Pearl to Alaska? Good choice?

[Sigyn]

I'm shopping around the cruise lines, looking for a 7-day cruise r.t. through Seattle. The Norwegian Pearl has a nice cruise going that route. Has anyone taken that cruise with a two-year-old in tow? I hadn't really thought about NCL until now, but suddenly it seems to make a lot of sense since my son will only be two years old at the time of the cruise and NCL is one of only two cruise lines that offers programs for children that young. (Everyone other than Carnival is 3 or older.)

 

My only worry is that NCL might be too much like Carnival for my taste. Please tell me that it's not the same kind of experience! I didn't like our Carnival cruise very much.

 

Thanks!

[mypleasure]

We did this cruise in June of this year and had a great time. We don't have a 2 year old, or any child for that matter though.

There was plenty of time in each port and the morning at Glacier Bay was excellent. It really is a good itinerary especially if you have not been to alaska before.

The freestyle concept is perfect for us and I would think great for families as it does not tie you down to a fixed dining time or restaurant which could be hard if you have kids.

I have never sailed Carnival but from what I have read I doubt that they would suit my tastes but NCL most definately does.

[Barb Nahoumi]

I was just on the Pearl for the repositioning two week cruise, through the Panama Canal.

 

NCL, while having lots to do aboard, doesn't have the "Party Ship" reputation. They do have kid programs.

 

The best feature of NCL, is the freestyle dining. You can eat when & where you choose.

 

Most of our meals on the Pearl were very good. Service by waiters and cabin stewards was impeccable. Not having young children, I cannot judge the kids program, but others told me that it is a great experience for children.

 

Our cruise, because it was 14 days when school was in session had very few kids aboard, and the passengers were older. Yes, I would definitely recommend the Pearl.

 

We did the Alaska cruise on another NCL ship. We saw & did a great deal. Our favorite excursion was the White Pass Railroad, in Skagway.

 

Enjoy your cruise. Great ship------fun destination.

[Budget Queen]

Are you comparing, your poor Carnival experience to sailing the Caribbean?? Sorry, it has nothing to do with sailing Alaska on any line, including Carnival- which does a very good job in Alaska. The bulk of passengers are middle aged and above. Kids programs still run, but there are no where near the numbers of kids that sailing on Caribbean itineraries.

 

Some features are excellent for Alaska, the freestyle dining is significant. The ports times, aren't the best, especially with Juneau. This cruise also sails outside Vancouver Island- and had the roughest sailing potential, including this is the least scenic of Alaska routings.

 

Read up on the reviews, they could offer you plenty of ideas.

[Sigyn]

oh, thanks so much for the responses! I think my worry about the similarity between the two (carnival and ncl) was because NCL promotes the relaxed, casual lifestyle and Carnival promotes a "fun" lifestyle. I wanted to make sure the two cruise lines were referring to two different atmospheres! I hated the Vegas decor and overall tackiness of Carnival.

 

budget queen, I didn't take Carnival to the Carribbean. I went on a cruise to New England and Canada. So it was a colder weather cruise, too. when you say this is the least scenic cruise, do you mean just the portion to Victoria, or the entire cruise? this one includes glacier bay so I always hear that route is a must-see.

 

overall, NCL sounds like a great cruise line, especially for families. My husband doesn't like formal nights, nor all of the dining time rules and such, so NCL sounds like a good option.

 

I have been to Alaska before, but on a land vacation going from Anchorage to Homer and then back to Seward and up to Denali and then Fairbanks and back down to Anchorage. The cruise will be a different experience.

 

Thanks so much for the input!!!

[Budget Queen]

 

budget queen, I didn't take Carnival to the Carribbean. I went on a cruise to New England and Canada. So it was a colder weather cruise, too. when you say this is the least scenic cruise, do you mean just the portion to Victoria, or the entire cruise? this one includes glacier bay so I always hear that route is a must-see.

 

overall, NCL sounds like a great cruise line, especially for families. My husband doesn't like formal nights, nor all of the dining time rules and such, so NCL sounds like a good option.

 

I have been to Alaska before, but on a land vacation going from Anchorage to Homer and then back to Seward and up to Denali and then Fairbanks and back down to Anchorage. The cruise will be a different experience.

 

Thanks so much for the input!!!

