Redbarnphotog

We aren't getting wine. Just soda. But I'll check out that area. Thanks!

June 10th '16. We don't get in until 10:30pm

Booked today for a 6/11/16 cruise and not 2 hours later the price drops. I have been watching this cruise for 3 weeks - go figure.

I've done this enough to know that I'm within final payment (19 days to sail) and they don't owe me anything.

I'm just curious if anyone has called CAS or the Upsell Dept in a similar situation and if they had any luck?

I booked a Balcony Guarantee. I'd take just about anything above that for little to no upgrade just to get the Free at Sea promo for the dining package.

The last time I cruised the Upsell Dept was still a "Fairy" and you could t just call them so I don't know what to expect. Or if I can even call them since I booked through CAS.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

I don't have a shuttle booked yet. That's what I was trying to figure out, shuttle, uber, taxi to port.

I was planning in staying at the Rodeway Inn, I've stayed there before and they offer a free airport shuttle.

I'll check around for something with a store nearby. Thanks!

Hello! We are flying into FLL the day before leaving out of Miami Cruise Port. The hotel I'm booking does have a free shuttle from the airport to the hotel.

But the next morning, I need to make a stop at a pharmacy/store prior to getting on the ship to pick up some essentials before getting on the ship. Should I:

Try an Uber (never done this before) for approx $50-60

Get a Taxi $80+

Rent a car $60 (return to MIA and take the free rental car shuttle to port)

Or is there another option I'm just not thinking of?

I have not been on the Getaway, or any ship that class yet. Taking the Escape in a few weeks and will know whether I like the smaller or mega-ships better then.

Here's what I can tell you about the Jade. I am partial to it because it was my first cruise in 2013, and it took me to Greece from Venice, Italy. MAYBE that's why I loved it so much, or maybe it's this:

I'm a midwestern girl too. I like comfort and familiarity. The Jade was the perfect size ship I felt (but like I said I don't know other sizes yet) and it felt like home. I'm from a small town and I like smaller places to stay.

For example, in Vegas, I totally hate that they tore down my itty bitty favorite casino to build another mega-complex on the strip.

Anyway, it also depends on what you want out of your cruise. If you're a foodie, you may or may not get bored on the Jade, there are like 10-15 more options on the bigger ships I guess. We never had a problem.

Everything is bigger and better on the bigger ships from what I understand, but I was PERFECTLY happy on the Jade.

IF you are looking at a mini-suite for the two of you, check out 11636, it has a secret extended balcony - our room steward ran up to the pool and grabbed us a deck lounger to put out there and there was still tons of room!

Tammy - I would be interested in buying your FCC, I'm booking this week. You can email me at info @ redbarnphotog . com (remove the spaces)

Here are two I took last year

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Looks like I won't be dedicated to this cruise line anymore either. This was the ONLY REASON I booked NCL. Oh well. At least I have one more cruise before the ban.

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I am 40 minutes from Dayton, 2 hours from Cincy. I've done Cincy 3 times in the last year and frankly I'm just sick of the drive. And the price for a direct flight is $100 more. Believe me, I'd love a direct flight.

I'd forgotten about southwest! Their flights are actually about $35 cheaper, which I could use to pay for the early bird check in. And bags fly free which is going to save me another $150!

Looks like the layover for Southwest is just under an hour both ways, not too shabby!

The only downfall is that Southwest doesn't arrive in Boston until 11:50, where as US Airways was arriving at 9:50am. I've never gotten to the cruise port so late before. It should be a full swing madhouse by then!

But if we can get an upgrade to a suite it should speed things up with Priority Embarkation.

Thanks for all the replies. I was going to post in the cruise/air forum but it was 3am and I couldn't find it!

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I think I might be. I've always been a valet kind of gal, and the reason I like cruising I think is because it's almost like a valet service to these amazing ports!

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Oh, I saved every piece of paper that was delivered. But I don't have a scanner! Maybe I can photograph them?

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Let me start by saying please don't get on to me about flying in the day of your cruise. I know the risks, I've never done it before, but due to school schedules I need to do it this time.

With that said, I have two options for my Bermuda from Boston in October.

Looking for advice from anyone that has experience with DC or Charlotte airports.

Options 1:

Dayton to DC, DC to Boston 37 minute layover (may have to change terminals)

Option 2:

Dayton to Charlotte, Charlotte to Boston , 53 minute layover (may have to change terminals)

The DC airport looks smaller and easier to navigate, but I'm just not sure if that's because of the map or if it's true.

No direct flights, so these are my options. Which one would you choose?

