Review-Pearl Feb 3-8..The long wordy version

[Migglewump Fizzlebottom]

I'm going to be as fair and honest in this review as I can. I sailed on this ship last year at the same time, so there is going to be some compare and contrast...some good and some bad.

 

Travel to Miami: This has nothing to do with NCL, but I'll put it in in order to show the importance of leaving a day early. Leaving from O'hare took longer than we thought. Our flight was at 4:00 pm. We didn't get off the ground until 8:30 pm. They were still playing catch up from the 600+ flight cancellations from the day before. People that were supposed to be in Miami at 1:30p.m didn't leave O'hare until 4:30p.m. Once we arrived in Miami, my watching "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" every Thanksgiving paid off. Instead of going to the luggage carosal, I went to the hotel phone bank to make sure we still had a place to stay. Good thing I did as our reservation got moved over to the hotel next door. I had no idea. Had I not checked, we would have paid for a cab to go to the booked hotel (the shuttle quits at 11:00 pm) and found this out. Because I checked, I found that the new hotel was still running a shuttle. The room was fine, but it was too late to go for a swim, so we went to bed. It was quite a change going from the snow and ice in Illinois to Summer.

 

Embarkation: Getting on was easy. The port was under construction last year. This time it was mostly done and looked much nicer. We jumped through all the hoops, swore neither one of us threw up or had the chunder in the last two days and got aboard.

 

Condition of the ship: I was surprised and pleased to see that the ship still looked as great as it did a year ago when it was still brand new. The paint, the furniture, the carpets..everything looked exactly the same. I still don't know how the carpets don't have any visible signs of wear with the thousands of people that have walked over them in the last year. There was one spot I was dissapointed with. The waterfall over the pool. Last year the water came out as one solid sheet and looked really cool. This time it was all raggedy and spraying in about 8 different directions. Did it ruin my vacation...no, but its just one of the things I noticed that wasn't as nice as the last time that could be easily fixed. Its just a matter of cleaning it out and removing the blockages.

 

Cabin: This year we went with an inside cabin. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It was small, and very dark with the lights off, but we managed. There really isn't much room. You are either on the bed, or standing. Because of this we didn't spend much time there. Would I rather of had a balcony...yes. But, I would do an inside cabin again. There is one problem that I didn't forsee with having an inside cabin though. After an extended visit to the restroom, there isn't anywhere for the smell to go. I apologize to my fellow passengers on Deck 8, but my wife made enough to share and thats why I had one of her flip flops propping open the cabin door. Next time, I'll bring Febreeze or an oxygen tank.

 

Cabin Stewards: Did a great job. We had two towel animals..a frog and a mouse. They surprised us at how fast they turned the room around some days. They were rarely seen, but very good.

 

Super Bowl XLII: They really did a good job with this. It was available all over the ship. They put out food and had a cake with both teams on it. That cake was really, really good. We started in the Crystal Atrium and watched on the 20 foot screen and ended up on one of those loungers in Spinnakers watching on a flat panel. NCL had the NFL world feed, not the FOX broadcast. It was great not seeing sponsor logos all over the screen or hearing what was coming up next on FOX a thousand times during the game. For the first five or six minutes of the game it was just the raw feed from the field. No announcers, just the mics on the field. We didn't see any of the commercials, they just went to a long shot of the field during the breaks or showed highlights of what we just saw. The crowd was 50/50 on which team was supported. A lot of cheering and boos. It was a lot of fun, at least until the end for the Patriots fans. By the way, to the Patriots fans, I know what its like to watch your favorite team go 18-1. The Chicago Bears did it in '85, but well..you know..they won the important one.

 

Life Boat Drill: This takes about 20 minutes. Don't try to ditch..just go and get it done with.

