Rebel_Jedi

I agree... just check the forecast a few days before you leave.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/ketchikan-ak/99901/june-weather/331730

Thanks!

Thanks for all the advice! Do you think we should pack bug spray?

Hi everyone, I have a few questions about what to pack for an early June Alaskan cruise:

Can I get away with sneakers or will I need boots? (We're not hiking)

Do I need a parka or can I just wear layers? (sweatshirt under jacket)

Do you suggest bringing any pants thicker than jeans or can I get away with jeans?

Thanks in advance!

DH, DD and I just returned from the Pearl on our 1st Alaska cruise. Make sure to see the dance/singing production shows in the Theater...they were great and the performers did an outstanding job. Buffet was good....at times almost better than the main traditional dining rooms. Also...they sale day passes to the spa...for $40.00 each---if available which they were on our cruise. Try that on a sea day..wonderful relaxing way to spend a cold sea day! Suggestion: Lunch and breakfast in Blue Lagoon or now called: O'Sheehans is a great alternative to the buffet....Lotus Garden is free now...and has great Asian food for dinner. Make sure to go to Spinnakers Lounge to enjoy sunsets and whale watching!We saw Whales in the bay at Icy Strait Point from the ship...amazing! The Great Outback..has a late breakfast buffet that is very nice...as well as food all day----another nice option to avoid the buffet crowds.

 

Hope you have a great cruise.:D

Thanks for the info! Sounds like we'll be spending a lot of time in Spinnakers Lounge. :)

It's late so not going to say much other than the Pearl is a beautiful ship and it's our favorite for many reasons. We live in Seattle (well just slightly south) and took a drive this weekend and snapped a pic of the Pearl.:D

 

Thanks for the picture, I didn't realize the port was downtown! I am excite.

I didn't read through all the comments but we have sailed on DCL 6 times. We sailed the Pearl last June to Alaska. My girls were 13 and 16 at the time of sailing. Compared to Disney the girls were very disappointed. The theater shows were pretty boring to them. The rock climbing wall was closed most of the week. Of course, on our sailing they just removed the slide which ended up not being a big deal as it was way too cold to swim anyways. For some of the indoor things they liked the bowling but that is like a one time activity to do for about 1 hour. The movie selection was pretty poor as well. Now, remember their age. I just felt like for this ship that NCL was catering to an older crowd. The buffet was okay we definitely like Disney better. I thought the food was much better in Disney's MDR than on the Pearl. My kids LOVED the specialty dining on the Pearl. In fact we only ate in the dining room 2 nights and did specialty the other 5 nights. It was nice that kids could go out with us unlike Disney where the specialty restaurants are adult only. Plus, we like the décor better on Disney as it was more appealing to us visually but we are Disney nuts so take that with a grain of salt if you know what I mean. We had a great time on the trip as the purpose was to visit Alaska. We did some great things like fishing for Salmon, taking a boat to Tracy Arm (I highly recommend this tour offered by NCL-- we got pretty close to the glacier), seeing sled dogs, etc... Have a great trip...

 

Edit to add more: The kids club was a bust for them. This sailing was pretty early in June and so, there weren't very many kids on board. We did visit the club and it was just okay. Nothing like what Disney has on their newer ships like Fantasy and Dream. Finally, the movie selection wasn't too great. Luckily, we were staying concierge level and we could check out videos for free. So, we watched a ton of movies. They had one movie Divergent that we watched on their regular TV channels.

Thanks for your comments - the good and the bad. My daughter is 9 so I'm hoping she is still entertained by the kids club. I didn't even think about the fact that there won't be many kids onboard since it's an early June cruise. Bergleflickle.

Thanks for this review, I'm Psyched!

Thanks guys, especially for the pictures! My kid will love that.

Oh excellent! Thank you!

Thanks for the answer!

I'm hesitant to reply because I've never sailed with NCL before but I can say that the recent changes wouldn't keep me from booking with Norwegian, anyway.

Hello,

I ordered a "party package" for embarkation day since it's my daughter's 9th birthday. NCL's website didn't have a lot of information on it and when I called the CSR didn't know much either.

Does anyone have any experience with this? What is included and what the gift card is for?

Thanks!

 

Oceanview and Inside staterooms have not been getting a coffee maker or water kettle for years now, but as noted by others - let your Stateroom Steward know & request one, hopefully they should be able to get you one - and, without a convenience fee or daily surcharge, given this regime's mindset. :D

Thanks! I will ask our Steward when we arrive.

