Manbo

After taking several cruises to the Caribbean, we are going on our first cruise with Norwegian to Alaska. Is the onboard dress pretty casual? Is there a formal night? Any other suggestions as to what to pack for clothing? Thank you!

We were on the Pearl, May 7. We felt it was more casual on the Alaska cruise. Jeans were worn in the main dining room and specialties. I force myself to wear dress slacks twice.

Lots of sweat shirts, too.

Did the Sun 10 day May 8 out of Vancouver, and at every stop they told us how lucky we were with the great weather. The only thing you did not mention which also impressed us was the ice falling into the bay from the glacier, it was very loud and got everyone's attention 5 or 6 times. We thought 10 days was not long enough, vowed to do the 14 day b2b next time, did not think it would be so warm the first cruise of the season.

Yes, I failed to mention the ice falling, and a million other things that were awesome!!

Bottom line, it was great.

My best advice is go in May. The best weather of the year. :)

For the first time in my life, I'll actually pack ahead of the trip, not 3 hours before we leave :D. Procrastination at it's finest. Traveling across the U.S. makes you do that.

 

I'm trying to figure out what to pack as the weather has been unseasonably warmer than usual. I'm from Florida, so not sure as what to expect. 60 here may not be the same as on an Alaskan cruise. I know the Sun, Pearl and Jewel have already had a couple runs for the season. Any recent travelers have any suggestions?

 

*Edit - I post this in here as the Alaska section is not as active. Most people will comeback to the cruiseline section to post reviews.

We were on the Pearl, May 7. I wore shorts half the time. A sweat shirt with a tee shirt under. We brought rain coats with hoods, we wore them twice.

April and May are the dry. Rain increases over the summer.

We are on the Pearl's next sailing, what did you do in Victoria? I'm finding it hard to plan anything there do to the late time.

We sailed the Pearl earlier in May. Our last stop was Victoria, and we loved it.

We got on a shuttle at the pier to downtown. I think it was $10 pp.

It drops you off at the Empress Hotel which is center city with lots to see. The Legislative building across the road, shops, restaurants, etc.

We booked a bus trip to Butchart Gardens (like $50). Fantastic! If the weather is nice, it is a must do!

You can book right outside of the Empress.

Having never been there before, we hope to return someday.

We were on the Pearl with you and while we did different excursions, our experience was like yours. We had a wonderful cruise!

Great review. I posted one as well.

I find this very scary. I'll be on the Pearl with my kids June 14. I have never had noro, or been on a ship with noro. When you are feeling up to it, please educate me a bit. Were noro preventions in place when you boarded, like no self-serve, etc? When did they first start? How do they let people know? And most importantly, do you have any suggestions on how to avoid it?

I wouldn't worry. We survived without contracting it. Just never pass a hand sanitizing station with using it!

Can I ask what time disembarkation started? We are on the Pearl in August and I am getting ready to book our flights. Others have said noon or later, but just wanting to ask.

 

Thanks for the review!! I am reading everything I can between now and our cruise!!!

We were off by 8:30. I think the lastest was 9:30 to 10:30.

They really hustled off very quickly.

I posted this as a review, but thought I would post it here as well.:)

Tuesday-Arrival in Seattle

We stayed at Best Western Pioneer Square, Seattle. Historic (Older) hotel, remodeled. Staff very friendly. Room nice, 7 blocks from King St. Amtrak station. Nice walk. However the hotel is overpriced.

Free WiFi in hotel worked well. Free breakfast was ok. Not great but sufficient.

Lots of restaurants close to hotel. Expensive, but worked well.

Wednesday –Vancouver

Took Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver, Great trip, sit on the left side of train for best scenery.

At Vancouver, there were no taxis. Someone called for taxis but we walked across the driveway to the left and took the Sky train to Stadium St and walked about 4 blocks to Hampton Inn. Great hotel, helpful staff gave us a map and told us where to explore, Gas Works area, along the sea. Beauty!

Ate at Black Frog. Explored for several hours. Jet lag set in. We returned to the hotel. Ate at the Back Forty, across the street.

The Hampton Inn was super. Great WiFi, great breakfast. Very helpful staff. Free shuttle to the pier.

Thursday-Embarkation

Embarkation in Vancouver was very smooth. However, I left our passports in the safe at the hotel. Grabbed a. Taxi for a whirlwind ride back to save the day. $20 later, we rolled through immigration fairly quick, scanned our passports and because we are gold status, we jumped past the entire line waiting to check in.