 

Entertainment: We only saw one show last year. This year we decided to see more shows. I'm glad we did. Most of the shows were very good. We missed World Renowned Master Illusionist Richard Burr and his extremely hot wife Josette because they were on opposite the Super Bowl. I did catch his close up show (card tricks..etc) and he was very good. I enjoyed the Jean Ann Ryan company's performances. I recommend seeing the second show "South Beach Rave"...very sexy. The jugglers "Team Rootberry" were very good too. They are goofy funny and very entertaining. While I got a few laughs, I thought the guy in front of me was going to die of hysterics. The only perfomance I didn't really care for was "The Second City". I'm an avid fan of live comedy. I love live improv. These people just weren't funny. Some of the bits were good (ie..the blow up doll) and some just sucked (ie..the email exchange). We went to the adult show in Spinnakers and lasted about 10 minutes before we left. It was just awful. I'm fine with working blue, and when done right, cursing a vulgarity can be hilarious, but these guys just..eechh. The stiffs they brought out from the audience weren't any help either. They had no idea how to go with a bit. Could I have done better myself...yes.

 

Cozumel: Last year we went snuba diving. This year we did the beach break. I like the beach break much better. Playa Mia is a very nice park with plenty of room and plenty to do. The open bar was a waste for us because we don't drink alcohol, but they did make us non-alcoholic pina coladas and daquris. The food on the buffet was surprisingly good. It was much better than what I ate at Carlos and Charlies last year. The water was very rocky near the shore. It is very easy to slip and break your ankle if you are not careful. Once you get past the rocks, it great. The water is so clear and blue. You can see right to your feet from chest high water.

 

I did have one problem. When I came back to my beach chair from playing on the water trampoline, I thought one of the ships had lost its laundry and all the wrinkled sheets had washed ashore. I was wrong. It was just a senior citiziens group that surrounded us. I noticed that there was a one of these fossils had set up camp right behind my chair and was in danger of getting her legs smashed if I leaned back in my chair. I tried to explain this to her and she just looked at me like a deer in the headlights (she spoke English as I heard her discuss her friends lyme disease with another relic). I couldn't figure out why she was so close to my chair, when there was plenty of room and no one else seemed to have this problem. She actually moved her chair out of the line they were in in order to be closer to us. Well the mystery was solved when my wife asked me to adjust the umbrella I had left a deposit for that is clearly meant to cover only two people at the most. When I moved the umbrella the antique said "Excuse me..did you pay for that?" I said "Yes, I left a deposit and tipped the beach guy to set it up for me." She said, "Oh, my husband and I thought they were part of the beach, thats why we set up so close to it." and then proceeded to go back to her book. I wanted to choke her. She finally moved after I spent 10 minutes glaring at her.

 

Grand Cayman: There's not much for me to say about it. We didn't do an excursion. We went into town and walked around. It looked like every other tourist town I've been to. The same plate, cup and stuffed animal with a t-shirt that says "Grand Cayman" can be found at Myrtle Beach, Panama City, Wisconsin Dells, Lake of the Ozarks...etc. We went back to the ship and enjoyed sitting next to the pool for once.

 

Cruise Directors: Much to my relief, there was no Ray Ray. I would have just gotten in trouble because I would have called him out on his name and then made fun of him every chance I got. Instead we had the tag team combo of Simon Murray and his Assistant CD Paul Scally. These two did a great job. Simon is from Austraila and looked like a freshly escaped lunatic. His hair and awful suit combinations, plus that accent got him renamed Mr. Pennywhistle (Migglewump Fizzlebottom, which would have fit him perfectly, was already taken). Very energetic and very funny. This guy is what all cruise directors should be like. His assistant Paul got rechristend "Freddy Mercury" the first time I saw him. He is from Great Britain and is dead ringer for the late great lead singer of Queen. He was a really nice guy and knew how to work a crowd. He did a great job with the "Mr. Sexy Legs" contest and got eveyone excited for bingo.

