Coming Soon! Live from NCL Pearl 10/14/2022 to 10/21/2022 Boston-to-Boston Canada/New England. First Time Cruiser!

[Landlubbered]

I'm so excited to follow your reports! We'll be on the same cruise next week starting 10/21. My husband and I are joining my parents to celebrate their 50th anniversary. It's the first cruise for the two of us, and the second cruise for my parents--their first was an Alaskan cruise 20 years ago, and they've been talking about a New England/Canada cruise ever since. 🙂

 

If you have a chance, can you please share what embarkation was like in Boston? We have an arrival time of 10:30-11:00, but I'm wondering if we should show up then or wait until a bit later if it's less crowded. We're in suites (not Haven) so I think we're eligible for priority boarding? But I'm guessing there will still be lines for security and check-in, and I'm hoping to minimize the time that my parents have to stand in line. 

 

I hope you and your sister have a wonderful cruise, Denise!

Edited October 14, 2022 by Landlubbered

[TheycallmeFlip]

32 minutes ago, Landlubbered said:

If you have a chance, can you please share what embarkation was like in Boston? We have an arrival time of 10:30-11:00, but I'm wondering if we should show up then or wait until a bit later if it's less crowded. We're in suites (not Haven) so I think we're eligible for priority boarding? But I'm guessing there will still be lines for security and check-in, and I'm hoping to minimize the time that my parents have to stand in line. 

 

I hope you and your sister have a wonderful cruise, Denise!

I left out of Boston in June for Bermuda and it was fairly quick to check in and we had an 11:00 check in.  We did have to wait until they started boarding the ship which was around 12.  But it went pretty smoothly.

 

Flip

[Landlubbered]

2 hours ago, TheycallmeFlip said:

I left out of Boston in June for Bermuda and it was fairly quick to check in and we had an 11:00 check in.  We did have to wait until they started boarding the ship which was around 12.  But it went pretty smoothly.

 

Flip

Thank you! That's great to hear, and I'm optimistic for a smooth check-in next week. 🙂 

[DaisyGoldberg]

The sun came out and the sky is blue, so you should be getting a great look at the ship (in case it rains later!)

[shof515]

When is the ship suppose to leave Boston?

 

Its a busy day on the harbor with the seabourn quest, Norwegian Joy and that msc cargo ship

[Denise T]

Well, embarkation was a breeze. Got to the port, checked our bags, then checked and waited until they called our groups. All that was checked was passport and boarding pass. I will post more tomorrow as I need to upload my pictures. Had lunch at O'Sheehan's. Food was delicious. Rooms were ready a little early, so we were able to dump our stuff. Bags came about 3 or 4. Ship is delayed unto 7 when it will leave port due to port traffic. We are docked with the Norwegian Joy and the Seabourne Quest. Went to the sail away and had fun. Bars are very crowded; I am guessing the ship is near or at capacity. Ent to the buffet because we have to eat every few hours on a cruise ship. Food was good. We toured the spa; I booked a massage for tomorrow. Now just waiting to sail away as I sip on champagne. Sea day tomorrow. I hope to post pictures tomorrow. 

[Denise T]

45 minutes ago, shof515 said:

When is the ship suppose to leave Boston?

 

Its a busy day on the harbor with the seabourn quest, Norwegian Joy and that msc cargo ship

Yes, our departure is delayed until 7. 

[www3traveler]

When you can, could you please post a list of all the current officers onboard?

 

Thank You

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[Maleficent's Dad]

Departure is always an exciting time!  Hope you have a great cruise!

[Denise T]

Quick update. Seas have been a little rough throughout the night. Last night we watched the Joy and the Seabourne ship sail way. The Pearl followed shortly after. We enjoyed the sail away party at 4. Spent the evening walking around the ship and enjoying the night sea air. 

 

Day 2: Sea Day

Started with breakfast at the buffet. Had a massage. Seas still choppy and cloudy today. The sun is trying to break through the clouds. Lots to do. Trivia followed by a scavenger hunt and walking the ship. The staff is awesome, so very friendly. Hope to get some pictures up soon. Having trouble with Internet. 

