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

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In my head, I had been planning a trip to Alaska for about a year and a half. My husband had no clue and honestly no interest. Every so often, I would show him pictures and video's of the beautiful sights in Alaska he would just nod and smile until one day he gave in and gave me the credit card "book it already" he said, end of story. I was as happy as a kid on Christmas I seriously couldn't believe that this dream was becoming a reality. I had 75 days to plan but luckily after a year of research, I already knew what I wanted to do.

I booked us on a 7-day roundtrip inside passage cruise departing May 29th from Seattle on the Norwegian Pearl. We are Platinum on Norwegian and it was an easy choice. I was on a strict budget and as much as I desperately wanted a balcony cabin, I had to settle on an inside cabin, it was that or stay home. I found a great price on an American Airlines flight out of MIA direct to Seattle. After 75 days of intensive prep, the day arrived and I was on a natural high.

Friday, May 27, 2016, our flight took off at 8:15 pm it was 6 hours and 45 minutes of pure misery. It was a smooth uneventful flight but I have issues sitting in a confined uncomfortable space for over 20 mins let alone 7 hours. My husband (Eddie) had the aisle seat, Olivia, my daughter had the window seat and naturally, I was stuck in the middle I was a fidgety mess.

Thankfully, our flight landed earlier than expected around 11:15 pm. I had us booked at the Airport Marriott for two nights. The hotel offered shuttle service from the airport which was a great convenience.

The next morning we were up bright and early (thanks to our east coast time schedule) and ready to explore Seattle. Our hotel had a Starbucks which was perfect as my husband's idea was to have breakfast in downtown. I grabbed my usual Venti Chai Tea Latte and headed to the link light rail for a ride downtown. The fare was about $3.00 per person and a 40-minute ride to downtown (Westlake). Eddie mentioned that valet/concierge at the hotel recommended Etta's restaurant on Western Ave. right near Pike's Place Market. So that is where we went and it did not disappoint. Took forever to get there though my daughter and I were famished!

Along the way, I spotted a totem pole my excitement was building.

Walking down to Pike's place, there was a long line formed alongside the building in the picture below that lead to the original chowder shack in post alley. Supposed to be the best in the city and one of the top ten places to visit in Seattle.

On our way to Etta's, we walked right past the 1st Starbucks built which opened in 1971 and it was a madhouse...

At Etta's I had the creamy clam chowder (with bacon and parsley oil) and Etta's "rub with love" salmon. Everything was perfection!

After brunch, we decided to check out Pike's it was just a block or two away. There was so much to eat and buy in this area we spent a couple of hours here and it was totally worth it.

The smell of fresh flowers was intoxicating, I wanted to buy a bunch so badly (specifically Lavender) but the thought of carrying it around all day killed that idea.

I had to be dragged away from the lavender booth but not before I bought everything they were selling! We walked the area for awhile looking at all the deliciousness being offered.

Shop after shop of treats... cheesecake with flavors like raspberry white chocolate, salted caramel, cookies & mint, strawberry milk chocolate, Mexican chocolate, etc.; the "chocolate and wine on vine" shop, double yes; and the "Sotto Voce" a spiced oil & herbal vinegar shop (heaven!); a cinnamon shop called "Cinnamon Works" and a world-class deli. I could go on and on and currently thinking about going online to order some stuff I didn't get to buy.

I could have shopped and eaten all day but I knew this would not be fun for my 9-year-old. So we headed to the Seattle Aquarium. On our way there, we were highly entertained...

like this guy with a cat on his back playing a banjo....

how about a little tap dancing and a juggling (lol)...

We walked to the aquarium about 10 minutes. There was a long line formed to get in I figured the overcast, cool and drizzly day contributed to that line.

The aquarium was much smaller than I thought and was underwhelmed, therefore we were there less than two hours.

The aquarium was right next to the Seattle Great Wheel and after the aquarium, we hung around the area for a bit taking some pictures. I wanted to go to the Seattle Center but decided to do that on the full day we had after our cruise.