 

Crew: Last year it was mostly Romanians. This year it was mostly Phillipinos. I'd rather have the Romanians back. They were alot friendlier. They were always smiling and said hello when you passed them. The current crew did a fine job, they just weren't that personable. The Phillipino waiter we had at Mambos acted like he'd rather be doing anything else but waiting tables. The Phillipino bartender woman at the Sky Hi bar was the only one that gave me any grief about getting two sodas at once on my soda card ( so I wouldn't have to make two trips up the stairs when I finished one), none of the other bartenders said a word. They just poured me my sodas. The rest rarely said hello when you saw them, (I know, I sound like Uncle Leo from "Seinfeld", but once again its something that changed from last year) and seemed almost too involved in doing their job. I appriciate they have a lot of work and a hard job to do, but if a passnenger looks you in the face and smiles, they should at least acknowledge it.

 

Food: This was hit or miss. I hated the buffet. I despise standing in line while some undecided mope can't make up her mind what she wants. The hamburgers were awful. The scrambled eggs were awful. Just a runny mushy mess. They quit serving made to order eggs and omlettes at the "Great Outdoors". I think that was my biggest dissapointment. I really enjoyed not having to wait in line and having fresh cooked eggs in the morning last year and was looking forward to it this time. I loved Cagney's and I really liked the food in the dining rooms. Try the Mushroom Risotto. I had never had it before and it was excellent. Mambos was a dissapointment. Super slow service and the food just wasn't as good as last year. The ribs were fatty, full of cartlage and had this terrible sauce on them. I asked my wife "What happened? This used to be great." The fajitas and Il Popo are a little better. Once again, we never got to eat in LaCucina. I just couldn't get a reservation. I have personal reasons for not eating in Le Bistro, the food may be great, but I'll never know. That Monet hanging in there is beautiful though. Its worth taking a look at.

 

Lemonade: Never had any. Bought the soda card and enjoyed rivers of Ginger Ale.

 

Disembarkation: Getting off took a little longer than it did last year. The customs agent in the line we were in was checking every foreign passport with a magnifiying glass while the other 5 lines were moving along quickly. I swear it took him over 15 minutes to clear a family of 4 (Mom, Dad and two little kids) from Peru. He didn't make them open any bags or search them, he was just looking at the passports. There was another, larger family of Peruvians directly in front of me. I envisioned standing there for an hour when they opened up another booth. We were now next in line at the new booth and it took about 30 seconds to get cleared. I don't know why the port of Miami doesn't use separte lines for American citizens and foreigners. I've seen it at the Charleston SC airport and the Philly airport.

 

We used the BAGS program and it was worth every penny. After seeing the lines at the airport, I knew I made the wise choice. Since we already had our boarding pass, we just walked up to security and then on to the gate. Our luggage was almost first off when we got back to O'hare.

 

Fellow Passengers: There were more kids this year than last year, but no problems from any of them as far as I knew. I found out that I would rather have a ship full of kids than half a deck of Baby Boomers. I could go on for 3 more pages on how I've learned to despise Baby Boomers over the last 5 days, but I'll spare it. Just thinking about them and how they acted is making me mad. I'll just say this...you are not the only people on the planet. You are going to need my generation to pay for your pills so you can cheat death for another day. I'd start learning some manners and be a little more polite to the younger generation (ie..don't cut someone off in line and act like you were supposed to do it, or shove your way onto an elevator passed the people that were waiting for it).

 

One more thing. This year, I found the best spot on the ship that wasn't available last year. The Deck 7 promenade has padded deck chairs now. Not many, about 20 on both sides. If you get one of these, you are now in a little slice of Heaven. Its quiet, outdoors but out of the sun, and you have a wonderful view of the ocean. The only real noise is the sound of the waves hitting the ship. My wife spent 2 days sitting there and I lasted about 10 minutes reading my book before I was lulled to sleep for a nice afternoon nap. I do believe that was my favorite part of the cruise.

 

Overall, I really enjoyed my trip and would sail the Pearl again. Those of you getting aboard enjoy yourselves.

