Pearl - Alaska May 21-28, 2017

[Bsetter]

Here's a short review of the wonderful cruise we had a few weeks ago. I love reading everyone's tips before we left. Thanks -

Getting There: We flew into Seattle on Saturday, May 20thvia Southwest Airlines from Denver. Non-eventful flight. We stayed atthe ComfortInn SeaTec which was fine. They have recently remodeled and the rooms are nice. There’s not much around, so we ordered pizzafor dinner from Pizza Palace which was good.

We booked towncar service from the Hotel throughStarLine. Driver was early and picked usup at 10:00am on Sunday morning. Verylittle traffic, and we were dropped off at the terminal by 10:30am.

We used them to pick us up at the cruise port and take us to theairport upon return. Great service. They were driving up to the terminal at8:45am, about 5 minutes after we picked up our luggage and went throughcustoms. Again, there was very littletraffic to the airport and we were there by 9:15am for our noon flight.

 

Ship / Service: I cannot not say enough good things about theship and the crew. I have nocomplaints. Our room steward was greatand our room look nice – you can see the upgrades made at dry-dock such as newcarpeting. We had a balcony room on deck10 which was a great location. It wasgreat to see all the continuous cleaning going on throughout the ship eachday. Each and every crew member Iencountered greeted me and were very courteous.

 

Restaurants / Bars: We had the promotions of Free UnlimitedDrinks and 3 Free Specialty Dining during this cruise and we liked this verymuch. We know we certainly got our moneyworth with the drinks – it was fun to not worry about the costs, or what wasbeing ordered. We found the wait staffto be attentive and bringing us many drinks wherever we were at. We did make friends with a few servers, whichhelped a lot. (One tip - tax is charged on drinks while in port in Seattle and when approaching Victoria and while in port there - not a huge deal, but good to know that those charges show up on your ship bill. The waiters were good in letting us know tax would be charged)

We dined at Indigo the 1st, 3rd andlast night of the cruise and enjoyed it very much. The food came quickly and was good. We dined at Cagney’s on the 2ndnight, which was my favorite meal of the entire week – a filet with garlicmashed potatoes. Moderno was on the 4thnight and Teppiaki on the 6th night. Both were very enjoyable and the service and food in each wereoutstanding.

 

We also ate in the other main dining room for breakfast and lunch on a couple occasions, which was fine. We ate in the buffet only once - but did enjoy Top Siders outside on the back of the ship. A smaller version of the buffet, but good and less crowded.

 

Ports: This was our 2nd AlaskanCruise, so we had done some excursions at these ports a few years ago. In Juneau, we visited Mendenhall Glacierusing the Blue Bus, which continues to be a very easy choice when getting offthe ship. We also stopped by Rod’s foodtruck for Halibut and Chips – a must if you like halibut.

In Skagway we rented a car from Avis (again, great serviceand great communication leading up to the cruise). We drove as far as Emerald Lake. This is a beautiful drive. We saw two bears by the side of the road andmany mountain sheep and goats on the side of the mountains. The car rental was $140 for the day and fourof us went – so it’s a much cheaper way to see most of the same scenery as thetrain ride.

In Ketchikan we walked around and did some shopping. My husband took a float plane ride to MistyFiords. He’s into photography and he gotsome great pictures. He booked thisthrough NCL which he loved and would recommend it highly.

The highlight of the cruise was the day in Glacier Bay. We got up early and staked out a table in theSpinnaker Lounge. The National ParkService Rangers were on-board and narrated the journey through the bays to theglaciers. They walked around and pointedout wildlife as we passed – Mountain Goats and Sea Otters. We also saw some whales. The day was a bit foggy, but it was stillbeautiful. The servers were present andhad the coffee / hot chocolate station filled throughout the morning. There were pastries and as it got closer tonoon, they brought up trays of sandwiches. No need to leave our table except a few trips outside when we got closerto the glaciers.

Victoria - We didn't get off of the ship in Victoria, instead, enjoying a nice, leisurely meal in Indigo with our favorite wait staff.

I would highly recommend this cruise to all - I love "Freestyle Cruising"

I'm happy to answer any questions anyone has :)

[Weetahbugdotcom]

Here's a short review of the wonderful cruise we had a few weeks ago. I love reading everyone's tips before we left. Thanks -

 

Getting There: We flew into Seattle on Saturday, May 20thvia Southwest Airlines from Denver. Non-eventful flight. We stayed atthe ComfortInn SeaTec which was fine. They have recently remodeled and the rooms are nice. There’s not much around, so we ordered pizzafor dinner from Pizza Palace which was good.

