Review: Norwegian Pearl to Alaska 6/5-6/12/2016

[zackarykeef]

Hey everyone!

 

We just returned this past Sunday (6/12/2016) from a wonderful cruise aboard the Norwegian Pearl. Alaska had been on our bucket lists for some time now...especially my dad's, who isn't a fan of hot weather but continues to put up with Caribbean vacations just for us :p With both my brother and me graduating last month (undergraduate and medical school, respectively), my mom decided this was the perfect opportunity to visit The 49th State as a potential "last family vacation" as she calls it...at least for a while.

 

I haven't seen many reviews of the Pearl, especially recent ones...the focus seems to be on the larger, newer ships. Also, the reviews I have seen have overwhelmingly been for the Panama Canal itinerary. I found this a little frustrating prior to our trip, but I was too excited for Alaska to let it bother me. Anyway, I figured a new review of the Pearl and its Glacier Bay itinerary would be fresh and helpful for future cruisers this season and next! :)

 

As with my last review of the Getaway, just some quick info about us/me so you can understand the perspective...we're a family of four, originally from St. Louis. My parents (50s/60s) and younger brother (23) still live there. I (27) had been living in Miami for a while and at the time of the cruise, but actually just moved to New Jersey yesterday to start my medical residency. My family is very close, and we try to take a family vacation every year...usually to some place warm, whether a cruise or another resort in the Caribbean. Even with both my brother and me away from home for several years, we still managed this. However, with both of us going off to start our new lives post-graduation, we wanted to do something new and different for our last "hurrah." It didn't disappoint!

 

I'll post my review soon as I am still finishing up, in similar fashion to my previous one. Feel free to ask questions, and I will answer as many as I can to the best of my knowledge/memory (which is pretty good, btw ;))

[jonsmom]

Looking forward to your review. We have done many cruises out of Miami to the Caribbean - so I am a little out of my element going to Alaska.

 

Did you fly into Seattle precruise? That is where I am stumped. So many hotels, areas, and very expensive.

 

I am going to subscribe to this thread to follow...

[fivesenuff]

Can't wait for the review. We will be on the Pearl on 7/3. Just a few more weeks. Like you, having a hard time finding reviews of the Pearl in Alaska, so really looking forward to the review. Hope you had a great time.

 

 

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[lmintzer]

I am excited to read your review, too! We will be on the Pearl on 7/24. First cruise. I am traveling with my two sons (a teen and a tween) plus extended family. I am happy to read that your family continued to take vacations together up to this point in your lives. Here I was feeling like I needed to pack in as much as possible before my 15-year-old graduates h.s. This gives me hope that maybe we can keep on traveling/exploring. : )

 

Can't wait to read about your Pearl and Alaska adventures!

[mlfrony]

I'm looking forward to your review. We're going on the Pearl to Alaska Aug. 7 - 14 and this will be our first time cruise as well. It's our 20th Wedding Anniversary.

[misslyss1220]

Following! Sailing 7/3 on the Pearl :D

[haileyymariee]

Looking forward to your review! We have a large group sailing on the pearl to Alaska Aug. 7-14 and this is my first time cruising as well!

 

 

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[zackarykeef]

My last review I crammed into one post, but that's because I had the time to sit down and do it all at once. With my recent move, I'm writing this in between getting settled into my new place...I HATE moving, so I definitely need an outlet between boxes! Sorry for the delay, but bear with me! Let's get started! :D

 

Pre-cruise: Because we were coming from such far distances, we decided to fly to Seattle the day before (Saturday, 6/4). My family had a direct flight from St. Louis on Alaska Air, and they arrived early around 9:30am with no issues. They had planned on taking an Uber from the airport, but because they had plenty of time to kill, they decided to take the Link Light Rail to downtown and our hotel. *TIP: Do this. It’s the cheapest way to get downtown at only $3pp one way, and it’s easy. A quick walk from baggage claim, trains every 10min, and three blocks from Pike Place/most pier hotels if you take it to Westlake Station. It’s about a 45min ride, and you get to see some of Seattle (although the last third is mostly underground).

 

We were booked at The Palladian, as my friend works for Kimpton Hotels in Miami and got us the friends and family rate (still not really cheap, so don’t think we got some amazing deal lol). Hotels in downtown Seattle are expensive, so just be prepared. The Palladian is on 2nd and Virginia…only one block from Pike Place and a few more to the pier. It was very nice, with the same standard and amenities as all the Kimpton Hotels. If you’ve never stayed with Kimpton, do it; you won’t regret it. There are two other Kimpton Hotels in Seattle, but further from the pier and more expensive, so this was a no-brainer.