Sorry I didn't see the details about the M&G. I met Monica on the first day, when she walked us to the ship for lunch at Cagney's. I did report him to her when she called us on the 2nd day to check in. Only after that did we even meet him.

After that I started questioning myself that I was asking too much and didn't know if my level of expectations were too high.

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I was on this cruise too. So glad we only hit the buffet once after the "outbreak". We heard it was 55 people but didn't inquire too much more.

Though in the casino it was funny to see all the off-duty dealers cleaning like mad every touchable surface.

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Glacier Bay - This is not as much a port as a ship-tour of the National Park. You don't disembark, the ship just drives through the park. This is where you need a balcony! No fighting 2500 people on the top deck. Just sip your morning coffee as you view outstanding glaciers and wildlife. There is a naturalist that comes on board and lectures and they pipe it through the television, so we just turned the volume up and left the balcony door open. I think we spend at least 6-7 hours out on the balcony that day, as there was something new to see around every corner. At the Marjorie and Grand Pacific glaciers, the ship does (3) 360's - taking about an hour, so all sides of the ship gets the beautiful views. We saw calving - not big ones, but I can say I've seen it in person! This day was a wonderful bonding experience for my family and it had to been close to 70 degrees in the sun, so we didn't even need a coat most of the day.

Ketchikan - Today we had a private tour booked with Sourdough Cab Company ($225 + tip for 3 people). David was our driver and we arrived at perfect timing for low tide. This allowed us to go to a small dock and get up close and peresonal with marine life. We saw Sunfish, Star Fish, and my mother even held a tiny jelly fish in the palm of her hand! We visited the outskirts of a Hatchery for Salmon, so we came very close and got amazing photos of Bald Eagles, as they hang out near the Hatchery, naturally. David gave us a wonderful insight to the area and gave us real feel for living in a tiny town only accessible by boat/plane. He dropped us off at the beginning of a 15-minute walking trail through the Tongass National Forest (rain forest) and picked us up at the other end. This allowed us to take our time and privately enjoy the views. On to the Totem Pole Park. A great way to learn more histroy of the native indians of the area.

There is plenty of shopping to be done in Ketichkan. And as like everywhere in Alaska, souvineers were priced well. For example, right at the port, I bought a fleece jacket (among other things) for only $12.95. Ok, I bought 2. And a hoodie and a t-shirt!

For lunch, David recommended the Arctic Bar near the port. They have a deal with the Dairy "King" across the street for food orders. We drank Alaskan Brewery beer, had a burger on the back deck with awesome views of our own Pearl.

Victoria, BC - I have to admit I could not enjoy this quaint little town like it should have been due to sheer exhaustion from so many ports. We took the $11 bus ride (round trip) into the shopping central, bought our souvineers, had a Canadian beer and went back to the ship.

Disembarkation - The saddest part of any cruise. But such a breeze as VIP's. With our carryons in hand, we reported to the Stardust Theatre where we were whisked right off, skipping that dreaded line into the terminal. Quikly found our bags and took our $40 cab ride to the airport.

In conclusion, I cannot speak for the other Alaska itenerraries, but Glacier Bay is not to be missed. Just amazing. Other cruises with take you further north, but because we flew roundtrip to Seattle, we saved on Airfare compared to the other cruise that were one-way north or south.

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This is my 3rd cruise (all with NCL), my 2nd on the Pearl, though my first on the Pearl was out of Miami.

This was a girls trip with my mother and aunt (in thier 60's, me in my 30's). We shared an aft penthouse suite with large balcony to take in all the beautiful scenery.

We started the day before, landing in Seattle around 11:30am, took a taxi from the airport to the Hyatt Place Hotel ($312 for Saturday night), the taxi was $40+tip. We chose the Hyatt Place because it was close to the space needle and included a free shuttle to anywhere within 1 mile. This included the Space Needle, the Pike Place Market, and Pier 66 for NCL. Saved us a ton in shuttle/taxi costs!

At 10am on embarkation day, we arrived at the dock. The Priority table wasn't set up, but a porter took our bags and took us to the right person. The handed me a 1/2 sheet of laminated yellow paper that said VIP PRIORITY or NORWEGIAN on it, and so once in the terminal we were directed to a special security line and whisked through. Up the stairs, our VIP paper was spotted and we were led to the Priorty Room.

We were immediately seated at a desk with a rep who checked us in, got our credit cards for our on board accounts and verified our passports. We were then given our first Freestyle Daily and told to enjoy the buffet until the concierge was ready to take us to lunch.

