Lulubelle45

What donthey charge for the towels?

I guess i would have been one to shock you. My first cruise i prepaid my gratuities and thought nothing more of it. I didn't realize it was expected above nd beyond the 18% . I tip now for room service and tipped one waiter who was just plain friendly even though we never had him serve us. Never having same waitstaff twice made it awkward until i figured out to take cash with us to dine.

I got a free upgrade on the Pearl from inside to obstructed ocean view on my first cruise. I'm now booked in one of those closed hull balconies, my first balcony at that and wouldn't mind and upgrade to an open balcony but not holding my breath. Both are repos

And that can be dangerous because more and more trailer trash cruise every year.

First time trailer trash asks, if i just paid my 18% gratuities on my UBP , am i still expected to tip for my drinks??? Waiters and servers or does this apply to going to the bar myself? I sure dont want to offend all the snooty hoity toity cruisers with my ingnorant trash tendencies

Ah, the Pacific Coastal. There was the time we had to stay in Vancouver 2 nights and missed SanFrancisco. We missed lunch with our boys, but there were many people who planned to debark in SF, including newlyweds. HAL had quite a hassle; I'm sure they didn't need any complaints from us.

 

Then there was the time we were going to meet up with SIL's brother and his family in Astoria. We were able to call them en route and turn them around. Never occurred to me to complain. C'est la vie.

So true!! On our 2011 cruise on the Pearl, one couple on their anniversary cruise were to meet on board after the husbands business trip in Victoria but ferries were cancelled due to high winds, he manage to drive to Astoria only to find out the ship bypassed the town. She was so upset to say the least. The following year we were prepared for the worse, with motion patches and sea bands, the seas were smooth as glass all the way. Go figure

Most posters have said what i would say. As for tours, we did the Aqua duck tour in Ketchican which was very kid friendly, book it early though as it sold out and there were many dissapointed pax that missed out. Mind you i was on Princess when i did that tour, booked through the ship for same price as direct. Still left us with time to explore the town on our own, very walkable.

Too bad as the ship sounds amazing!! Was hoping to sail on its inaugural sail or TA but then again, it may not be making a crossing like that based on its final destination. Being as it's geared for the Asian market, I think the food choices alone would turn me away. A meal or 2 is one thing but an entire cruise...no thanks

I don't know about anybody else, but I remember (and used to advantage) that essay you wrote over a year ago on how to do just that. I'm not sure how well the techniques still hold, but I continue to try. And thanks. Again.

 

It is getting harder, though, to find value when more and more stuff is being taken away. Like as you mention, not being able to bring on a case of soda for "security" reasons. I guess ISIS is preparing to wreak havok with a six-pack of Dr. Pepper.

Yes but you can make a good dent bopping someone on the head with the allowable (with fee) bottle of wine!

I live in Victoria and its true the winds can pick up quite suddenly. We walk our dog on the Breakwater most nights and sometimes see different ships in than scheduled. We in fact are taking a pacific coastal next month that used to include Astoria but now stop in Victoria as there is a better chance of docking there than Astoria. My last Pacific coastal we sailed past Astoria with my shopping list in hand. We were credited about $12 for the missed port. As Seattle was your next port, they most likely just float around for a sea day since its only a few hours away from Victoria.

Word of advice...the gift shop has some with a plastic card holder you slip the card into. Try and avoid these and just have the card punched. After a few days that plastic can break as one passenger found out the hard way when she lost hers in port. Pulled out lanyard with nothing there.

Still fairly new to cruising, only cruised 4 times but am booked next month on the Pearl. My first cruise was the Pearl with a group of Zumba peeps. We had a fabulous time in spite of the insane storm. (Only one person said cruising wasnt for her) The staff were accommodating and set us up in various areas so we could workout. The entertainment i thought was fantastic as were the various games. Loved the variety in dining venues, only eating in a specialty one once.My next cruise was HAL with 4 gals. They excelled in food quality, and cabin size but definitely geared to an older crowd. We had open dining so we generally sat on our own Then it was another Zumba cruise but on Celebrity. Totally different atmosphere . We had the assigned seating for first time, and loved the way the waiters new us and our likes by the second night. Definitely more refined if not a bit stuffy. Finally i went on a cruise with just my mom and sis on Princess. Nothing spectacular but not bad either. So that leads me back to the Pearl.. this time 6 of us and my first cruise with a balcony and UBP. Those are a plus for me even though they removed the waterslide, and wont allow soda and water, i will survive. NCL gave me a love of cruising, the Pearl my favorite ship thus far. What my point is, they all have their pros and cons. I am happy with someone else cooking and cleaning for me and treating me like royalty. Opinions are like A$$ holes ( everyone has one) and where some have reviewed and complained about food, crew ship etc on same cruise as i have gone, i felt quite the opposite.

