Trip Report: NCL Pearl, 5/7 - 5/17 - Alaska!

[jenseib]

I love the Chihuly pictures. I saw an exhibit in Columbus a year and a half ago. I am hoping to find some time to get to the Seattle one this year.

 

That Budget room is VERY small. holy cow.

[April7901]

I love the Chihuly pictures. I saw an exhibit in Columbus a year and a half ago. I am hoping to find some time to get to the Seattle one this year.

 

That Budget room is VERY small. holy cow.

 

 

Yeah, I wouldn't have wanted to spend a week there, but two nights was fine. Plus I was by myself - I don't think I could've functioned with another person there, either.

[April7901]

May 6, 2015

 

As I said, Wednesday was a big day. I’d been planning this day for a LONG time, or at least hoping that it all panned out.

 

I mentioned that I liked sea otters. That may have been a slight understatement. Sea otters are the best animals. Period. Done.

 

So when I was browsing the Vancouver Aquarium website, imagine my shock/awe/surprise/glee when I saw that they have a Sea Otter Encounter among their special activities.

 

I should caveat this by saying I live in Chicago, and we have the Shedd Aquarium, which is a really awesome aquarium. Shedd does beluga encounters, where they put you in waterproof overalls and let you get in the water with the beluga and interact with them (all under careful supervision and under strict parameters). Seriously one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my whole life, ever.

 

That said – I know that every place does things a little bit differently. But a sea otter encounter meant some type of interaction with a sea otter, and that was enough for me. Unfortunately, when I started looking, they weren’t booking for May dates just yet.

 

Towards the end of March, I think, the booking dates finally opened up. I called, and the only encounters they were doing on Wednesday, May 6th were the penguin encounter and the otter encounter. So, I booked both.

 

So back to Wednesday morning. I hopped a cab to Stanley Park and the Aquarium.

 

Untitled by april7901, on Flickr

 

My penguin encounter was slated to meet right at 10:00 AM when the Aquarium opened. I checked in and met Kirsten, who was our encounter facilitator. We started by going out to see the penguins’ habitat area, and see all the cute little guys. After explaining a bit about them, where they came from, and how to tell them apart, Kirsten led us back into the main building and into a behind-the-scenes room. She had us sit around the room, and after a minute or two, Melissa, one of the trainers, came in with a big kennel. She then introduced Hope. (Disclaimer: The following two photos were taken by Aquarium staff and provided to us via email).

 

Untitled by april7901, on Flickr

 

Hope waddled around the room a bit, fascinated by a little fluffy that was floating around. She was a bit shy, but she poked around the leg of my pants a bit. Melissa then picked her up and brought her around so we could pet her and feel her webby feet. She was super soft and her feet felt kinda funny ☺ After about twenty minutes, the three of us on the encounter each took a photo with Melissa and Hope:

 

Untitled by april7901, on Flickr

 

We wrapped up and I had a couple of hours to explore the rest of the aquarium before my sea otter encounter at 2:00. I went and saw the dolphins and the belugas, and more of the regular aquarium exhibits. They also had two newly rescued harbor porpoises that were fun to watch and super cute. I’ve lost track of what I did exactly when, but I watched a couple of the shows and wandered around.

 

At 2:00, I met Madeline – my otter encounter facilitator. As it happens, I was the only one on the otter encounter. We went back to the same room where I met Hope, and Madeline told me about the four otters, their rescue stories and a bit more about otters in general. They had an otter pelt that you could feel and see exactly how thick and warm their fur is.

 

There were no photos taken during this encounter unfortunately, so I’ll do my best to describe what happened. Keep in mind that there was a constant squeal of happiness happening inside my head. ;)

 

We went out to the otter habitat areas, and there were two areas – two otters in each habitat. I was going to get to feed one of the otters! So in between the two pools, there was a small walkway, and then the glass divider walls. There were a few stairs set up next to one of the walls, and the idea was that I would stand at the top of those stairs, and toss the food over and onto – yes, onto – the otter’s tummy. Sea otters like to eat while floating on their backs, and so the idea is to toss the food in and get as close to their front paws as possible, so they can pick it up and eat it right away.

