Our Fabulous Alaska Cruise Picture Review!! NCL Pearl - June 2016

[VegasChic]

More Marjerie Glacier photos….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

I am really enjoying your review. Like you, I have also been secretly wanting to do an Alaskan cruise but the hubby kinda rolls his eyes at me when I mention it and my "Caribbean Mermaid Princess" would have a fit if we are not at a beach every port day of the cruise. But...I've been working on her by showing her all of the neat animals that she would get to see that we normally don't see in the Caribbean.

 

 

 

I'm loving your pictures. I want to go for the picture factor itself. I'm also a picture freak. :D

 

 

 

 

“Behind the Scenes” tour. Children are not allowed so my husband went to drop Olivia off at splash academy it opened at 9 am same time as the tour.

 

 

Why did they not allow children? My daughter has went with us on the tour before. That's really weird. (My daughter is now 8 years old...so she was younger than that when going on the tour).

[VegasChic]

I am really enjoying your review. Like you, I have also been secretly wanting to do an Alaskan cruise but the hubby kinda rolls his eyes at me when I mention it and my "Caribbean Mermaid Princess" would have a fit if we are not at a beach every port day of the cruise. But...I've been working on her by showing her all of the neat animals that she would get to see that we normally don't see in the Caribbean.

 

 

 

I'm loving your pictures. I want to go for the picture factor itself. I'm also a picture freak. :D

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why did they not allow children? My daughter has went with us on the tour before. That's really weird. (My daughter is now 8 years old...so she was younger than that when going on the tour).

 

 

Thank you for reading along:) Just keep at it, I'm sure they will give in eventually. My husband loved it so much that he is now finally letting me plan a Europe cruise!!

I've read your reviews and know how many pictures you post. You would go crazy:D

I'm not sure why kids are not allowed but that is what they told me, maybe they changed the rules?

[VegasChic]

Margerie only calved once while we were there, here is some calving action….

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some advice: if you want to take selfies or pictures of your family with the scenery, do it from the open top deck to get natural light. I was on deck 7 and when we tried to take pictures of ourselves they would come out dark. I had to use the flash and bounce it off the back wall. I liked being on deck 7 it wasn’t crowded and we had easy access to bathroom/bar. Later, we moved to the top deck (not sure what deck number but I took the Seattle skyline pictures from there) and it was crowded.

 

 

[sunlitmists57]

Following. We did Alaska in 2015 on the Jewel and are going again this Sept. It was our first cruise and we are in love.

 

How easy was the pick up/reservation of your rental car?

[VegasChic]

Hanging out with my gear stole my hubby’s glove and hat (I was freezing!!) This Miami girl loves the cold but I hate to have cold hands. My right hand was frozen! As we headed to the next glacier, I decided to get a warm drink at the bar. They were offering some specialty coffee concoctions just on Glacier Bay day. I purchased the Glacier coffee and it came with a souvenir cup (cannot use the drink package for these drinks). It was so delicious, I think about that coffee all the time!

 

 

Heading to John Hopkins Glacier…

 

 

 

 

 

[tweetylori]

Loving your amazing pics!

[VegasChic]

As we sailed away from Marjerie Glacier, another ship took our place (it’s too far to see what ship it was maybe princess).

 

 

From National Park Service Website:

 

"Johns Hopkins Glacier

Massive and spectacular. One of the world's extremely few advancing tidewater glaciers. A trip into Johns Hopkins Inlet provides a memorable glimpse into the ice age. Let the sounds of waterfalls, seabirds, falling ice, and swirling waters transport you to a vanishing world of ice.

 

Length: 12.5 miles

Width: 1 mile

Height at Face: 250 feet"

 

John Hopkins Glacier from afar we couldn’t get too close because the sea lions giving birth.

 

A closer view (zoomed in)...

 

Deck 8 crowd….

 

 

[VegasChic]

Next was Lamplugh Glacier immediately to the right when facing John Hopkins.

From National Park Service Website:

“Lamplugh Glacier

Born in the Brady icefield, this glacier travels over 16 miles to reach the sea. Lamplugh is known for its deep blue ice, and the huge subglacial river and cave that appears each summer in the middle of the face.

 

Length: 16 miles

Width: .75 mile

Height at Face: 150-180 feet”

 

There is a small boat in this picture you can’t really see it in the first one so I cropped it in some. It gives you a great perspective of how enormous these glaciers are. I didn’t know there was a boat there until I was looking at the pictures on my computer.

 

 

 

 

I preferred taking pictures from deck 7 because we are closer to the water and the pictures look nicer. I decided to get a different perspective and moved up to the top deck these pictures were taken from there…

 

 

 

[bonbonlynn]

Great photos. We'll be on the Pearl touring Alaska in August. You're making the wait longer. :D

 

Don

 

My family will also be on the Pearl touring Alaska in August!! These pictures really gave me an idea of what to do while we were in Seattle.:D

[mitsugirly]

I just have to ask...when you are cruising along, does anyone come on the speakers to let you know what you are cruising by (like names or any information about it)? How do you know what you are seeing? Do they had out any brochures or anything? Do they spend any amount of the time (or stop the ship) as you go by for everyone to see and get pictures? I have always wondered how it works.