[katiel53]

I would normally thank someone for writing a review, however, your disdain for older people has made me think your opinion is not something I should thank you for.

 

Just because someone doesn't decide immediately what choice to have from a buffet doesn't make that person mope". I happen to be part of the baby boomers and we enjoy cruising and not all of us are rude. There are many people who are young, perhaps yourself included that are rude, disparaging and not necessarily someone I would welcome on a cruise.

 

I do think your description of the people at the beach in Mexico shows your attitude toward people in general. I was going to give my opinion of you, but I thought I probably would be forever banned by cruisecritic. I would certainly hope my son would not show the total lack of disrespect you do to the elder generation. I can't imagine what you will be like when you are grown up, lol.

 

Anyway, I wanted to ask is there an omelet station in the buffet? I know you said not in the outdoor area, but how about inside? Can you get omelets in the dining room for breakfast?

 

I do understand how the lady gave you a hard time about getting 2 sodas on your card at one time. There are many threads about sharing cards and I know the cruiselines pay next to nothing for soda, but sell the cards to make a profit. I would rather pay more for my cabin than pay for someone to have soda etc.

 

Somehow I think you are looking for a cruiseline that is more suited to younger people. I hope you find what you are looking for before you get to be your parents age and have to put up with the the mopes of the world. Good luck and I would love to know what you will be like in 20 years. Perhaps, grown up and more tolerant.

 

I do know that I will probably be flamed for my views, or perhaps my post will be removed, but I hope it's not before you, the OP, gets to read it.

[Migglewump Fizzlebottom]

Anyway, I wanted to ask is there an omelet station in the buffet? I know you said not in the outdoor area, but how about inside? Can you get omelets in the dining room for breakfast?

 

Yes, they do have an omelette station inside at the buffet. That was one of the places that I encountered an inconsiderate Baby Boomer. One that just stepped ahead of me in line and ordered. One that was so hungry she couldn't help eating in line and smacking her lips loudly as she enjoyed her pineapple and waited on her egg white omelette. Because I didn't want to cause a scene I just held my breath until my anger subsided. But I guess I'm not the tolerant one.

[slotaddict]

I was on the Pearl in October for 9 days, I never saw a waterfall by the pool, I guess I am just not observant LOL.

 

The buffet was one of the parts of the ship that I enjoyed the most. Never experienced any soggy eggs or anything of that nature. I loved the action stations and the crepes were my favorite.

 

The amount of people on any given cruise that are rude are rarely limited to baby boomers. I have encountered many a rude person and they come in all shapes and sizes and ages.

 

I hope you had a smashing time on your cruise. the Pearl is a great ship.

thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts.

[Nano]

I have found that there are rude people in every generation. I am a young Baby Boomer (48) and I am often appalled at some people's manners (on cruise ships or otherwise), but I really don't think it's just related to a person's age. I just try to ignore rude behavior since I'm on vacation, but I have to admit the chair hogs really make my blood boil!

 

That being said, I really appreciate your review, and I hope you didn't get too much sun in your fishnet speedo! Glad to hear Ray Ray has moved on and that Simon and Paul have taken his place. He didn't get the best reviews, so it's good to know there's some fresh blood before we board on 2/17.

 

Thanks for taking the time to post such a thorough review!

Nancy

[rainman013]

Migglewump, I was on the same sailing and will be posting my review shortly in the review section. Your views on seniors and baby boomers is quite disturbing. I've met and seen many obnoxious people of all generations, including plenty in their 20's and 30's. As a fifty-something baby boomer, let me give you this piece of advice: lighten up, your turn will come before you know it.

[goodthatwontcomeout]

I was on the 2/3 cruise on the Pearl as well. Flying there and back was hell. I do HIGHLY recommend flying in the day before. Last night we were supposed to get in to Ohare at 6:20 and didn't make it in until 1 something in the morning. We had gotten to the airport at about 10 in the morning...so it makes for a long day.