We started walking back toward the train station and ended up having an early dinner at Nordstrom Bistro which was right where we needed to catch the light rail back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel, I grabbed a glass of wine at the bar, prepped for our cruise day, posted a few pictures of our day on social media and admired my new treasures. Tomorrow we would be sailing away to Alaska, I still couldn't believe it (big grin)!

Great photos, my wife and I were amazed at the flowers in Pikes Market

Great photos, my wife and I were amazed at the flowers in Pikes Market

Thank you!!!

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Awesome photos so far!!! Can't wait to see Alaska and explore Seattle. I really want to do Norway for my 40th in 2020, but it may be Alaska to save some money.

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

Don

We are cruising in July. I will definitely look for the lavender booth in Seattle. I'd rather have nature scenting my cabin. [emoji846]

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I cannot wait to hear more!!! I am booked on the Jewel this coming june and was wondering about the weather in Alaska, Did you need winter clothes? what was the temperture? Were people ever in the pool?

So glad you got to do this cruise it has always been a dream trip for me also,cant wait

We are cruising in July. I will definitely look for the lavender booth in Seattle. I'd rather have nature scenting my cabin. [emoji846]

 

 

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They have fresh Lavender which is great for the cabin. I didn't buy it because again having to walk around with it all day was not happening but I bought the satchels and hung them in the closet.

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

 

Don

I have so many pictures of my cruise, over 3000 specifically of the ports. I absolutely loved this cruise so much that I'm planning on going back! It will be worth the wait!

I cannot wait to hear more!!! I am booked on the Jewel this coming june and was wondering about the weather in Alaska, Did you need winter clothes? what was the temperature? Were people ever in the pool?

 

So glad you got to do this cruise it has always been a dream trip for me also,cant wait

I know exactly how you feel. I kept looking for reviews with pictures when I was planning and there weren't that many that I could find so I decided to do a picture heavy review of our remarkable trip. I'm working on day 2 now. I did have a coat and gloves because yes we needed them keep in mind that this was the first week of June also we got rain in Ketchikan and it drizzled in Juneau and Skagway but not too much.

Yes my daughter begged to go to the pool on Glacier Bay day it was cold out but a sunny and beautiful day so I let her. On our way to Victoria, it was a gorgeous warm day and the pool area was in full swing. I will cover all of that in my review.

Stay tuned...

Beautiful photos! Looking forward to the rest...

What beautiful photos! We are sailing to Alaska on Princess this summer but are spending 2 days in Seattle pre-cruise so I enjoyed hearing about your time there! Looking forward to the rest of the review!

P.S. I will be on the Dawn in October so hopefully you will review your December cruise too? :)

Sunday, May 29, 2016

It was cruise day, we were up bright and early got ready and checked out of the hotel by 9:30 am. Our two-night stay at the Seattle Airport Marriott was fair and convenient. The staff was friendly and attentive and the room was very clean but old and outdated. I found it strange that there was no safe! The lobby and indoor pool were nice but the room was not up to par with my expectations for a Marriott. We paid a fee for the airport shuttle I don't recall how much but it was minimal. The walk to the light rail was about 10 minutes and there is a convenient store across the street. If the hotel were to get a make-over it would be wonderful otherwise, I would rather stay in a Hampton Inn.

The valet called a cab for us after waiting forever, he said that he had a private car service that was close by that could take us. My husband agreed and off to the port we went. It was about a 30-minute drive but we were in a nice escalade. The day was dreary and cool but that was expected. We arrived at the port and the fare was $70. My husband gave him $100 and he tried to keep the change until my husband asked for it (so rude!).

We went through security and check-in was a breeze (perks of being platinum). At this point it was about 11 am and the waiting area was packed. People were given group numbers for boarding. We boarded immediately after guests with disabilities and special needs (platinum perks!). It was crowded so much that some lady fell and knocked down a display.