The buffet consisted of coffee and juices, cookies, cakes, brownies, etc. Within 30 minutes, Monica our concierge brought us our room keys and led us straight onto the ship and to Cagney's for lunch. Cagney's is only open to suite guest for breakfast and lunch. It is a pay-restaurant ($30) for dinner for the entire ship.

We ate here several days, as the food was excellent, and because the buffet was no longer self serve, it made more sense. (more on that later)

During lunch it was announced that our rooms were ready, so we took off for our first look at a Penthouse. Previously I have sailed in a mini-suite and balcony room. There is considerably more room, especially for 3 people, in a PH. At least 5 feet wider.

We were in a handicapped room, which may have given us even more space. We were not disabled, but this was the only PH left when I booked. Cabin 9672, an AFT PH, is said to have a large balcony, but unlike the cabins just one deck up, we didn't have a deep balcony, just an extra long one. This acutally worked better for the 3 of us, as we fit 2 chairs and a lounger out there, plus the small balcony table (1.5x1.5') and the small (3ft) coffee table from the room. We could all enjoy the view without blocking each other.

handicapped rooms have electric doors for the balcony, which is very tricky to operate and very slow opening/closing.

In our room, we had a desk, a bar, a dining table (smaller than the normal suite table because of being HC), and a lighted vainty table. Between these and the closets, there were 9+ drawers for storage, 4 cabinets, and at least 5 good sized shelves. Plus the closet. Tons of storage space, even with 3 persons/7 days worth of winter wear.

There are two safes in the room. We didn't need both, but it was a nice touch.

Our bathroom was also different than the normal because of the HC setup, but we LOVED it. One big room, and the shower was the entire room. There are drains around the shower spout so no water escapes to the toilet/sink area. But it was much more comfortable than the typical 3-stall bathrooms that can be claustrophobic.

There were only 3 small shelves in the bathroom and two tiny ones in the shower, but we made due. We did have the following products in the bath when we arrived: bar facial soap, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and loofa/scrubbers - oh and shower caps. Still had the standard shampoo and soap dispensers in the shower as well.

I drew the short straw and slept on the pull out couch. It was made into a bed when we arrived and was never put away the entire trip. I don't know if this is standard for a suite, but when I was in a mini suite last year, the bed was made into a couch every morning by the steward. I didn't mind it here because we had so much room to get around we didn't need the bed put up and it prompted me to take a nap almost every afternoon. I had requested additional padding on the couch before we arrived, and with it , I found the couch to be more comfortable than the regular beds! Between the down comforters and the special pillows we chose from the suite pillow menu, we slept very well.

Being an AFT room, it had its advantages and disadvantages. We had the most amazing views of the Alaskan landscape, but we were soooooo far from everything. Getting to/from the Casino, Stardust Theatre, Spinnakers Lounge, and the Tradewinds shops was exhausting. Given the choice, I think I would chose mid-ship again before aft.

Oh, the food! Glorious food! I've never eaten so much in my life! We dined in our room at least 3 breakfasts, and many lunches/dinners delivered by our butler from the Blue Lagoon. We at at the Garden Cafe (buffet) twice, upon finding out the 2nd time that there were 55 cases of norovirus on the ship and you could not get your own food at the buffet. Everything had to be handed to you by a rubber-gloved employee - even silverware and plates. That defeated the purpose and slowed the process considerably, so we opted out of the buffet.

As previously mentioned we at a Cagney's several times for breakfast and lunch. Breakfast was standard fare, but nicely prepared and they did offer a fresh fruit bar with many melons and berries you could't get at the buffet. Lunch was a very limited selection, I eneded up with a burger most days, but it was a darn good burger, much better than the buffet.

We had one dinner in the Indigo MDR, I can't even remember what I ate. It was the exact same menu from my previous Pearl cruise in Nov '13. We did hit the Summer Palace MDR for breakfast one day, but it was just a much slower identical meal to what we could have had delivered.

We at at two pay-restaurants. The first, Tepenyaki. Everyone has raved about this so I had to try it even though I have never been to anything like it and am not a big fan of japanese/chinese food. We were served some sort of beans as appetizer, they really didn't have any flavor, but I ate them because I was starving. We then receive Miso Soup (not a fan) and a weird little salad I didn't eat after one bite.

I do not like rice but I at a whole bowl of it, again becasue I was starving and at least it was slathered in butter and soy sauce. I had the chicken and steak, and two of us had to have him cook the steak longer because it was completely raw.

We also ate at Moderno, a Brazillian Churiscaria. I had Moderno on the Jade, so I was stoked about it on this trip, but was disappionted. It just wasn't the same. A very cool experience though, as they bring 10 different meats to your table and saw you off a piece.

