mush71

can you do this if you did not book through NCL directly?

Yes but you have to have your travel agent do it.

I was on the Pearl last year. It is starting to get worn. I know they were supposed to be upgrading but I am not sure if it was done yet. If you are looking for a relaxing trip the Pearl is definitely the better choice. The Pearl no longer has water slides but does have hot tubs and pools

Thanks for posting, I was on that cruise. We had great weather until Glacier Bay. It rained from Glacier Bay until we got back to Seattle.

We were on the Pearl on August 23rd. We thought O'Sheehan's was not the same as on our Pearl cruise 7 years ago. The service was horrific. We ordered soda before we placed our food order. We received our food and finished our food before our sodas arrived. :eek::eek:

The food in the Summer Palace was yummy, but again the service was awful. We ordered diet soda and when it arrived it was regular. We are diabetic so we can't even just deal with it and drink it. When we brought it to the waitress' attention she insisted it was diet, before getting us new ones.

In Lotus Garden we had the worst experience ever!!!! We had a nice dinner on the 2nd night and we decided to go back the 4th night. BIG MISTAKE!!!! We had listed my husband as having allergies to Olives when we booked. We had been through most of the cruise without this becoming an issue. Except for this night. We ordered our food and they brought out my appetizer and my daughters appetizer. We were waiting for my husbands appetizer and daughters sushi to come out and they brought out my daughter and my main dinners. We asked them to take it back we were still waiting for appetizers and sushi.

Then the manager came over and started questioning my husband about his allergies. We explained that we had eaten the same things 2 nights ago and it wasn't an issue. Why is becoming a problem now? We were told they should have checked with us and any of the restaurants. So they finally brought out the sushi and my husbands appetizer and now main dinner. Now we were missing my daughter and my main dinners. The waitress never put in the computer that the originals back to the kitchen. This was a total nightmare. And we weren't the only ones with issues. The people at the table next to us were also complaining about something.

We loved Moderno. This was the only restaurant that properly came over to us before serving anything and went over the menu and my husbands allergies. This specialty restaurant is worth every dime. The service was outstanding and the food amazing. :D:D

We did enjoy our cruise and did have plenty to eat that was good but it wasn't the same as our first 2 NCL cruises. :(:(

Any one know where Dan the Man is now ? is he still with NCL ?

He was on the Pearl on the August 23rd cruise.

He was on the Pearl on the August 23rd cruise,

1. If we have a 10:00 – 10:30 check in time for our cruise, what time should we plan to arrive by taxi?

2. What do we do after we get on board that early in the day?

3. Is there a mandatory evacuation drill?

4. I am not exactly sure what Freestyle means but assume it means that you go to dinner anytime you want. My question is do we still need reservations for the 6 of us that are in our party? If so, do we make them for the whole week after we are on board, sometime the day of the dinner, or sometime before we arrive on the ship.

5. We are leaving on September 20th for Alaska. Are there any heated or indoor pools?

6. I sometimes like to watch Karaoke. Do they do that on board?

7. My wife likes to play blackjack. Do they have a blackjack tournament?

8. Are there any “his and hers” spa experiences that you might recommend

9. Are there any tours of the ship that you might recommend

10. My wife and I will try just about anything. Are there any “must do’s” on board?

11. If we do not go to any of the specialty restaurants, is there a dress up night?

12. Is there a lobster night?

13. We are debating buying the booze package. Just roughly, what is the price of a beer and/or a typical foo foo drink.

14. Can we bring any water, soda, or wine along with us?

 

Thank you in advance, Eric

1. We arrived with the hotel bus at 11:00 even though we had a 10:00 check in time. It all didn't really make a difference. When you check in they give you a number. When that number is called you are allowed to board. They didn't call number 1 until 12:00. They do go through pretty quick though. We were number 13 and were on board having lunch by 12:30.

2. You can wander the ship get lunch. They try to push you to the Garden Buffet but the Summer Palace is open for lunch.

3. Yes they have the drill. Once you get to your room you will have a newsletter that lists where the drills are. On your room key at the bottom right corner it gives you a letter and number. Ours was D4. We had our drill at O'Sheehans. You don't have to bring your life jacket with you. You have to go to the lady by the number sign and sign in though.

4. You only have to make reservations if you are going to the specialty restaurants. I made ours after we boarded and we only did one specialty restaurant. We did Moderno's and they were outstanding.

