Norwegian Pearl - 8 May 2011 - Alaska

[newcomm]

Anyone else heading up North for the first NCL Alaska cruise of the season?

 

We're from Tucson, Arizona, so this is about as different as it can get from our home turf! We chose this particular voyage because it starts in Vancouver and winds up in Seattle. Love both cities...

 

This will be my third cruise to Alaska, and it won't be my last!

 

Cheers // Norm

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Past Cruises: Star Princess - Oct 2005 - W Caribbean; MS Westerdam - Oct 2006 - E Caribbean; Carnival Spirit - Dec 2006 – Acapulco; MS Ryndam – Mar 2007 – Sea of Cortez; MS Noordam - Aug 2007 – Alaska; Emerald Princess – Nov 2007 – S Caribbean; Sapphire Princess – Jan 2008 – Australia & New Zealand; Dawn Princess - March 2008 – Mexican Riviera; Emerald Princess- Nov 2008 – E Caribbean; MS Oosterdam– Dec 2008 – Mexican Riviera; MS Statendam – Feb 2009 – Panama Canal; Pacific Princess- Aug 2009 – Alaska; Celebrity Mercury- Oct 2009 – Pacific Coastal; Norwegian Spirit – Dec 2009 – Central America; Grand Princess- Caribbean Collection – March 2010; Star Princess– Oct 2010 – W Mediterranean. Upcoming Cruises: Royal Princess – Dec 2010 – Tahiti; Norwegian Pearl – May 2011 - Alaska

[wittyfellow]

We just confirmed our cabin yesterday... This is our first Alaska cruise, so am a bit worried that early May might be bad weather wise. Unfortunately it was the only free vacation timeslot available for both of us. Having being there 3 times, what are your thoughts around the scheduled depatures and ports?

 

--alex

[kajuncruising]

My husband and I are also booked on this cruise. We will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. This will be our second cruise, but our 1st time to Alaska. I am very excited about it. This will be our 1st time sailing on Norwegian. Any hints I should know about sailing on Norwegian (Pearl)?

[wittyfellow]

Congrats on the anniversary... Make sure you contact the Hotel Director to let them know you're celebrating a special day...

 

This will be our first time on NCL so we're a bit new to the cruise line. Our past cruises were with RCL and X. I've been doing alot of digging to pick our tours for each port.. One thing we're definitely doing is the dog sledding :-)

 

Did you have anything special planned to celebrate your anniversary on board? or at one of the ports?

 

Looking forward to seeing everyone on board...

 

--a

[newcomm]

So sorry to be absent from the boards this past month!

 

Yes, Alex -- Alaska weather is always unpredictable, but May actually has a better chance of decent weather than later in the summer. Save space and just bring a good sweater and a waterproof windbreaker for outerwear. Long sleeve flannel + sweater + windbreaker is all most folks will need. (Of course, mushing dogs on a glacier might call for something more heavy duty!)

 

We are flying to Vancouver two days early. It's one of our favorite cities, so we wanted extra time there. We'll split our time between Stanley Park and Davie Street :-)

 

I've been to all the ports of call except Prince Rupert. In Skagway, we're riding the White Pass Railroad, then relaxing in town. Don't miss the free walking tours the Park Service offers!

 

In Juneau we're taking a bus tour to Mendenhall Glacier, because my friend has never seen it. Definitely a lovely sight.

 

Ketchikan is an easy town to walk around on your own. We'll probably just stroll down Creek Street, then walk up the hill to the Totem Heritage Center. If we had more time in port, I'd go back to Misty Fiords again!

 

We've booked the eagle-feeding excursion in Prince Rupert.

 

If this is your first cruise with NCL, you will notice some differences from other cruise lines. With no formal nights, it's so easy to pack light! Most NCL ships have at least two "regular" dining rooms (included in the cost of your cruise). One is usually much smaller than the other. Try to use the smaller of the two -- we've found service to be better there! You'll also find many more specialty restaurants to choose from, some quite good and worth the extra charge. We really enjoyed the French restaurant on the Norwegian Spirit! The Asian restaurant was just okay. The Italian eatery was middle of the road, but very inexpensive, with plates piled high. When you embark, there will most likely be a table set up in the buffet offering a two-for-one special on specialty dining, so take advantage of this, if you're interested.

