Pearl- Alaska- The Review

[fourxk]

I know what it was like awaiting our Alaskan cruise. Waiting for any reviews or tidbits to read. We had a marvelous week aboard the Pearl. I was a huge skeptic as I'm a beach/sun person. I can honestly say I would go back again. Not sure I would do a cruise but there's so much to see in Alaska. It's truly eye candy. Little background. My sister and I have milestone birthdays this year 50 & 60. My spouse is 54 and BIL is 62. I was born & raised on the Chicago area where my sister & BIL still live. We now live in upstate/western NY area.

We flew in late Thursday night. Spending a short night at the Clarion @ Seatac. Room was fine. Stairwells had a funky smell. No breakfast buffet included but you can buy breakfast or at least coffee. We left early Friday to head to the Marriott Waterfront. We were cruising with my sister and brother-in-law and they were already there. Uber to the Marriott was approx $28. Quick ride and our room was ready. Bonus! We soon left to head to Pikes Market. I had read about navigating from the hotel to the market. Completely missed how much of a uphill climb even after using the elevator up two levels. We were fine but my sister has knee issues and it was tough for her. Quick breakfast at Rub w/ Love next to Ettas. Delicious breakfast sandwiches. We both has salmon. They serve Ettas' chowder. It got high marks from my husband. We then made our way through the market. So many sights and sounds.

***If you want fresh flowers in your cabin bring a vase. They bouquets at the market are cheap and gorgeous** I don't think you can take them back off the ship but 7 days of beauty would be nice.

We went to the Chihuly glass museum which is a must do. So beautiful. We didn't go up in the Space Needle. Don't do tight spaces aka elevators. My B-I-L found a Greek festival at a church so we went there after the museum. Interesting...I'll leave it there. We use Uber everywhere we went. Very quick and no issues. We went back to the hotel, tucked in the tired ones and headed out to explore. An unexpected sight was the Seattle Seahawks drumline and cheerleaders leading gala attendees into our hotel. They put on quite the show as people streamed in for the Seattle Aquarium Gala. My husband and I headed out to explore Seattle. We walked through Pikes Market after it was closed. Eerie. Did some window shopping at one of the legal cannabis stores. Strange and smelly. Ended our night at Target. No vacation is complete without forgetting a few things. If you need to go to Target walk to the front of the market where it goes around the corner. You will see Target up a block from there.

Saturday my sister had arranged a wine tour. We had a SUV pick us up at 10am. We made stops at 4 wineries and a distillery. Chateau St Michelle was beautiful. We did the tour and a tasting. John Legend was going to be there that evening. They have big names all summer. It would have been fun to go if we had known ahead of time. The other stops were mostly tasting rooms. Woodinville Whiskey was pleasant. It was fun and nice to see Washington state outside of the big city. We returned to the hotel and got a quick snack at the Pier across the street. Tuna Poke was very good. Quick nap and then dinner at the Brooklyn Steak, seafood and oyster house. The food was good and service very attentive. Halibut was good. We headed back top the hotel and played cards for awhile Next wake up...the Pearl!

[samshltn]

Thanks for your review of the things you did in Seattle. What did you think of the cruise?

[gingersvp]

Thanks for your review! Looking forward to the rest of it. We're 18 days away from embarking on the Pearl now.

[Sand and Seas]

Good start! We are thinking of an Alaska cruise so excited to follow along.

[fourxk]

Sunday-June 4th

 

 

We called the bellman at 10:30 and our luggage was at the port 15 minutes later. They walked it over. We headed in. Checked in quickly. We had priority boarding and they were already taking people on the ship when we arrived. We were in the Great Outdoors by 11:30. We could have gone to Cagneys for lunch but really wanted to be outside as it was beautiful. A sunny day in Seattle should not be missed. We preceded to have lunch and libations. We then began to explore. Soon we found Shakers' Martini Bar. Sheryl is the bomb! Great drinks, service and conversation. Ask her for her signature martini aka Tidal Wave. We still needed to make it to the muster drill. Our muster station was O'Sheehans which was comfy. It was quick and almost painless. We had been sampling the UBP so things were funnier than they should have been. We returned to our cabins and unpacked and dressed for dinner. Cagneys was top notch. I was teetering on being hungover by that point but still enjoyed it. We went to the casino after dinner which became a nightly tradition. Played Ultimate Texas Hold'em for awhile. By 10pm I was fully hungover and headed to bed. Lightweight.

[Cruisedreamin2]

Loving the review. We are going on our first cruise with NCL beginning of July. Curious, did you tip with the UBP? How much? For each drink you order? I know they added gratuity to our bill already but the cruise rep I talked to said we could tip on top of that. Not sure what is custom or what they expect to receive? Thanks!