5. The pools didn't seem heated. There are 3 or 4 hot tubs. We had 51 degree air temps with high winds. It was great in the tub but getting out was rough. :D

6. I believe they did have Karaoke in the Bliss lounge one night. Again check the daily newsletter left in your room.

7. Yes they have Blackjack and Slot Tournaments.

11. You can dress up every night if you feel like it. They have photographers in the Atrium taking pictures every night.

12. There is no actual lobster night. There is seafood served through out the cruise.

13. I strongly urge the UBP. We had it as part of our package when we booked and it is totally worth it. Figure anywhere between $8-$11 for any alcohol drinks and $2.50 per soda. All with the 18% gratuity added.

14. I saw people bringing on cases of water. Not sure about the other stuff.

Have a great time. :D

We left our door open at night. One night my DH woke me and told me to go out to the hall. There was a bat in our room! As we were at sea and had left St lucia the day before, assume bat was there for 24+ hours. Called down and they sent exterminator up to remove the critter. Also checked room to insure no others had joined him. Have never left door open unless I"m right there

Oh no. A bat that is crazy!!! :eek::eek::eek:

Skagway: Woke up to nice weather and we were already docked in Skagway. We went to breakfast in the Moderno and talked to Leah about what our options would be for our dad. Our dad was going by himself on the White Pass Scenic Railway excursion today because he could not go with us on the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari excursion because it was a level 2. My sister and I could get him on the train but we would not be there when he got off. She assured us that someone from the ship would meet him at the train and bring him back to the ship.

 

My sister and I went into town to do some shopping (dad didn’t want to go) and then returned to the ship to get a snack before leaving on our excursions. Left the ship at 12:15 pm to get dad on the train and then we went to meet for our excursion.

 

The Glacier Point Wilderness Safari excursion was a 6 hour adventure and we were so glad the weather was so nice. We got on the shuttle that took us to the other side of the harbor to get on a boat. We were on an enclosed boat for an hour 15 minutes to a beach. At the beach we were given a turkey sandwich, applesauce, trail mix and water. We then got on a bus for 10 minutes to a place where we were suited with rubber pants, coat, boots and life jacket. My sister and I both wore our rain boots and so we didn’t need the boots. We then walked a 1/4 mile to where we were assigned to a canoe and a guide. My sister and I were both thinking how is this excursion even going to compare with the awesome experience we had yesterday because so far it was not even comparable. We started canoeing and then Davidson Glacier came into view and we were in awe! We canoed for a mile to the base of the glacier. We got off the canoe and walked another 1/4 mile on a rocky beach to this magnificent glacier. It is hard to describe the blueness of this icy glacier. It looked like someone spray painted it because it was that blue. We were lucky because today we could actually touch the glacier. Our guide told us there are certain situations when they don’t allow it because of it being a safety issue. We were at the glacier for at least 45 minutes and got some incredible photos. We then walked back to the canoe and went back to the place where we took off our rain gear and got back on the bus to the beach where we got back on the boat for another hour and 15 minutes. This is a great excursion if you get up close to a glacier and actually touch it.

 

We got back to the ship around 8 pm and found dad was safe and sound in the cabin. We got dressed for dinner at Le Bistro (French). My sister and I had escargot and it was excellent! I had lobster with artichokes and chateau potatoes and crème brulee for dessert and it was delicious. No casino tonight we were too tired so we went to bed.

 

Glacier Bay: Woke up to the fog horn going off and looked out and we were in engulfed in fog. I thought this is not good especially since this is Glacier Bay day and people want to see the glaciers. An hour and half later it was pure sunshine and beautiful out. We made coffee and sat out on the balcony with the blankets Christopher (cabin steward) left for us.

 

At 8 am the Ranger Commentary started on the PA. While siting out on the balcony I was videotaping a glacier and I heard cracking and then it started calving (breaking and crashing into the water) I couldn’t believe I got it on tape. Later we were able to go the bow of the ship and get some great photos and video. The Spinnaker Lounge had a information desk and at 1 pm there was a Park Ranger Program in the Stardust Theater. The glaciers were awesome to see and the weather was perfect!

 

Dinner was at La Cucina (Italian) tonight. Food was very good but the service was so slow. I had the insalata caprese, minestrone soup, and shrimp risotto. After dinner we went to the casino.

