NCL Ward Cove tips! Shuttle + Is it really that terrible? Norwegian Ketchikan Alaska cruise tips

Hi there!

Basically anyone who arrives to Ketchikan on any cruise line that’s not NCL feels bad for anyone on Norwegian cruise ships.

Well, if they have heard about where NCL cruise ships dock in Ketchikan, that is!

All major cruise lines not named Norwegian Cruise Line dock in downtown Ketchikan, which is where most of the action is.

NCL doesn’t dock in downtown Ketchikan, and instead docks in a far away place called Ward Cove some 20-30 minutes away by car.

NCL is the only major cruise line that docks at Ward Cove.

 

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I had taken several non-NCL Alaska cruises and I decided to reserve my judgement about whether it actually is as terrible as it seems until I actually was on a cruise ship that docks at Ward Cove… which I have now done.

So, is docking at Ward Cove as terrible as it seems?

Well… since I don’t want to bring unnecessary stress to your cruise… 🤣

It’s fine! 😆

Of course docking in downtown Ketchikan is better than docking at Ward Cove!

To prepare yourself mentally, you really just need to think of Ward Cove as a tender port.

Meaning, it will take some extra time to actually get to the main area of the port from the cruise ship.

A tender port is when a cruise ship anchors off shore and you need to take a small boat (“water shuttle”) to get from ship to shore. Your Norwegian cruise ship will dock at land in Ketchikan, but then you need to take a “land shuttle” to get to downtown Ketchikan.

There really is nothing at Ward Cove, unless you count shopping for souvenirs and Alaska-branded clothing. There is also a cafe.

So you need to get away from Ward Cove in order to do anything worthy in Ketchikan.

There is a free shuttle from Ward Cove to downtown Ketchikan.

But the unfortunate reality is that it’s possible that the line for the shuttle to downtown Ketchikan might be really long.

And in that case… you may very well find yourself thinking that Ward Cove is terrible!

Just as it can be for tender ports!

But it’s all about managing your expectations so you can be a LITTLE less disappointed, and a LITTLE less mad about it. 🤪

So, just expect that you will need to spend a long time in line for the shuttle from Ward Cove!

For this reason, it can actually be a big advantage to do an excursion through NCL in Ketchikan!

Or do the Ketchikan lighthouse tour that leaves from Ward Cove.

By doing an NCL excursion, you will then not have to deal with a potential 1 hour line to get to downtown Ketchikan.

I had an excursion through the cruise ship, so I arrived at the Ward Cove meeting spot at the designated time. There was a pretty long line for the tour, but that was because it was the most popular excursion and they hadn’t yet started loading people onto the tour buses.

Once the line started moving, it wasn’t bad.

After that excursion, I stayed in downtown Ketchikan.

When I was ready to go back to Ward Cove, I saved myself from walking 15 minutes by getting on the free downtown Ketchikan shuttle.

The free downtown shuttle has a stop near the Ward Cove shuttle pick-up.

Whether or not there is a line for the shuttle whichever direction you are going is all about timing and how many NCL cruise ships and people there are that are wanting to go to the same place as you at the same time as you.

For me on my way back to Ward Cove, there was no line, so I was able to immediately get on the shuttle, and it was an easy ride back to Ward Cove!

More below about tips for your cruise ship arrival at Ward Cove!

 

 

• Map: Ward Cove shuttle to Ketchikan
• Where is the Ward Cove shuttle in downtown Ketchikan?
• When is the last Ward Cove shuttle?
• Coastal Connections: Water shuttle to downtown (new in 2024!)
• Free downtown Ketchikan shuttle
• Public bus from Ward Cove to Totem Bight State Park
• Best Ward Cove excursion
• Bald eagles at Ward Cove
• Official NCL communication about Ward Cove
• Ward Cove reviews (GOOD!)

 

 

Map: Ward Cove shuttle to Ketchikan

Ward Cove is a bit outside of downtown Ketchikan, and it will take 20 to 30 minutes for the shuttle ride from Ward Cove to Ketchikan.

 

👆 Map: Ward Cove shuttle to Ketchikan. Explore the map.

 

 

Where is the Ward Cove shuttle in downtown Ketchikan?

The Ward Cove shuttle drop-off spot (and pick-up spot!) in downtown Ketchikan is at berth 4.

The best way to get started to explore Ketchikan once you’ve gotten off the shuttle from Ward Cove is to start walking!

But berth 4 is actually on the edge of downtown Ketchikan.

For example, to get to the famous street of Ketchikan, Creek Street, it’s about a 15 minute walk.

And to get to Creek Street, you’ll basically walk through the heart of downtown Ketchikan!

