NikiPinkston

Love the photo! Is that you? The river looks COLD!

That would be so cool if we bumped into one another! 🙂

Yay, another @YVRteacher live review! We're on the Bliss to Alaska just a few days after you embark and I so appreciate your sharing with us. Looking forward to hearing about your adventures and your dad's "complaints." Bon voyage!

Thank you for your excellent live and all of the great photos! We've really enjoyed the Bliss in the past, so I'm sad to hear about all of the challenges and the poor service that you're experiencing. I hope that things improve for you! We'll be onboard again in a few weeks and I tried to book between spring break(s) and summer vacation, so I hope we have fewer passengers and, hopefully, shorter lines. I feel bad for the staff but am upset with NCL that they're letting passenger service suffer. We'll be platinum after this next cruise but we just booked our first cruise on Princess for later this year and I'm anxious to see what their service and amenities are like.

Thank you, @Lady Arwen! You are very kind.

We're platinum on NCL and enjoy the vibe onboard, although we do dress up on "Dress-up or Not Night" (e.g., black dress with gold shoes and jewelry for me, dark slacks with long-sleeve sweater/shirt with collar for DH). I love me a man in a suit and tie, but I would never get him in that on a cruise. (He would never wear shorts in the MDR for dinner.) I've just started reading the Princess boards as we recently booked our first trans-Pacific for this December and I've very much enjoyed reading this thread as I was a bit confused about formal nights. We're on a West Coast departure, so my take-away is that we should be fine in our usual "formal wear." Really appreciate everyone's insights and the photos, too!

Got my Maxpresso packets from Amazon today and am so pleased with my purchase. I put two packets in a mug with 6 oz. of hot water and it was delicious! Really looking forward to using them in our pre-cruise hotel and on the Bliss in a few weeks. Thank you so much for the recommendation, @graphicguy!

Just booked this cruise for December and I'm so grateful for your review. I know that I'll refer to it often! Thank you for sharing your adventure with us!

@ChiefMateJRK, when we've taken Seattle Shuttle, we've been the only ones in the vehicle and, although they're not cheap, maybe we were just lucky. I, too, hate having to climb over other passengers to get in the back. I'm just getting too old for that! Our granddaughter gave me a lesson on using Uber and I have the app on my phone but I guess I do have that human reluctance to change, plus I really enjoy having everything scheduled ahead of time, but I'm sure we'll try it at some point so I appreciate your tips! I always wondered about those tracks in front of the Marriott as we haven't yet been stopped from crossing Alaskan Way by a train, but I guess we've been leading a charmed life LOL. BTW, DH has the "dressy" sweatpants you recommended already packed for our Alaska cruise next month and seems extraordinarily happy about it!

We stay at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront as it's totally easy-peasy - you just walk across the street to Pier 66 on embarkation morning. Last time, we used Seattle Shuttle to get from SEA-TAC to the hotel and we probably will again next month as they provided great service. We're all about convenience even though it might cost a bit more. https://seattleshuttle.net/

Love all of your photos and captions. And I'm with Susan - snakes are a hard no!

Great, now I'm ordering a frother and buying Coffeemate for my checked luggage LOL! Seriously, what a great idea. Do you just whip up the Coffeemate cold?

Hi, there, longtime NCL cruiser here, looking to book our first cruise on Princess this December. Do I read this correctly, if we purchase "Princess Plus," does the crew appreciation cover the gratuities on the included drink package,too?

So happy to see another @shadowmeboy review! Thank you for taking us along!

Never mind. I found my answer in one of the dailies you posted, @travelin.sisters Sorry, should have looked there first!

Thank you, @Defhermit! I'm so glad it was helpful. Have a wonderful cruise! You're going to love the Pride of America. (I'm jealous.) 😁🚢🌴

@YVRteacher We're up early today (for two retired humans) as the hubs has a doctor's appt. this morning, and I just wanted to thank you for starting my day off right while I enjoyed my morning coffee transfusion. Your sense of humor is the absolute best - you always crack me up! I will miss your live SO much when it ends. Have a wonderful day! 🌺🌻❤️

Are the Salty Dog Grill and the Salty Dog Gastropub two different venues or the same? Loving all of your photos. I will miss reading your review when it ends. 😒 Great job!

Sorry to hear you were sick, but glad that you’re feeling better. Both of your leis are beautiful! DH has given me the go-ahead to book this cruise for December and I’m so excited! This will be our first cruise on Princess and your review has been so helpful and informative. Thank you so much for sharing your adventure with us!

@YVRteacherThank you so much for doing this "live!" I hope that you're now home safe and sound. You made it so much fun that I didn't miss Dad too much, but don't tell him! Looking forward to your next cruise and I'll report back on the Bliss to Alaska in May.

We will definitely see Archie, and a couple of the comedians you mentioned who sound pretty great. Thank you for the recommendations! I think I'd be too distracted (okay, drinking) to do a good job on a live, but I'll do a review when we get back. (I wasn't sure if people would be interested, so I appreciate the encouragement.) It was fun doing a review of our POA cruise last November. I think that the hubs & I will be on the Bliss to Alaska about the same time you are on the Jewel with your dad. Sorry to hear about your sucky experience at the Local. We really enjoyed eating there last time we were aboard.

I can sew pretty well, but I'm a perfectionist (and a bit lazy) so I usually take garments that I don't want to be less than perfect to a tailor or seamstress. They're very easy to find on yelp and not expensive. I'm sure you could do it by yourself, but it seems like the process is becoming a bit stressful.

I'm so happy to hear that stateroom attendants have buddies so they can still go ashore and take care of personal needs & use wi-fi to get in touch with their families. I've been reading some other threads that talk about how overworked and unhappy they are and it made me feel sad. We've (almost) always had such delightful attendants that I've enjoyed interacting and conversing with them. We'll be on the Bliss in May and knowing this makes me happy. I have loved all of your reviews - you always make me smile! ("Tasted like disappointment" LOL!)

We sailed on the POA last November and, at that time, not all of the specialty restaurants were open, but I believe they all opened for business shortly after we disembarked on November 18. Our favorite restaurant on NCL ships is always Cagney's (the steakhouse), and the POA was no different. We used both of our specialty dinners credits there. We usually get the filet mignon and have never been disappointed. The food in the MDR was good, except for a steak that DH got. The buffet was hit and miss. The Cadillac Diner, another "free" venue, was wonderful. The crew on the POA was incredible. You're going to have a fabulous time!