Suite guests have a much more extensive breafast menu, including eggs, waffles and meats, along with the standard room service breakfast items. And you could write in anything you wanted, you were most likely going to get it.

The Casino is looking a little worn out. Compared to it's sister ship the Jade, which I took in June '13, it needs some help. Only one stall worked in the bathroom (women's) the entire trip. As well as only 1 sink.

The pai-gow machine and the 3-card poker machine were both broken and had to be dealt manually most of the trip. Pai-Gow is not a normal game on the ship, but by my request it was set up for me. It was wonderful for them to set this up for me, but again, it had to be dealt manually and unlike most casino games, ALL cards must be dealt out (8 sets of 7, plus 4 leftovers) before playing your hand. It took forever. Also, if you play Pai-Gow on land, you will be disappointed to know there is NO bonus. So the game dragged on terribly.

I will note, that while I don't spend 10's of $1,000's in the casino, I still receive a 20% discount on every cruise, simply for booking with Casions At Sea (an NCL affilliate). Also for booking with CAS, everyone in my room receives free drinks in the casino. Nice little bonus.

I have not attended many shows on other cruises, but I was excited about the entertainment on this cruise. The Second City comedy troupe was awesome, I saw them twice, once in the theatre and once in the Spinnaker for the adults-only show. I can't remember his name, but the comedian was hillarious. I would see his show over and over.

My favorite of all performers was Piano Man Jim, whose small show was nightly in Bar City. We first discovered him in November and I was thrilled to know he was still on the ship. His piano playing is phenomenal, but his comedy and interaction with the audience kept us coming back night after night.

Priority port disemmbarkation is awesome. As a suite guest, you get to meet in a restaurant/bar and sit comfortably until a bulter/concierge leads you to a private (staff) elevator to walk you right off the ship. So nice to skip those line! This would be especailly amazing for a port where you tender, though we did not have that on this trip.

Ports:

Juneau. We booked Harv & Marv's Whale Watching Tour. 4 hours round trip $145 +tax per person. We hooked up with 3 other Cruise Critic Members for a private tour. Super awesome to not have 15-50 people fighting for a good shot (photo) of the whales. Harv & Marv's captains all talk to each other so when a whale is spotted we can find them quickly. This allowed us an amazing chance for a rare sighting of 7 Orca whales as close to our boat as the law allows. Joleene (daughter of "Harv") was our captain. And while she is only 19/20, she is extremely knowledgeable. On the way back, our bus driver stopped at the Mendenhall Glacier visitors center. Just enough time for a few pictures, but it was beautiful.

Back in town, we stopped at the Red Dog Saloon for dinner. A very cool bar with good food and beer and and endless display of alaskan memoribillia to feast on.

Skagway -Here we booked the 3.5 hour Train/Bus tour ($128 +tax). We took the White Pass Rail train up to the Yukon (Cananda) and took a bus tour back down. Our driver was full of information and stopped several places for photo ops. The train itself kind of dragged on. It was packed full and we had a very loud group of people in our car, so we didn't get to hear much of the narrative and you are allowed to stand on the outside platforms to take pictures but there's really only room for one person, so it was an endless fight. If I ever came to Skagway again, I would take the opportunity to do a private tour or boat/plane ride. You just cannot get the true feeling of this glorious wilderness on a bus of 20 noisy people.

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We are on the Dawn in October and I am watching the prices religiously. I want to get into a PH at least, preferably an OS or 2br, as my daughter is joining us on that one. I don't think the butler will deter us from Suite Life again, mainly because I would pay extra for VIP embark/disembark alone.

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And, by the way, the priority disembark stuff is via the concierge, not the butler.

We always received our letter for VIP Disembark from the Concierge, but she was never there, it was always the butlers doing this on this cruise for some reason.

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I will do a full review later, but this was my first cruise in a suite and I wanted to report back, since all the info I had I gathered from here.

A week before sailing, I called the concierge desk, and emailed them with our requests. Nothing crazy, just our pillow and bed makeup preferences and favorite afternoon snacks (from the ones I found listed on here for suite guests), coffee/tea preferences and to empty the mini bar and how we wanted the balcony set up. I printed the email and took it with us.

I'm not sure if I had too high expectations, but we were a little disappointed in our butler service. By no means did it ruin the trip, but it just wasn't what we had read on here.

We didn't even meet our butler until late on day 2 after our concierge called to ask how things were going and we told her we had wanted to order room service (I had requested that we have copies of menus in our room, which we did't have) but didn't hear from the butler that day or the day before.