[TheCalicoCat]

Thanks for sharing, I'm going back to Alaska in July - to see the bears!

[JillL]

Loving your review... Your pictures are spectacular. We have never entertained the idea of going to Alaska (way too cold...), but your pictures make me think about what we are missing!

[jimsig]

I just have to ask...when you are cruising along, does anyone come on the speakers to let you know what you are cruising by (like names or any information about it)? How do you know what you are seeing? Do they had out any brochures or anything? Do they spend any amount of the time (or stop the ship) as you go by for everyone to see and get pictures? I have always wondered how it works.

 

 

While in Glacier Bay on the Pearl they have park rangers on board that give a commentary in the Spinnaker Lounge that can be heard on the PA or if in you room on the TV. The ranger have maps available in the Spinnaker Lounge as well. They do stop and turn the boat at each glacier. Some glaciers get more turns of the ship then others

[CaliTravels]

O-M-gee! I didn't know there was more than one glacier in Glacier Bay. I'm not a photographer, but your photos make me want to purchase a camera for the trip. Going to check out some local pawn shops. The anticipation is building! Thank you for sharing.

 

 

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[VegasChic]

Some more pictures from Glacier Bay (sorry if it’s too much but I loved this place!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[VegasChic]

O-M-gee! I didn't know there was more than one glacier in Glacier Bay. I'm not a photographer, but your photos make me want to purchase a camera for the trip. Going to check out some local pawn shops. The anticipation is building! Thank you for sharing.

 

 

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Hi! Thank you! You can rent camera's and lenses if you don't want to invest in one. Check out lensrentals.com they also offer insurance. I rent lenses from them and it's a very easy process. I think it would be worth it but you can work with what you already have. Whatever you get make sure to practice and get familiar with it before. My husband bought me a gopro hero 4 silver for this trip as a Christmas gift and I didn't take the time to practice before so I have very limited video (big mistake!)

[rayness]

I love your pictures! Can't wait until 2019 Alaskan cruise come out. I'm going to book one.

 

 

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[mitsugirly]

While in Glacier Bay on the Pearl they have park rangers on board that give a commentary in the Spinnaker Lounge that can be heard on the PA or if in you room on the TV. The ranger have maps available in the Spinnaker Lounge as well. They do stop and turn the boat at each glacier. Some glaciers get more turns of the ship then others

 

 

Awesome. Thank you. :)

[TheCalicoCat]

Since you rented lenses, which ones did you rent?

[mamasylvia]

You can't have too many Glacier Bay photos for my taste. ;) It's one of the two reasons I picked the particular cruise we are taking - I ruled out any itinerary that didn't include Glacier Bay. Right now my FB cover photo is a gorgeous shot I took of Spirit Lake in Yellowstone, but I hope and expect to have many photos of Alaska to show off after our cruise! Still almost 3 months to wait, I'm not sure I am going to survive. lol

[VegasChic]

Since you rented lenses, which ones did you rent?

 

 

I didn't rent any I used the gear I had though I wish I would have rented a longer zoom lens. Here is the gear I brought on this trip:

 

Camera: Sony A7RII

Lenses: Sony 55mm; Sony 16-35; and Sony 70-200mm

 

[VegasChic]

 

 

It was time for a little break I had been on my feet since 7:30 am with no food. We had lunch and sat at the pool as we sailed out of Glacier Bay the sun came out and brought some warmth. My daughter begged to get in the pool I had reservations about the idea but gave in. I stretched out on a lounger and started ordering drinks! We had several glasses of wine followed by mojitos. There was a stand serving hot white clam chowder and bread sticks.

 

 

 

That evening we had dinner at La Cucina. It was decent!

 

 

 

Next Up: Ketchikan

Bering Sea Crab Fisherman’s Tour on the Aleutian Ballad

Crazy weather

 

Dinner at Le Bistro

[VegasChic]

Following. We did Alaska in 2015 on the Jewel and are going again this Sept. It was our first cruise and we are in love.

 

How easy was the pick up/reservation of your rental car?

 

 

The car rental process was a breeze but we got there shortly after 9am and there was not wait. I'm sure there is probably more of a line when they first open up. I called to make the reservation and spoke with Vonnie she sent me the confirmation via email as well as a 2-page pdf of info on the drive nowhere near as detailed as Murray's guide.

 

It's a great option if you choose not to do the train!

 

I would love to go back to Alaska but I think I have my husband convinced for Italy/Greece next summer:D

[AF-1]

Vivian, all I can say is; you have provided the "wow" factor for Alaska. Perfect review. I was on NCL Jade for two weeks last year in the Med. The captain on your cruise was our captain for the Jade. We are headed to Alaska in July. Inside passage like you; but will be going with Princess Cruise. Thanks again.