Embarkation was a breeze. They had you fill out the forms about stomach symptoms and then off to the lines to check in. The rooms were ready by 1 pm. We had lunch in Summer Palace in the mean time. I was a little alarmed as in the process of getting to Summer Palace different workers tried to influence us in to going to the Garden Cafe. We ended up in Summer Palace with some persistance.

The cruise was very nice. The ship seems a lot to me like the Jewel, from what I remember. Shows were good for the most part. I thought the magician was a bit boring and we left early. I also thought the Sea Legs production was corny and somewhat hilarious. We left that one early as well. They had Sea Legs at Sea previously on the Dream, but this is a different show. Second City was just alright. There were parts that were VERY boring, and the one cast member, don't remember his name, was very rude. I'm ready for NCL to bring some new activities to the plate.

We stayed in an inside stateroom. It's a bit cramped since we had the one bed and the third bed that was folded in to the wall. You can't really walk on the one side as the table is in the way, you have to just climb on the bed. I was disappointed that they only did 2 towel animals. We also ordered room service one night and they never brought it. We waited about an hour and just gave up and went to bed.

I felt like most people were pretty friendly, but there were some jerks at the adults only pool acting like little kids. I felt like they should've went to the kids pool the way they were acting. One guy did a cannonball into the pool and then proceeded to throw his girlfriend in the air and on top of an older woman. No apologies, just laughing. I had to feel bad for the lady as I feel the pool is deeper than they say it is, you can't really touch the floor unless you're maybe 6' or so. There were also other drunken jerks that would splash and kick and had no regard for anyone else just trying to enjoy.

The food was great for the most part. Garden Cafe mostly has repeat food. We had a sirloin with green peppercorn sauce on it that was AWESOME. We also ate at La Cucina. We got that make your own pasta and asked to get chicken on it (not on the menu). They were able to do this for us. It was really good. This was the first time I had eaten there, and I will go there again.

Cozumel was pretty and Playa Uvas was great. They have great service there. The beach isn't how I thought it would be. There were little pebbles mixed in with the sand. It was a very pretty place and the snorkeling was fun.

Grand Cayman was prettier than I had remembered. We went to Stingray City and snorkeling with Captain Marvins. They were a great bunch. The waters were rough that day, but it was neat to feed the stingrays. The snorkeling was better in Grand Cayman than in Cozumel, but I think it was a bit better since it wasn't right close to the shore. The water is gorgeous there!

Disembarkation was fast enough. We also did the BAGS program and it was worth the $15 to me as well. It made the airport less stressful since I'm not too familiar with the Miami airport.

Overall a great trip and will be going again soon!!

[salty dingo]

I have found that there are rude people in every generation. I am a young Baby Boomer (48) and I am often appalled at some people's manners (on cruise ships or otherwise), but I really don't think it's just related to a person's age.

 

I agree (full disclosure, I am mid-40's and qualify as a boomer... barely.)

 

People of any age can be rude. I don't think there is any evidence someone age 60 is likely to be less considerate than someone age 30. Actually, the younger someone is, the more likely they are to be drunk and stupidly obnoxious on a cruise ship!

 

The OP does not drink, but I bet some of his peers did, and made jackasses out of themselves. Do seniors do this also? Yes they do, and I admit it is more disgusting to see grandma plastered than it is to see a frat boy in the same state, but neither is really nice to be around... unless you're plastered too!

[coka]

I appreciate you taking the time to write about your cruise as many of us enjoy reading about other cruisecritic's experiences. Even so, my grandmother told my mother who told me, "Sometimes it is a good thing to not be too honest..."

 

Coka

[Cosmopolitan]

Thanks for the review.

We haven't cruised on the Pearl so appreciated your comments.

