Review: Alaska on the Pearl 7/31-8/

[Kdiamond55]

UGH - sorry my title should say 8-7!!!

 

Hello all, I thought I'd post a review on our experience on the Pearl last week.

 

Overall it was was an amazing trip. It was me (39), hubby (42), our daughter (15), our son (13), and my MIL.

 

Pre-trip: we took Alaska Air straight through to Seattle from Ft. Lauderdale, good flight, like the airline, first time on them. Stayed at Seattle Marriott Waterfront, very nice, it is literally right across the street. The valet guys will take your luggage over for you. We spent a little time in the morning checking out Pike's Place, that was fun.

 

Embarkation: kinda disorganized, but if you're a Latitudes member (we were gold now platinum) they basically move you to the front of the line.

 

Ship & Cabins: the ship is old and showing its age, BUT it is still very clean and maintained. They definitely need to upgrade those small TV's, lol. We had 2 balconies next to each other (10160 & 10162) and an inside for the kids across the hall 10161. I have 2 small complaints about the cabin my husband and I were in which was 10162. It butts up to a suite and maybe some kind of engine room so the balcony is odd, like sort of enclosed, and it gets noisy in the early am. Not sure if that's because the buffet is only 2 floors up, or because of the (engine?) room next to it, but I wouldn't book those aft cabins again. We usually stay mid ship but weren't able to get 3 cabins next to each other this time. Beds are super comfortable as usual, we all commented on how well we slept.

 

Staff: all very friendly, after 15 cruises with NCL I think some of the best staff we've ever had. Our room steward Danelo was awesome, did a good job. The staff at the coffee bar were great, always remembered my order and made excellent lattes with designs in them. Eddie Spaghetti the assistant cruise director was excellent as was Evan who is another staffer. Bingo was fun because of his jokes!

 

Food: we had the specialty package and ate at 5 specialties (the 4 main ones and the sushi place). All were excellent, but Le Bistro stuck out as the best. The sushi was really good too. We did not eat at any main dining rooms, ate at O'Sheehans a few times which was fine. We ended up eating off the ship at a couple of the ports too. Side note: Skagway Brewing Company had great food and beer!

 

Ports:

Juneau - did the Mendenhall Glacier and Evening Whale Watch. Great excursion. We saw at least 6-8 whales (among other sea life), they played and one even breached. The staff is great and so is the food, it's a big spread.

Skagway - did the White Pass train we all loved it. Then we dropped the kids and MIL off and went around town, it's a tiny town but really cute. Nice people!

Ketchikan - cute town, did our shopping here, walked around and did our own tour, saw Creek Street and ate crab.

Victoria - we were originally going to skip this excursion but since MIL is so obsessed with flowers we did the Buchart Gardens with the tour of Victoria. Very interesting and what a neat town. Our tour guide talked our ears off but it was interesting. And yes, the gardens are beautiful.

 

Shows & entertainment: we didn't see any shows so I can't report on that. We played trivia a lot, that was fun. Bingo was great. Bowling in Bliss was fun. We were always way too tired to stay out past 11 due to everything we did at the ports so I can't comment on nightlife.

 

Casino: played once in there, didn't win anything on the slots or blackjack, but wasn't planning on it LOL. We did win one of the bingo games with the kids and they thought that was great!

 

We had fantastic weather, no rain in Juneau which they say is rare, sunny skies in Glacier Bay (which was amazing!!!) and although it was a little cooler than we thought (maybe we're just babies from Florida) it wasn't uncomfortably cold. However at night we would not go outside, too windy and cold. The day coming back (Saturday) the weather was terrible but it cleared up when we got to Victoria. We saw pretty much every animal you aim to see except for any bears. I'd definitely bring more cold weather attire than warm weather! I wore my hoodie everywhere, along with my sneakers and leggings. Only time I wasn't in athletic wear was when I dressed up for dinners. Would have brought another hoodie and more long sleeved tees.

 

I'm glad we did it and we think MIL and the kids really enjoyed the scenery but we probably wouldn't do it again (maybe when we're retired who knows). Kind of a checkmark on the bucket list!

 

I think that's all but if anyone has any questions I'll be happy to answer.

Edited August 10, 2016 by Kdiamond55

[Clarea]

Appreciate the report.

[easyboy]

Thanks for the review

[WeBeCruisers?]

Did you walk around at Mendenhall Glacier if so were your feet dry or did you wear boots?

Edited August 10, 2016 by WeBeCruisers?

[Kdiamond55]

Did you walk around at Mendenhall Glacier if so were your feet dry or did you wear boots?

 

We wore sneakers for everything and had no problems. Of course we didn't have rain. We did walk in down by the waterfall.

