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

[kimala]

Hi Miss Laffinvegas, I really enjoyed your review! You are a good writer! My hubby and I are gonna be on the Pearl Oct 17. We will be on a budget but I know we will still have a good time. We don't use credit cards anymore so we are planning to put cash down at the purser desk and use cash on the islands for local excursions (I'm sure they wont mind) anyways, we are budgeting in the Teppanyaki place as we enjoy these on land for special occasions and this cruise will be our 12th anniversary. I wanted to ask you if you or anyone in your party bought the Teen smoothie card? My hubby and I are not drinkers but I would love to purchase one of those cards for us to buy some frufru drinks non alcohol at a good price. I've read mixed comments some people get their back up at the thought of an adult using the card but I don't see the difference? What does it matter my dollars are just as green as a teenagers dollars and believe me NCL isn't loosing money on these teen drink coupons or they wouldn't offer them. Right?

[kazu]

Hi, I always check m check my User CP to see if there are any posts on threads i have posted on ;)

 

To answer you questions. If you dine at Cagneys at night or if you have Cagney's dinner menu delivered to your Suite for in Suite dining at night Yes you will be the additional charge.

 

I have to admit, I had no idea what we would use the Butler or Concierge for but trust me they know what you were use them for and make themselves available. Ryan our Concierge would call us daily to see if we needed anything and I had given him the list of what time and where we wanted to Dine in the evening, he took care of everything. Our Butler, would bring us appetizer in the very later afternoon, he learned the first night that we loved the strawberries in the Fresh Fruit so every evening when we got to our cabin there would be a big bowl of fresh strawberries. That would be our morning snack before we left the cabin and our late night snack before bed. Both just seemed to anticipate our needs with out ever asking them for anything. Trust me you will be surprised what a wonderful experience it is to have both of them attend to you needs.

 

thanks Lisa, I was just trying to figure out how they beat HAL. I'll be honest, |I have been in a Celebrity suite and an NCL suite in the past and I felt like I was treated like a .............a dirty rag. No escort to the room or a lounge or anything. Why I became a HAL fan - please don't flame me for this - so I am just trying to figure out if this is consistent now (it wt asn't then). and what is superior to HaL Aside from fresh strawberries, seriously what did you enjoy over HAL

 

An owner`s suite would be a delight but it sounds like you are truly comparing apples to apples.

 

 

Just trying to find out wha// really what`s the difference, a cabin steward can anticipate my need with strawberries, etc. am I missing the boat:confused: hope not.

 

just asking, please do not flame me. thanks:):)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Hi Miss Laffinvegas, I really enjoyed your review! You are a good writer! My hubby and I are gonna be on the Pearl Oct 17. We will be on a budget but I know we will still have a good time. We don't use credit cards anymore so we are planning to put cash down at the purser desk and use cash on the islands for local excursions (I'm sure they wont mind) anyways, we are budgeting in the Teppanyaki place as we enjoy these on land for special occasions and this cruise will be our 12th anniversary. I wanted to ask you if you or anyone in your party bought the Teen smoothie card? My hubby and I are not drinkers but I would love to purchase one of those cards for us to buy some frufru drinks non alcohol at a good price. I've read mixed comments some people get their back up at the thought of an adult using the card but I don't see the difference? What does it matter my dollars are just as green as a teenagers dollars and believe me NCL isn't loosing money on these teen drink coupons or they wouldn't offer them. Right?

kimala, unfortunately I do not know anything about the Teen smoothie card, sorry. Maybe someone else reading this thread could come in and answer or perhaps start a new thread asking the question.:)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

thanks Lisa, I was just trying to figure out how they beat HAL. I'll be honest, |I have been in a Celebrity suite and an NCL suite in the past and I felt like I was treated like a .............a dirty rag. No escort to the room or a lounge or anything. Why I became a HAL fan - please don't flame me for this - so I am just trying to figure out if this is consistent now (it wt asn't then). and what is superior to HaL Aside from fresh strawberries, seriously what did you enjoy over HAL

 

An owner`s suite would be a delight but it sounds like you are truly comparing apples to apples.

