LAFFNVEGAS LIVE From the NCL Pearl Heading North Up The West Coast

[matondo]

I haven't been on the boards for a bit. I was just thinking Laffnvegas was due for a live from. Lo and behold there you were!! What a nice treat. NCL sure sounds tempting but for those of us who getting balcony is a stretch would we feel the same way about the balcony cabins on NCL? Looking forward to hearing your opinion about the "lido buffet" (I only know what it is called on HAL). Also what the food is like in the MDR. Thank you for taking the time and effort to give a review for those of us who enjoy cruising along with you.

[Obi1]

Lisa--So glad you are enjoying the Pearl. The "Bliss Lounge" is very unique! We will be on the Pearl in October for our 2nd time. She is a real beauty. Do they have the spinach dip and tomato basil soup in the Blue Lagoon on the Pearl? Those were my favorites while on the Dawn last year. Sounds like you are having a fantastic time on the Pearl, Enjoy the rest of the week! :D

 

"Bliss" is very unique, isn't it? When the six of us were on the Pearl for our Alaskan cruise, we had a picture taken of all six of us (with drinks in hand) on one of the "beds" in the lounge. We can't help but laugh every time we look at it! And let me tell you, it took some convincing to get my dad in the same "bed" with us, lol! :p

[sassyredhat]

Wow Lisa :eek: coming from you this is great praise indeed !

 

Ok so when is your next Pearl cruise ? Maybe we can go with you.

 

Pat

[dobiemom]

OK, I'm sold! :D I'm going to have my TA look for something on NCL for me for 2011. But I think she's on a cruise right now. ;)

[Dolphins]

Like you, we also liked HAL and spent over 100 days cruising with them. We got tired of flying to Florida and when NCL announced they would be sailing year round out of New York, we decided to give them a try. After HAL, we didn't expect too much but to say we were pleasantly surprised would be a gross understatement. We are now NCL Platinum Latitides Members and we have to say we got more from NCL after only a few cruises than we ever got from HAL after 100 days with them (a Copper Medallion was the limit of their largess). NCL has invited us to dine with the Captain on several occassions, never on HAL. I am happy you have found NCL and the Pearl as welcoming as we always have. Enjoy.

[Atomica]

Glad you're having a great time on the Pearl!

[debnjoe1438]

Lisa! Traitor! I'm SO glad you're liking the Pearl... my doctors sail NCL frequently and love it, so maybe you can convince this diehard HAL cruiser to try something new this summer!

 

 

Try it. NCL and HAL are wonderful:D

[teachergal29]

OK, I'm sold! :D I'm going to have my TA look for something on NCL for me for 2011. But I think she's on a cruise right now. ;)

 

Us too!!:D We have all the cruises we can handle for this year. Looking to see what works for us in 2011..

[Two@Sea]

OK, I'm sold! :D I'm going to have my TA look for something on NCL for me for 2011. But I think she's on a cruise right now. ;)

 

Ditto! ;):D:)

[Cruise_More_Often]

Lisa, when I saw your review for your Star cruise, I almost couldn't believe you liked it so much. So, when I read that you were cruising in a SUITE on the PEARL, I just knew you'd love it! And I'm lovin' this review!

 

I saw you this morning--at least I saw the ship--on my way to work (my bus goes right by the Piers). Hope you had fun in San Francisco!

 

I can hardly wait to read more . . .

[marelind]

I am sitting here in my P.J’s sipping great coffee from the coffee maker that is a bit like my Keurig with the slider wide open, writing here at the table getting down right warm from the sun on my back. I think my ankle has already gotten sun burnt. I have to admit this is about has perfect as it can get. OK it did take me a couple of tries with the coffee maker, the first cup I made ended up being tea which Tom drank but the second cup I made was coffee but I had to stop it so it would not over flow. :D

 

DH got the explanation from Juremar about the Lavazzo machine so he wouldn't push the button that makes the cup overflow, but use the other one that makes just one cup.

 

I love your review so far and can't wait for more. Having just gotten off the Pearl and feeling it was the "perfect" cruise I started to wonder if I had "drunk the Kool-Aid" so to speak. Nope, your commentary confirms I am in my right mind. Have a great time.

