NCL Pearl Review: A Honeymoon in Alaska to Remember

[niyaka]

*Have submitted this review for member reviews as well but thought I'd share in the boards too. Thank you!*

Traveling to Alaska was an amazing experience, and overall, my husband and I enjoyed our time on board the Norwegian Pearl (8/23 – 8/30). This was my second cruise (having gone on one with Carnival about 8 years ago with my family to the eastern side of Canada) and my husband’s first. Going to Alaska was our slightly belated honeymoon, and we were very pleased with our choice.

We booked everything through Norwegian. Our cruise consultant was okay but not the best. He wasn’t always responsive, and sometimes I had to call the main line to get answers to questions. I also think that hotel and airfare was more expensive, but at the same time, I liked having everything taken care of together, and they arranged for transportation. If we had arrived late or something else had gone wrong, I appreciated knowing that NCL would be responsible for fixing the issue – not us.

Very happy that we flew into Seattle the day before the cruise! Having flown in from the east coast, it was a long trip, and I can’t imagine what time in the morning we would have had to have left if it was the same day. Plus, it was nice having a little bit of time to explore Seattle, which is a great city. Did the underground tour (actually the underworld tour – which is the adult version) and being history buffs who enjoy the seedy and morbid side of things, it was interesting and entertaining.

Embarkation, like everyone else said, was smooth and easy. The ship is a nice size, clean and well maintained, and our room was fine – though I’m glad I’d read on CruiseCritic ahead of time to discover just how obstructed the view was. We only got a sliver of sight, but it was nice to have daylight. The décor on the ship is a bit chintzy – mismatched patterns, bright sometimes garish colors – but this is purely subjective. I did like the colors in our cabin – tropical teals and warm browns. Additionally, given how overcast the weather was, it was nice having strong, jewel tones around. Takes a little bit to figure out navigating the ship, but the little maps they handed out at the beginning were quite handy.

Many people I knew told me to tell NCL that we were on our honeymoon so that they might do something special. I did – only to learn that instead of offering any little complimentary perks, everything extra cost money. To have flowers put in the room was around $30. You could purchase a romance package at different levels. While I understand, I have to admit that I was still a bit upset. Even though I realize they are under no obligation to do so, it would have been nice if NCL had done something – anything - to acknowledge that this was a special event for us. I did purchase the flowers to surprise my husband, and at least they were quite lovely and lasted the entire week. In contrast, the Doubletree hotel we stayed at upgraded our room immediately when they learned it was our honeymoon. I know they didn’t have to do that, but it was very nice of them. If it helps to know, there were only 8 couples honeymooning on our cruise (they mentioned this at the preview show on Sunday).

In terms of food, we only ate at the complimentary restaurants, so I can’t speak to any of the specialty ones. The food was fine – lots of it! I have mixed feelings about freestyle. On one hand, it was great having the flexibility to eat whenever, wherever we wanted, but I would like to experience the more traditional side of dining. When I went with my family on the last cruise, I really just ate with my family and didn’t notice one way or the other, but I think I’d like getting to meet more people and getting to know the wait staff better. As it went, the only staff member we really met was our wonderful room steward, Bibit. She was fantastic and very friendly. We primarily ate in the Garden Café. A little tip - during lunch, find a table in nearby La Cucina – much quieter, nicer décor, and almost always pretty open. We ate a couple of times in the Summer Palace, which was okay, but the service was very slow. Indigo was good but we only ate there once.

I enjoyed the spa immensely. The tour on Sunday was helpful – although some of the services struck me as a bit silly, but that’s just my opinion. I did purchase a week pass to the spa’s thermal suites, which was a delight, especially given how chilly the weather was. The heated tile recliners were wonderful, and the massage therapy pool was fun. Great view. I also tried a hot stone massage. Carmelita worked magic with those hands!

I’ll be honest – it surprised me how much the entertainment on the ship was a hit versus a miss. I passed on the big dancing revues and the stand-up comedian, but Sharkbait was hysterical and Second City was a lot of fun. I also enjoyed the additional Q&As, Liar’s Club game, and additional activities that the entertainment and cruise hosts arranged. Julie, the cruise director, was nice with a genuine smile. James, one of the cruise host staff, was reachable and friendly. We particularly enjoyed the murder mystery dinner (look for the sign up in the first Freestyle Daily on Sunday – they don’t advertise it) but were surprised how few people attended. Only enough for two tables. No matter – it was our first time doing the murder mystery and had a ball bumbling around the storyline with the other couples at our table.