 

New England cruises have a significant base of the tristate cruisers. Still not typical of Alaska demographics. :)

 

Round trip Seattle, is the least scenic of Alaska routings, you have 2 open ocean sea days. Round trip Vancouver has 2 "scenic" sailing days, inside Vancouver Island. A significant difference, that most people do not realize.

 

Glacier Bay is a definate highlight, I recommend people, with an interest, get out on deck 1/2 before the dawn time, and you may hit a big humpback feeding area- Point Aldophus. Same with your Juneau day- get out on deck early- I am also out 1/2 hour prior to dawn. Extremely scenic sailing, good possibility of humpbacks. A good pair of wide angle binoculars are necessary.

 

With Glacier Bay- if you have a balcony the port side has all the scenic glacier viewing and commentary on the way in. On the way out, the overall viewing times are less. This is a crappy ship for upper deck viewing- over the head plexi glass, and the front sides obstructed by navagational equiptment. Best views are from the side open deck.

[Budget Queen]

oh, thanks so much for the responses! I think my worry about the similarity between the two (carnival and ncl) was because NCL promotes the relaxed, casual lifestyle and Carnival promotes a "fun" lifestyle. I wanted to make sure the two cruise lines were referring to two different atmospheres! I hated the Vegas decor and overall tackiness of Carnival.

 

 

QUOTE]

 

There are NO "fun", party ships sailing Alaska, :) the "atmosphere" is the same as any other line, based on passengers. As for the ship decor- I do find a lot of similarities between Carnival and NCL. I have been on the Pearl, along with several Carnival ships.

[mdc1851]

We took the Pearl to Alaska a year ago in June and loved it! But we didn't have children so I can't speak for that aspect and that was our first cruise so I can't compare to others. The clientele did appear to be older and the whole atmosphere was very sedate. It definitely was not a "party" ship but it was very nice. We are not the party type people. I would say almost a classy but not snooty atmosphere. Does that make sense? The ability to dine when/where we wanted was great! We just booked NCL to the Bahamas for Christmas due to that fact. I'm hoping for more of a party atmosphere this time as we are taking my 21 yo son with us this time. Definitely get up and out early for Glacier Bay.

[Cubechick]

We didn't have a child with us, but our Pearl to Alaska cruise in June was our favorite to date. Wonderful ship and Alaska was amazing. We can't wait to go back.

 

(BTW, we didn't have 2 "open ocean" sea days, the first "sea" day we sailed some of the inside passage and were surrounded by islands...quite a scenic change from the Caribbean! The trip from Ketchikan to Victoria may have been "open ocean" but we were catching up on our napping and packing by that point!)

[mom58]

njsmom, I do have a couple of thoughts for you, and believe me, they are just my humble opinions. I'm the mom of 3, ages 12 - 20, so I do have a little experience.

 

My question to you is: do you have any options for leaving your 2 year old at home? I just can't imagine pushing a stroller all around Ketchikan, Juneau, etc. Believe me, I completely understand, because I never had the kind of grandparents to my kids who volunteered to keep my kids for me. We didn't start cruising until our youngest was 9 and we've only done Caribbean itineraries with them. We were lucky to get away by ourselves just a few times over the years, mostly when they all went to summer camp. Two years ago, on our 30th anniversary, we paid someone to stay with the two younger kids while we were on the Pearl to the Caribbean. I would just now consider taking my kids to Alaska.

 

Like I said, believe me when I say that I understand; it just wouldn't be worth it to me to drag a 2 year old around in Alaska. I'd probably choose a Caribbean itinerary with a toddler. That way, you could relax on the beach together some.

 

Now all that being said, I've cruised on Celebrity (to Alaska--it was fabulous, didn't take the kids or the DH, celebrated my BFF's & my 50th b'days), Carnival (Caribbean, with the family), and NCL (Bahamas/Caribbean, once with DH, once with just the kids by myself). I loved them all; the kids loved Carnival the best, I think, but there weren't a lot of kids when we went without my DH, so I think that had something to do with that.

 

Also my humble opinion: Celebrity was great at the Alaska experience and had a fantastic naturalist, Brent Nixon, aboard. I do think Carnival does the kid thing really well and for suites, NCL cannot be matched among the main lines (i.e., not luxury). We had an AE suite on the Pearl and it was beyond fabulous. We are booked in an AB suite with two of our kids for spring break on the Dawn in 2010. That has a separate bedroom for the kids that I'm really looking forward to. That might be an idea for you if your budget will fit it in. I also the the freestyle dining would suit you as well.