 

Sunday-June 4th

 

 

We called the bellman at 10:30 and our luggage was at the port 15 minutes later. They walked it over. We headed in. Checked in quickly. We had priority boarding and they were already taking people on the ship when we arrived. We were in the Great Outdoors by 11:30. We could have gone to Cagneys for lunch but really wanted to be outside as it was beautiful. A sunny day in Seattle should not be missed. We preceded to have lunch and libations. We then began to explore. Soon we found Shakers' Martini Bar. Sheryl is the bomb! Great drinks, service and conversation. Ask her for her signature martini aka Tidal Wave. We still needed to make it to the muster drill. Our muster station was O'Sheehans which was comfy. It was quick and almost painless. We had been sampling the UBP so things were funnier than they should have been. We returned to our cabins and unpacked and dressed for dinner. Cagneys was top notch. I was teetering on being hungover by that point but still enjoyed it. We went to the casino after dinner which became a nightly tradition. Played Ultimate Texas Hold'em for awhile. By 10pm I was fully hungover and headed to bed. Lightweight.

[Kealy]

Sounds like you made the most of your time in Seattle. Looking forward to hearing about your adventures in Alaska.

[fourxk]

I stopped at the bank and got $2 bills. We usually left a few at the bar. It's different than a Caribbean cruise where you are sitting by the pool. We left bigger tips for our favorites at the end of the week.

 

 

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[beckslash]

Thanks for the review, great so far! We sail on 7/2 and also are spending time in Seattle pre and post cruise. Will be following along!

[Cruisedreamin2]

Thanks! Great idea :)

 

I stopped at the bank and got $2 bills. We usually left a few at the bar. It's different than a Caribbean cruise where you are sitting by the pool. We left bigger tips for our favorites at the end of the week.

 

 

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[carsaw]

Thanks for the review, can't wait for more. We are usually tropical destination people also but just booked a Alaska cruise on the Bliss for next year. A few people have already told me they will not do another cruise to Alaska, only land vacation.

 

I think a cruise is a good way to see some sights the first time. Just like Hawaii, cruise was nice but if we go back it will be a land vacation.

[fourxk]

Monday June 5th-

I was up early as I was asleep by 10:30 and still on EST. Showered and headed to Moderno for breakfast. This is a great touch for the people that get the privilege to do it. Eggs Benedict helped to bring me back to life. We had the Meet & Mingle at 11 followed by the slot pull which I had arranged. I stopped in the casino to scope out slot machines and get $5 bills as I forgot before I left home. We had 44 people attend the Meet & Mingle. All the officers were present. The hotel director, Tony Rosa, offered a wrap up session Saturday afternoon to get input from the CC group. I love that they honestly want and care about our opinions. It's one of the many reasons I love NCL. After the meeting we headed to the casino for the slot pull. 38 people joined and we made $$. Not much but I'll take a 50% return on my investment any day. Later my sister, BIL and I played in the poker tournament. I placed third and my BIL chopped the pot (1st & 2nd). We had dinner a LeBistro that evening. Still my favorite NCL restaurant. I could eat one of everything on that menu.

Note- We didn't do any shows. We always had plans to but a stop at the Martini bar or the casino (I'm sure you can see a pattern here) would derail us.

Tuesday June 6th-

Juneau

We didn't arrive in Juneau until 2pm. We had a leisurely morning w/ breakfast in the Garden Cafe and wandered around the ship for awhile. Found my sister and BIL in the casino. Played for awhile (the only day I walked away ahead) before grabbing lunch at O'Sheehans. This was my only negative encounter of the cruise. O'Sheehans was busy. The hostess said we could sit and order at the bar. Giving up our place on the wait list we headed to the bar. A not so pleasant bartender said he did not have time to serve us. I walked back to the hostess to explain. She said she would call a manger. The folks that took our stop at the bar got the same answer. The gentleman walked over and again spoke to the hostess. I soon noticed they were eating at the bar. We did get seats and all ended well. The tables are very small. Trying to get 4 people's food and drink on the table can be quite precarious. Food was good. They still have Thai Chicken Wings. I did try them due to the rave reviews here on CC. I must say after living in western NY I have become a wing snob. They were tasty but not really a “buffalo wing”

We did priority disembarkation in Juneau. This was a god send as everyone was anxious to get off the ship and the lines were long. We booked the Mendenhall Glacier/Whale Watch through NCL. It's long excursion. We arrived at the glacier and was given approx 75 minutes there. It was warm and sunny. Temps were in low 70s. Watching people in down jackets and hats was entertaining (Must dress like I'm in Alaska)

*** If you want to hike to the waterfall leave ASAP. You can make it there and back in plenty of time if you don't spend too much time lollygagging.