[Odesitka70]

UGH - sorry my title should say 8-7!!!

 

Hello all, I thought I'd post a review on our experience on the Pearl last week.

 

Overall it was was an amazing trip. It was me (39), hubby (42), our daughter (15), our son (13), and my MIL.

 

Pre-trip: we took Alaska Air straight through to Seattle from Ft. Lauderdale, good flight, like the airline, first time on them. Stayed at Seattle Marriott Waterfront, very nice, it is literally right across the street. The valet guys will take your luggage over for you. We spent a little time in the morning checking out Pike's Place, that was fun.

 

Embarkation: kinda disorganized, but if you're a Latitudes member (we were gold now platinum) they basically move you to the front of the line.

 

Ship & Cabins: the ship is old and showing its age, BUT it is still very clean and maintained. They definitely need to upgrade those small TV's, lol. We had 2 balconies next to each other (10160 & 10162) and an inside for the kids across the hall 10161. I have 2 small complaints about the cabin my husband and I were in which was 10162. It butts up to a suite and maybe some kind of engine room so the balcony is odd, like sort of enclosed, and it gets noisy in the early am. Not sure if that's because the buffet is only 2 floors up, or because of the (engine?) room next to it, but I wouldn't book those aft cabins again. We usually stay mid ship but weren't able to get 3 cabins next to each other this time. Beds are super comfortable as usual, we all commented on how well we slept.

 

Staff: all very friendly, after 15 cruises with NCL I think some of the best staff we've ever had. Our room steward Danelo was awesome, did a good job. The staff at the coffee bar were great, always remembered my order and made excellent lattes with designs in them. Eddie Spaghetti the assistant cruise director was excellent as was Evan who is another staffer. Bingo was fun because of his jokes!

 

Food: we had the specialty package and ate at 5 specialties (the 4 main ones and the sushi place). All were excellent, but Le Bistro stuck out as the best. The sushi was really good too. We did not eat at any main dining rooms, ate at O'Sheehans a few times which was fine. We ended up eating off the ship at a couple of the ports too. Side note: Skagway Brewing Company had great food and beer!

 

Ports:

Juneau - did the Mendenhall Glacier and Evening Whale Watch. Great excursion. We saw at least 6-8 whales (among other sea life), they played and one even breached. The staff is great and so is the food, it's a big spread.

Skagway - did the White Pass train we all loved it. Then we dropped the kids and MIL off and went around town, it's a tiny town but really cute. Nice people!

Ketchikan - cute town, did our shopping here, walked around and did our own tour, saw Creek Street and ate crab.

Victoria - we were originally going to skip this excursion but since MIL is so obsessed with flowers we did the Buchart Gardens with the tour of Victoria. Very interesting and what a neat town. Our tour guide talked our ears off but it was interesting. And yes, the gardens are beautiful.

 

Shows & entertainment: we didn't see any shows so I can't report on that. We played trivia a lot, that was fun. Bingo was great. Bowling in Bliss was fun. We were always way too tired to stay out past 11 due to everything we did at the ports so I can't comment on nightlife.

 

Casino: played once in there, didn't win anything on the slots or blackjack, but wasn't planning on it LOL. We did win one of the bingo games with the kids and they thought that was great!

 

We had fantastic weather, no rain in Juneau which they say is rare, sunny skies in Glacier Bay (which was amazing!!!) and although it was a little cooler than we thought (maybe we're just babies from Florida) it wasn't uncomfortably cold. However at night we would not go outside, too windy and cold. The day coming back (Saturday) the weather was terrible but it cleared up when we got to Victoria. We saw pretty much every animal you aim to see except for any bears. I'd definitely bring more cold weather attire than warm weather! I wore my hoodie everywhere, along with my sneakers and leggings. Only time I wasn't in athletic wear was when I dressed up for dinners. Would have brought another hoodie and more long sleeved tees.

 

I'm glad we did it and we think MIL and the kids really enjoyed the scenery but we probably wouldn't do it again (maybe when we're retired who knows). Kind of a checkmark on the bucket list!

 

I think that's all but if anyone has any questions I'll be happy to answer.

 

Thanks for your report. We are going this comming Sunday and by reading your report it kind of gives me hope that the weather I see on my iPhone might not be 100% accurate. It shows cold temperature and rain the whole next week.

 

We are doing glacier and whale watching in Juneau as well. Can you tell me how you dressed for that excursion. Was it much colder by the ice or by the water? Thank you

[Kdiamond55]

Juneau was the coldest port for sure.

 

I wore long leggings, a long sleeved tee, a hoodie, and a puffy vest over that. Then socks and sneakers and I brought gloves, I only wore them when up on deck. I wasn't overly cold but definitely wear layers, you can always take off and store on the boat.