 

Now, like I said, these are just my opinions, but you did ask :o. Whatever you decide, have fun with your two year old. I surely remember what those days were like! Our first child was an "only" for nearly 6 years AND has ADD. He was the child that other people would probably say if they had had him first they wouldn't have had any more, so that's probably what makes me say it would make me crazy to push a two year old in a stroller, lol. I didn't even go to the grocery store with him if I didn't have to! And, remember, there's a reason that people talk about acting like a 2 year old!

 

Best of luck and have fun.

[jimswims]

We are going on the Pearl to Alaska in August. We do not have a 2 year old with us but we will have our 15 and 12 year olds.

 

We looked at Carnival, Princess, RCL, HAL, and NCL. We decided to stay with NCL because we really enjoy the freestyle dining experience, price, and the fact that we know and prefer the NCL product over Carnival's. We liked the Pearl's itinerary much better as well.

[Pitamolli1]

NCL is pretty relaxed and laid back in my opinion. I cruised on Carnival abou 19 years ago and it was very much a younger crowd, no kids, kind of crowd. The whopping 2 NCL cruises I have been on have been very family friendly and the kids (even the little ones) seemd to be very happy whenever I saw them. I had to order my youngest son to go check out the teen club with the caveat that if he didn't like it he wouldn't have to go back. I hardly saw him again except for shore time and dinner. He and his pals had a hot wing eating contest one night and he came back to our cabin at about 4 am. Yes, I was awake waiting for him even though he couldn't really go anywhere. NCL seems to be very family friendly to me, though I have to admit my kids were not toddlers. The first NCL cruise I went on was on the spirit and it had a great pool for kids, even little kids. I think NCL is a very good cruise line for kids. If your chosen itinerary includes glacier bay and you decide to splurge on a balcony cabin... try to get one on the port side. Well worth it IMHO. When are you thinking of going? Spring is the best time to see animals with newborns, late summer is your best bet for decent (and warm) weather. We have gone in August twice and did not need much more than a windbreaker either time (once we were in shorts the whole time). Good luck and enjoy!

[jame_g]

I think Alaska on the Pearl is a great itinerary! We did it two years ago. (Wow! Was it that long ago?)

 

My brother and his wife had their two year old with them and she was pregnant at the time too. We all had a great time. (My parents were supposed to join us too, but my mother got sick.)

 

I don't think they used the kids program much for my niece. Seems she was almost always around whenever they were. Although I think they did use it at least once.

 

We've enjoyed our cruises on NCL and Carnival, but we don't feel they are the same. We generally prefer NCL because we like the freestyle choices. I know my brother also preferred it, especially for children under 2 because Carnival charged more. I think NCL only charges the government/port fees and Carnival charges full 3rd/4th person fees.

[Sigyn]

thanks for all of the input! my husband wants me to go ahead and reserve a cruise now, so I am down to the wire of figuring out which cruise/which dates. thanks so much for the suggestions!

[IheartNCL]

We are on the Pearl, 4th of July departure from Seattle. see our roll call at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=19514922&posted=1#post19514922

 

This is our 4th trip to Alaska. from an earlier post....Do your self a favor and book a balcony on the Port side. As you enter Glacier Bay National Park, all the glaciers are on the port side. At the end of the entry the ship does a 180 degree turn to leave, so the starboard side does not get a lot of "hang" time to glacier watch. This rotation is the time for you to go topside for more viewing and talking to the ranger. A lot of people go up at the start and then get cold so a lot less people for the last part of the glacier viewing. We have been on this cruise 3 time and it is superb.

[terrymtex01]

OP.. one thing you might find true is how I feel about cruising to Alaska. On most cruises the ship is a HUGE part of the trip for me. For an Alaskan cruise Alaska is so magnificent , so beautiful, that I hardly noticed the ship at all. I was always always always looking at what was around us.. where we were going.. where we had been.. staring in total awe. This may change after we get a few Alaskan cruises under our belts (or whatever that saying is) but for now it is all about Alaska.

 

With that said, PLEASE let me tell you that for me, NCL has been nothing like Carnival, Caribbean or any where else. If it had been, I never would have stepped foot on NCL after the first cruise. I don't say that to bash anyone who likes Carnival, etc, it just was not for me. I can easily see though how Carival on an Alaskan cruise would be much different than an Alaskan one.