 

👆 Map: Ward Cove shuttle drop-off to Creek Street in downtown Ketchikan. Explore the map.

 

You can really just start walking and there are signs all over downtown Ketchikan telling you where to go for the top attractions, including Creek Street.

But for reference on a map, you can walk towards the Liquid Sunshine Gauge and the iconic Ketchikan welcome sign, and then start making your way towards Creek Street. (map)

The Liquid Sunshine Gauge is often a tour meeting spot if you book your Ketchikan tour independently.

You’ll pass by the totem pole at Eagle Park, so look out for that too! (map)

 

👆 Map: Perfect walking route from Berth 4 and the Ward Cove shuttle drop-off through downtown Ketchikan. Explore the map.

 

If it’s July, August, or even early September, you want to go to the salmon ladder near Creek Street to see the salmon jumping out of the water trying to “climb” up the “ladder”!

 

 

When is the last Ward Cove shuttle?

The last shuttle from Ward Cove to downtown Ketchikan will likely be 2 hours before the back-on-board time.

The last shuttle from downtown Ketchikan back to Ward Cove will likely be 1 hour before the back-on-board time.

The back-on-board time will likely be 30 minutes before the time that is listed as the departure time on your cruise itinerary.

The back-on-board time will be listed in the Freestyle Daily, and there will also be a sign on your way off the cruise ship.

 

Pro tip #1: Take a screenshot of the Freestyle Daily with the shuttle times on the NCL app! Or, take a picture of the paper version of the Freestyle Daily with the shuttle times! This will also have the back-on-board time listed.

Pro tip #2: Look for the sign with the back-on-board time as you are walking off of the cruise ship, and take a picture of it!

 

For my cruise, the official cruise itinerary showed the time in port from 8am until 8pm. The back-on-board time was 7:30pm. The last shuttle from Ward Cove was at 5:30pm, and the last shuttle from downtown Ketchikan back to Ward Cove was at 6:30pm.

 

 

Coastal Connections: Water shuttle to downtown

New for 2024 is a water shuttle of sorts to take you from Ward Cove to downtown Ketchikan. Instead of going by land, you can get there by boat! This is a paid option, and you can look for the Coastal Connections excursion in Ketchikan when logged into your NCL account.

 

 

Free downtown Ketchikan shuttle

Maybe after all day walking around Ketchikan, you find yourself on the opposite side of Ketchikan, and you don’t feel like walking anymore to get to the Ward Cove shuttle.

Or is that just me? 🤪

Instead of walking the last 15 minutes back to berth 4 to catch the shuttle back to Ward Cove, you can get on a free shuttle that loops around downtown Ketchikan!

It’s on a 20 minute loop, so you won’t ever need to wait more than 20 minutes for it.

There is a bus stop near berth 4 (you can ask the bus driver), and it will also take you to various tourist attractions around downtown Ketchikan. It will even take you to Safeway if you need to load up on essentials! (The Safeway shuttle stop is also where you can go to start the Rainbird Trail for a hike through a rainforest!)

The bus stops in downtown Ketchikan are the same as the regular city bus (that you pay for), so you can zoom in on google maps and look for the little bus stop icon.

The free downtown shuttle operates any day there’s a cruise ship in town, including for late season cruises in October.

 

 

Public bus from Ward Cove to Totem Bight State Park

One of the few things over on the Ward Cove side of Ketchikan is Totem Bight State Historical Park.

This is one of the best places in Ketchikan to see totem poles!

Unless you don’t mind walking 2 hours round trip, Totem Bight State Park isn’t within walking distance of Ward Cove, but it does make for a shorter bus ride!

It will be a 10-15 minute walk to get to the bus stop from the cruise ship, though. The bus stop is along the main road. (map)

But once you are on the bus, it’s a 5 minute ride! (map)

 

👆 Map: Ward Cove to Totem Bight State Park. Explore the map.

 

I went to Totem Bight State Historical Park from downtown Ketchikan, as I went there when I was on a Princess cruise.

The day I went, I met people who were on a Norwegian cruise ship, so there are people who take the bus from Ward Cove to get to Totem Bight State Park!

It’s $2 per ride and you want to have that ready in dollar bills, as no change will be given.

If you don’t have dollar bills, ask the guest services desk if they can break change for you! (They did this for me on a Princess cruise ship so I would expect NCL to do the same.)

Otherwise, you can also go cashless if you prepare in advance by downloading the token transit app.

Confirm current bus fares in Ketchikan here.

Use google maps for bus timings using the public transit icon. If you’re planning in the off-season, the Ketchikan bus schedule might not show up on google maps, but the bus is once an hour so you will want to plan accordingly.