[njcate]

Hi we are going on the Pearl the last week of August. Didn't book excursionsbecause we have8 kids with us and who knows what may come up each day. Don't want to risk wasting 1500.00 . Is there options for last minute whale watch etc at the port?

[easyboy]

Hi we are going on the Pearl the last week of August. Didn't book excursionsbecause we have8 kids with us and who knows what may come up each day. Don't want to risk wasting 1500.00 . Is there options for last minute whale watch etc at the port?

Did you join your roll call?

[boopsahoy]

Casino: played once in there, didn't win anything on the slots or blackjack, but wasn't planning on it LOL. We did win one of the bingo games with the kids and they thought that was great!

 

When was the casino open? Everyday? nights? Sounds like a fun trip. Thinking of surprising hubby for his retirement but he also loves the casino :D

 

Did anyone do the fishing excursion?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

[cincicruisers]

Thanks for sharing your review with us.

[txbuffetslayer]

I took a picture of you guys in I believe Juneau! You were waiting for us to move our big Jewel butt off the dock so you could use it lol.

[txbuffetslayer]

Hi we are going on the Pearl the last week of August. Didn't book excursionsbecause we have8 kids with us and who knows what may come up each day. Don't want to risk wasting 1500.00 . Is there options for last minute whale watch etc at the port?

 

I'm not the OP but thought I could help on this question. We had a floatplane scheduled for Juneau and it cancelled morning of due to fog. Pretty much everything was sold out so we walked off the ship and at the end of the gangway there were two stands (Juneau) that said "Local Tours." We booked whale watching there and they put us in a van and took us across town to wait for a bus that then took us out to the water. It was a great excursion and they got us back on time. We paid $350ish for all three of us. Dolphin Tours was the name.

[maggieworkman]

Thanks for the review.

 

Did you get to see the fireworks at Butchart Gardens?

 

Maggie

[njcate]

Did you join your roll call?

 

yes we did join.

[njcate]

I'm not the OP but thought I could help on this question. We had a floatplane scheduled for Juneau and it cancelled morning of due to fog. Pretty much everything was sold out so we walked off the ship and at the end of the gangway there were two stands (Juneau) that said "Local Tours." We booked whale watching there and they put us in a van and took us across town to wait for a bus that then took us out to the water. It was a great excursion and they got us back on time. We paid $350ish for all three of us. Dolphin Tours was the name.

 

Thank You so much. That is very helpful ;)

[desertgal92262]

I do not understand how to start a NEW THREAD for alaska PEARL ..sailing is Sept 4 2016...., (can anyone help me???)

so I will ask you all do you know where we can find CRAB LEGS and HALIBUT on any of the shores??? our itinerary is belwo

Day

Port

Arrival

Departure

0

Seattle

4:00 PM

1

At Sea

2

&nbsp ;Juneau

2:00 PM

10:00 PM

3

Skagway

7:00 AM

8:15 PM

4

Cruising Glacier Bay

5

Ketchikan

6:00 AM

1:30 PM

6

Victoria

6:00 PM

11:59 PM

7

Seattle

8:00 AM

 

 

UGH - sorry my title should say 8-7!!!

 

Hello all, I thought I'd post a review on our experience on the Pearl last week.

 

Overall it was was an amazing trip. It was me (39), hubby (42), our daughter (15), our son (13), and my MIL.

 

Pre-trip: we took Alaska Air straight through to Seattle from Ft. Lauderdale, good flight, like the airline, first time on them. Stayed at Seattle Marriott Waterfront, very nice, it is literally right across the street. The valet guys will take your luggage over for you. We spent a little time in the morning checking out Pike's Place, that was fun.

 

Embarkation: kinda disorganized, but if you're a Latitudes member (we were gold now platinum) they basically move you to the front of the line.

 

Ship & Cabins: the ship is old and showing its age, BUT it is still very clean and maintained. They definitely need to upgrade those small TV's, lol. We had 2 balconies next to each other (10160 & 10162) and an inside for the kids across the hall 10161. I have 2 small complaints about the cabin my husband and I were in which was 10162. It butts up to a suite and maybe some kind of engine room so the balcony is odd, like sort of enclosed, and it gets noisy in the early am. Not sure if that's because the buffet is only 2 floors up, or because of the (engine?) room next to it, but I wouldn't book those aft cabins again. We usually stay mid ship but weren't able to get 3 cabins next to each other this time. Beds are super comfortable as usual, we all commented on how well we slept.

