NikiPinkston

We're platinum on NCL and enjoy the vibe onboard, although we do dress up on "Dress-up or Not Night" (e.g., black dress with gold shoes and jewelry for me, dark slacks with long-sleeve sweater/shirt with collar for DH). I love me a man in a suit and tie, but I would never get him in that on a cruise. (He would never wear shorts in the MDR for dinner.) I've just started reading the Princess boards as we recently booked our first trans-Pacific for this December and I've very much enjoyed reading this thread as I was a bit confused about formal nights. We're on a West Coast departure, so my take-away is that we should be fine in our usual "formal wear." Really appreciate everyone's insights and the photos, too!

Got my Maxpresso packets from Amazon today and am so pleased with my purchase. I put two packets in a mug with 6 oz. of hot water and it was delicious! Really looking forward to using them in our pre-cruise hotel and on the Bliss in a few weeks. Thank you so much for the recommendation, @graphicguy!

Just booked this cruise for December and I'm so grateful for your review. I know that I'll refer to it often! Thank you for sharing your adventure with us!

@ChiefMateJRK, when we've taken Seattle Shuttle, we've been the only ones in the vehicle and, although they're not cheap, maybe we were just lucky. I, too, hate having to climb over other passengers to get in the back. I'm just getting too old for that! Our granddaughter gave me a lesson on using Uber and I have the app on my phone but I guess I do have that human reluctance to change, plus I really enjoy having everything scheduled ahead of time, but I'm sure we'll try it at some point so I appreciate your tips! I always wondered about those tracks in front of the Marriott as we haven't yet been stopped from crossing Alaskan Way by a train, but I guess we've been leading a charmed life LOL. BTW, DH has the "dressy" sweatpants you recommended already packed for our Alaska cruise next month and seems extraordinarily happy about it!

We stay at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront as it's totally easy-peasy - you just walk across the street to Pier 66 on embarkation morning. Last time, we used Seattle Shuttle to get from SEA-TAC to the hotel and we probably will again next month as they provided great service. We're all about convenience even though it might cost a bit more. https://seattleshuttle.net/

Love all of your photos and captions. And I'm with Susan - snakes are a hard no!

Great, now I'm ordering a frother and buying Coffeemate for my checked luggage LOL! Seriously, what a great idea. Do you just whip up the Coffeemate cold?

Hi, there, longtime NCL cruiser here, looking to book our first cruise on Princess this December. Do I read this correctly, if we purchase "Princess Plus," does the crew appreciation cover the gratuities on the included drink package,too?

So happy to see another @shadowmeboy review! Thank you for taking us along!

Never mind. I found my answer in one of the dailies you posted, @travelin.sisters Sorry, should have looked there first!

Thank you, @Defhermit! I'm so glad it was helpful. Have a wonderful cruise! You're going to love the Pride of America. (I'm jealous.) 😁🚢🌴

@YVRteacher We're up early today (for two retired humans) as the hubs has a doctor's appt. this morning, and I just wanted to thank you for starting my day off right while I enjoyed my morning coffee transfusion. Your sense of humor is the absolute best - you always crack me up! I will miss your live SO much when it ends. Have a wonderful day! 🌺🌻❤️

Are the Salty Dog Grill and the Salty Dog Gastropub two different venues or the same? Loving all of your photos. I will miss reading your review when it ends. 😒 Great job!

Sorry to hear you were sick, but glad that you’re feeling better. Both of your leis are beautiful! DH has given me the go-ahead to book this cruise for December and I’m so excited! This will be our first cruise on Princess and your review has been so helpful and informative. Thank you so much for sharing your adventure with us!

@YVRteacherThank you so much for doing this "live!" I hope that you're now home safe and sound. You made it so much fun that I didn't miss Dad too much, but don't tell him! Looking forward to your next cruise and I'll report back on the Bliss to Alaska in May.

We will definitely see Archie, and a couple of the comedians you mentioned who sound pretty great. Thank you for the recommendations! I think I'd be too distracted (okay, drinking) to do a good job on a live, but I'll do a review when we get back. (I wasn't sure if people would be interested, so I appreciate the encouragement.) It was fun doing a review of our POA cruise last November. I think that the hubs & I will be on the Bliss to Alaska about the same time you are on the Jewel with your dad. Sorry to hear about your sucky experience at the Local. We really enjoyed eating there last time we were aboard.

I can sew pretty well, but I'm a perfectionist (and a bit lazy) so I usually take garments that I don't want to be less than perfect to a tailor or seamstress. They're very easy to find on yelp and not expensive. I'm sure you could do it by yourself, but it seems like the process is becoming a bit stressful.

I'm so happy to hear that stateroom attendants have buddies so they can still go ashore and take care of personal needs & use wi-fi to get in touch with their families. I've been reading some other threads that talk about how overworked and unhappy they are and it made me feel sad. We've (almost) always had such delightful attendants that I've enjoyed interacting and conversing with them. We'll be on the Bliss in May and knowing this makes me happy. I have loved all of your reviews - you always make me smile! ("Tasted like disappointment" LOL!)

We sailed on the POA last November and, at that time, not all of the specialty restaurants were open, but I believe they all opened for business shortly after we disembarked on November 18. Our favorite restaurant on NCL ships is always Cagney's (the steakhouse), and the POA was no different. We used both of our specialty dinners credits there. We usually get the filet mignon and have never been disappointed. The food in the MDR was good, except for a steak that DH got. The buffet was hit and miss. The Cadillac Diner, another "free" venue, was wonderful. The crew on the POA was incredible. You're going to have a fabulous time!

Will be on the Bliss to Alaska a couple of weeks after you (3rd time to Alaska, 2nd time on the Bliss). Our itinerary substitutes Sitka for Skagway & I'm excited that we've booked the "Alaska Bears and Silver Bay Homestead Experience" for that port. I'd love to hear about the weather during your cruise and how full the ship is. Thank you so much for sharing your adventure with us!

When we sailed the Bliss over Christmas, we were delighted that they had Mass on TV continuously throughout the day!

Ah, thank you, that's a good idea. I felt like that was kind of a dumb question, but I'm a little "overboard" about doing whatever I can to make sure our luggage doesn't get lost. We mark our bags, too - with colorful luggage straps and ribbons on our handles - as well as placing both Gegos and SmartTags inside each piece. If our bags get lost, it won't be for lack of us trying. 🙂 I've really enjoyed your live as this is a cruise we want to take. Your photos and narrative made me feel like I was right there with you. Thank you for taking the time to share your adventure with us, and have a safe journey home!❤️

I've always thought of doing this, but how do you know when they'll be loading everyone's bags? We're always checked in at least 2 hours prior to our flight, so that gives them a lot of time to make it on the plane. In your experience, do they load all of the checked luggage at one time?

My apologies, I was basing my statement that La Cucina was closed from looking at the website prior to our leaving for Waikiki and, apparently, the week that we were aboard was the first week that La Cucina (and, I think, Teppanyaki) were open. We ate in the Aloha Cafe (the buffet) a couple of times and passed by Moderno (which was closed) going out to the Aloha Lanai (outside eating area), but La Cucina is on the other side so we never passed by to see that it was open. I believe all of the restaurants on the POA are now open.