 

 

Best Ward Cove excursion

So actually, there IS an excursion that leaves directly from Ward Cove, with no shuttle necessary!

It’s the Ketchikan lighthouse excursion by boat! (You can read the reviews there at Viator. I’m a Viator partner.)

As a fan of lighthouses, I wanted to do the Ketchikan lighthouse excursion.

I also did a Juneau lighthouse excursion!

I did the Ketchikan lighthouse tour during an Alaska cruise when I was on a Princess cruise ship, so that actually required a shuttle to Ward Cove from downtown.

And that’s when we were all feeling sorry for you seeing a Norwegian cruise ship so far away from downtown Ketchikan. 🤣 Well I wasn’t feeling that sorry for you since that was going to be me in just a few weeks on my NCL cruise! 😆

The lighthouse part of the tour is more like a drive-by (sail-by) of a lighthouse, and it also included spotting for bald eagles and a sail-by of Totem Bight State Park, so you could see the totem poles from the water. (Although it was a bit of a distant view.)

It also turned into a whale watching tour as we saw one or more humpback whales near the lighthouse too!

 

 

Bald eagles

That is another good thing about Ward Cove.

It’s possible to see bald eagles!

As you are sailing in and out of Ward Cove (and when you are docked!) look for bald eagles in the trees!

When I did the tour from Ward Cove, we spotted eagles almost immediately upon starting the boat ride.

There were jellyfish in the water too!

And then look for whales as the cruise ship gets out into the channel. For reference on a map, you can look for the Guard Island lighthouse and you will notice how it’s a channel, and it’s this channel that whales commonly swim around. (map)

If eagles and whales interest you, whether on a tour or from the cruise ship, bring binoculars!

 

 

Official NCL communication about Ward Cove

Always read the front page of the Freestyle Daily so you won’t miss any important announcements!

The Freestyle Daily is the daily activity schedule that will be delivered to your cabin the evening before. Also always open up the Freestyle Daily to make sure there isn’t any other paper with important information inside! In particular a couple of days before the last day of the cruise when you’ll find important disembarkation information!

You can also find the Freestyle Daily through the NCL app.

 

Below is what the Freestyle Daily said about Ward Cove for my Ketchikan port day.

I was on the Norwegian Sun. Your cruise ship will vary, but this gives you an idea of what to expect! My cruise ship was in port until 8pm with a back-on-board time of 7:30pm. The Norwegian Encore was also in port, with a morning arrival and afternoon departure.

 

If you are docked alongside another Norwegian cruise ship, it means longer lines for the shuttle!

You can check to see if there will be another ship when you will be in port at claalaska.com.

If you see a Norwegian ship listed in the Ketchikan cruise port schedule, it will be docking at Ward Cove.

 

 

Ketchikan complimentary shuttle service from Ward Cove

Norwegian Sun will be docking in historic Ward Cove, Alaska’s newest cruise port, located just 7 miles outside of downtown Ketchikan.

Complimentary shuttle service starts as soon as the ship arrive and provides service between Ward Cove and Berth 4 in downtown Ketchikan.

To visit downtown Ketchikan, go ashore early to catch the shuttle so that you can maximize your time in port.

Please allow at least 30 minutes to reach downtown if you have a scheduled appointment.

The shuttle service is departing from the far end of the Welcome Center.

Last shuttle from Ward Cove: 5:30pm.

Last shuttle from downtown: 6:30pm

Due to Norwegian Sun being in port with Norwegian Encore, we will experience long lines for the shuttle between 9am and 10am from Ward Cove and from 11:15am until 12:15pm from downtown.

If your plans allow, please avoid the shuttle lines during these peak times.

Buses run continuously throughout the day.

Please allow 15 minutes to walk to the center of downtown.

For guests with limited mobility, there is also a complimentary bus that departs from Berth 4 every 15 minutes and provides access to other destinations throughout downtown Ketchikan.

 

 

 

Ward Cove reviews

Finally… if you are having doubts about this Ward Cove experience, well, to make you feel better you can read the reviews on google maps!

To be honest, I was quite surprised.

The reviews for Ward Cove are overwhelmingly positive.

Basically, if you don’t want to go to downtown Ketchikan and you’re just looking to take it easy, you might love Ward Cove.

In which case, no, Ward Cove is not that terrible!

 

Read the reviews:

• google maps

 

If you want to further get excited for Ward Cove, you can read information from the Ward Cove tourism people, who want to get you excited for your Ward Cove visit telling you about things you can do.

 

 

HAPPY TAKING THE WARD COVE SHUTTLE!

 

I arrived at Ward Cove by cruise ship on October 27, 2023. Your experience may vary!