 

I had an American Airlines flight from Miami via Phoenix (the only direct flight arrived at almost midnight :eek:) and arrived around 1:30pm without issues. I also took the Link Light Rail and met my family at the hotel. I guess I never realized Seattle was so hilly! Not San Fran style, but you definitely notice it when walking with luggage. If you have a lot of luggage, it would be easy to take an Uber from the station to your hotel for cheap. Thankfully, it’s all downhill from most hotels to Pike Place/the pier. *TIP: It's a good, STEEP downhill. Be prepared! My mother has some mobility/balance issues and had no trouble going down holding my dad's hand and using a walking stick. They did take an Uber back to the hotel uphill though!

 

We spent the afternoon/evening walking around Pike Place and had dinner at Pike Brewing Co. For a seemingly touristy spot, the food was surprisingly good. We stopped by Top Pot to get donuts to take back to the room, and there was a Walgreens nearby we walked to for some last minute cruise necessities.

 

Thanks to some jet-lag, we woke up early with plenty of time to walk the two blocks to Biscuit Bitch shortly after they opened at 8:00am for breakfast. Yes, that’s what it’s called…I’m not just being foul! There were already people eating and a short line had formed, but we didn’t have to wait very long. By the time we got our food to go, there were so many people waiting they announced a 45min wait for food. Buuuuuuut…it’s worth it! It was really amazing. Definitely go there, and definitely go early! My parents said they enjoyed their "bitchwiches," and my brother and I had the "smokin' hot Seattle bitch"...biscuits and gravy topped with Louisiana hot links, cream cheese, and caramelized onions. Spicy and DELICIOUS. *TIP: Don't forget about their coffee. Seattle is known for their coffee (not just Starbucks), and the coffee here didn't disappoint. Also, they have several locations around downtown.

 

On to the pier!

[zackarykeef]

Looking forward to your review. We have done many cruises out of Miami to the Caribbean - so I am a little out of my element going to Alaska.

 

Did you fly into Seattle precruise? That is where I am stumped. So many hotels, areas, and very expensive.

 

Trust me, I know how you feel...I was living in Miami and cruised out of there several times, so this was completely new.

 

It was overwhelming at first; between my mom and me, we had booked four hotels with the option to cancel (one had a shuttle around downtown, one was a suite, one was slightly cheaper, etc). As you can read in my post, getting the Kimpton friends/family rate sealed the deal. You'll just have to decide what's best for you.

 

If you don't care to see Seattle and/or are getting in late the day before, staying at an airport hotel is an option to save money. You can just Uber or take the Link Light Rail from the airport to the pier in the morning.

[zackarykeef]

Also...thank you all for following! I hope it's definitely helpful and eases your minds about your upcoming trips! My hope is to finish today, if not tomorrow! :cool:

[zackarykeef]

Embarkation: After we finished eating/getting ready/packing, it was time to head to the port! We called an Uber XL around 11:00am to take the four of us and our luggage to Pier 66. Less than $10 and 5min later, we were dropping our luggage off. Seattle (or maybe just Pier 66) does luggage differently than any other port I’ve sailed from. Passenger drop-off is curbside on a main road, so there really is no separate area solely for the pier. You don’t just say goodbye to your luggage then and there with porters taking it to the ship. Instead, standard protocol has passengers bring their luggage through a luggage line and put it on the x-ray conveyor themselves. The line moved quickly, and we then followed the signs back outside to another line for passenger security/check-in. Of note, there are porters that will help you with your luggage if need be (for $$, obviously).

 

*TIP: There are stairs/escalators involved between security and check-in, so if you have mobility issues, they do have an elevator. They will allow you and one other in your party to use the elevator, and you can wait for the rest of your party at the top before check-in. The rest just have to go through security downstairs before rejoining you. My parents took the elevator while my brother and I went the standard route.

 

The security line moved quickly, as did check-in and getting our cards. We were given boarding number 13, and as we were checking in, they made the “we’re going to start boarding now with group 1” announcement. It’s a smaller holding area than I’m used to and was slightly crowded, but we had no trouble finding seats. I was expecting a long wait, but they only called odd numbers and boarding was quick, which had us getting on the ship within 15min. I was impressed with the speed, organization, and friendliness of all the staff within such a small and hectic area that is Pier 66.

 

You enter into the Crystal Atrium, which was pretty crowded as people were not going elsewhere and rooms were not ready at that time (sometime between 11:45am-12:00pm). Most people went off to eat or see the views from the top deck as Seattle was having an unusually hot (90s) day. O'Sheehan's is right up the stairs from the atrium, and it was not crowded at all! *TIP: Eat here when you get on. When you read my later post regarding food, you will understand why I say this. I can't imagine the Garden Cafe buffet was very fun immediately after boarding! :p

[jonsmom]

Thanks for updating.....

[CTCruiser001]

Thanks for posting this! Sailing 7/31 and have not seen many reviews!

[luvs2beachit]

Thank you for taking the time to write a review.

We are on the Pearl next Dec.