 

BTW, what is your itinerary? Since you've sailed it's not on the NCL website and we would love to play, "Where In the World is Juremar?" on our map at home. It's a game we played the last time we were on the Pearl. We had a little cutout of our butler, Ramadan, that we moved through the Panama Canal for about two weeks after our cruise. You take the comfort where you can. :p

[numberguy]

OK, I had a feeling this would happen after having read so many reviews on the NCL Boards we are now totally HUGE Fans of NCL. I just cannot believe it took us this many years to realize what else was out there. Both Tom and I feel so bad for all the years we said that we would never sail on NCL. The Suite Life is so far above and beyond what HAL offers there is just no comparison. Even if we had not been invited to Dine with the Captain. You have to experience this to understand how impressive this is and unless you can experience it and have a comparison to another cruise line you just will not understand..

 

OK I hope any and all of the above makes sense because all the many glasses of wine is starting to gof the brain and eyes so I am going to sign off for the night.

 

Signing off from the Most Fantastic day At Sea Free Stylin on the Pearl.

 

That wasn't wine. It was the NCL Kool-Aid. Now that you've drunk it, you'll love NCL.

 

EDIT NOTE: Marelind used the "drunk the kool-aid" line while I was typing mine. GMTA!

 

We'll get the rest of you, don't worry!

 

(although I do want to try other lines, too).

 

--Michael

[MizDaisy]

I am SO loving this report!!! Our third NCL cruise is next month....on the Pearl, to Alaska...in a Courtyard Villa. I can't wait!!!

[marelind]

That wasn't wine. It was the NCL Kool-Aid. Now that you've drunk it, you'll love NCL.

 

EDIT NOTE: Marelind used the "drunk the kool-aid" line while I was typing mine. GMTA!

 

We'll get the rest of you, don't worry!

 

(although I do want to try other lines, too).

 

--Michael

 

We are tracking! Too funny! :D

[IrishColleen53]

Dad is OK as of now-just depressed. Thanks!

[beetle9]

great review we loved the pearl and the bliss lounge is neat.:)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Monday April 26, 2010

Good Evening from the Norwegian Pearl where it is currently 6:12 PM and we recently left San Francisco California. I thought I would do a bit of writing right now before our 6:30 dinner reservations in Le Bistro. Yes we are returning to Le Bistro for the 2nd night in a row but this had been one of our planned dinners.

I have not had a chance to read what I wrote last night and I certainly hope it made sense, That tends to happened to me when I have had a bit too much wine :D

Last night I did set a wake up call for 5:30 am because we wanted to get up to go up on deck 13 or 14 forward for when we came into San Francisco and went under the Golden Gate Bridge. Well the phone wake up did not work but thankfully Tom woke up at 6am so we still got ready quickly and were up top taking lots of pictures. Let me say that we had one of those extremely rare mornings that were absolutely beautiful with now fog of any kind. It made of a beautiful way to enter the city. After we passed the Golden Gate Bridge and I saw where we were close to our pier we decided to head into Cagney’s for breakfast. We had purchased tickets on line for what they call the Early Bird Tour of Alcatraz, the cost was just $26.00 per person, so the 6 of us were escorted down to the gangway by Ryan our Concierge and headed over to the pier to the left which is where the tour was to take off from. I was actually amazed how many people were lined up to go to Alcatraz. This is definitely a big tourist attraction for this area. But does it ever give you a work out. There is what they claim a quarter might walk up hill well let me say that I think it was closer to a ½ mile and definitely a steep incline. Plus once you start the tour there is a lot of walking. Sadly I will admit I have become out of shape :( so I can honestly say that this evening my legs are killing me.

( OK I will note that I am now writing this after dinner & the show for Monday night)

Over all the Alcatraz excursions was OK and a little bit interesting but doubt I would do it a 2nd time. Most of the tour is a self guided audio tour which was easy to understand and follow. The tour ended about 11:30 and we were able to catch the 11:55 ferry back.