Ports of Call
Juneau
While the cold and rain colored my experience at Juneau, it couldn’t wreck our good time. We saw baby bears fishing for salmon, explored the enormous Mendenhall glacier (from a distance), and rode the Mount Roberts Tramway. We didn’t bother with a shore excursion for this one. There are plenty of inexpensive shuttles to take you to the glacier and the tramway is walking distance from everything downtown.

Skagway
We signed up for the Yukon horseback riding and canoeing excursion, and it was the highlight of our trip!! The 90 minute ride out to the Yukon from Skagway was narrated by a witty and informed guide and the scenery was beautiful. We drove through a “cloud forest,” several different environments, and amazing weather. The further inland, the better the sunshine! Plus, it was nice to get away from the throngs on the ship and in the shore. Spirit Lake Lodge is a great place. My horse, Taffy, was a bit spirited, and we did have another one get spooked and someone did fall, but she got right back up on the horse and there weren’t any further incidents. Do be aware that the trail is pretty narrow on a fairly steep incline, but there is staff in front and behind of the group to make sure everyone is okay and that nothing too serious happened. Lunch included delicious homemade pie. The lake is beautiful, and we loved canoeing across it. A perfect way to end the experience. By the time we got back to Skagway, the weather had become pleasant there and we stopped in some of the shops, took photos of the Red Onion Saloon, and had a decent afternoon.

Glacier Bay
The Margerie Glacier and Lamplugh are pretty stunning. There were so many rivets of color running through them. The Margerie Glacier did calve once – would have liked to see more but was very happy to see it. Lamplugh has a tunnel and waterfall – amazing! The Grand Pacific Glacier is all black, which is very surreal and cool. I enjoyed the commentary from the Park Rangers that came on board. A cold but lovely morning.

Ketchikan
We picked up one of the tours near the cruise ship port. Turned out to be cheaper than advertised on their leaflets, which was a nice surprise. Our guide took us to an area to see bears (we eventually saw one briefly – behind us!), to both a waterfall and a forest/shoreline area, and to the park with all the totems. We also walked along Creek Street and saw a seal enjoying the plentiful fish.

Victoria
I’m going to echo many others’ sentiments – it’s too bad we couldn’t have arrived earlier in Victoria. Hard to say whether I liked the Yukon or Victoria better – so different from one another. We splurged on a pedi-cab. Our teenage guide was adorable, and as we rode through Beacon Hill Park, he’d tell us stories about growing up and making forts under the various “dinosaur” trees (what he and his friends have named the drooping willow like trees). We saw several peacocks throughout the park. We rode through a historic neighborhood with beautiful heritage houses and then through the downtown, past the gorgeous Empress Hotel and legislative buildings. I would love to go back and visit Victoria. We had perfect weather for our visit, and the city lived up to all of my expectations. I know many people have said they just planned to stay on the boat, but even if it’s not as long of a visit as you’d like, please go check out the city. It is a little bit of Europe in North America and not to be missed.

Disembarkation was pretty straightforward. We were so happy to participate in the Bags Inc program, where for a fee of about $20 per person, the cruise line will take your bags and you don’t have to worry about them until you return home. Seeing as how our flight wasn’t until 11:52pm, we found that to be an incredibly helpful service. This allowed us to spend the day exploring Seattle unencumbered.

Overall, I can’t say that I am probably going to be a big cruise person. This was the biggest vacation we’d ever been on together, and while I hope we can do some more “big” vacations, the cost of cruising can be prohibitive. I also get pretty stir crazy fairly easily (even with going to all of the different ports). That all being said, we both had a fantastic time. We saw sights that we probably will never be able to experience again. The animals, the glaciers, and the people were all amazing. The ship was fun and different for us. The vast majority of the staff was pleasant and tried to keep us happy. It felt great being able to do as much or as little as you wanted to. My husband is ready to move to Alaska (I’m ready to move to Victoria!). While there may be premium lines with different amenities or decoration, I think that the NCL Pearl was worth every cent we spent on it.

[niyaka]

Oh! I forgot to mention - just for the boards - that we did briefly attend the Meet and Greet, which was very nice. Unfortunately, it was right after my massage, so I was completely out of it! Didn't stay very long but we met some nice people and thought it was a nice addition to the experience.

[scchasgal]

Welcome back and glad to hear you had a nice honeymoon. Congrats.

Where was your cabin and any issues good or bad?

[niyaka]

We were in G8580. Nice, clean room but completely obstructed view. At least we got daylight! Our room steward, Bibit, was fantastic and friendly. Compared to my last cruise - with an inside room - this felt spacious - hehe. Room was on port side, not that far from the elevators, but far enough to be very quiet.