 

We booked towncar service from the Hotel throughStarLine. Driver was early and picked usup at 10:00am on Sunday morning. Verylittle traffic, and we were dropped off at the terminal by 10:30am.

 

We used them to pick us up at the cruise port and take us to theairport upon return. Great service. They were driving up to the terminal at8:45am, about 5 minutes after we picked up our luggage and went throughcustoms. Again, there was very littletraffic to the airport and we were there by 9:15am for our noon flight.

 

 

 

Ship / Service: I cannot not say enough good things about theship and the crew. I have nocomplaints. Our room steward was greatand our room look nice – you can see the upgrades made at dry-dock such as newcarpeting. We had a balcony room on deck10 which was a great location. It wasgreat to see all the continuous cleaning going on throughout the ship eachday. Each and every crew member Iencountered greeted me and were very courteous.

 

 

 

Restaurants / Bars: We had the promotions of Free UnlimitedDrinks and 3 Free Specialty Dining during this cruise and we liked this verymuch. We know we certainly got our moneyworth with the drinks – it was fun to not worry about the costs, or what wasbeing ordered. We found the wait staffto be attentive and bringing us many drinks wherever we were at. We did make friends with a few servers, whichhelped a lot. (One tip - tax is charged on drinks while in port in Seattle and when approaching Victoria and while in port there - not a huge deal, but good to know that those charges show up on your ship bill. The waiters were good in letting us know tax would be charged)

 

 

 

We dined at Indigo the 1st, 3rd andlast night of the cruise and enjoyed it very much. The food came quickly and was good. We dined at Cagney’s on the 2ndnight, which was my favorite meal of the entire week – a filet with garlicmashed potatoes. Moderno was on the 4thnight and Teppiaki on the 6th night. Both were very enjoyable and the service and food in each wereoutstanding.

 

 

 

We also ate in the other main dining room for breakfast and lunch on a couple occasions, which was fine. We ate in the buffet only once - but did enjoy Top Siders outside on the back of the ship. A smaller version of the buffet, but good and less crowded.

 

 

 

Ports: This was our 2nd AlaskanCruise, so we had done some excursions at these ports a few years ago. In Juneau, we visited Mendenhall Glacierusing the Blue Bus, which continues to be a very easy choice when getting offthe ship. We also stopped by Rod’s foodtruck for Halibut and Chips – a must if you like halibut.

 

In Skagway we rented a car from Avis (again, great serviceand great communication leading up to the cruise). We drove as far as Emerald Lake. This is a beautiful drive. We saw two bears by the side of the road andmany mountain sheep and goats on the side of the mountains. The car rental was $140 for the day and fourof us went – so it’s a much cheaper way to see most of the same scenery as thetrain ride.

 

In Ketchikan we walked around and did some shopping. My husband took a float plane ride to MistyFiords. He’s into photography and he gotsome great pictures. He booked thisthrough NCL which he loved and would recommend it highly.

 

The highlight of the cruise was the day in Glacier Bay. We got up early and staked out a table in theSpinnaker Lounge. The National ParkService Rangers were on-board and narrated the journey through the bays to theglaciers. They walked around and pointedout wildlife as we passed – Mountain Goats and Sea Otters. We also saw some whales. The day was a bit foggy, but it was stillbeautiful. The servers were present andhad the coffee / hot chocolate station filled throughout the morning. There were pastries and as it got closer tonoon, they brought up trays of sandwiches. No need to leave our table except a few trips outside when we got closerto the glaciers.

 

Victoria - We didn't get off of the ship in Victoria, instead, enjoying a nice, leisurely meal in Indigo with our favorite wait staff.

 

I would highly recommend this cruise to all - I love "Freestyle Cruising"

 

I'm happy to answer any questions anyone has :)

 

 

 

Yay!

 

Do you happen to have most recent spa menus or dailies? How was your weather?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[gingersvp]

What did you pay for the car service? Did you contact the hotel ahead of time or did they just recommend that company? We are traveling with 3 kids which makes us an awkward size for standard taxis etc.

[easyboy]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. Thanks for your review.

 

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[beckslash]

Thanks for the review! Happy to hear you had a great time! I have a few questions, if you don't mind.