 

Staff: all very friendly, after 15 cruises with NCL I think some of the best staff we've ever had. Our room steward Danelo was awesome, did a good job. The staff at the coffee bar were great, always remembered my order and made excellent lattes with designs in them. Eddie Spaghetti the assistant cruise director was excellent as was Evan who is another staffer. Bingo was fun because of his jokes!

 

Food: we had the specialty package and ate at 5 specialties (the 4 main ones and the sushi place). All were excellent, but Le Bistro stuck out as the best. The sushi was really good too. We did not eat at any main dining rooms, ate at O'Sheehans a few times which was fine. We ended up eating off the ship at a couple of the ports too. Side note: Skagway Brewing Company had great food and beer!

 

Ports:

Juneau - did the Mendenhall Glacier and Evening Whale Watch. Great excursion. We saw at least 6-8 whales (among other sea life), they played and one even breached. The staff is great and so is the food, it's a big spread.

Skagway - did the White Pass train we all loved it. Then we dropped the kids and MIL off and went around town, it's a tiny town but really cute. Nice people!

Ketchikan - cute town, did our shopping here, walked around and did our own tour, saw Creek Street and ate crab.

Victoria - we were originally going to skip this excursion but since MIL is so obsessed with flowers we did the Buchart Gardens with the tour of Victoria. Very interesting and what a neat town. Our tour guide talked our ears off but it was interesting. And yes, the gardens are beautiful.

 

Shows & entertainment: we didn't see any shows so I can't report on that. We played trivia a lot, that was fun. Bingo was great. Bowling in Bliss was fun. We were always way too tired to stay out past 11 due to everything we did at the ports so I can't comment on nightlife.

 

Casino: played once in there, didn't win anything on the slots or blackjack, but wasn't planning on it LOL. We did win one of the bingo games with the kids and they thought that was great!

 

We had fantastic weather, no rain in Juneau which they say is rare, sunny skies in Glacier Bay (which was amazing!!!) and although it was a little cooler than we thought (maybe we're just babies from Florida) it wasn't uncomfortably cold. However at night we would not go outside, too windy and cold. The day coming back (Saturday) the weather was terrible but it cleared up when we got to Victoria. We saw pretty much every animal you aim to see except for any bears. I'd definitely bring more cold weather attire than warm weather! I wore my hoodie everywhere, along with my sneakers and leggings. Only time I wasn't in athletic wear was when I dressed up for dinners. Would have brought another hoodie and more long sleeved tees.

 

I'm glad we did it and we think MIL and the kids really enjoyed the scenery but we probably wouldn't do it again (maybe when we're retired who knows). Kind of a checkmark on the bucket list!

 

I think that's all but if anyone has any questions I'll be happy to answer.

[cruisin07family]

I do not understand how to start a NEW THREAD for alaska PEARL ..sailing is Sept 4 2016...., (can anyone help me???)

so I will ask you all do you know where we can find CRAB LEGS and HALIBUT on any of the shores??? our itinerary is belwo

 

[/Quote]

 

Here is the link to your sailing. It is not on this board but on the roll call boards.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2176779

 

We had crab legs but I don't recall any halibut. We did the crab feast excursion in Ketchican. Good excursion although it was odd eating crab, oysters, clams, and shrimp at 9 in the morning!

[iwannabeminnie]

I do not understand how to start a NEW THREAD for alaska PEARL ..sailing is Sept 4 2016...., (can anyone help me???)

so I will ask you all do you know where we can find CRAB LEGS and HALIBUT on any of the shores??? our itinerary is belwo

Day

Port

Arrival

Departure

0

Seattle

4:00 PM

1

At Sea

2

&nbsp ;Juneau

2:00 PM

10:00 PM

3

Skagway

7:00 AM

8:15 PM

4

Cruising Glacier Bay

5

Ketchikan

6:00 AM

1:30 PM

6

Victoria

6:00 PM

11:59 PM

7

Seattle

8:00 AM

We will be on that cruise

[fuzzychop1]

Tracy's Crab Shack in Juneau!!!

[bonvoyagie]

Next to your cabin was not a suite - I know that they park the crawler that they use to do matainence on the outside of the ship on that area. Perhaps you heard that. I know that the far aft cabins and suites feel some vibration from the azipods - esp when they are full tilt. We felt this mainly on the trip to Juneau and back from Ketchikan.

[spidybabe]

Ketchikan had an all you can eat crab buffet for $55. (Fish pirates bar saloon??) We didn't go, but it looked good. We ate one pound of crab at a different place instead, cuz it was early still and we weren't that hungry. Great crab all around in Ketchikan. We found Tracy in Juneau to be very expensive (Google it)

We just off the 8/7/16 Pearl sailing- Alaska is amazing and so is the Pearl.

Safe sailing

Edited August 23, 2016 by spidybabe