 

NCL offers a much more relaxed style of cruising, which I think is a good match for Alaska. Even on Holland America and Princess, the Alaska itineraries tend to be more casual.

 

The downside of Alaska is that tours, whether booked through NCL or on your own, are pretty expensive. But for those once-in-a-lifetime experiences, like glacier hiking or sled-dogging, you'll probably get your money's worth!

 

I'm not the world's most experienced Alaska cruiser, but I might be able to share some insights if you have any particular questions.

 

Looking forward to meeting you all! // Norm

[wittyfellow]

Hi Norm.. Thanks for the reply and all the details. We're now more excited to see its only 71 days, 19 Hours, 45 mins away!

 

Hope there's going to be more CC on board!

Looking forward to meeting everyone.

--a

[newcomm]

I can already feel the cool breeze on my face as we head up the Inside Passage!

 

Is anyone else going to Vancouver for a day or two before this cruise? We are staying two nights at the Sandman Suites in the heart of the "gay village" on Davie Street. I stayed there before with my partner. Davie Street is close to the water, public transportation, and has (of course) lots of good restaurants.

 

If we are lucky with the weather, I'd like to spend more time visiting Stanley Park. Anyone have other suggestions? Always looking for new and different experiences in this lovely city!

 

Cheers // Norm

[wittyfellow]

I noticed everyone got their tags and package from NCL.. We're still waiting for ours; maybe it takes longer to get them to the west coast :-P

 

We're staying at the Hyatt downtown. As this is our first time in Vancouver, we figured this was the most convenient location. Well, that and I had alot of Hyatt points I needed to use up before they expire at the end of the year.

 

Tell us more about Davie Street; sounds like a fun place to visit, spend some time having coffee and visit the local shops. Anything else you would recommend for Vancouver?

 

I'm looking forward to meeting everyone; has anyone set up a meet and greet on board yet?

--a

[eroller]

Hey guys,

My partner and I are booked on this sailing as well. We live in Miami so we are about as far as one can get from Alaska in North America!

 

We sailed to Alaska several years ago on Holland America and had a great time. Looking forward to returning.

 

We received our welcome booklet and baggage tags today, so it must be just around the corner.

 

Looking forward to meeting you all onboard.

 

Ernie

[wittyfellow]

Finally got a package from our TA over the weekend. Our luggage tags came along with a card from NCL. Now if we can just fly through the next 39 days...

 

Ernie/Norm, we're looking forward to meeting both of you and your respective partners. I'm also looking forward to hearing your views on NCL vs HAL, as we are thinking about a HAL cruise next year for the Panama Canal crossing.

 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the nice weather in Alaska. After reading all the cool things to do on the Alaska forum, we're thinking we're probably not going to get alot of things in, so we'll just have to came back and do it again...

 

Safe travels; see you on board!

--a

[newcomm]

Hi there -- we've been in Mexico this past week, and I missed your posting!

 

Davie Street is pretty much the heart of Vancouver's gay center, with lots of interesting restaurants, cafes, and coffee shops to enjoy. It's also an easy walk to the shore of English Bay, and a beautiful sea-side stroll.

 

Last time, we stayed at Sandman Suites on Davie, and really enjoyed the hotel. Very hip lobby, friendly staff, and a wonderful suite -- living/dining with full kitchen, separate bedroom, our own washer/dryer, and two balconies. We splurged for a water view, and still stayed under $200/night. And it's right across the street from the Pumpjack Pub, a neighborhood bar by day that draws a nice leather crowd later at night :)

 

Stanley Park is one of the best parks I've seen anywhere. It's home to the Vancouver Aquarium, and some very photogenic totem poles.

 

We took a bus to the cruise terminal at Canada Place (beautiful building!) and walked through Gastown, a cleaned up street of 19th century buildings now mostly restaurants and boutiques. We continued on to Chinatown, and really enjoyed a visit to the Sun Yat Sen Chinese garden. We also took a half-day trip to the Capilano suspension bridge and park, on the other side of the harbor. We used public transit everywhere (bus, rail, and boat.)