 

 

Just trying to find out wha// really what`s the difference, a cabin steward can anticipate my need with strawberries, etc. am I missing the boat:confused: hope not.

 

just asking, please do not flame me. thanks:):)

 

 

Oh definitely no flaming from me :)

 

OK here is the difference on how I compare the HAL S Suite to the Suites on NCL.

On our cruise that boarded in San Pedro, CA the Suites did have the seperate check in just like HAL but what is one step better is there is an area where the Suite passengers wait and after being checked in you are greeted by the Concierges, when I stepped up to the table I gave my name and they told me who my Concierge was and who my Butler was. There was a table that had cookies that were actually really good and coffee, tea and I think there was juice there as well.

It was still too early to board so we were seated along with about 20 others. Within a few minutes Ryan our Concierge came over to us and intruduced himself and apologized that he did not check us in and then introduced us to our Butler who then escorted us on to the ship. He took us immediatey up to Cagney's for what I considered one of the best embarkation lunches we have ever had. Having Cagney's available for breakfast and lunch and the menu that is so far superior to anything that HAL offers is the first of several things that makes NCL Suites so much better. While yes you can go to the Pinnacle on HAL for just breakfast but the menu is nothing special, it is boring and the same exact menu you find in the main dining room the only difference is that it is served in the Pinnacle by limited number of stewards that sometimes have a bad attitude. After probably having stayed in a Full Suite on HAL close to 20 times the Neptune Lounge to me is nothing special. The one Concierge has so many more passengers to keep track of and the coffee machine is nice but having your own private one in your own cabin which is just so much better on NCL, no need to get dressed to go to the Neptune.;)

Amenities in the cabin, while I mentioned the coffee/expresso maker which was great the robes are of a much higher quality real cotton not the new polyester robes that HAL now provides that after several washings these robes do not look that great. Then the slippers with NCL are far superior to the little cheapy ones that HAL has. Then little things like the loafa and bath salts that HAL does not provide. Both our Concierge and Butler checked in with us daily sometimes twice a day. We are never checked on or at least seldom with HAL in a Suite and while yes the Cabin Steward on HAL can be like your Butler, HAL Cabin Stewards tend to be stealth like in that they are the kind that like to stay out of your way which there is nothing wrong with that but if you need anything it is often hard to track them down and you end up having to go to the Neptune and hope to get your Concierge to follow up on something. We were given a card with our Concierge's number on it and he always answers the phone when ever we called except one time and then he called us back within 5 minutes.

 

Don't get me wrong I still love HAL and think that in comparing an Inside, Oean View or Balcony cabin of HAL's to NCL is like comparing Gourmet to Chili's or Applebees they are both good but not gourmet. HAL is a premium cruise line and the bed linens and fresh flowers all over the ship give you that elegant feel but when it comes to Suites NCL just takes it a step above and even more so when you jump to a Villa.

The other thing that really makes NCL shine is the Entertainment, HAL cannot even come close to the quality and costuming that NCL has and the nightly offerings of entertainment in the different lounges.

I personally feel they are neck in neck for crew, I think both have fantastic friendly crew.

[mafig]

Great to see this review again.

We'll be on Pearl in October (in our first suite), so I'll be re-reading and re-reading this very informative review.:)

[kazu]

Oh definitely no flaming from me :)

 

OK here is the difference on how I compare the HAL S Suite to the Suites on NCL.

On our cruise that boarded in San Pedro, CA the Suites did have the seperate check in just like HAL but what is one step better is there is an area where the Suite passengers wait and after being checked in you are greeted by the Concierges, when I stepped up to the table I gave my name and they told me who my Concierge was and who my Butler was. There was a table that had cookies that were actually really good and coffee, tea and I think there was juice there as well.