Afterwards we headed over to Pier 39 also known as Fisherman’s Wharf. The six of us had lunch at a place called Wipeout which was not too bad. I had Clam Chowder in a Sour Dough Bowl with a side Asian Chicken Salad which was excellent. Afterwards we did a bit of looking around at a couple of the shops but I have to tell you I was more than ready to get back to the ship. After getting up early, then doing so much walking I really needed to go the spa and sit in the hot tub and or take a nap. Well I ended up doing both, I came back to the cabin, laid down for a few minutes and fell asleep then woke about 30 minutes later and went up to the Spa. When I first go to the Spa I was about the only one there, it was great. I soaked in one of the single hot tubs, then sat in the lounge chairs to read. I probably read one page then closed my eyes for just a minute that turned into a good 45. I woke up to the Spa being crowded with lots of other ladies all around me.

Many of you that have followed my writings know I am a bit of a Spa junkie. I love Thermal Suites and have always loved the ones on HAL’s Vista Class and Signature Class. After using this Spa twice now I can say the Thermal Suite on the Pearl is definitely better. Of course there is no comparison to the Dungeons that Princess calls Thermal Suites. NCL is just so far above Princess in so many ways.

I left the Spa about 10 minutes before 5 and headed back to the cabin, I figured I could get the view from the aft of leaving San Francisco and see us pass under the Golden Gate Bridge once again. Which is what we did. I have to say I absolutely love these aft cabins. The many times we cruised on HAL’s Oosterdam we had the SC Suite on the corner aft of Star Board side many times, so we love being in the aft but the corner’s tend to be a bit windy, not so in the center aft cabins. The balconies are so protected. It is truly the ideal location to be on the ship.

Tonight was the night that the 6 of us were going to Dine in Le Bistro, now yes that is where Tom and I dined last night but it was good to try it again. I really like Le Bistro. The service is fantastic but then the service has been amazing all over the ship. The attention to detail, and the attentiveness from Senior Officers has been amazing. The 6 of us all ended our fantastic meal with having the Chocolate Fondue which was excellent. Then Frank and Michelle decided to call it a night and Tom and I and Brad and Nick rushed off to go see the show “Oh What a Night” which is the Frankie Valle and the Four Seasons tribute show. It was great, we recently saw Jersey Boys in Las Vegas and this was very good. I was also told by a friend that he had a friend in the show by the name of Mark Perkins so after the show I had to go introduce myself. Two of the guys were from Las Vegas and actually live close to our house.

I think that about catches me up on today’s report. Tomorrow I have no big plans to get up early but will probably go up to the Thermal Suite since it is a Sea Day. There is also a Latitude’s Cocktail reception at 1:15 up in the Spinnakers that I definitely want to attend since it would be our first one now that we are Latitude members and Proud of it.:) I can honestly say that I expect to grow in rankings with Latitudes. We have been very impressed with NCL and expect to return very soon. NCL just seems to offer so many things that we like out of cruising. It is amazing how one turns full circle in their thinking.

Since I need to get this posted I will call this a wrap up for the night.

Signing off from the Free Stylin Norwegian Pearl.:)

[sassyredhat]

Glad to hear your having such a good time. Brat ! :D

 

I know, I know, you did ask us to go on this cruise.

 

You know of any ship's golf tours ?

 

Pat

[mbisson]

Lisa,

We've been flip flopping as to if we should by a spa pass for next week. You're making me think 'not just yes, but hell yes'

[tutuwahineLV]

Lisa,

We've been flip flopping as to if we should by a spa pass for next week. You're making me think 'not just yes, but hell yes'

Lol Monte...thats the best part of the whole week!

[mbisson]

Lol Monte...thats the best part of the whole week!

 

Might just see you there tutu! My wife is thinking that with the extra I spent on the cruise a couple days ago, we should pass-I DISAGREE

[IllinoisAuthor]

Monday April 26, 2010

Many of you that have followed my writings know I am a bit of a Spa junkie. I love Thermal Suites and have always loved the ones on HAL’s Vista Class and Signature Class. After using this Spa twice now I can say the Thermal Suite on the Pearl is definitely better. Of course there is no comparison to the Dungeons that Princess calls Thermal Suites. NCL is just so far above Princess in so many ways.[/font]

 

What exactly is the thermal suites?