At this point, my husband said he would be back that he was going back to the city to buy something. After we boarded, Olivia and I headed to the atrium to wait for our cabin to ready. I ordered a nice celebratory Sauvignon Blanc and talked to some other guests also waiting. I was in heaven - I absolutely love cruising it's truly the best kind of vacation.

I don't recall when the announcement was made that the cabins on deck 9 were ready, but it was a bit before 1:00 pm. Off we went to check out our dungeon for the next 7 days. I wondered where my husband was, I called him several times but no answer.

We arrived at the cabin to a nice surprise and my husband hiding in the bathroom....

He went back to Pike's to get me a fresh bouquet (so sweet) even after 20 years he continues to surprise me. So here is our home for the next 7 days. Yes, my husband and I would be sleeping like Lucy and Ricky Ricardo with separate beds but the extra space was worth it. I was seriously missing the balcony but that fact that I'm even on this cruise made me grateful and not obsess over it any longer.

After shoving some chocolate covered strawberries in my mouth we headed out to lunch at O'Sheehan's followed by the muster drill. Then, it was time to say bye to Seattle at the sail away & BBQ party.

Pool action on day 1...

The NCL crew starting the party....

A couple of sail away selfies...

Sail Away sights...

The Ruby Princess was first, followed by the Pearl then, the Amsterdam Rotterdam.

Bye Bye Seattle, see you in a week!

We walked around a bit and got Olivia checked in at Splash Academy.

A little lounging around at the Spinnaker Lounge...

Spinnaker Lounge con't

The rest of the afternoon was spent unpacking and preparing for dinner. We did 4 specialty restaurants on this cruise. Teppanyaki was up first and it did not disappoint!

My pretty baby enjoying dinner at her favorite specialty restaurant...

Our chef was Luisito Calderon and he was fantastic! After dinner, I think we saw the Welcome Aboard Show but I'm not certain I've seen so many of them. All I remember is that I had this delicious drink I'm thinking it's a pineapple martini (maybe??).

Day 3 is a wrap and I will post the freestyle daily tomorrow.

Next up: Sea day, deal or no deal where I was the chosen participant and won a whopping??, cabin crawl and dinner at Cagney's.

Great review! Loved Alaska when we went 2 years ago..kudos to your hubby on the flowers, what a sweet gesture

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Beautiful photos! Looking forward to the rest...

Thanks! Read your live review, loved it!! Got off the Dawn a few weeks ago loved it too!!

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What beautiful photos! We are sailing to Alaska on Princess this summer but are spending 2 days in Seattle pre-cruise so I enjoyed hearing about your time there! Looking forward to the rest of the review!

 

P.S. I will be on the Dawn in October so hopefully you will review your December cruise too? :)

Great!! We had another full day in Seattle the day we got back from the cruise. It was a hot and sunny day. We spent the day at the Seattle Center it was great. Will post those pictures at the end.

Yes the Dawn was a great time I had so much fun at the New Years party and overall that I'm booking again for next new years out of Puerto Rico. I will do that review after this one. Here is a little clip of new years....

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10210530773058522&id=1621540140

BTW the cruise director Dan was awesome!!

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I am loving this review! We are going in August...Seward to Anchorage..going to hate missing Pike's...loved your Lavender display.I just wished we'd started cruising at your ages. BTW your husband is a keeper! Love the flowers!

Great photos!

Thanks for posting. Photos are great and bring back good memories of our Alaska cruise on the Pearl.

Really enjoying your review! We've been on two Alaska cruises (including one on the Pearl) and are going on our third next year on the new NCL Bliss!

I am also really enjoying all the photos of Seattle, the city where I was born and raised, and still live nearby. One of my New Year's resolutions was to really get out and about in the city more often. I work within walking distance of Pike Place Market and have been wanting to go back there for quite some time. Your review is inspiring me to get back there soon!

Thanks again. I will be following along.