 

Can you tell me more about Rod's Food Truck in Juneau? We're planning on going to Tracy's King Crab Shack but my husband loves halibut (and chips!) so we might need to make a second stop for food. :D

 

We're also renting a car in Skagway with our two friends. Excited that you saw some wildlife on the road trip.

 

And, we're also taking a float plane in Ketchikan to Misty Fjords (not through NCL, though). I'm into photography as well but am a little worried about getting shots from the plane through the windows. Does your husband have any tips to share? Thanks, again!

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[Manbo]

Great review! thanks!

[EmeraldCoastCruisers]

Any photos? Would love to see some if you can post them.

 

 

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[Clarea]

Thanks for the report. Do you recall the cost of your StarLine transfer service?

[Amanda_14wa]

I was on this same cruise with the OP and my husband and I took a seaplane our to misty fjords. The inside of the plane is kind of small but we were able to get a few great shots out of the window. Our pilot actually landed us into an inlet at the fjords to look for a bear that had been spotted. We were allowed to get out and walk along the pontoon of the plane.

 

Thanks for the review! Happy to hear you had a great time! I have a few questions, if you don't mind.

 

Can you tell me more about Rod's Food Truck in Juneau? We're planning on going to Tracy's King Crab Shack but my husband loves halibut (and chips!) so we might need to make a second stop for food. :D

 

We're also renting a car in Skagway with our two friends. Excited that you saw some wildlife on the road trip.

 

And, we're also taking a float plane in Ketchikan to Misty Fjords (not through NCL, though). I'm into photography as well but am a little worried about getting shots from the plane through the windows. Does your husband have any tips to share? Thanks, again!

[Amanda_14wa]

We were on that same cruise with you! Also took the blue bus to mendenhall glacier! We felt so fortunate to have such awesome weather!

[cbtravel1]

Great review, thank you for sharing.

[NCLfamily]

Great review. Any dailies?

 

 

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[Bsetter]

What did you pay for the car service? Did you contact the hotel ahead of time or did they just recommend that company? We are traveling with 3 kids which makes us an awkward size for standard taxis etc.

 

 

We booked directly through StarLine towncar service - they have a great website, but I called them directly about a month prior to the cruise to make all of the arrangements. Cost was about $115 each way, including tips. There were 4 of us with 4 large pieces of luggage, 2 backpacks and a couple of small bags. It was worth the piece of mind to me for our transportation needs - and not having to be crammed into shuttle vans.....

[Bsetter]

A few answers to the questions posted:

 

I contacted Starline Town Car Services about a month prior to the cruise. They have a great website, but I called them to make the arrangements. There were 4 adults in our group with 4 large pieces of luggage and a couple of carry-on bags. Both times we were picked up in Chevy Expedition - plenty of room. Costs was about $115 each way, which included the tips. I loved it. (I hate being squished into a Shuttle Van and waiting around based on the pick-up route)

 

Papa Rod's Halibut & Chips was a great find. In Juneau, a block off the main street, almost across from the main cruise docks - where the Radiance of the Seas was docked while we were in town. The halibut was fantastic, with a light batter. A bit pricey for a food truck - but worth it. There's a few tables and they have other items to choose from.

 

My husband got some great pictures on float plane ride. He sat up front with the pilot on the way to the lake landing, so there were some interesting pictures from the cockpit.

[beckslash]

A few answers to the questions posted:

 

Papa Rod's Halibut & Chips was a great find. In Juneau, a block off the main street, almost across from the main cruise docks - where the Radiance of the Seas was docked while we were in town. The halibut was fantastic, with a light batter. A bit pricey for a food truck - but worth it. There's a few tables and they have other items to choose from.

 

My husband got some great pictures on float plane ride. He sat up front with the pilot on the way to the lake landing, so there were some interesting pictures from the cockpit.

 

Thanks! I just googled Papa Rod's and the halibut looks amazing!

[mmwcpt]

You touched on the boarding process briefly, but when you got there at 10:30 am, did you drop off your luggage than come back later to check in and then board?

 

I will be going mid to late August, and curious on the procedure as we also want to hit the market nearby.

[Bsetter]

We've been to Seattle before. We were dropped off at 10:30am. A porter took our luggage - not issues there. We checked in and were in boarding group 6. It was a beautiful day! We were sitting on the deck, eating a hamburger with a margarita by 11:30am. Our rooms were ready by 2:00pm. Great 1st day!!