Live from Pearl Boston to beautiful Bermuda 04/07-04/14

[mking8288]

Bon Voyage - AIS tracking has her under way at 16:48 EDT currently at 11 knots with Boston Pilot Mystic at her starboard side.  

 

Norwegian Gem vacated her berth at Dockyard about an hour ago, early & practically on schedule, apparently leaving no pier runners behind.  NCL being one of the major player bringing cruise ship passengers back to Bermuda, tourism bureau continued to email us to promote & encourage visitors to return ... remember those pre-authorization to travel with PCR/rapid antigen testing in 2022 with the $45 p/p fee (and, was initially set at $80 or $85)  

 

Just noticed, on page 1 of today's Freestyle Dailies, door decorations are "strictly prohibited" ... flip flopping again ?  Lotus Garden, Deck 6 mid-ship available for luggage drop-off holds until staterooms are ready ... Okie Dokie (good idea, not fun to haul those jumbo 29" rollerboards with the kitchen sink or whatever inside and not porter-checked at the pier.) 

 

How was that seafood paella, looks pretty yummy 😋

Edited April 7, 2023 by mking8288

[randz]

will be on the pearl april 28th//...i think we sailed with you last yr at the same time.. wondering about the main dining room menus.. thanks in advance..

[CrusinCyndi]

We are sailing on her middle of June.  Are they still requiring 

PCR/rapid antigen testing ??

 

[cruiserbear55]

41 minutes ago, CrusinCyndi said:

We are sailing on her middle of June.  Are they still requiring 

PCR/rapid antigen testing ??

 

No.

[exoticprincess]

Hi, 

Can you please update thru week if you can , if Splash Academy is open while in Port we have done this itinerary before and it was But i guess Pearl Does Not so I am curioust to  find out ? Cruising next week and hoping that it will be , Will have disappointed grandchildren who like to go at night instead of shows and dinners. 

[jannie711]

4 hours ago, exoticprincess said:

Hi, 

Can you please update thru week if you can , if Splash Academy is open while in Port we have done this itinerary before and it was But i guess Pearl Does Not so I am curioust to  find out ? Cruising next week and hoping that it will be , Will have disappointed grandchildren who like to go at night instead of shows and dinners. 

Hello! We just got off the Pearl from Bermuda 3/31-4/7 sailing. Our kids 6 and 4 loved Splash Academy. The schedule at sea kids club drop off was available 9am-12pm, 2-4pm, and 7-11pm. During port days, it was only open for about 2 hours and no drop off available. We noticed kids club staff were working other areas while in port. I’ll try and post a pic of the Splash Academy weekly schedule. 

[vacation44]

Have a wonderful time and love you are bringing your grandson again.

 

[NengEuis]

Following along! Taking this cruise in June and am so excited to see Bermuda for the first time. 

[styles27]

18 hours ago, exoticprincess said:

Hi, 

Can you please update thru week if you can , if Splash Academy is open while in Port we have done this itinerary before and it was But i guess Pearl Does Not so I am curioust to  find out ? Cruising next week and hoping that it will be , Will have disappointed grandchildren who like to go at night instead of shows and dinners. 

Hi unfortunately Splash Academy will be closed the 3 days we are  in Bermuda. 
Last night, day 1 they were only open from 8-11pm and then after 11 it is $6 an hour until 1am

It was at capacity when we tried to go @8:30 last.  Went back around 10pm and Evan was able to get in.  
 

We have had a very smooth ride since leaving Boston yesterday.  There’s some waves but nothing like some of our Bermuda cruises. 
 

The food has been very good in the buffet and MDR. The Paella at lunch yesterday was delicious. Service has been wonderful every place we’ve been. The crew seems very happy and we are always greeted with a smile. Fellow passengers are also great. Huge difference from our January cruise on MSC. 
We have not noticed any cut backs at all. In fact just the opposite. Everyone is so accommodating. 
 

We attended the Cruise Critic meet & mingle today in Bliss Lounge. We had very good attendance including senior officers who took some questions. It was nice to meet some fellow CC’ers in person.
 