 

It was still too early to board so we were seated along with about 20 others. Within a few minutes Ryan our Concierge came over to us and intruduced himself and apologized that he did not check us in and then introduced us to our Butler who then escorted us on to the ship. He took us immediatey up to Cagney's for what I considered one of the best embarkation lunches we have ever had. Having Cagney's available for breakfast and lunch and the menu that is so far superior to anything that HAL offers is the first of several things that makes NCL Suites so much better. While yes you can go to the Pinnacle on HAL for just breakfast but the menu is nothing special, it is boring and the same exact menu you find in the main dining room the only difference is that it is served in the Pinnacle by limited number of stewards that sometimes have a bad attitude. After probably having stayed in a Full Suite on HAL close to 20 times the Neptune Lounge to me is nothing special. The one Concierge has so many more passengers to keep track of and the coffee machine is nice but having your own private one in your own cabin which is just so much better on NCL, no need to get dressed to go to the Neptune.;)

 

Amenities in the cabin, while I mentioned the coffee/expresso maker which was great the robes are of a much higher quality real cotton not the new polyester robes that HAL now provides that after several washings these robes do not look that great. Then the slippers with NCL are far superior to the little cheapy ones that HAL has. Then little things like the loafa and bath salts that HAL does not provide. Both our Concierge and Butler checked in with us daily sometimes twice a day. We are never checked on or at least seldom with HAL in a Suite and while yes the Cabin Steward on HAL can be like your Butler, HAL Cabin Stewards tend to be stealth like in that they are the kind that like to stay out of your way which there is nothing wrong with that but if you need anything it is often hard to track them down and you end up having to go to the Neptune and hope to get your Concierge to follow up on something. We were given a card with our Concierge's number on it and he always answers the phone when ever we called except one time and then he called us back within 5 minutes.

 

Don't get me wrong I still love HAL and think that in comparing an Inside, Oean View or Balcony cabin of HAL's to NCL is like comparing Gourmet to Chili's or Applebees they are both good but not gourmet. HAL is a premium cruise line and the bed linens and fresh flowers all over the ship give you that elegant feel but when it comes to Suites NCL just takes it a step above and even more so when you jump to a Villa.

 

The other thing that really makes NCL shine is the Entertainment, HAL cannot even come close to the quality and costuming that NCL has and the nightly offerings of entertainment in the different lounges.

 

I personally feel they are neck in neck for crew, I think both have fantastic friendly crew.

 

Thanks Lisa so much for taking the time to share. Really appreciate it. Will be taking a hard look on the NA in our suite and looking at NCL for a try, no question. Thanks again so much for a great review as well. A great read. Suites rule :D:D:D

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Great to see this review again.

 

We'll be on Pearl in October (in our first suite), so I'll be re-reading and re-reading this very informative review.:)

I wish we were going back on the Pearl in October :( The Pearl is now one of our favoirte ships. But I cannot complain since we are cruising again in September on the Solstice and November on the Mariner of the Seas :D So I guess we should stay home a month inbetween.

I look forward to hearing your impressions of the Pearl's Suite experience.

I will be doing Live from threads on both of those cruises although we will be slumming it a bit. We have Aqua Class on the Solstice, which I guess is really not slumming it ;) then we have a D1 aft cabin on the Mariner. No extra perks there other than a big aft balcony but did not want to spend too much money since we just throwing that cruise in as an extra this year.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Thanks Lisa so much for taking the time to share. Really appreciate it. Will be taking a hard look on the NA in our suite and looking at NCL for a try, no question. Thanks again so much for a great review as well. A great read. Suites rule :D:D:D

 

Thanks:) After a long absense from HAL we will be returning to the NA ourselves for the Yum Yum Man Worshippers 3 Cruise on March 20th, although because it is right smack in the middle of spring break the cost of the Suites were a bit high for our budget so we decided on regular balconies but we have these special hidden port side balconies toward the aft VD cabins that because of a stairwell there are two cabins that actually each get two full balconies on the outside so friends of ours got the other side with the double balcony and others from our group are all next to us so we plan to have the Sail Away parties from the Port Side aft and just open up the balcony doors. Since 2004 we were doing 4 HAL cruises a year it has now been since June 2009 since we were on HAL so that will be a 1 yr 9 month absence so it will be good to return after having cruised so many different cruise lines.:)

[Wild Thing ~T]

Lisa, thank you so much for this wealth of information. We are planning to book a couple of cabins on the Pride of America in January and your information was very helpful, since we normally sail HAL or Celebrity. We are planning a week in Maui after the cruise, I can't wait!