 

Go Giants:)

[Migglewump Fizzlebottom]

There was alot more to my review besides the second to last paragraph, but some of you are getting way too hung up on my comments about the Baby Boomers that were on the ship. If you weren't there, then obviously I'm not talking about you. I don't hate all old people. My Grandmother was old and I loved her very much. What I didn't like was these old people..mostly of the Baby Boomer age, that acted as though they were oblivious to the fact that there were other people on the ship besides them. For example...the four older people that insisted on making a huge racket with thier dominoes in the Garden Cafe, while the rest of us were trying to enjoy a quiet lunch. I wasn't the only one that looked over and glared at them. The ship has a very nice room specifically for that purpose. But instead, they decided one of the dining rooms would be a better idea.

 

Or, the older woman that didn't bother noticing that everyone around her was resting quietly or reading a book on the upper deck and decided that it was the perfect time to start yapping loudly into her cell phone. I had to suppress the urge to take her phone and throw it into the ocean.

 

And lets not forget the Baby Boomer Gentleman that decided that even though everyone around him was also resting or taking a nap on Deck 7, that he should break out his digital camera and look through his pictures. Whats the problem with that? Well, everytime he pressed a button on his camera, it beeped loudly. How do I know? It woke me up. When did he stop? When I asked him, "Are you going to do that all day?"

 

Just three examples. None of the people doing these things were under the age of 50 or over 70.

 

One more thing I should have added to the review:

 

Chocoholic Buffet: Last year this was a hyped event. There was a line outside the entrance. VIP's got special passes to view it before the general public. People came in with cameras. There were also many different types of desserts. This year, there was no mention of it in the Freestyle Daily, we only found out after our waitress at Indigo mentioned it. There was no line to get in, and most of the desserts were repeated at least 3 times through the line. I don't know if they are trying to save money or phase this out of the program. It just seemed tacked on instead of the big event it was last year.

[donaldsc]

 

 

And lets not forget the Baby Boomer Gentleman that decided that even though everyone around him was also resting or taking a nap on Deck 7, that he should break out his digital camera and look through his pictures. Whats the problem with that? Well, everytime he pressed a button on his camera, it beeped loudly. How do I know? It woke me up. When did he stop? When I asked him, "Are you going to do that all day?"

 

.

 

You have a real attitude problem if the beep from a digital camera sets you off.

 

DON

[Nano]

And I've NEVER heard anyone younger than 50 yakking into their cellphone loudly at an inappropriate time...

[riddle]

I'm new to the boards....but I thought a review was supposed to be an overall impression of the ship, excursions, dining, cabin, entertainment, etc. I fail to see how one person's annoyance with fellow passengers/vacationers has anything to do with a cruise review. I very much enjoyed your discussions of cruise specifics but am not interested in hearing about age-related impressions of fellow passengers. Life is full of things that "get on our nerves". That is part of "Life".

[Got2Cruise]

M.F., you have a certain "flair" for writing --thank you or your review. Your core audience doesn't necessarily post on this board though. LOL Maybe a venue such as the Onion would find more fans in your style.

 

That said --

 

Did you go to any of the specialty restaurants?

[janiceah]

Hi, thanks for your review. I enjoyed it! We all have things that set us off, I know even though I'm a pretty laid back person there are things that make me crazy. Chair hogs are one and I'm sure I'll come back with more. The important thing is, is that it sounds like it didn't wreck your vacation. I know you were concerned about not getting as excited as the last time you went. Did you have as good of a time as last time?

Is Ray Ray supposedly gone for good? It sounds like reviews on him were very mixed. The guys doing it now sound great!! Thanks for the info on deck 7. I'll be on the hunt for a nice peaceful place to relax that's out of the sun also!! Thanks again-Janice

[Migglewump Fizzlebottom]

You have a real attitude problem if the beep from a digital camera sets you off.

DON

 

The beep from a digital camera thats loud enough to wake me up from a nice nap when there are a thousand other places on the ship that he coud have been making that noise and no one would have cared, sets me off. I wasn't the only one he was disturbing. I'm just the only one that said anything to him.

