — touch tanks, sea urchins, starfish, anemones, and one of only 5 juvenile orca skeletons in the world. Small admission fee
Castle Hill & Russian Bishop's House Free
Where Alaska was transferred from Russia to the US in 1867. Stunning views of Sitka Sound. National Park Service guided tours included
Manhattan Room Book on NCL app
Elegant complimentary MDR — request a window table for evening views
The Local 6:00 AMFree
Quick birthday breakfast before heading ashore — meet time is 7:30 AM so straight off the ship after eating
Sled Dog Discovery & Musher's Camp Booked (NCL)$857 total
Meet 7:30 AM — straight off the ship! Douglas Island forest, wheeled summer sleds, huskies, suspension bridge over Fish Creek. Back comfortably before 1:30 PM departure
Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier — scenic cruising
Afternoon & evening drifting through the fjord. Watch from your private balcony with a birthday drink — the Observation Lounge is great too but the balcony is yours alone 🥂
Cagney's Steakhouse 8:00 PMBooked
🎂 Birthday dinner while drifting past Dawes Glacier. Tell them it's your birthday — cake surprise!
The Local 5:00 AMFree
The crazy early one! Breakfast before the ship even docks — meet time is 6:30 AM so fuel up first
Waking Up With The Whales Booked (NCL)$597 total
Meet 6:30 AM — departs straight from the pier! Point Adolphus humpback whales, naturalist on board. Whale sightings guaranteed. Back with plenty of time to explore
Explore Icy Strait Point
Authentic Alaska Native-owned port. Brown bear watching, ZipRider (one of the world's longest zip lines if budget allows), beach walks, cultural centre. Relaxed and uncrowded
Taste or Savor Free
Relaxed MDR evening — or treat yourselves to Palomar (new Mediterranean) or Le Bistro for a 4th specialty night
Taste or Savor — breakfast 7:00 AMFree
Sit-down breakfast with plenty of time before the 8:45 AM meet — the most civilised morning of the three!
Totem Bight & Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show Booked (NCL)$397 total
Meet at 8:45 AM — guided tour along Tongass Narrows, Totem Bight State Park rainforest walk, authentic clan house, then log rolling, axe throwing & pole climbing at the Lumberjack Show. Ship waits — no stress!
👕 Wear your family colours! ■ Mike — Purple · ■ Nana — Orange · ■ Sam — Red
Teppanyaki 7:00 PMBooked
Sam's hibachi highlight — long relaxed afternoon on the ship before the chef puts on a show at the table
Manhattan Room ~6:00 PMBook on NCL app
Farewell dinner — book early sitting so you're done before docking. Request a window table
Victoria Inner Harbour evening stroll Free
Parliament Buildings & Empress Hotel all lit up, Fisherman's Wharf, harbour-front walk. A magical end to the trip — all walkable from the dock
Disembarkation day
Early breakfast at Garden Café. Pack the night before and put luggage outside cabin by 11 PM on Day 7. Disembark by zone number — off the ship by ~9:30 AM
Seattle bonus afternoon!
With a 5:55 PM flight you have time to spare — Pike Place Market, waterfront lunch, or Space Needle. Head to SEA airport by ~3:30 PM
Delta DL0848 · SEA → AUS Booked
Departs Seattle 5:55 PM · Arrives Austin 11:58 PM · Nonstop · 4h 3m · Seats 21D (Nana) · 21E (Sam) · 21F (Mike)