Thanks again,

Teri ;)

[knitlady037]

Hi Lisa, everytime I return to this thread, I get more excited about trying NCL. It was your live from review that helped me make the decision to cancel our next Noordam cruise leaving out of FLL and try NCL out of NY. We loved sailing the Noordam when she was in NY. We even have the same cabin on the Gem that you had on the Pearl. I hope our experience is as good as yours was.

[kazu]

Thanks:) After a long absense from HAL we will be returning to the NA ourselves for the Yum Yum Man Worshippers 3 Cruise on March 20th, although because it is right smack in the middle of spring break the cost of the Suites were a bit high for our budget so we decided on regular balconies but we have these special hidden port side balconies toward the aft VD cabins that because of a stairwell there are two cabins that actually each get two full balconies on the outside so friends of ours got the other side with the double balcony and others from our group are all next to us so we plan to have the Sail Away parties from the Port Side aft and just open up the balcony doors. Since 2004 we were doing 4 HAL cruises a year it has now been since June 2009 since we were on HAL so that will be a 1 yr 9 month absence so it will be good to return after having cruised so many different cruise lines.:)

 

Lisa, if you don't mind sharing which cabins are these? It would be very helpful to study the deck plan and potentially find these rooms on the other ships should the day come that the suites are too pricey (or we have our four stars). Thanks so much for your help :):):)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Lisa, if you don't mind sharing which cabins are these? It would be very helpful to study the deck plan and potentially find these rooms on the other ships should the day come that the suites are too pricey (or we have our four stars). Thanks so much for your help :):):)

These are on the Vista Class and Signature Class ships Upper Promenade category VD for the Vista Class (Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, & Noordam) they are cabin numbers they are 4164 and 4166 on the Signature Class Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam they are cabin numbers 4166 and 4168

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Lisa, thank you so much for this wealth of information. We are planning to book a couple of cabins on the Pride of America in January and your information was very helpful, since we normally sail HAL or Celebrity. We are planning a week in Maui after the cruise, I can't wait!

Thanks again,

Teri ;)

 

Teri while I have not been on the Pride, I have many clients that have been and said they aboslutely love it. A Co-Worker was on the Pride last December and has been on many of the different cruise lines and been to Hawaii several times and she thought this was the best of all her cruises and trips.

 

Hi Lisa, everytime I return to this thread, I get more excited about trying NCL. It was your live from review that helped me make the decision to cancel our next Noordam cruise leaving out of FLL and try NCL out of NY. We loved sailing the Noordam when she was in NY. We even have the same cabin on the Gem that you had on the Pearl. I hope our experience is as good as yours was.

I just hope the Gem lives up to what I wrote :o First off I will tell you that balcony is great, just last night we were raving to friends about the location and that because it was so protected from the wind that even heading North during the day it was so comfortable outside. I just wish I had some spare time to take an additional week to return to the Pearl and or try the Gem or Epic but we are pretty much booked up cruise wise till March so will have to figure out what the rest of 2011 will be.

[kazu]

These are on the Vista Class and Signature Class ships Upper Promenade category VD for the Vista Class (Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, & Noordam) they are cabin numbers they are 4164 and 4166 on the Signature Class Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam they are cabin numbers 4166 and 4168

Thanks Lisa, now I know who on our cruise are very wise as these cabins are booked. (I am doing the meet and greets and stuff so I have the info to deliver the invites.

 

I never cease to be amazed what you can learn on these boards.

 

Thanks again. You are a tremendous help to everyone.:):)