Five minutes later our butler showed at the door. No menus, but we asked him to show us how the balcony door worked. We were in an AD room and it was an electric door. He acted put off, but messed with it. He couldn't figure it out either, so the whole trip we just ended up pushing all the buttons until it opened or closed.

We explained that we didn't get the pillows we requested (even with the phone call and email), and I showed him the email copy I had brought with me, he glanced at it, didn't read it or take it with him.

He also seemed irritated that we asked for help with the coffee machine. From what I've read, that is usually the FIRST thing a butler shows you in a suite.

He finally went and got me a menu for the Blue Lagoon so that's pretty much all we got to order in.

Our butler was very difficult to contact and there were many times when it just rang so many times I gave up and hung up.

Due to our itenerary, we had several early mornings and did receive prompt delivery of breakfast each time it was ordered the night before, so that was a point for the butler.

In addition to the lack of communication, our biggest disappointment was the attitude of our butler. He never once smiled at us, and twice when we reported for early disembarkations at port he never even acknowledged us. Our friends in an OS had a different butler and he came and got our entire group and moved us to the front of the line and took us in a private elevator down.

While I was not impressed with the butler service, I would still jump on the opportunity for an upgrade for only $100 (from a mini-suite 2 weeks before sailing, also got an additional $150 OBC) just for the Priority status. Skipping those security lines boarding and disembarking was well worth it.

Because I may consider upgrading to a suite for my October sailing, I'm interested in your take. Did I expect too much? Should I be more vocal about my concerns?

Do you suggest tipping upon embarkation as an incentive? I don't agree with that completely, but if it helps get us better service, I would consider it.

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I think the Dec 10 Pearl Panama Canal is our next cruise....after Alaska next week (Pearl) and Bermuda on the Dawn in October.

My mom wants the Panama Canal part, I just want a cruise!!! I like that it's not two full weeks, and it's RT from Miami where I can get better airfare rates.

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I have only cruised NCL, and going on my 2nd Pearl sailing next week.

What I'm afraid of here is that you are going to go into an NCL cruise comparing everything to X. If you do that during your cruise, you could be super surprised and impressed or sorely disappointed depending on your experience.

FWIW I love NCL and I love the Jewel class ships. But I prefer a more relaxed "freestyle" atmosphere.

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I would be really interested to hear all about the Aft PH on the Pearl I have booked an Aft PH 8130 for later in the summer...am having a hard time trying to find pictures and info regarding the room...size of balcony etc. Any info would really be appreciated! Enjoy your cruise to Alaska....

We are on deck 9 in and HC aft PH. It was the only one they had left when the price dropped drastically (only $100 more pp than a mini).

I did a balcony on the pearl in Nov and has a Mini an the Jade last June. What a big difference between the Balcony and Mini. The shower and toilet rooms in the Balcony were so tiny and uncomfortable. Very excited to enjoy the space of a PH even if it is an HC. This will be my first PH and my first aft cabin. I will be sure to post pictures, but from what I understand, each decks aft cabins are different. For example, we have a very long balcony, but not as deep as the ones I've seen on deck 10.

I couldn't find any youtube videos for deck 8, only 9 & 10.

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I took a 5 day with 1 day pre and 1 day post (so 7 days total) last november. For two of us, we each only had a carry on.

The key? I stopped at a walgreeens and purchased all our tolietries before boarding the ship. Saved a ton of room in the carry-on. ( I had actually saved all my bonus points at walgreens for this trip, and used them to purchase, so it didn't cost me anything.)

I even go souviniers in the bags on the trip home!

Anything that I thought we needed for the cruise (baskets for sunglasses, keycards, money, etc) I purchased at the dollar store so I wouldn't feel bad about throwing it away before coming home.

Another space saver is that I always wear pants/jeans/shorts twice before washing (as long as they are clean), so I only had to pack 4 pair for the trip. I only pack exactly enough shirts for the days gone, figuring that if I do have a spill, I will most likely buy a tshirt somewhere anyway, so I'll have a spare.

Challenge yourself to find new ways of space saving and alternative packing. You'd be surprised how much you can fit in a carryon!

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+1 to the house sitter. I was gone to europe for 18 days last year and had a house sitter. I didn't announce my travels before hand on FB, but I did post a few pictures during my trip. I am a professional photographer, so it was hard for me to refrain from sharing any images from the most beautiful places on earth!

But I would have held them back had I not had a house sitter. I am pretty streamlined as far as friends on facebook, but you just never know.

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