 

More later! Having a fantastic time!

[CruzCra-Z]

On 10/12/2022 at 4:46 PM, Denise T said:

A little bit more about my trip. My sister and I are in a balcony club suite on deck 11 aft. My sister gets claustrophobic so a balcony it is. We chose not to upgrade because we are happy with what we have. No Haven for us as we are just not interested in it. Our goal is to relax and enjoy ourselves. We will do our best to avoid very crowded areas and take the stairs mostly (I am a diabetic so I try to walk as much as I can). If necessary, we will wear masks as I am considered high risk (I am fully vaccinated and boosted and already had COVID). We may come down with COVID as we will be going through airports and such and if that happens, it is what it is. 

 

We are booked for Cagney's and La Cuchina. We plan to try the main dining rooms, the buffet, Lotus Garden, and O'Sheehan's. Will we be able to see the Eagle's game on Sunday or a Phillies game, who knows? I would like to get a massage and perhaps I will set foot in the gym. Since my sister and I are such workaholics, we are going to attempt to be as unstructured as possible. Will it work? Let's hope so. 

 

We will be in Boston tomorrow and I will try to get some pictures there. Looks like rain, so we will play it by ear. We may be sailing out on Friday in a thunderstorm! 

 

Stay tuned for more!

I've cruised several times this year and always have a mask with me. I also avoid the elevator unless necessary and wear a mask in it if I do take it. I wear a mask in a crowd and move if there is coughing. The moving thing I did pre covid anyway.  We all do what we have to for our own piece of mind.  Have a wonderful trip.

[Denise T]

22 hours ago, www3traveler said:

When you can, could you please post a list of all the current officers onboard?

 

Thank You

 

Enjoy your cruise.

I will take a picture when I am able with everyone's name on it. I know the cruise director is Ralph Gelena. 

[Denise T]

Lunch at O'Sheehan's was fabulous. Love the food there. Unable to walk the promenade due to high winds. Getting my steps in as I walk up and down the steps. My room steward is Adi and he is wonderful. Rust relaxing for the rest of the day. Tonight is Norwegian's night out. Not sure where dinner will be. So far, this has been a fantastic trip. Tomorrow is Charlottetown. 

[j603]

I hope you get to enjoy the foliage. It has been a much better year than I was expecting it to be because of the drought conditions we have seen throughout New England this year.

[Denise T]

Day 3 in Charlottetown was fantastic. Watched the sail in. Breakfast was in the Great Outdoors and the sun came out. Beautiful day. We got off the ship and strolled around. We waited before we got off because we didn't want to be amongst the crowd running to their tour buses. I could live in Charlottetown. There is a nice harbor walk that we did. We brought some souvenirs. Back on board we sat at the Atrium bar and watched football. See was calm when we got in. Apparently, lots of people were seasick the day before due to the rocking and rolling of the ship. We had a nice walk around the promenade. Dinner at Cagney's was wonderful. The food was delicious. I had the jumbo crab cake, the petit fillet mignon with baked potato and steamed broccoli and the raspberry creme brulet for dessert. We went off to Spinnakers to listen to 80's music and then watched the Eagles beat the Cowboys and remain unbeaten!

Overnight, the ship is rocking and rolling again as we head to Sydney. 

[misstamster]

4 hours ago, Denise T said:

Day 3 in Charlottetown was fantastic. Watched the sail in. Breakfast was in the Great Outdoors and the sun came out. Beautiful day. We got off the ship and strolled around. We waited before we got off because we didn't want to be amongst the crowd running to their tour buses. I could live in Charlottetown. There is a nice harbor walk that we did. We brought some souvenirs. Back on board we sat at the Atrium bar and watched football. See was calm when we got in. Apparently, lots of people were seasick the day before due to the rocking and rolling of the ship. We had a nice walk around the promenade. Dinner at Cagney's was wonderful. The food was delicious. I had the jumbo crab cake, the petit fillet mignon with baked potato and steamed broccoli and the raspberry creme brulet for dessert. We went off to Spinnakers to listen to 80's music and then watched the Eagles beat the Cowboys and remain unbeaten!