The Pearl looks clean and fresh. Lunch in the main dining room and explored. The entertainment seems better than the past few other ships. The sail away show was good. The comedian was very funny. Went and watched ‘Roots Link’, excellent kind of soul, Motown, groove band. Show band, ‘Future Perfect’ seems similar, also very good, along with guitarist, Dennis.

Dinner at Lotus Garden, which is now complimentary, but paid for sushi rolls. Very nice. As far as free drinks, we had our share!!! Michelle’s cosmopolitan was even free.

Friday- At sea

Our day at sea was fun. Plenty of entertainment. We stumbled into a martini tasting at Magnums. $15 per person for 6 Martinis. It was hilarious! We will be going to the margarita tasting later in the week.

So far, everything was awesome.

Saturday-Juneau

We didn’t dock till 1 pm. Had breakfast at Summer Palace, which is the main dining room. Very good. For lunch we tried O’Sheehans. Just like other cruises, they were terribly under staffed! We left after 50 minute wait and only received half of our order.

Our excursion was canceled as no one else signed up for the “bike & brew”, so we just got off the ship and took the free shuttle to town. There were several vendors all set up with tours. Trips to Mendenhall Glacier were $10 each way. So for $40 total we hoped on the bus to the glacier. Weather was about 50 degrees and off and on showers, but really nothing bad, we threw up our hoods and walked the trail to Nugget Falls. Got right up to the beautiful falls and a few hundred yards from the glacier in the bay. Small ice bergs were floating by. It was awesome. We saw a big porcupine in the welcome area. It was a great day. Watch where the pickup point is. We wasted about 30 minutes at the wrong spot.

We walked around town for a while. Stopped into Red Dog Saloon. Had a great time. Drank a beer, listened to the guitarist who was great and funny. Bought a shirt. Glad we went.

Got back to the ship, dinner at Indigo, very good, went to the spa for a little hot tubing.

Sunday, Skagway

We took the White Pass Train ride, great scenery. It was a very sunny day, so it was even better. You can stand outside the cars for better pictures, but it was very crowded and you couldn’t hear the tour guide. I think my inside pictures will be just as good.

We walked through the town and shopped a little. Visited the Skagway Brewery, a ordered a flight of their beers. They were all excellent!

Monday, Sitka

Very small town. There are free shuttles to downtown from the pier all day. I would guess about 4 miles apart. We walked through town a little and headed back for a quick lunch before our kayaking tour.

This Kayak Adventure excursion may have been one of our best ones ever. First off, the weather was great, sunny, about 60 degrees, slight breeze. We rode back to town and boarded a rubber motor boat for a 10 minute trip to kayak launch point. Along the way the boat stopped and we saw 20-30 bald eagles feeding in the water, they were fantastic.

We made it to the little launch area, and broke into groups of 3 kayaks per guide. Our guide, Apollo, was super friendly and knowledgeable. We were all impressed. We found leather back star fish and held one for pictures. It was an easy paddle on flat water. The ship called it level 3, but I contend it was a 2. Some first timers found it very easy as well.

Coming back on the rubber boat we were excited to find sea lions in the water feeding on fish by thrashing them on the water surface to break them apart. All the while, a dozen bald eagles circled and dove looking to steal the fish away. It was quite a sight 15 yards from our vessel!

We highly recommend Alaska Travel Adventures.

We came back to the Pearl. Dinner at Lotus Garden and watched Roots Link at the Magnum bar, went to the spa for some hot tub soaking and crashed by 10 AM.

Tuesday, Icy Point Strait, Hookah, Ak.

Another beautiful day, mid 60’s, bright sun.

NCL refurbished an old fish packing area to create a cool little attraction. You tender in from the ship to some shops and small eateries. They have a nice nature walk that brings you to the beach. Very nice. While on the beach we saw our first whale sighting. The first of many all day. He put on quite a show.

We took the free shuttle to the town. It was very small. The locals were nice and we saw a wood carving exhibit. The town itself should benefit from the tourists in a few years. We walk back to the dock/resort area (about 1 1/2 mile), went aboard, grabbed lunch at the Great Outdoors and watched whales all afternoon. We saw more whales on board then folks on whale watching tours.

A very enjoyable day.

Wednesday, Glacier Bay, National Park

First of all, the weather again was fantastic! Bright sunshine, upper 50 to mid 60’s.

There is no port here. The ship pulls into the bay and gives the greatest possible view of the Glaciers. Two park rangers boarded the ship and explained the glaciers and shared interesting facts. We went to various decks and outside areas for the best views. Pretty crowded but fun. After a while we went down to our room on the ninth floor and sat on the balcony. The captain spun the ship very slowly so everyone could get some awesome photos. We really enjoyed being able to watch from the balcony. I would recommend going topside for a grand view and then, head for the balcony.