 

We are really getting excited -- our luggage tags arrived yesterday!

 

Cheers // Norm

 

I noticed everyone got their tags and package from NCL.. We're still waiting for ours; maybe it takes longer to get them to the west coast :-P

 

We're staying at the Hyatt downtown. As this is our first time in Vancouver, we figured this was the most convenient location. Well, that and I had alot of Hyatt points I needed to use up before they expire at the end of the year.

 

Tell us more about Davie Street; sounds like a fun place to visit, spend some time having coffee and visit the local shops. Anything else you would recommend for Vancouver?

 

I'm looking forward to meeting everyone; has anyone set up a meet and greet on board yet?

--a

[newcomm]

Hi, Ernie!

 

Looking forward to meeting you. I've read quite a few of your Cruise Critic postings, and you share so much good information.

 

Do you remember if NCL typically hosts "Friends of Dorothy" or GLBT get-togethers? If not, it would be fun to plan a gathering, perhaps during the sail-away, when many of us will be up on deck anyway!

 

Norm

 

 

Hey guys,

My partner and I are booked on this sailing as well. We live in Miami so we are about as far as one can get from Alaska in North America!

 

We sailed to Alaska several years ago on Holland America and had a great time. Looking forward to returning.

 

We received our welcome booklet and baggage tags today, so it must be just around the corner.

 

Looking forward to meeting you all onboard.

 

Ernie

[wittyfellow]

Hi Norm/Ernie:

 

20+ days away!

We're both looking forward to this cruise, as the end of tax season is getting closer and we're just exhausted from all running around at work.

 

We'll look for the FOD gatherings onboard in the schedule; see you all soon!

--a

[drdarjd]

Hi All,

 

Looking for suggestions on excursions. What are your "not to miss" suggestions??

[drdarjd]

Hi Norm,

 

Did you book the eagle-feeding excursion in Prince Rupert through NCL?

 

Deb

[newcomm]

Hi, Deb --

 

Yes, we booked that one through NCL. Looks like it's received good reviews from most folks.

 

(Prince Rupert is the only port on our itinerary I'm not familiar with, so I decided to let NCL do the legwork!)

 

Cheers!

Norm

 

Hi Norm,

 

Did you book the eagle-feeding excursion in Prince Rupert through NCL?

 

Deb

[eroller]

Hi Norm/Ernie:

 

20+ days away!

We're both looking forward to this cruise, as the end of tax season is getting closer and we're just exhausted from all running around at work.

 

We'll look for the FOD gatherings onboard in the schedule; see you all soon!

--a

 

 

 

Looking forward to it too! We are flying out of Miami on the 6th and spending two nights in Vancouver prior to the cruise (Westin Grand on Robson).

 

Anyone still waiting on a cabin assignment? We are in a balcony BX guarantee and still no assignment yet. I keep checking daily. Looks like there are plenty of cabins still open so I'm not sure why they are waiting to assign one?

 

See you all soon!

 

Ernie

[wittyfellow]

We're keeping our fingers crossed for the upsell fairy to call, but haven't heard anything yet. We're flying out on Saturday and are at the Vancouver Marriott; planning on spending some time on Davie St per Norm's recommendation. See everyone on board!

 

Good luck with the cabin assignments!

[eroller]

See you onboard! We got our cabin assignment. A little upgrade but still a standard balcony cabin.

 

Safe travels.

 

Ernie

[newcomm]

We fly to Vancouver Friday morning. Hope you all have a pleasant and safe journey, and we look forward to seeing you aboard!

 

Hopefully there will be a Friends of Dorothy/GLBT gathering announced in the daily newsletter. Otherwise, you will probably find us enjoying a martini at Shaker's Martini & Cocktail Bar around 5 or so most days.

 

You can't miss my friend Bob -- he will probably have the biggest beard on the ship. He'd make Paul Bunyan jealous of his whiskers...

 

Cheers!

 

Norm and Bob

[SeaMatesNYC]

Bon voyage, Ernie!

 

Michael