Kierste

Tacking on to this... I just booked the escape and took the free drinks package for 2017... We are not big drinkers, just got off the Pearl and had 1 a day, 2 tops. Now I wonder if I should call and switch to the free dining instead. Sounds like it would be a better deal for us. We loved the specialty dining for the Pearl... And if they go free booze by 2017 the promo will do us no good.

Does the same thing apply if you are just changing rooms, same sailing? I am waffling on my room choice :)

Glad this worked for you. We plan to do something very similar as we like to eat around 5:30 at home.

It did work... I am trying to think when we cut it close... We had 5:30 ressies for all the specialities... And it was fine. One night in indigo she skipped dessert because it was taking too long... I think that was the only night that it was too slow to be mostly done eating in 90 minutes.

Mine was too... but we were 1st timers, and I was uncomfortable giving my 11 year old sign in/out privileges. Now I get to worry about our next cruise, where she will be just turned 13 and in with the big kids :eek:

Just off the Pearl... the 1st night they open at 8 pm... registration lasts until 7, then the counselors get a break for an hour. Going the 1st night is a good idea... the kids make friends easier that way.

Other nights the main "theme" event starts at 7:00 officially... but my daughter said it was usually closer to 7:15. We ate dinner at 5:30... she skipped the appetizer if possible (Teppenyaki it wasn't possible), and we had them start her main course while we were eating our appetizers. This way, she was getting dessert early too... and one of us would run her to the kid's club in time to be there around 7 and then usually come back to dinner (a few times we were just waiting on the drink receipt.) Worked out well for us.

Booked today! Not sailing till the end of March 2017 tho... I booked a large balcony, port side... And interested in the large balcony mini tho. We just got off the Pearl (1st timers) and loved how convenient it was being on deck 11 with the buffet, splash academy and the pool just right above us. It's hard to imaging being on deck 9 or a mini suite on deck 8 and having so many floors above us before the pool area.

Definitely want the large balcony... You all think moving down a floor to the mini suites is a good or bad idea... Not that much of a price difference. We really want a lounge chair option on our own lanai. We sat out there a lot on the Pearl but couldn't really relax in those upright chairs.

Also... Man, I think I need a longer cruise! Lol. We did 11 nights on the Pearl and had hardly enough time to do things... A week on a ship this big... Boy, I think it will fly by.

Can't wait to follow along :)

Just off the Pearl on an 11 day... And it was offered day 5 (said the laundry would be back on day 7, but we got it back the next day), it was also offered day 8 and was due to be back on our last full day on board (probably got it back the day before.)

Just got off the Pearl, had a great meal there, the maitre de spoke to us about it going free and family style. Which we thought was a good idea. As it was we each ordered a different appy and shared them all. We were the only ones there on the Pearl at 5:30 pm... The food was so good, I would have been happy to wait for it.

We're from the Pacific Northwest... And have lots of good coffee here. Just off the Pearl and the coffee was not as bad as I thought it would be. The best coffee on the ship was served in a few of the specialty restaraunts. Bare with my foggy DayQuil'd brain... But... Le Bistro brought out a French press... That was fantastic. The Chinese food place... Can't recall the name... That is being converted to family style dining and will be complimentary now (great meal btw), and the Teppenyaki place both get their coffee from the espresso bar, and it may have been an Americano... And the Chinese food place brought a little pitcher of steamed milk to go with it... To die for!

The hairdryers were removed from the sick cabins... But our steward said they would be removing them all and sanitizing them... Maybe they would be back in soon. We lost our coffee pot pretty quickly because we weren't using it. Our steward let my mom keep hers as long as he could before he had to take it too... Which was like two days ago.

They had one guy in some sort of seaweed cleaner machine... At the pace he was going he would never be done. But I don't know if it was a freak occurrence or not. Still beautiful on the beach though! The sand was amazingly soft.

There are three pools... We only saw the main pool and the north pool. They both had whirlpools (unheated hot tubs). The main pool was busier with aerobics, volleyball, and a zero entry area for littles... And the north pool was empty, decent sized, and just a pool... Mostly 4 ft deep or so. We liked it. The chairs were awesome, with built in shades.

I know the extra steps HAL takes if there is a noro like virus on board to keep it under control and ultimately get rid of it.....