 

And I've NEVER heard anyone younger than 50 yakking into their cellphone loudly at an inappropriate time...

 

At that particular time, neither did I.

 

M.F., you have a certain "flair" for writing --thank you or your review. Your core audience doesn't necessarily post on this board though. LOL Maybe a venue such as the Onion would find more fans in your style.

 

That said --

 

Did you go to any of the specialty restaurants?

 

Thank you. There were some other points in that review that I thought would have gotten more attention, but the Baby Boomers are kinda proving me right by only being concerned about themselves and what was said about them.

 

We ate at Cagney's, which was very good. While the steaks were not as great as my favorite steak house in Sugar Grove, IL (I'll gladly drive an hour for a good steak), it was cooked properly. My wife had the filet, which was also good. The "Cagney's Fries" were my favorite. We also ate at Mambo's which I covered in the main review.

 

Hi, thanks for your review. I enjoyed it! We all have things that set us off, I know even though I'm a pretty laid back person there are things that make me crazy. Chair hogs are one and I'm sure I'll come back with more. The important thing is, is that it sounds like it didn't wreck your vacation. I know you were concerned about not getting as excited as the last time you went. Did you have as good of a time as last time?

Is Ray Ray supposedly gone for good? It sounds like reviews on him were very mixed. The guys doing it now sound great!! Thanks for the info on deck 7. I'll be on the hunt for a nice peaceful place to relax that's out of the sun also!! Thanks again-Janice

 

Thank you for your kind words. I did enjoy my vacation, but the "oooohh and ahhhhh" wasn't there because I'd seen it already. I liked the enteratinment, have some great pictures of my toes pointed at a blue sky while I laid out on the beach, and got to miss some truly rotten weather for a week here at home. Overall it was a success. Because I was able to get the deck chairs on deck 7 (because I don't think many people knew about them), the chair hogs, the couch hogs, and the chaise lounge hogs didn't bother me. Short of a courtyard villa, I thought I had the best spot on the ship.

 

I don't know if Ray Ray is gone for good or not. His picture was up on the officers and staff board on deck 12 when we started off, but was replaced by Mr. Pennywhistle by Tuesday.

[janiceah]

I also have some questions about the bags program. Do you take your bags through customs and then they take them to the airport? Is there a fee? I guess I just am unsure how this works-Thanks

[salty dingo]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

 

I have a question about the flight to Cozumel... did American pay for that or did you have to? Since they comped the hotel and food, maybe they picked up the flight too?

[Migglewump Fizzlebottom]

I also have some questions about the bags program. Do you take your bags through customs and then they take them to the airport? Is there a fee? I guess I just am unsure how this works-Thanks

 

Here's how it works. The fee is $15.00 and is charged to your room. You fill out a registration form (they will either put one in the room or get one from reception) that has your flight information and how many bags you have. You are allowed 2 bags per person. Once you're accepted, you will recieve confirmation, luggage tags and boarding passes (we got ours the next day) delivered to your room. Check your boarding passes. For some reason my wife and I were seperated on the plane (not her request either). That was easily fixed at the airline boarding gate. NCL has nothing to do with that. The night before debarkation you pack the two bags that are going on the plane, put the luggage tags on them and set them outside your door.

 

The next day, you leave the ship when you are ready. They will call that the BAGS luggage is ready, but you can leave when you want. You go through the customs line with your passport, customs form and your carry on if you have any. Once you've cleared customs (about 30 seconds for us) you go into a wide open area that has everyones luggage separated by tag color. Just ask a NCL rep where the BAGS luggage is. Don't bother with the porters as you will not have very far to go with your luggage. Next, you gather your bags and take them just outside the door (about 20 feet) and a BAGS rep will be there to take your luggage. The next time you see it should be at the baggage claim at your home airport.