[haileyymariee]

So well written! Looking forward to the rest of the review.

 

 

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[grantman2265]

Thanks for posting. We are on the July 3rd sailing.

 

 

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[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[afyrfytr50]

Really wanting you to finish your review, sailing this Sunday! Much good information thus far!

 

Thanks!

[zackarykeef]

Really wanting you to finish your review, sailing this Sunday! Much good information thus far!

 

Thanks!

 

AH! I will definitely have it done, then! Can't have you sailing without all the info! So sorry for the delay, everyone...finally a little more settled and working on finishing this review! Stay tuned!

[Clarea]

Following and enjoying.:)

[zackarykeef]

Room: 11516, forward port side mini-suite.

 

Although they announced around 12:00pm that rooms would be ready in an hour and the posted signs noted 1:30pm, rooms were available on our deck around 12:30pm, which wasn't too long after we boarded. All four of us were in this mini-suite :eek:...I know, I'm sure some will think that's absurd, but honestly, it wasn't bad. My mom was going to book two balconies, but the price difference was significant, and I convinced her that we could make one mini-suite work.

 

I've only sailed on NCL twice before this, both on the Getaway and both balcony cabins, so I only have that to compare it to (as well as balconies on Carnival). The room was just fine, about the same size as before. The balcony was definitely bigger than the Getaway's and had enough room for all four of us to be out there at once. I know for a fact our balcony was bigger than others on the ship, although I don't know if mini-suite balconies are just bigger than standard balconies on the Pearl or we just got lucky with an oversized one. Regardless, it was definitely great having for the Alaskan scenery and was definitely utilized often! It's so nice to have the balcony on this trip to quickly check the weather in the morning, since it's so variable in Alaska in the summer.

 

The bathroom was also larger, as expected with a mini suite. The door enters into a central sink/vanity, a full tub/shower with sliding glass door to the left of that, and a toilet with sliding glass door to the right. Theoretically, since they are all separated, more than one person could be using different features simultaneously, but the glass doors are clear...we obviously did not. It would work well for couples.

 

The bed was near the closet with the couch next to the balcony. I had originally thought that there was a pullman over the couch, but WRONG...the couch pulls out to double in size as the second bed. Our steward did this the first night and left it out the entire trip. Yes, it did take up space, but we needed afternoon naps anyway, so it was perfect. There was just enough space for a single-person walkway to the balcony between the couch and the vanity, so that wasn't an issue. *TIP: The couch bed is firm, if not hard. Thankfully, I don't mind a firm bed. Our steward did put one piece of foam down over it, but you can always ask for more if need be!

 

Our room steward (Linbert) was great and knew all of our names before we even introduced ourselves (either lucky guess or by age). I saw him more than I've seen stewards on previous cruises, and he always said hello and greeted us by name. Everything was timely and well done, including the ever-so-famous towel animals nightly. Also, if you're not planning to use the mini-bar, you can have your steward empty it so you can use it as a fridge.

 

Other tips...UNPACK! Especially with four of us in a room, this was necessary. You can't live out of a suitcase, since we had to store our suitcases under the bed. Under the bed is big enough to hold four large suitcases, and the closet can have two or three more standing up in it. If you have more than two people in a room, establish a "packing schedule" when it comes time to leave. We all just went back at different times to pack to avoid getting in each other's way, since the room was already tight...this worked well for us.

 

The mini-suites come with a curtain that you can pull to divide the bed from the couch/vanity/balcony area. This was helpful for us, especially when my brother and I would come back later/sleep in and my parents would get up early. If you have a balcony without the curtain, others in the past have suggested bringing magnetic hooks for the ceiling and a shower curtain to make your own divider.

 

Finally, for the ladies...just an fyi, the blow dryer (which works well...no need to bring your own) is located on the vanity by the balcony, aka not in the bathroom. There are no plugs in the bathroom other than the shaver plug.

 

I think I covered everything...feel free to ask questions if I missed something! :D

[Pantherfan!]

Great review. Very detailed.

 

My family will be on the Pearl July 3rd.

 

Four of us in a Family Balcony room. These rooms have a Pullman bed along with a single sofa bed. It will be tight but we have cruised before and know how to make it work.

[Oklahoma Girl]

Thanks for the review. Our family is doing this cruise on July 24. We haven't been on NCL before. Many other cruises, just not Norwegian. Appreciate the suggestions.

[cincicruisers]

Enjoying your review.

[cruisin07family]

Please, please come back and share more info. We're sailing on 7/31 and like you said there is too little info about Pearl, Alaska, non-suite experiences and just general ship info. We're in a balcony on Deck 10. Did you see any shows, magicians, musical acts that stood out? Any particular food you would or would not recommend? How was the weather on your cruise? I plan to bring layers but I'm praying for some sunny days as I really hate rain. What excursions did you do and what did you see? Thanks so much for sharing.