Overnight, the ship is rocking and rolling again as we head to Sydney. 

 

[MsTabbyKats]

Your review is making me smile....not one complaint!  You're not even complaining that it's the captain's fault that the ship rocked and rolled!

 

Enjoy the rest of your trip.

[warb]

Great, that you are still enjoying your First Cruise. We always

 

enjoyed Canada-  NE Cruises.  It was "Strange" when we were in

 

Boston. We could of drove Home & did our Laundry. 80 miles away.  Enjoy  !!!

[Cruising Lynne]

I am glad you are enjoying your first cruise.

 

Please let us know how things are in Sydney? I think it may have had some damage from one of the recent storms. I am hoping to do this itinerary next year. I was a fan of the Anne of Green Gables books as a young girl and would like to go to Charlottetown, PEI,  and we have never been to Sydney, Nova Scotia.

We were on Pearl in May. After sailing on Prima last week I realized I missed the simplicity of a mid size ship. Not needing to reserve shows makes it more relaxing. Of course you do not get Broadway shows, but the shows on Pearl are still enjoyable. I also missed going to the Spinnaker lounge at night.

[Denise T]

8 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Your review is making me smile....not one complaint!  You're not even complaining that it's the captain's fault that the ship rocked and rolled!

 

Enjoy the rest of your trip.

I do love the crew. They have been so friendly and they are working so hard to make my trip enjoyable. 

[Denise T]

6 hours ago, Cruising Lynne said:

I am glad you are enjoying your first cruise.

 

Please let us know how things are in Sydney? I think it may have had some damage from one of the recent storms. I am hoping to do this itinerary next year. I was a fan of the Anne of Green Gables books as a young girl and would like to go to Charlottetown, PEI,  and we have never been to Sydney, Nova Scotia.

We were on Pearl in May. After sailing on Prima last week I realized I missed the simplicity of a mid size ship. Not needing to reserve shows makes it more relaxing. Of course you do not get Broadway shows, but the shows on Pearl are still enjoyable. I also missed going to the Spinnaker lounge at night.

I loved Sydney and Charlottetown. I wnat to live the coastal life! There are signs damage. Trees down including very large trees that were uprooted. Signs down. For the post part both towns did a great job with cleanup. I have read that there is not much in Sydney to do. We walked the boardwalk and took in the scenes and we walked some very cute neighborhoods. I love that type of activity. 

 

We have spent lots of time in Spinnaker. it is fabulous!

[Denise T]

Day 3: Sydney was fun. I had read that unless you are on an excursion, there is not much to do. We walked the boardwalk and it was beautiful. After that we walked around the port in the neighborhoods. I loved the cute littel houses and dreamt about what it would be like to live there. We were in port with Regen'ts Seven Seas Navigator. After our DIY excursion we were back on the ship. We played Cinemogi Trivia and did quite well. This was held in Magnum's bar. We had lunch at O'Sheehan's-my favorite place. We then spent time at the pool listening to music and drinking at Topsider's. I went to the spa. We then watched sail away. Can I say how nible these cruise ships are. Pushing away from the port and backing up and then turning 180 degrees to sail out. I love watching it. Dinner was at the buffet, Mexican night. Then a walk on the deck to end the night. 

 

I will have to post pictures when I get back to the US. Download speeds are very slow but I have taken lots of pictures. 

[www3traveler]

Who is your Captain?

[Denise T]

11 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

Who is your Captain?

Teo Radun

[Firstin87]

Denise,

 

Thank you for this review.  We are doing this sailing next week and were wondering if Charlottetown would be open.  Now we know it is and we can continue to look forward to uor Double Decker bus excursion.

 

Once you've sailed on NCL, you become quite a fan!  It's our favorite line by far and we sail it often.  I LOVE that petit filet mignon at Cagneys!  If you go to La Cucina, their fillet is delicious, as well.  Nice to know that Spinnakers plays music from the '80's.  So glad you're enjoying your first cruise.  Hope you are able to go on many more!