AlaskaJune

Partner and I are on this cruise.  Any other friends of Dorothy going to be aboard?

Hi!  My husband and SIL will be on this cruise.  Have done the FODs in the past and sometimes they are a hit and often times they are a miss. 🙂

Just checking in to see if any other LGBTQ cruises going to be on this sailing.....that is if it happens. 😐  Partner and I will be in the Haven and are looking forward to just getting away from it all.  Not even sure we will step foot of the ship.   

Thanks for the info! Pearl is one of the lesser reviewed ships.

This is true. The Pearl is our favorite of the NCL ships. We are headed out on the Pearl to Alaska this Sunday. Our third time to Alaska, same itinerary and always on the Pearl. You will like it.

Great review. I'm headed out on the Pearl Sunday for my third Alaskan cruise and my third time on the Pearl. I think it's my favorite NCL ship as I've been on many others.

 

However, this is the first time we will have sailed with the UDP. I noticed you mentioned that you had it when at Cagney's. I'm hoping you can answer a question for me. Cagney's pricing has changed in the last year or so from a preset premium up-charge to a la carte. As has the Bistro. How does the UDP work with the a la carte restaurants?

Disregard my question. I was able to find my answer in another thread. Thanks!

Great review. Quick and to the point. Thanks!

Great review. I'm headed out on the Pearl Sunday for my third Alaskan cruise and my third time on the Pearl. I think it's my favorite NCL ship as I've been on many others.

However, this is the first time we will have sailed with the UDP. I noticed you mentioned that you had it when at Cagney's. I'm hoping you can answer a question for me. Cagney's pricing has changed in the last year or so from a preset premium up-charge to a la carte. As has the Bistro. How does the UDP work with the a la carte restaurants?

We were in the GV on the Dawn last year to Bermuda. There were six of us and we tipped the butler around $6-700 (I don't recall exactly). The concierge we only used twice. Once the wait for the main dining room was very long and he took us through a back door and straight to a table and the other he got us into Cagney's immediately when their first availability was 9:30pm. So we tipped him $200.

I will say that we've had butlers on our past five cruises and the butler in the GV was the most attentive. BTW, if you are going in summer then have him bring you a blender and frozen drink mixes. :)

And, as has already been said, you will find that you will not want to leave the room. There were six of us and we rarely left the room. No need. It was very private and the courtyard was spectacular.

Have Fun!

But the original poster is not Platinum. He or She is Silver. The extra minutes are available to Silver members if they PURCHASE the package. It is being given as a promo therefore not eligible for additional minutes.

Ah! I see what you are saying. I failed to notice the Silver statement.

Any "family" on this Labor day week cruise to Alaska? Just booked my partner and I.

I can't afford ocean front property. I can't afford a live in maid. I can't afford to have someone prepare all my meals. I can't afford to go to see live music every night. I can't afford to own a pool. I can't afford to own a hot tub.

But for one week a year I can afford to have all these things. I unpack once and wake up in a different place every morning. I can choose to spend the day in bed if I want and no one says a word or I can choose to spend the day exploring a new place. Cruising is not my only vacation that I take during the year. But, it is without the a doubt the most relaxing.

Yes, they are combined. I booked yesterday and we are Platinum. We received the 250 minutes per cabin plus 30 Latitude minutes per person. So we will have a total of 310 minutes available. Although we cruise to get away from technology it might be fun to post some pics along the way. :)

As for the shore excursion, the promo is simply a $50 credit per port. So your latitude discount will still apply and you'll have the $50 to apply as well. :D

We've stayed at the Edgewater directly next door once and another time we stayed at the Marriott directly across the street. Both were great. Water's Edge was a big pricey if I recall. But, we could open the sliding window of our room and the ship loomed directly above us which was pretty cool. Very easy to walk to Pike's Place Market from both. Just an elevator up the hill and a super short walk. Come boarding time we simply grabbed our bags and walked directly across the street.

Thanks everyone. I spoke with Casino of the Seas yesterday and was able to book my 7* cruise for this year. I then upgraded the cabin to the Haven Owner's Suite and received all five promos that come with Haven currently. Apparently NCL has changed their policy. Before you would only receive promos that were applicable to the room granted by CoS regardless if you upgraded or not. I was also told that if using the TR discount you are still eligible for the promos. Years ago you could not combine promos and discounts on same reservation. Nice changes.