 

My otter was Katmai, one of their females. She was about three years old, I think, and super cute (but what otter isn’t??). I got to do the entire afternoon feeding of octopus, scallops and fish (which kinda felt gross). It was a really neat experience because she knew where her food was coming from and would look right at me if I wasn’t fast enough!

 

Katmai has a little quirk in that she likes to use a piece of foam as a blanket. The trainers give them various toys as enrichment products, and they alternate so they don’t get bored. One of those toys is a flat piece of foam, which Katmai pulls on top of her. Adorable.

 

Untitled by april7901, on Flickr

 

I bummed around a little when we were done, but eventually caught a cab back into the downtown area. I did a little shopping in the downtown area before catching another cab back to my hotel.

[jenseib]

Well those encounters sound super cool. I didn't know any aquariums had encounters like that.....good to know.

[cincicruisers]

Can't wait for the rest of your review.:p

[April7901]

Well those encounters sound super cool. I didn't know any aquariums had encounters like that.....good to know.

 

Yep, more and more are adding them. Vancouver also does beluga, dolphin, sea lion, and sea turtle encounters sometimes. Shedd in Chicago does penguins and belugas, and a "behind the scenes" tours. The prices vary, but they're really neat opportunities to see and experience something really unique.

[Jldevlin]

Yep, more and more are adding them. Vancouver also does beluga, dolphin, sea lion, and sea turtle encounters sometimes. Shedd in Chicago does penguins and belugas, and a "behind the scenes" tours. The prices vary, but they're really neat opportunities to see and experience something really unique.

 

I live here and I did not know this lol .... I agree with you about the otters .. I am so glad you got a chance to do this

[kevlynne]

Now I know why you were so taken by the sea otters on our wildlife cruise!

 

Kevin

[April7901]

Now I know why you were so taken by the sea otters on our wildlife cruise!

 

Kevin

 

If only they felt the same way about me :(

[April7901]

Thursday, May 7, 2015

 

Today was embarkation day. I wanted to be at Canada Place by 10 AM, because I wanted to do the Flyover Canada ride and walk around a little. I caught a cab from the hotel, and fortunately when he dropped me off at the terminal, they were already accepting luggage. I dropped off my big suitcase, and took my smaller bag with me.

 

The Pearl, as we pulled up:

Untitled by april7901, on Flickr

 

Flyover Canada is at the far end of Canada Place, and it’s a bit of a hike. You have to walk all the way to the hotel end, go up a few flights on the elevator, and then all the way back down. I didn’t see any other way, so if there is something else, please chime in. I hiked up the stairs with my bag, but had to check it with the staff before entering the ride.

 

Flyover Canada is identical in concept to Soarin’ at Disney. It’s a giant screen, and you sit in rows of seats that hang down from a mechanism and move – tilt, side to side, etc. The screen shows scenes of flying over beautiful scenery, and your seat moves as if you’re flying along with it. It’s a very immersive experience, and even though you know good and well that your feet are not about to dip into the water, you instinctively pull them up anyway! FC is a bit longer than Soarin’ (at least the Epcot version), and focuses on Canadian, rather than Californian, scenery. I enjoyed it, but it’s definitely not for everyone.

 

When I was done, I wandered back down Canada Place, stopping for a scone at the little café. It was then off to get checked in.

 

Photo from the pier:

Untitled by april7901, on Flickr

 

 

The Pearl was the only ship in Vancouver that day, which, as far as I could tell, was the best possible outcome. I can’t imagine trying to navigate in there with more than one ship in. You go through the first set of lines and metal detectors, and then US Customs. That was a bit different than I was used to, scanning in your passport and getting a little printout before actually talking to a customs official. You have to pay attention and follow directions, but there are lots of people around to ask questions and get help. After customs, we were ushered into a relatively crowded seating area. I was only there about ten minutes before they called us to go “behind the wall” – which led to the actual NCL check-in area. I separated out into the Latitudes line, which moved pretty quickly. A quick check-in at the desk, and I was given my key card. The card already had my UBP sticker on it, so no worries there.