It is very windy and chilly outside it’s hard to sit on deck by the pool  but nice and warm on our balcony so we are spending a lot of time out there. 
We’re in a Club Balcony Suite and just received snacks (pic below) 

Here is today’s Freestyle and a picture of the officers who came to the CC meet & mingle. 
Will post more once we get to Bermuda! Thanks for following along!

 

Edited April 8, 2023 by styles27

[styles27]

Those snacks lasted about 2 min and me and grandpa didn’t get any lol

[mking8288]

22 minutes ago, styles27 said:

Those snacks lasted about 2 min and me and grandpa didn’t get any lol

Let me guess, about 3 cookies ... similar to the fresh ones found in the cafe yourself. 

[Mudslide67]

Hello, I hope your enjoying your cruise. My wife and I are heading out next Friday. Quick question: what is the mask requirement at the port of Boston or is there one on the ship. 

[LauraAnneC]

Very interested to follow along. I hope to get to Bermuda someday. Very interested in hearing about the MSC cruise. Have you any idea why the passengers were so rude? 
 

Enjoy your trip and especially the time with your grandson. What special memories you’re creating. 

[cruiseny4life]

Are you all planning for some mini golf in 🇧🇲? There's a place in the dockyard we enjoyed. It might be a ten minute walk from the ship. 

[jayseadee]

Thanks for taking us along.  We sail the Pearl out of Boston in early June; first time on NCL.

 

How is the parking situation at the dock?  Do you know if NCL does transfers from South Station?

 

Also, if you have a chance can you post a pic of the drink menu?  I'm reading that not many drink under the $15 "Free at Sea" limit.  

 

Have a blast!

[debenson0723]

3 hours ago, mking8288 said:

Let me guess, about 3 cookies ... similar to the fresh ones found in the cafe yourself. 

She posted a photo of the goodies...not cookies.

[jimsig]

5 hours ago, Mudslide67 said:

Hello, I hope your enjoying your cruise. My wife and I are heading out next Friday. Quick question: what is the mask requirement at the port of Boston or is there one on the ship. 

There is no mask requirement for either the port or on board.

[jimbri]

Have a great time!

[abby14]

On 4/7/2023 at 5:34 PM, randz said:

will be on the pearl april 28th//...i think we sailed with you last yr at the same time.. wondering about the main dining room menus.. thanks in advance..

I’ll be traveling April 28th also. So looking forward to it. 

[mawvkysc]

I’m curious about MDR menus too. Rotating menus or the new menu? 
 

Thanks so much for this review!

[mking8288]

Good morning, Pearl ... 

right on schedule - approaching St. George's & got ahead of the storm moving across the Atlantic. 

 

Forecast improving, just check local weather updates. Let us know if the ferry will be running tomorrow as the ride across will be choppy.  Enjoy !

 

[styles27]

16 hours ago, Mudslide67 said:

Hello, I hope your enjoying your cruise. My wife and I are heading out next Friday. Quick question: what is the mask requirement at the port of Boston or is there one on the ship. 

Hi! No masks required in Boston or anywhere on the ship. We’ve seen a couple of people wearing them. 

[styles27]

Hi everyone and Happy Easter! 
Made it to Bermuda with no incidents and pretty calm seas. Last night the boat rocked a little but nothing major. 
 

I’ll try to answer all of your questions. 
Parking in Boston. We used Park Whiz and reserved a spot right at the Black Falcon terminal. It was $185 for the week. Very short walk to the ship and easy access. 
 

I will post MDR menus and drink menus later today. 
We didn’t buy a bev package as we don’t want to drink too much so we don’t lose our grandson🤪

 

We ordered an Old Fashion and a Cape Cod in Spinnaker the first night and it was $31 and change for those 2 drinks. 
We bought our own wine on and paid the corkage fee. 
 

The Easter egg scavenger hunt is starting I’ll be back!

[styles27]

We found the Easter bunny and we’re thinking he likes to play tricks on parents and grandparents. The Scavenger hunt took us to stations all over the ship. 4,000 steps later we found him in the Spinnaker lounge 

 

So while here I took some pics of the drink menu in Spinnaker Cloudy and humid in Bermuda. Ship is still waiting for clearance. 

[outbackpaul]

Looks like it's raining now.  Hope it's a quick shower.