Wish they did it out of Vancouver.

Shame they arent staying overnight in Victoria as a common complaint is not enough time there, and they have a shipyard to repair cruise ships.

Correct - all cruises leaving Vancouver with Canadian port stops before any US port stops mean no US CBP visit, for either customs or immigration, at Canada Place. We've done it on coastal repos so we know of what we speak - and legally-speaking preclearance is only valid if you IMMEDIATELY depart for the US with no stops anywhere else.

 

If they did preclear you in Vancouver, when you went to Victoria you could acquire shiny new expensive things, let alone illegal items/thing that go Boom without CBP getting to check you out! Obviously that's not going to happen, which means that the first US port you visit after a foreign port needs an inspection done, and they're not wasteful enough to do it twice on the same group of folks - hence, no CBP in Vancouver.

 

Unfortunately this means that you WILL have to do US immigration and customs at your first US port - and however bad it is at Canada Place, it sucks more in Seattle/San Francisco/Astoria etc. as those guys have much less practise at handling cruise ships. Expect long lines!

Yuck. Hope that doesnt mean a delay in San Francisco as i have a tour booked at 10

The three ships in port on 9/26 are NCL Pearl & NCL Sun from Alaska cruises and HAL Amsterdam from a one day Seattle. We will be on the Pearl which goes to Victoria and then on down the Pacific Coast.

 

Having spent many hours trying to board some years ago with other passengers for 3 ships I was so hoping things had changed. Guess not!

I'll be on the same cruise!! Last time on the Pearl ( 2011) I was at Ballantyne pier and there were 2 ships there plus the 3 at Canada Place. First port was supposed to be Astoria but too stormy to dock. I have done this itinerary on HAL and we boarded quite smoothly and had no issue in Victoria in regards to customs

I notice the new drink perk is now called Open Bar. (Probably due to the recent water soda fiasco) my question is, are the drink rules the same? If not will we still be honored what we originally chose?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=50645847

Norwegian Pearl Roll Call September 26, 2016

58 days

Victoria BC. When you get off the ship to the right is the Breakwater, loads of them. Consider them souveniers from your trip. As a local, i see many cruisers collecting them while in port. That being said, put the phones down and enjoy the sites, then just before boarding hunt away!

Ill be on the Pearl soon and will ask to open the partition to our family next door. We have those enclosed like balconies on Deck 8 so it would be nice to converse without having to yell around the side. Unfortunately our cabins dont adjoin and there are times, like am coffee or nightcaps where we are all out on the balconies

I was afraid that was the answer I would get. Got some really bad afternoon flights, both in price and flight duration. Maybe we will stay overnight in Vancouver, and fly out on Monday morning. We shall see, thanks for the response

If accommodation costs is a concern, staying in Richmond, which is near the airport is usually cheaper than downtown vancouver. Most of the hotels have airport shuttles. Drop off luggage at hotel after the cruise, take the skytrain back to downtown and explore!!

I love the food at the PNE, the BBQ cook off between people from across canada and the US the unique stuff like deep fried koolaid one year. The farm animals, it has it all plus home to one of the top 10 roller coasters in the world.

Ive done both, though not to Alaska. That being said, i believe NCL had the better kid programs as they also had the Nickelodeon characters at the time (5 yrs ago on Pearl) and a great area in the buffet for families including pint size tables and chairs. HAL had a nice kids area but for the older kids, more of a hangout. I didnt see the kid zones as we were adults only on that one (Zaandam 4 yrs ago) seems the kids were everywhere doing fun activities on NCL, bowling rock climbing etc

We are also doing this but one issue is finding storage for luggage.

When I recently did a tour in San Diego, we found a nearby hotel to hold our luggage for us. The didn't charge for the service but of course gladly accepted a generous tip for the trouble. Call around and ask. Worth it imo

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