Currently on board and planning on posting them when I get back.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ahhhhh I hope there's pictures too! I'm so excited.

ok, here is my experience with the Pearl and everyone has a different idea of course. Hopefully you will get a feel for the ship just be reading what we have to say.

 

We have cruised the Pearly 3 times, the most recent last month. compared to the other lines you have been on you will find the cabins on the small side. Well actually we don't think any smaller than Princess. Princess has a few more sq ft but we think the dressing area is wasted space and we have cruised them 3 times.

Other than the cabins size I can't think of a really negative statement about the Pearl. Your daughter, depending on her age will love the kids program or most do.

For us, the food on NCL overall is a little better than Princess but food is very subjective. I can't compare it with Carnival as it has been many years since we have cruised them. I know Disney has fantastic food. We like the dining choices on NCL and the casual dress. Even though Princess says formal nights are obtional to a degree, we felt very uncomfortable not being dressed to the nines and ended up staying out of the public areas on formal nights.

 

I think, as much as we love the Pearl and NCL overall, Princess ships are a little prettier.

 

Overall the entertainment is better on NCL and we found the service much better. Hope this helps you some and hope others will give you good comparisons as well.

Thanks for your review, that was really helpful! I agree that Princess ships are very pretty, though it's been a few years since I sailed on one!

I was able to call and get all my reservations changed to 5:30. Incidentally the NCL rep I talked to may be the nicest person I have ever spoken with on the phone.

The staterooms look roomier than I thought actually!

Binoculars & dress in layers, hats & mittens, scarfs if necessary so that you can stay outside to enjoy the passing scenic coastlines. Get an insulated mug - hot coca/chocolate and/or coffee does wonders.

 

The following pictures were taken on outside deck cruising on sea days - inside passage (promenade on the Pearl should be deck 7, somewhat sheltered - that's where we're then on the Star)

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64025118/1980-2000%27s%20Travel/DSCP132E.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64025118/1980-2000%27s%20Travel/DSCP137.JPG

These pictures make me so excited!!

Do the regular staterooms (like Oceanview) have coffeemakers?

Excited for this season of Alaskan dailies and trip reports!

 

I have a long time to wait but love the build up of excitement.

Not that long to wait! :D

Does your daughter have a set of markers?

Problem solved! :D

Haha I actually thought about this!!

Thanks! Yeah it sounds like she won't be missing much anyway. We're on the Getaway over Christmas and that looks like it has some pretty good slides so this trip she'll just have to enjoy the scenery!

I saw in another thread that people are planning their dining reservations around the kid's club. We have 6:30 reservations so I wonder if it wouldn't be better to change them all to 5:30 (if I can).

Last, albeit really stupid, question (hey, the fun's in the minutiae, right?). Our luggage tags for the ship say "PURPLE" on them and there are a couple of strips colored purple. Would you suggest a color printer? Our printer at home only has black ink.

Thanks!

I second, third and 100th the praise for the kids club. Basically, it's the reason we sail NCL.

 

I reiterate the importance of registering her in the afternoon you board (it's our first stop, gets crazy busy later) and having her attend the first night at 8pm. That's when they play all the getting to know you games and kids make 7-day BFF's. Once we missed it, and paid for it dearly the rest of the trip.

 

I have one sad thing I want to mention. The Pearl's waterslide was removed last year. If you have kids the right age, you know what I'm talkin' about. The Jewel still has two. Had I known this, instead of the two Pearl cruises I have booked this summer, I would have booked them on the Jewel. (pretty much same timing, price and itinerary) I had to strategically let them know, and at the same time describe all the wonderful things they could do instead. Still didn't really work!

*&%$! I am bummed about the waterslide - my kid is 9, she would have loved it. Well, thanks for letting me know so I didn't get her hopes up. Why on earth did they remove it?

We're slotted for an 11:30am check in at the port in Seattle. Where do we go (on the ship) to sign her up for the evening kids program? Is NCL a pretty good cruise line for kids? She's coming from DCL.

Either way, thanks for the info on Splash Academy and the heads up on the water slide!

OH YES PLEASE!!! Yes they are subject to change but for the most part, they stay very similar. It reallllly helps with planning and is SO much fun to study in advance. It also really helps to know when the best spa specials are, laundry special, etc...

You got it!

Oh man, I wish we were going for 11 days. 7 days never seems long enough.