[scchasgal]

Originally Posted by niyaka

We were in G8580. Nice, clean room but completely obstructed view. At least we got daylight! Our room steward, Bibit, was fantastic and friendly. Compared to my last cruise - with an inside room - this felt spacious - hehe. Room was on port side, not that far from the elevators, but far enough to be very quiet.

thanks we are booked on the Pearl and any info is helpful. Daylight for getting up in the morning is important to me. Inside cabins are a no no for me I would probably sleep all day

[DMH15]

Glad you enjoyed the cruise. When we celebrated my nephew's 18th birthday on The Dawn. I surprised him with the decorations, cake, etc. Which was extra. Many people on CC rave about the romance package. I hope you do not think I an unkind that perhaps someone in your family or friends could have arranged something special for you. Unlike hotels, which really make their bread and butter on the business traveller, cruise ships are full of people celebrating. And NCL offers some nice ways to make it special at an affordable cost.

I've always wanted to try the special loungers in the spa. You made it sound so nice I can't wait to do it.

Congrats on your marriage, maybe you will try many wonderful trips and include another cruise sometime.

[niyaka]

Thanks for the kind wishes for more great trips. I don't think anyone in our family would have known to look for any packages to give to us for the trip - otherwise they very well may have It's true that we didn't point them to it. My dh didn't even know - which made the flowers a nice surprise for him. Definitely take the tour of the spa and lie down on one of the loungers. While it wasn't for my husband, it was absolutely wonderful to me!

[fractoyle]

Really enjoyed your review. We will be leaving on the Sun this weekend for our Honeymoon and hope to have as good a time as you did.

By the way, I believe our TA has set something up with NCL for our honeymoon. It's probably their standard "romance package" but we'll see.

[niyaka]

Have a great honeymoon!! Hope the weather is less overcast and rainy than it was for us, though I imagine it won't be less chilly (though if you ask my husband - he'll claim it wasn't really all that cold - just me! hehe)

[fractoyle]

Thanks, the cold shouldn't be a problem. You could hang a side of beef in our hotel room considering how cold we keep it.

[Why Knot Me]

I just want to echo gently regarding that NCL didn't meet your expectations for "giving" you something for celebrating your honeymoon. The reality is, there are hundreds of celebrations going on amongst guests. Milestone birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, graduations and of course, honeymoons.

If you decide to cruise again, be sure to come here for help on pre-cruise planning. Going thru NCL can be convenient and easy on the mind, but very hard on the pocketbook.

[niyaka]

Thank you Why Knot Me for your response. Like I said, I know it wasn't obligatory but it just would have been nice. Heck, I would have been happy if someone had just wished us a happy honeymoon. I do get that they're a business and that lots of people - okay most! - were there to celebrate something or another, but for each one of those folks, it is something special to be there. And there has to be some low-cost or no-cost ways to at least celebrate that But yeah, I promise I actually understand. Guess I'm just venting a little. It really was a superb cruise and I hope that comes through in the review.

I only really learned about Cruise Critic's boards relatively late into the game on the cruise. If we do a cruise again, I will make better use of the boards to learn more ins and outs! Definitely agree about the pocketbook point - hehe.

[terrymtex01]

OP I am so glad that you had such a great time on your cruise. I do have to say that I found the decor of the Pearl to be beautiful and one of the best parts of the ship to me. Maybe I was comparing it to the other NCL ships that we have been on, but to me it was as close to a RCCL ship of the NCL ships we have been on, which is high praise coming from us as we do think RCCL has beautiful ships. I would put NCL's decor some where between CCL and RCCL, but with that said it has been years since we have been on RCCL and CCL so even that comparison might have changed. It is all, as you have said, subjective anyway. 8-)

I do understand your disappointment in not getting something special from NCL for your honeymoon. I do think it would be nice if they had at least a single layered small cake they could put in the rooms saying "happy birthday" "best wishes" etc etc for those that they are aware of celebrating a special occasion, but then again, I am sure some would say that wasn't enough, how dare NCL give me such a piddley cake for my 50th birthday, etc etc etc. No matter what NCL does it wouldn't please every one. It is impractical to think NCL can upgrade folks cabin choices because of these special events as most cruises are sold out and most of the upper end cabins have been filled through upselling, but a small gester would be nice.

[CaseyJr]

We were on the same cruise and probably saw you in the spa - best money we spent for warm relaxation and a great view after cold and rainy days in port.

Wishing you many years of love and happiness.