Thank You for the great review. Did you need the blankets on the balcony at Glacier Bay? Does it get really cold on the balcony?

Thank You

When and where do they have fireworks? We have been on 3 NCL cruises (all in the last year) and I never noticed any fireworks.

I didn't have fireworks on my 2 cruises. I didn't know they even had fireworks.

Now we are hearing Del Rio has decided firework displays are too demanding and so off to the chopping block it goes. If true, how many more Del Rio cuts "to ensure we’re focusing the best overall guest experience possible" will he implement before he has demolished the NCL Freestyle brand Kevin Sheehan worked so hard to build?

 

"To ensure we’re focusing the best overall guest experience possible." Translation: we were looking for expenses we could cut that we felt wouldn't overly affect new cruise bookings and cutting fireworks fit the bill.

 

It's becoming apparent Del Rio's business model is to maximize profit through reduced services, increased fares, fees and gimmicks. Sheehan on the other the hand was more about building the brand and cultivating repeat loyal customers which ultimately would lead to increased profits.

 

I really enjoyed the Sheehan brand of Freestyle cruising and it will be missed. No other cruise line offers a similar experience. I can only hope Del Rio's business model fails and he reverts back to emphasizing building the brand and less about immediate profit. I'm concerned as I see the airline industry has been adding more and more fees and there seems to be no end in sight. Their profits are up; customer satisfaction is down, but profits always seem to win in the end.

 

I wish all cruisers and potential cruisers read Cruise Critic and were cognizant of how Del Rio is leading NCL down the path of pay more for less. Reduced profit would get Del Rio's attention.

 

Del Rio wants increased profit similar to those wanting to lose weight overnight with a diet pill.

 

Sheehan believed increasing profit was similar to a dieter who loses weight via lifestyle changes, proper diet, building muscle through exercise . . . in other words . . . he earned it!

 

Okay, through this post I've solved nothing, but I vented. I feel better. Now I will focus on the positive and thoroughly enjoy my next cruise no matter what Del Rio may throw at me or take away from me!

Maybe Del Rio should do an episode of Undercover Boss like Sheehan did and maybe then he will see that Sheehan was correct in how things were handled. :rolleyes::rolleyes:;)

We flew from New York to Miami the same morning. I believe we arrived in Miami about 11:00am and we had no issues at all grabbed a car service and was actually at the terminal before they started boarding.

But as people have mentioned it is risky. It depends on the time of year. If you get postponed for any reason you would be cutting it close.

Thanks for all of the stories!!!

It seems like there are a lot of snoring people on cruises... LOL

I remember seeing the signs the last time I was on the Pearl about the doors. We were in the Caribbean last cruise and kept the door mostly closed because it was hot.

This time we will be in Alaska and love sleeping with the windows cracked open in the winter here at home, so I wasn't sure if it was an issue.

Happy Cruising!!!!

Has anyone ever slept out on their balcony overnight?

Has anyone ever slept with the balcony door open?

I just let the porters tag my bags. Much easier then fooling with the printed stuff, and cheaper than paying for the ink to print color tags. Never had a problem with using the tags the porters have.

if you print them at work there is no charge for ink.... :rolleyes::rolleyes:;)

thanks for the review 3 weeks to go

Looking forward to being on a cruise again!!!

I just laminated my tags. I am buying a mini stapler and when we leave the hotel to get to the ship I will put the tags on. I know they say not to fly with the cruise tags on the luggage because they can get taken off. Now that I am thinking about it. I will put a hole in the luggage tag and use a rubber band to attach it to my luggage.

You could try a pay as you go phone. Pay for a month and use the service that works on the ship.

28 days!!!!

I am noticing some people are mentioning Harvest Cay, will they no longer have GSC?

As far as I can tell on NCL ships they have it on the tv. so if you are in the room and out on your balcony you can hear the rangers speak.

We are going to Seattle and then to Alaska also. There is a lot of transportation options in Seattle that would be cheaper than renting a car. Most hotel's in Seattle charge for parking. We are staying at The Crowne Plaza and they charge $38 per day to park.

If you plan on eating at the top of the Space Needle you need to make reservations in advance.

I use cruise cal. If there is another ship in port the same day

http://www.cruisecal.com/portal/

I thought there had to be an adult in each room.