FLAHAM

Suggest seeing the MDR hostess a day or two before you want a table for 13.

Did you embark before 12:00 p.m.? That’s when the MDR usually opens for lunch.

Pearl is a fine ship, unless you’re looking for water slides and kart racing. The aft suites have an enjoyable view. In my opinion, the specialty restaurants range from good to very good. The MDRs are hit or miss, but there’s usually a good choice or two. The theater is nicer than many Broadway theaters. The bars are pleasant and often have live music. I have enjoyed hanging out in the Atrium. I have nearly always found something I liked in the buffet. I never felt overcrowded, even when the ship was full. Its size allows docking in ports too small for the giant ships. Enjoy your cruise.

Jet Blue’s issue.

Missing a stop in Greenland on the Star this August and getting nothing.

I think $100 on top of auto-tips would be generous, even on a 14-day cruise.

Interesting thread. My Gem cruise from Boston to Quebec City in Sept 2025 still shows a stop in Bar Harbor.

Your dining package is printed on your cruise card. Make reservations for the smallest available tables, then tell the hostess you are 2.

I like studio cabins better than insides.

I have always gotten on first tender just by showing my card. No myth.

Bring a Kindle. Read a book.

Bring a Kindle. Read a book.

Very.

Frozen lobster tails never did it for me. Take an NCL cruise with port stops in Maine or the Canadian Maritimes and have a lunch with a live (fresh-killed) steamed whole lobster.

On the Bliss last week, we had purchased “Priority Access.” We were given priority baggage tags for disembarkation. We met in the Maltings bar and were escorted off the ship ahead of all but Haven. Our priority baggage was waiting for us ashore while all other baggage was in the process of sorting.