Hi everyone, quick question that someone may know from recent experience. Can you use the Total Rewards Seven-star (20%) or Diamond (10%) discount and still receive the Free at Sea amenities?

Thanks in advance,

Wade

NCL Pearl 11578 and 11576. Mid-ship mini-suites. These are great rooms with the exception that the Youth Splash Academy is directly above. During they day there is a lot of noise. Sounded like marbles being thrown across the roof all day long. So if you are into taking mid-day naps you can forget it in these cabins. Other than that the rooms are great and in a great location.

To anyone familiar with these double balcony suites I would appreciate any feedback you have. I am especially interested in comfort/privacy issues if we share with another couple. Also, is there any weather protection on the front balcony?

 

Thanks Very Much for taking the time to write!

HI Kaftan. I've sailed in the DOS on the Pearl and the Star. Both were some of the best cruises we have ever had. So:

Pros - Great Location. Beautiful Rooms. Lots of space. Very comfortable. Great bathroom.

Cons - Front Balcony is basically useless when underway. The wind is extremely strong. At the very front of the ship so you will feel some movement if you hit high seas (if that kind of thing bothers you).

That's about it. The pros way outweigh the cons. I don't know how comfortable this room would be for two adult couples. One couple of course would be on the pull out in the living room. Not to mention you would have to share a closet. I can't remember but one of the ships had a sliding door between the bedroom and living room where the other only had a curtain. Also, the room size changes based on whether you are on the 9th or 10th floor. So for two couples I would recommend getting the attached standard state room. We did this on our Alaskan trip as we had another adult couple with us. It was great as we both had bedrooms, bathrooms, closets, privacy and yet we shared the living room.

Regardless of what you choose I can promise you it will be wonderful as these rooms are some of the best.

We also like going down to the photo display boards on day two, and scan through the pix and wait for "gaydar" to kick in. It's good entertainment for 30 minutes, if nothing else😉

I'm so glad to hear that I and my DH are not the only ones who scan the photos for "family." Once we discover them, we play a game where you get points if you see them around the ship.

As for the FODs, we've gone to a few of them on NCL and sometimes they have a crowd and sometimes they don't. The good thing is NCL usually holds their meetings in the martini bar that is quiet enough to have a conversation.

My DH and I love Bermuda. We've cruised there twice in the past and have an upcoming cruise to Bermuda this July. We've never had an issue. However, we rarely show PDA, even when we are home, so this may be why. Bermuda is a beautiful place full of very nice people. It is also a very safe place to visit. But, it is a traditional and conservative culture so I doubt there will be any Atlantis or Olivia cruises stopping there anytime soon.

WOW! FODs on this cruise will be awfully boring. :)

You might want to amend that to "As long as it's on top of the water, has food, alcohol and a flushing toilet." Our cabin did not.

 

Jim

Valid point.

Good to know, thanks. Not that we'll order between midnight and 5 am, but you never know! ;)

 

 

 

Out of curiosity, how IS the pizza? DH loves his pizza, and I'm betting he'll want to order one at some point. Is it decent?

I've always found their pizza to be quite good.

As seven-star members of a total rewards, we receive cruise offers about once every six months. With that being said, it's always from Caesars Las Vegas, which is where we stay and play the most. Therefore I think it is totally based where you spend the most money. With that being said, call Casino Of The Seas reservations. They sometimes give better discounts than just the Total Rewards discount.

I love threads like this one. So often I read reviews were people are nitpicking a ship to death. Don't misunderstand me, sometimes their complaints are legit. But more often than not it's just general unhappiness.

As long as it's on the top of the water, has food and alcohol, I'm good. Glad to hear the Dawn is in good shape. I'm on it in July.

I booked a Garden Villa on the Dawn for July 24th, 2015 back in October of last year. At that time this was the only date where one was available. I assumed it was a website issue. When I called Casino of the Seas I asked if there was an issue with the website. They explained that those rooms go quickly on the Dawn. Who knew??