 

Then it was off to another line, but this one was to get on the ship! The line wound around the back of the building, and up through the gangway, but it moved quickly and next thing I knew, I was on the ship! I stopped at guest services to put money down on my account, and then stopped to buy a spa pass - $209 for 10 days, but more on that later.

 

I lunched in Summer Palace. The food was OK, but the service was a bit slow, particularly considering how not busy they were – that would become a trend, unfortunately. I had the roast beef sandwich and fries – the beef was a little dry, but I could eat NCL’s fries for days. I also had the orange chocolate mousse, which was …. Odd.

 

All cabins were ready by 1:30, and so I headed up to drop some stuff off and get settled in. Along the way, I stopped for a glass of bubbly to start off on the right foot ;)

 

Untitled by april7901, on Flickr

 

As I mentioned in the pre-trip section, I’d been upgraded to a mini suite, category MA, and was assigned to room 11032. It was right at the edge of forward/mid-ship, and ended up being a great location. Easy to find, no noise.

 

The room from the door / entrance:

Untitled by april7901, on Flickr

[April7901]

Bathroom:

Untitled by april7901, on Flickr

 

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Wider shot of the room:

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Looking back at the entrance:

Untitled by april7901, on Flickr

 

That’s a closet beside the bed, which had a shelf inside. Beside the bathroom door was a storage unit – the top was a cupboard with two shelves, and then three regular drawers, and one large drawer at the bottom.

[April7901]

The wide couch:

Untitled by april7901, on Flickr

 

The desk area:

Untitled by april7901, on Flickr

 

The cupboard at the top right corner had two shelves plus the safe. The refrigerator is there, and the three drawers beside it. You can see the two outlets there at the desk as well. There were two desk chairs, plus that little coffee table thing.

 

The balcony:

Untitled by april7901, on Flickr

 

The balcony area felt really big. Plenty of space for both chairs and the little table, and still room to walk around them.

[April7901]

At some point we did a muster drill, though it was not at the scheduled time. It was maybe 45 minutes late? It wasn’t well communicated, but anyway. I headed out to Deck 14, forward for sailaway, which was lovely, heading under the bridge.

 

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[April7901]

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Untitled by april7901, on Flickr

 

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Untitled by april7901, on Flickr

 

Untitled by april7901, on Flickr

 

After sailaway and sunset, I headed back to my balcony with a Blue Lagoon beverage (which was not that good, IMO). I did the Michael Jackson trivia session later that night – held in Bliss Lounge. The DJ played clips of MJ songs and you had to guess the song title. My team ended up winning, though it wasn’t pretty with 13/20 right.

 

I had dinner at Indigo, which was very tasty. My servers, Dick and Antonia, were lovely.

 

I also went to the solo’s gathering, held in Spinnaker on this first night, and met lots of lovely people. Matt, from the cruise director’s team, was fantastic and lots of fun. We moved right over to Majority Rules, a quick game show thing that was kind of fun. Then I hit the late “Welcome Aboard” show, which was fun – and then off to bed!

[Dawn1004]

Enjoying your review subscribed to thread.

 

We were also on this cruise, and in fact we were on the Whitepass Train and the bus ride to Carcross (with the dog kart ride) with you.

 

We also did the Shutter Tour you did, but we did that post cruise (we also had Tracey - she was great).

[FraudBroad]

Excellent review! You're getting me excited for our trip next month!

 

Thanks so much!

[jenseib]

Those sunset pictures are amazing. It sounds like a wonderful first day. I used to be a big Michael Jackson fan back in my teens....let's just say that was decades ago. :rolleyes: I wonder how I would do on that kind of trivia now?

[js4rq]

Enjoying your review. NCL Pearl looks gorgeous! Looking forward to more!

[marelind]

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

[Loucat]

Me too! Great photos and what incredible scenery.

More, please!

[chasinraynbowz]

What a great start!! Can't wait to read more!!!