[Cruise_More_Often]

Lisa, NCL should hire you for their Marketing Department! :D

[tutuwahineLV]

Monday April 26, 2010

Many of you that have followed my writings know I am a bit of a Spa junkie. I love Thermal Suites and have always loved the ones on HAL’s Vista Class and Signature Class. After using this Spa twice now I can say the Thermal Suite on the Pearl is definitely better. Of course there is no comparison to the Dungeons that Princess calls Thermal Suites. NCL is just so far above Princess in so many ways.[/font]

 

What exactly is the thermal suites?

 

Its in the Spa. a large Thallassotherapy pool, with some amazing jets, a hot tub, some heated stone loungers, peace and quiet, also the steam rooms and saunas...has a communal area, with the pools and loungers, and seperate mens and womens areas, where the steam rooms and saunas...... a little piece of heaven....:D

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Tuesday April 27th, 2010

 

Good Morning from the Beautiful Norwegian Pearl.

 

My Report this morning is basically going to be some tidbits of differences between the different cruises lines and probably more of Things I really like about NCL :D

 

First off the Pearl really is a beautiful ship, from the Atrium area, to the shops, to the many Dining Rooms, to Spinnakers and the Show Lounge. This ship is actually very quiet or at least our cabin is. As we are heading North the Seas are becoming much rougher which is to be expected. Last night Captain and his Officers were kickin it into high gear and there was a whole lot of Rockin and Rollin going on. I got up to go the the bathroom and had a really had a hard time standing. I would equate it to a good “E” ride a Disneyland. Yes I know that E ride thing ages me ;) But the cabin is quiet. If you listen you will hear just a bit of creeking sounds but for the most part it is very quiet. I have to admit that unfortunately on HAL it seemed in most cabins that it would be extremely noisey.

 

This is going to be a really relaxed day for me today. It is 10:00 am I am sipping on my 2nd cup of coffee that I made myself here in the cabin, I am sitting here in my P.J. nibbling Strawberries. Juremar our Butler knew we really liked the Strawberries so he brought us this huge plate last night. I am not sure if I mentioned the large fruit bowl and the fruit in it is picture perfect and extremely good.

 

There is truly a difference all over the ship with the crew compared to Princess where we found most to not be nearly as friendly as HAL yet this is equal to if not even better than HAL in so many ways. So many of the crew remember our names and our greating us by name. The Suite Life on NCL is truly Sweet. Like I mentioned when I first started writing a few days ago that most of this would be comparing HAL Suites to NCL Suite and Suite Life. Before Tom took off to go to the Garden Café aka Lido to HAL people he and I were discussing some of the differences. NCL definitely knows how to treat ALL of their Suite passengers. There is that difference that it is definitely above and beyond which is a good thing. They do it in a way that is far from intrusive yet they anticipate every need you may want and accommodate it before you even would need to ask. The other very nice thing is that while we are traveling with Nick and Brad and Frank and Michelle they are including them with many things for us. Over all there is just a attentiveness that you definitely do not feel in a HAL Suite . No don’t get me wrong there have been many times I have felt like a Princess ( and not Princess cruise lines:D)on a few HAL cruises specifically our 30 Year Anniversary Cruise but a lot of that came from the Hotel Manager at the time who also because a very good friend and still is. There is just a total feeling that it is far Superior on NCL. I have to admit from everything I had read on Cruise Critic prior I had this feeling this was the case but to actually feel it yourself is another story.

 

This morning we received a message from Ryan our Concierge that the Captain has invited us to come up to the Bridge this afternoon and inviting our friends to come with us. Of course we said yes, the cruise addict I am is always interested in doing this.

 

Well, I probably did not write anything nore this morning than I have posted already but it was just relaxing writing, sipping extremely good coffee and watching the wake out the balcony. Tom and I both keep saying we are not going to want to get off the ship. We absolutely love the ship and the crew and this cabin.

 

Tonight’s show is Sea Legs, A Showgirl Revue and it is also White Hot Dance Party Night. Tomorrow night we are all doing the Murder Mystery Dinner.

 

I guess I will head up to the Thermal Suite for an hour or two.

 

Signing off from where I am FREE to do Whatever on the NCL Pearl.:)