We then headed to the Auke bay for whale watching. The boats are large but manageable. I would prefer a smaller customized tour. The tours are run by Allen Marine. We saw plenty of whales, seals and bald eagles. I'm not sure you can top whale watching in Hawaii but now I can say I've done both.

After speaking to the hotel director about re-boarding the ship in Juneau I understood the delay. NCL had 1400 people on excursions in Juneau. All those buses return to the dock at the same time or within 15-20 mins. This is not including those on private tours. It was a looooong line to get back on the ship. We re-boarded about 10 pm. This tour left no time for any shopping or walking downtown. By the time we got back on the ship the only venues open were the main dining rooms and O'Sheehans. The masses descended but they handled it well. Service was excellent. We were exhausted and headed to bed for an early morning in Skagway.

[samshltn]

Loving the review. I'm getting on this next Sunday. One question, where you've said:

buses return to the dock at the same time or within 15-20 mins.

...what time plus or minute 15-20 mins was this? I'll be sure to get back before that rush. I'm guessing about eight thirty pm?

Thanks. Sam.

[Groovyyaya]

I'm sure you will mention this later, but planning a quick visit with family in Ketchikan while on the Pearl. What time did you have to line up to get back on the ship in Ketchikan? I'm in an inside cabin, so no extra privileges for me.

[Gotts123]

Thank you. So helpful!

[jemz1949]

Do you recall who the concierge was on the Pearl? Were you in The Haven and if so, who was courtyard attendant?

[TifffanyD]

Enjoying this review - we have the same glacier & whale excursion booked in Sept so I am glad you enjoyed it!

[momoftwinteens]

Following and enjoying your review. We are taking the same cruise and ship in August. So excited!

[Nator72]

Following along as we will be on The Bliss in June 2018. We've never been to Seattle or Alaska and I can't wait to read your review. Thank you.

[cbtravel1]

Great review, I can't wait to read more.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[easyboy]

Enjoying your review!

[fourxk]

Sorry for the delay. Had a short weekend getaway but we are back!

Wednesday June 6th-

After a small snafu and a late start, we headed to the port area to meet with Chilkoot Charters for our White Pass Railway/Emerald Lake excursion. My BIL forgot their passports when leaving the ship. Thankfully the bus driver asked to see them before taking us the the rail station. He was nice enough to drop my husband and I and go back and pick them up. I was a basket case thinking they were going to miss the train. Unfortunately, I did not get his name but “Thank You!” I did research this for a long time before booking it. We wanted to do the railway all the way to Carcross. It was a beautiful day. The railway trip is hard to explain. Everyone says “Alaska is beautiful” but for 65 of the 67 miles you travel it is breathtaking. We enjoyed Carcross for the short time we were there. It's hard to be held to such short visits but we really didn't want to miss the boat! We rode back in a small bus. We did have three bear sightings and actually got to watch one eating up along the road. Our driver, Mike, said they love dandelions and will generally not stop eating them even when cars are stopped. This held true. Mike dropped us in town. We did some souvenir shopping and stopped at on of the bars for a beer. There is a bus that has several pick up locations along the main drag. My husband and I walked back while the other two waited for the bus. The best souvenir shop is the one closest the the port on the right side if you are facing the ship. Don't remember the name but you'll see it. No wait returning to the ship. I don't remember what time “all aboard” was but I seem to remember we left Skagway a little early. We did not hear one overhead announcement all week looking for stray passengers. It seems to be a daily event on Caribbean cruises.

That evening we had teppanaki reservations. It was my husband's favorite meal of the week. The signature drink is delicious. We then walked down the stairs with every intention of catching the show but stopped at the martini bar....you already know the rest.

[Nator72]

How was the weather during your trip? Did you have to pack a variety of clothing for different temperatures?

[fourxk]

How was the weather during your trip? Did you have to pack a variety of clothing for different temperatures?

 

I tend to pack very lightly. This was difficult due to not really knowing what the weather would be like. We were very lucky. It was warm & sunny in Seattle. Temp in the 70s. Juneau was in the low 70s w/ partly sunny skies. Skagway was cool in the morning but high 60s in the afternoon w/ partly sunny skies. It definitely got cooler there further the train went. Otherwise, I was comfortable in a long sleeve shirt. We did put on light jackets in Carcross as it was a little windy and we were eating ice cream. The sea days were windy. Glacier Bay day started of cloudy and windy but cleared up for part of the afternoon. Later as we were leaving the bay it got really foggy w/ misting. Luck ran out in Ketchikan. It rained steadily the whole day. it wasn't really cold probably 60-65. This is the norm for the area. We didn't let it stop us as we still walked through the shops. I do recommend waterproof shoes. Mine were soaked.