 

Thanks so much for doing your review!!

[April7901]

Sorry, sorry - life caught up to me! Much more to come tonight... !

[April7901]

Friday, May 10th

 

Friday was our first of three sea days (well, two and a half). I got up for the sunrise – not knowing what to expect, but hoping it was spectacular. It was not. ☺ It was cloudy and overcast. My room service breakfast was delivered (free, though the Pearl was sticking to the “old” rules until after this trip, I later learned). I checked on my map, which I’d hung on the wall, our location – hoping we were in whale viewing areas. We weren’t yet, but in about an hour it looked like we’d be in possible orca territory. I went back to bed for a bit, then got up to watch, but no dice. Or at least not to my untrained eye.

 

The Cruise Critic meet-up was scheduled for 10 AM in Bliss Lounge. I went, but it was a tough sell to be in Bliss – which is set up in small seating areas and rather dark. I got there, signed in, and signed the cards someone (Lisa?) had put together for the officers. I had a seat in one of the seating areas, but soon found that I was highly uncomfortable. It just … wasn’t much fun for me. It’s tough to be a solo in a group made up of smaller groups. I stayed for the officer introductions, but was thankful when an announcement was made that whales were spotted off the side of the ship. I took off to go out and watch, and spotted a few humpbacks hanging out. After about ten minutes, I went back into the M&G, but still found that I wasn’t enjoying it, nor was I real interested in inserting myself into the group, so I left.

 

I lunched at O’Sheehan’s. I had mozzarella sticks and chicken tenders, and while the mozzarella sticks were good, I found the chicken tenders really lacking. They were tiny and just not particularly good. They were OK for a super quick bite to eat, but kinda bleh. I also had an Angry Orchard cider, and the brownie cheesecake – the cider was good, but the cheesecake, again, was OK, but not great.

 

I headed back to my cabin and balcony to chill and watch for whales. I was rewarded when we got near Bella Bella, and spotted quite a few humpbacks and a ton of dolphins.

 

Around 3:00, I headed to La Cucina for the wine tasting. For $15, it was five wine tastings – not substantial pours, and very “typical” wines – white zinfandel, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon. I’m going to start asking what they’re tasting before I go, because I really don’t ever need to taste white zin again. I mean, really – they have a big wine list, they could easily do more interesting tastings.

 

I wandered up to Deck 12 for a soft serve ice cream cone, and then hung out in the little sheltered area between the buffet area and the pool area. I got lucky and saw a huge pod of dolphins off the ship playing along our wake.

 

Then it was evening trivia time. Our group had 19/26, but did not win. Boo.

 

I dined at Indigo, and had the fried brie to start, which was pretty good. Then it was the roasted chicken, which came with mashed potatoes and broccoli. This was pretty tasty. I paired it with a Riesling, which was also tasty. I wrapped up with a banana split, which was not my favorite, but seriously – it’s a banana split, so how bad can it be?

 

Somewhere in here, I went to the solo’s gathering in Bliss, but I can’t pinpoint where it was in the timeline. I also hit the Swing show in the theater. My opinion was that the sings were pretty good, but I wasn’t super impressed with the dancers. The choreography was somewhat lacking, particularly in this show, and they performed most of the time in clunky sneakers – which, for my taste, took away from the show.

 

Last up was The Blank Game in Spinnaker, which was fun.

 

After that – it was back to the room to get my stuff ready for Juneau!

 

I only took a couple of photos today since it was gray and overcast and not a lot to be seen ☹

 

Untitled by april7901, on Flickr

 

Untitled by april7901, on Flickr

 

And my towel animal for the night:

 

Untitled by april7901, on Flickr

[Freespir8]

Great review so far. We hope to sail on an Alaska cruise sometime soon...they have just been so pricey that we are going to hold off until we save some money. :) Congratulations on your great deal and mini-suite.

[chasinraynbowz]

Hi April,

 

Thanks so much for your review. DH and I are going on the Pearl in August. I am very interested in your review of your excursions and seeing your pictures!!!

 

Thanks for your effort!!!