marelind

Each ship has one concierge and multiple butlers.

And the concierge often has an assistant or two so you may talk with them on occasion (tip the concierge directly and let him/her figure out if and how how to share).

Norwegian never has a naturalist on board throughout the cruise, however for the transit of the Panama Canal and the morning in Glacier Bay, they had an expert/forest ranger on the PA talking about what we were seeing. I was hoping that they might have something similar for the Chilean Fjords. Is that possible?

Cruise addicted MIL here ;)

I absolutely loved your whole review! I got to relive our time together and remember how wonderful and special it was. You have written a comprehensive, balanced and very thoughtful review. Thanks for taking the time to do it. (I've gained a few insights into what we might do next time. :) )

What about posting on your roll call or the cruiseline ' s thread and asking if there are any nurses, doctors or paramedics who are skilled in IV insertions and are willing to help you out. If you know how to run the infusion, and just need an IV inserted, there my be people willing to help. I'm an RN, and would definitely be willing to help someone with something like this. You could ask for their credentials ahead of time and check things out.

That's a great idea! Now that I've learned how to insert the needle/catheter, etc., I won't need to do that, but 3 years ago that would have been a great resource. Maybe this thread will help someone else who needs that.

Hotel Director, Cary Turecamo

F&B Director, Rumi Khatao

Cruise Director, Dingo Dave Klooster

Guest Service Manager, Ronan Ramos

Executive Chef, Peter D. Costa

Restaurant Manger, Adine Barrett

Beverage Manager, Kiran Aguiar

Group Service Coordinator/Access Officer, Iris Alegado

Concierge, Elvina De Meneses

Personally would NOT make the decision to postpone infusions based on information provided from the experiences of others on this forum regardless of the fact that their replies were given with good intentions. The decision to forgo infusions during the cruise should be discussed with your DH's doctor.

I agree completely. If you read through the entire thread looking at the dates posted, you will see this has been a 3+ year process. We have walked through the process with the doctor and would not act on what is written here without consulting him. I started the thread to find out what others did. I have added to it to share our journey in case it could be of use to others.

Glad to read that you've resolved this problem.

 

 

 

Your comment reminded me of an experience I had when I was 16. My dad needed to have antibiotic injections (IM not IV) and I was selected to give them. Dad took one look at me with the syringe in my hand and bolted, locking himself in the bathroom.

I can only imagine what was going through his mind, probably seeing you as a 3 year old with the syringe. :D

We were on the Norwegian Star beginning of April and, of the +/-2400 passengers, 1000 were 18 and under. I don't know about the end of April, that may be past the Spring break period. If you are referring to college age Spring breakers, then Norwegian isn't known as a huge party cruise line.

As far as the fares in comparison to other lines, I can't speak, nor about Getaway as we sail on the smaller ships.

All correct. We have stayed in 10004 on Pearl and Jewel and 9004 on Pearl. If we had a choice between the two we would take 10004. The cabin is a bit larger on deck 10: the dining area has a bump out for the table, the living area, the bedroom, the bath and dressing room are all larger.

The front deck and the side balconies are comparable on both decks.

And another update:

DH and I want to take a 32-day cruise in 2016. Since finding out that he could arrange with the Access Department to have his treatments on board, DH asked if I would be willing to try to learn to start his IV. I was surprised because, after infusing for 21 years he is very particular about who starts his IV. Long story short, we asked our home health nurse if she would teach me, and she agreed. I started learning fall of 2014, had some success, then a really rough patch. I read a couple of websites, understood what I was doing wrong, and have been successful for a few months now.

We are now at the point where I will let the Access Dept. know that we are bringing supplies on board and that I will start him. We will see how that goes...

We were on the Pearl 5/7-17. At the end of the cruise the Hotel Director had a Q&A with the Cruise Critic group. He was asked why the UBP does not include coffee drinks/espresso/lattes. He said corporate is working on it, but the problem is figuring out how to resolve potential problems before rolling it out.

The potential problems at this time are that the specialty coffees are made (in the Jewel and Dawn class ships) in the atrium. If a passenger is in a bar or restaurant and wants a specialty coffee then either the passenger must go themselves and get the drink, or the server must go down to get the drink and come back to serve it and the concern is that the drink would not be as hot when it was served.

Norwegian ships do not have self-service laundries. At least once a cruise they offer a laundry bag special where you have a flat fee (I think around $25/bag) and can stuff as many of your clothing items as will fit into their paper laundry bag.

Friday, May 10th

The Cruise Critic meet-up was scheduled for 10 AM in Bliss Lounge. ... It’s tough to be a solo in a group made up of smaller groups...still found that I wasn’t enjoying it, nor was I real interested in inserting myself into the group, so I left.

 

....I found the chicken tenders really lacking.

I know what you mean about being a solo in a group. I go to the M&G's alone and sometimes I don't end up talking to anyone, and sometimes I find one or two that I connect with. It is kind of a mixed bag.

I have the same opinion on the chicken tenders, too.