 

Once you get to the airport, check which gate your plane is leaving from and just take your boarding passes and ID to the security line. Feel free to point and laugh at the poor suckers snaking through the long check in lines.

 

Its the best $15.00 you will spend. 12,000 people got off 3 different ships that morning. The airport was just a little busy.

[Migglewump Fizzlebottom]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

 

I have a question about the flight to Cozumel... did American pay for that or did you have to? Since they comped the hotel and food, maybe they picked up the flight too?

 

You're in the wrong review.

[janiceah]

Here's how it works. The fee is $15.00 and is charged to your room. You fill out a registration form (they will either put one in the room or get one from reception) that has your flight information and how many bags you have. You are allowed 2 bags per person. Once you're accepted, you will recieve confirmation, luggage tags and boarding passes (we got ours the next day) delivered to your room. Check your boarding passes. For some reason my wife and I were seperated on the plane (not her request either). That was easily fixed at the airline boarding gate. NCL has nothing to do with that. The night before debarkation you pack the two bags that are going on the plane, put the luggage tags on them and set them outside your door.

 

The next day, you leave the ship when you are ready. They will call that the BAGS luggage is ready, but you can leave when you want. You go through the customs line with your passport, customs form and your carry on if you have any. Once you've cleared customs (about 30 seconds for us) you go into a wide open area that has everyones luggage separated by tag color. Just ask a NCL rep where the BAGS luggage is. Don't bother with the porters as you will not have very far to go with your luggage. Next, you gather your bags and take them just outside the door (about 20 feet) and a BAGS rep will be there to take your luggage. The next time you see it should be at the baggage claim at your home airport.

 

Once you get to the airport, check which gate your plane is leaving from and just take your boarding passes and ID to the security line. Feel free to point and laugh at the poor suckers snaking through the long check in lines.

 

Its the best $15.00 you will spend. 12,000 people got off 3 different ships that morning. The airport was just a little busy.

What a great idea!! Where and when do you sign up for it if you are interested? Thanks so much for explaining it, sounds like the way to go to me!! Janice (P.S. You can check two bags you said for each person, correct?)

[Migglewump Fizzlebottom]

Just go to the reception desk and ask for a BAGS form if there isn't one in your cabin. We had to be signed up by noon Wednesday for Friday debarkation. The $15.00 is per person for two bags. Airline weight and size restrictions still apply. I would't try to tie a handle on a refrigerator, but standard luggage will be fine.

[bluesea777]

Cabin: This year we went with an inside cabin.

 

Next time invest in a balcony cabin and you'll have your own peace and quiet: no digital camera beepings, no cell-phone yakking, no noisy domino games, to name a few.

 

I told my DH (I'm a baby boomer and he's 11 yrs older) about your complaints ... he laughed! Did you expect total peace and quiet when you share a ship with 2000 odd other passengers, especially if you booked an inside cabin?!

 

Sorry to be nasty, but I think you need to lighten up a bit - you're 30-something and have at least 50-something more to live!!

 

Anyway, I'm glad you had a good cruise - it's our turn next month - b2b on Pearl - southern first and western after. We aim to enjoy our time, regardless.

 

BTW, that digital camera beepings - why don't you put it down as an funny experience (we find it a hoot!). There is a setting on the digital cameras that can silence the beepings, maybe that old guy (quote 'guy' not 'man') didn't realize there is one. Perhaps, if you had turned the clock back you could have explained to him nicely that there is a such thing, and help him find it. I have turned mine OFF!! :D

[bluesea777]

And lets not forget the Baby Boomer Gentleman that decided that even though everyone around him was also resting or taking a nap on Deck 7, that he should break out his digital camera and look through his pictures. Whats the problem with that? Well, everytime he pressed a button on his camera, it beeped loudly. How do I know? It woke me up. When did he stop? When I asked him, "Are you going to do that all day?"

 

Sorry, I can't help stop laughing at this when I read this the second time.

 

:o