Thursday, Ketchikan, Ak.

I put on my shorts and headed off the ship to explore and gather some souvenirs. There are some nice places right off the pier.

Our favorite area was Creek Street. Grab a map at the welcome center and head that way. Very old, gold rush area buildings, a wooden sidewalk. Neat shops, Dolly’s house, and a picturesque creek.

We wanted some salmon so we stopped at Annabelle’s Restaurant. We really enjoyed it and give it two thumbs up. We continued to wander the town and eventually headed back to the ship.

Late night we went to Sugarcane’s Mojito bar. Good folks gathered, good drinks from Alice. Good time.

Friday, At sea.

Since we bought the spa pass, we spent the morning hours lounging therewhile looking out the big windows. Lucky for us, a huge orca whale came across the front of the ship. The spa pass seems a little too high ($205 per person), but we enjoyed it several times, often after a lot of walking.

We went to the margarita tasting at Magnums. Very fun. $15 bought you 6 margaritas (about 2/3 the size of a regular one). But meeting and laughing with new people is the best part.

Later we went to the Legends show. Elton John was first and not very impressive (but we were in row 3, maybe he looks better from farther back). Next were Madonna and Tina Turner, they were excellent. Very high energy show, we forgot about Elton and left very happy. The goodbye song with the crew was next.

Saturday, Victoria, B.C.

We walked off the ship and jumped on the shuttle bus to downtown. I think it was $20 U.S. per person for an all-day pass. We have never been here before and were surprised how beautiful it is. The bus drops you off at the Empress Hotel. It is impressive. In fact the whole area was impressive. Right in front of the hotel you can buy a ticket to Butchart Gardens.

We went to the Gardens, which were gorgeous. We walked the gardens for a couple hours, grabbed some ice cream and back to the ship. The NCL excursion was probably $30 per person more. If the weather is bad, I wouldn’t go. It is all out doors. If you are not familiar, look it up. Probably not what you might think. We highly recommend if the weather is nice.

We had dinner at Orchid Gardens.

Saturday evening was like the last day of school, saying goodbye to our new friends.

Sunday, Seattle

Disembarkation went very smoothly.

Since we were not leaving Seattle until Monday morning, we decided to take the tour ‘The Best of Seattle’. It was a little pricey and our time at the Space Needle and the Public Market was way too short. Our driver, Bonnie was borderline obnoxious. Another 20 minutes at each stop would have made the tour worthwhile.

Summary

Food-Except for sushi a couple times we did not do any specialty restaurants. The Main Dining Room (Summer Palace) was typical of any others. There were two nights that we didn’t like the menu, so we went elsewhere.

O’Sheehan’s had good chicken tenders, but as it was back when it was called Blue Lagoon, very, very, very slow. One night we did have dinner at the buffet and again, typical.

Evidently, the chocolate buffet is gone, or maybe just on this cruise. But there was none.

We had the Ultimate Beverage Package. We never found a drink that exceeded $11. We tried several new drinks for fun, and made good use of this perk. I figured our bar bill would have been $750 without UBP.

Staff-after 7 cruises so far, the Pearl has the best staff we ever sailed with!

Ship-having sailed the Gem last June for comparison, I can say with confidence the Pearl is nicer. Things are clean, shiny and new. I know the Pearl was refurbished a few years back, and that was evident.

We had a deck 9 balcony, between mid-ship and aft. It was perfect location for us and provided some great views.

Entertainment-by far, some of the best entertainment we have experienced on NCL.

The band Roots Link (yes, weird name) were our favorite. The female singer and the piano player are fantastic. They play most of the time at Magnums.

The guitar player, Dennis is also very good.

A lot of folks loved Jim, the piano, funny guy. But after a night or two it got a little old. But worth checking out. You might love him.

Avalon played Latin music. They are extremely talented. If you like Latin, you will enjoy them.

There was a steel drum guy, David, at the Atrium a lot…I guess if you like steel drums……seemed odd in Alaska.

There was a show band in the theater called Fab Four?. We were not impressed. They screwed up lyrics to several songs. But not terrible.

The show band (Future Perfect) was very good but we didn’t hear them much. One night they did romantic dance music and we checked it out, but the song election was like from a bad wedding reception, so we left.

Tim the comedian was super. Very, very funny. But be warned, a lot of the audience gets called on stage.