This is what I wrote in my review for ISP:

A fellow CCer did the research to find Glacier Wind Charters, which we booked for a whale watching tour independently from the ship. Shawn and Teresa own and run the business. I contacted them by email, and Teresa called the next morning to set it up. She was very friendly and helpful. The great things about Glacier Wind are: 1) Shawn grew up in Hoonah, and they live there year round so they know the area well; 2) they only take up to 7 passengers which means there is plenty of room on all sides of the boat – I never felt like I was fighting to get a front row seat or was in someone else’s way; 3) Shawn made no promises that we would see whales, but Shawn knew where to look and worked with other locals to find the whales; 4) Shawn’s concern for our safety and respect for the whale’s well-being; 5) Teresa’s yummy salmon dip! We saw 4 groups of whales even though it was very early in the season – one group surprised us and surfaced about 25 yards away from the boat, a real treat! Overall, well worth the cost of the tour. I highly recommend them!!

April, great job and fantastic photos! Just waiting for more.... :p

MY DH is also on O2 now. We bought a small Inogen O2 concentrator that we bring with us.

Thanks, my questions were given for the purpose of the types of questions a person with COPD might have. I'm glad they sounded real enough to have you try to answer them. DH has a Respironics Simply Go.

Are you flying to or from the port? If so, you might need to have a portable oxygen concentrator (POC). Before my husband needed oxygen at night, we found he had major problems at altitude or flying. His doctor was not good at advocating and would not help us to get oxygen for those times when we wanted to fly or drive at altitude. We had to limit our travel for that reason. You might ask your doctor if you need oxygen to fly or drive at altitude.

Two years ago we had had a terrible embarkation, then the muster and by the time the bags came my 87 year old mother was exhausted, and the rest of the family were ready to go to dinner. She asked me if the butler would help her unpack. I said, "You can ask him." She did and he sounded like he already had too many requests with the usual mad dash on embarkation day when everyone wants something from the butler. He said he would try to get to her in about 20 minutes if she could wait.

 

He arrived about 20 minutes later. She sat on the bed and took her things out of the suitcase and directed him where to put them. He then put her suitcase under the bed and escorted her down to the MDR where the rest of the family was at dinner

This was my post, and for those who judge me for going to dinner and leaving her to the butler, you don't know the situation, so please don't judge. My 89 year old father, who is a bit unsteady, decided he was heading off to the MDR with or without us, which he really didn't know where it was, nor did the rest of the family. Yes, I know how busy the butler is on embarkation day. And, yes,once the butler offered to bring Mom to dinner, I thought this was a kind offer which I accepted. And yes, we have had a butler purposely meet us on our way to dinner to accompany us and carry our wine bottle for us. (It felt awkward at first, but after different butlers did this we realized it's something an outstanding butler would initiate.)

To the OP, if you hate unpacking and would like to ask if the butler would help, then do it and don't feel guilty. This service is offered and you won't be the first to ask. Just be sensitive to his need to serve all the passengers for whom he is responsible.

We just did a 10-day cruise and rented a concentrator for the cabin from Special Needs at Sea for $218 plus a $100 fee for having different beginning and ending ports. We also got a quote for a room concentrator for a 31-day cruise next year, though we have not booked it yet: $645 plus $50 for the different beginning and ending ports. Hope that helps.

April, love the review and pictures so far! Keep up the good work! :)

Yes, the access desk handles all disability and special food needs.

On the Jewel class or Dawn class ships it seemed there were many empty larger tables in the aft MDR which they were asking smaller parties to share, so that might be the first dining room to try.

Thank you for your fairly comprehensive Norwegian Pearl Alaska Review. :):):):)

You're welcome! It felt a little narcissistic, yet if I were doing the research for a cruise, those are the things I might find interesting. I hope it helps anyone who is planning an Alaskan cruise on Norwegian or the Pearl. :)

Lovely! It was so good to meet you, and I'm still tickled that you enjoyed Glacier Wind so much!

 

I'm hoping to get to my review (and pics) this weekend!

April, it was a great day! I'm so glad I got a chance to meet you and to talk once again (no, we're not in the line ;) )

Disembarkation in Seattle was very quick and easy, especially with the assistance of the concierge. *We requested wheelchair assistance from the concierge and they arrived at the cabin at 9 am, a suite perk; otherwise you have to go to one of the lounges to pick up the wheelchair.

Prior to the cruise there were reports of a norovirus outbreak on the Pearl thanks to Cruise Critic, but we asked and were told it was under control prior to embarkation. Once on board we checked with the crew and they assured us that there had been no new cases reported on the last cruise. Our steward had dark circles under her eyes and as the cruise went on I figured out she was probably exhausted from the amount of extra work she and all the crew had to do to combat the outbreak. About 4-5 days into the cruise I noticed that Dingo Dave, the cruise director, was including in his announcements a strong and specific direction to sanitize or wash one's hands before and after eating and before and after using the bathroom. That was my first clue that Noro had raised it's ugly head again. Then our steward said something about having to "sanitize". The announcements continued for the next couple of days and crew members with spray bottles appeared outside all the entrances to main dining rooms and Garden Cafe. By the time the Captain acknowledged there was an outbreak of norovirus on the ship and passengers must wash their hands and be aware, they had "silver service" (crew members serve everything at buffets, no salt/pepper/butter/bread on tables, etc.) instituted.

We are grateful that we were able to avoid the plague - I'm sure it is due, in part, to our paranoia from the start. We wash hands frequently, avoid touching elevator buttons and handrails and take lots and lots of wipes. I am so sorry for those who caught this nasty bug and lost out on part of their cruise. In spite of the situation, I felt the crew worked to keep service as normal as possible and try curb the outbreak through communication and cleaning. Of course, my perspective is based on my experience.