 

What steps does NCL take?

 

Do they remove bread baskets from dinner tables, no salt and pepper shakers, close hot tubs, no self service in buffet, close library etc?

 

Thanks.

Just got off today... There was most of what you mentioned and more... No more self serve in the buffet, no more self-serve creamer at sit down places... They poured it for you. Salt and pepper were given in little packets. Public bathroom doors propped open so people didn't touch those handles. Table tops were cleaned with sanitizer and a little note was put on them telling people not to sit there (until the disinfectant could work.) Glasses, coffee pots, and hair dryers were removed from cabins, no more ice in the ice buckets... It was extensive and I was glad for it. We were not infected. One lady we met at dinner got it pretty bad... Had two bags of fluid administered. Her husband did not get sick. Our steward said it was about 100 people total, and was likely picked up in Aruba. He was on the sanitation team... And looked to be doing a wonderful job getting the rooms very clean.

Just got off today too... Heard Captain Paul make a few announcements after we had already guessed there was an infection... The first thing we noticed was the bathroom doors being left propped open (so you didn't have to touch the handle to come in or out of the main bathroom) and the sanitizer gizmos appearing inside the elevators. Other things like no more creamer at your table (they poured it for you) and the salt and pepper disappearing happened later. Our steward told us it was about 100 people total sick and they pinpointed it to being picked up in Aruba. He was also on the sanitation crew, and was unable to do turn down for us two nights (he told us, and someone else did it) because he was stripping the sick rooms of everything... Down to their shower soap dispensers.

I was very impressed with how everything was handled... And would absolutely sail the pearl again.

Just got back from our cruise... St kitts Marriott was lovely. Had to actually book a room since it was Easter week. At 9 am no one was on the beach or by the pools. No chair hogs to be seen. The room was really quite nice... We used it for the restroom only lol. The beach was soft sand, great chairs and palapas, but so much seaweed we couldn't go near the water. So we did the beach for a bit and then switched to the main pool... Then after lunch (at the poolside place... Which was good, but crazy expensive ($100 for 4 lunches, no alcohol), we switched again to the quiet north pool. Really enjoyed our day!

Thanks ArubaLisa! We will be there next Sunday, so this is awesome info!

Cab fares are usually quoted for 1-4 people sharing. So the price from the pier to the Marriott would be $12 for 1 person , $12 for 2 people, $12 for 3 people and finally $12 for 4 people.

This is a great deal! St Thomas we are looking at $13 pp each way for where we are going :eek:

FYI... about 45 days out they will have a better idea if day passes are available. That was when I learned they are booked solid while we are in port and will not have day passes or day rooms at that time. She gave me a deal on an actual room that wasn't much more than the day room. I was corresponding with the email address that I found on these boards: mhrs.skbrb.reservations@marriotthotels.com

$11 for the WHOLE cab!

Oh wow! That is awesome... since I am looking at a cab on St. Thomas too and that is $13 pp each way :eek:

Is the cab fare based on per person? I see someone paid $12 for 2? We need for 4...

Is that $11 per person or $11 for the whole cab? TIA!

Hope so! Can you confirm we just need socks? They provide climbing shoes?

Any update on the rock wall? Will be on the pearl next week... also wondering if you wear your own shoes or they provide shoes to wear when climbing?

Based on what we saw driving down HWY 30 I think you might be able to get a good view across the river if you took NW Kittridge Ave to NW Front Ave. I think the Bluffs area view would be blocked... because it is right on the Willamette close to the end of N Channel Ave. You can see it from the bridge too as you cross over... either the Fremont or the St Johns... but you can't really stop and look, just a drive by :)

Saw the Star this weekend on our multiple trips down Hwy 30 into Portland... Just glimpses here and there... Seems to be a lot of cranes around her. It was cool to see though!

sailing in April..can we bring pop on board as not a Pepsi guy..

 

 

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Pop and water is fine to bring on board...

We are doing an 11 day, right smack in the middle of many area's spring break (last week of March thru Easter)... I am hopeful that because it is longer than a week, most college students won't be able to afford it, and will therefore avoid it. Plus NCL has the no alcohol package for people under (is it 25?) rule for spring break times... which I would think would deter the frat party groups.