Norovirus. We heard that a few folks were sick early on, but nothing big. But on the last Friday, we started to notice announcements about hand washing, and several new hand sanitizing stations added. Additionally, we saw staff scrubbing railings, and door knobs and all other surfaces. Saturday morning at breakfast in the main dining room, we noticed all the salt and pepper shakers were gone, no individual coffee pots, no butter dish, no jelly rack at the tables and basically, any common item was removed. Coming in through the buffet, the stacks of plates were removed as well as the condiments and utensils at the tables.

Staff were passing out plates and all drinks in the buffet, and all the food was placed on your plate for you. All the while, scrubbing of the ship continued. I felt they did a good job keeping things contained.

Throughout the cruise we noticed people rejecting the washy-washy staff. I watched a lot of men leave the restroom without washing their hands, and many other things like that. We honestly believed the guest were at fault, not NCL. None of our friends had a problem. My advice, don’t use the handrails and sanitize your hands at every chance.

Bottom line, it was a fabulous time. I highly recommend going in May (staff said last May was the only nice month). I would do the Pearl to Alaska again.

In a single word, Awesome! The ship was sweet and weather was spectacular!

The number of folks came down with Noro virus. But most of us felt NCL handled it well.

A detailed review coming in a few days. But be warned, I can't think of anything bad to report!

If you are taking Amtrak, you can easily change your train , maybe a day earlier??? I wouldn't take the risk as east coast trains are routinely late without track issues.

We are leaving on the Pearl in a few days to sail the inner passage to Alaska. Since it will likely be too cold to be outside, what do you recommend to do on the three day at sea.

Thanks!

We are leaving 5/1 on the Dawn and I know when you board they try to steer you towards the buffet for lunch, we want to go to one of the MDR's for lunch, can someone give us directions for when we board the ship?

The MDR is at the rear (aft)of the ship, probably level 6. below the buffet.

Did you book a hotel/transfer package? If you just booked the transfer, you are better off, just transferring yourself. Sometimes you can also get the hotel cheaper, yourself if you booked through NCL. Depending on where you're staying, it could be a short cab ride, or even a walk to the ship. :)

We always find a considerable savings getting our own transfers & hotels.

Sorry newbie here-from what I'm understanding the bowling alley is in Bliss. This is a bar correct? so my children will not be able to bowl?

The Bliss was not very busy except for the white hot kids party. There were plenty of kids bowling.

I think your travel agent is more to blame than NCL.

Hello,

In regards to the UBP package being offered.

Does anyone know if bottled water and specialty coffees (latte, etc.) are included in the package.

Thank you

Sorry, they are not included.

Basic common sense would help from a number of posts:(

Thank goodness the common sense police are hard at work for all of us simple folk!!!:p:

Thanks for the quick replies.

 

Wanted to book a cruise for the superbowl and wanted a ship with the big screen.:)

 

Bill

We were on the Gem during the Super Bowl a year back, they had a great tailgate party in the atrium and showed the game on the huge screen. Plenty of seating, it was a great time. So I think any ship would show it!

How do the servers get their tips? based on the drink prices? are the drinks free but is there a charge for gratuities?

thanks!

How does tipping work with the UBP? Do the servers get the short end of the stick?

We have cruised on the Gem out of NYC twice, and love it. Great ship, great crew, not too big, not too small! Give it a go!

We did the POA in Oct 2012 and loved it. we did some of the exact things you are thinking about.

First we did a mix of excursions through NCL and on our own. For example, we found Ricky's Tours through an CC message board and had a blast! In Kona we went to the beach on our own and rented Kayaks for a little ocean sail!

The best thing we did was stayed a week AFTER our cruise. We found the Hyatt Place, 1 block from the ocean in Waikiki, with free breakfast for a great price!

We rented a car with GPS that had all the attractions loaded and drove around to see everything!

CC is a great resourse, we can't wait to go back and do it over again!

We have had balconys on 3 of 6 cruises. they are nice, but we don't spend much time in our room. So, honestly, unless you are going to Hawaii or Alaska, I don't think it is worth the price.

we are going on the getaway in feb. we bought the dining package I know you have to dress up for a couple of them but the rest can you wear jeans and a t-shirt thank you

I always founds jeans and tee-shirts to be too casual for dinner at any place beside the buffet. Go business casual and you will be safe.

In Oct 2013 we did the POA and then stayed in Honolulu for an extra 5 days and it was perfect! So perfect that we will do the exact same thing again in a few years.

Do a lot of research and you can save a lot on money on excursions, in fact, we only did one through NCL, booked the rest on our own.

Have a great trip!!