Coming Soon! Live from NCL Pearl 10/14/2022 to 10/21/2022 Boston-to-Boston Canada/New England. First Time Cruiser!

[Denise T]

So excited to be heading out on my very first cruise with my sister who also has never cruised before. After these past two years which have been very difficult, we are taking our very first vacation together where we actually leave the state and the country! We are both workaholics, so we are going to do our best to relax. I do have to do some work, but have it planned out, so it doesn't take all my time. 

 

We will be flying into Boston the night before (Thank you CC for suggesting this. Less stress). We are flying in early enough so we can take in some sights in Boston. Then Friday, we board the ship!

Our itinerary: Boston, Sea Day, Charlottetown, Sydney, Halifax, Portland, Bar Harbor, then back to Boston. We will then be staying in Boston for the night and flying home the next day. 

 

We decided to do shore excursions on our own. We just like to do things at our own pace with no structured tours. 

 

Stay tuned as I plan to take lots of pictures and share our adventures. 

 

 

 

 

[Wink87]

Looking forward to reviews of your first cruise!

[Molokai-Chuck]

Standing-by for your reports!

 

Chuck

[drumming cruisers]

FYI,,,,,,,, If you don't make excursions thru the ship and are back late, they won't wait for you. So, make sure you are back on time. 

[Denise T]

6 minutes ago, drumming cruisers said:

FYI,,,,,,,, If you don't make excursions thru the ship and are back late, they won't wait for you. So, make sure you are back on time. 

Thank you for the reminder. I am the queen of being back on time! Yes, having followed CC for a while I know that the ship will not wait for us if we are late. We will make sure when all aboard time is and be back well before that time. 

[TheycallmeFlip]

If you've never been to Boston before, the Duck Boats are a great way to see the city.  It takes a little less than 90 minutes.

 

Flip

[Robkat]

Really looking forward to following along.

We have very fond memories of the Pearl, but our last cruise on her was fairly long ago.  Can't wait to hear your impressions and read your review of her.

This is also an itinerary we're really interested in, so we'll be taking notes as you go.

Have a fantastic time and we hope you love your first cruise experience.  Very excited for you!

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 hours ago, Denise T said:

I am the queen of being back on time!

Then I may be the king!  I go on a cruise to be on the ship, not off the ship.  😎

[Denise T]

3 hours ago, TheycallmeFlip said:

If you've never been to Boston before, the Duck Boats are a great way to see the city.  It takes a little less than 90 minutes.

 

Flip

Sounds like a good idea. I heard good things about it. 

[TSUmom]

Looking forward to live review.  My DH would like this exact itinerary.  Enjoy your first cruise - it is our favorite way to vacation!

[jimbri]

Looking forward to your review.  Enjoy!

[Denise T]

All packed and ready!

[graphicguy]

You're going to have such a good time.  Excited for you.  

[stefmaia]

The Pearl was the first NCL ship I sailed on and I loved every minute!

 

Have fun, take part in the goofy stuff, sometimes the goofy stuff makes for the best memories.🤣💃

[Dancing Gal]

Hi Denise-sailing with you, and we may meet on-board. Will be fun to read your posts post cruise.  Enjoy!

Monique

[Denise T]

29 minutes ago, Dancing Gal said:

Hi Denise-sailing with you, and we may meet on-board. Will be fun to read your posts post cruise.  Enjoy!

Monique

Yeah! Can't wait. Looks like we will be sailing out in a thunderstorm. I do love watching thunderstorms. 

[Denise T]

3 hours ago, stefmaia said:

The Pearl was the first NCL ship I sailed on and I loved every minute!

 

Have fun, take part in the goofy stuff, sometimes the goofy stuff makes for the best memories.🤣💃

I love doing the goofy stuff. My sister and I already decided we would do the quizzes and trivia if they have them. I would love a scavenger good scavenger hunt. 

[Denise T]

Cats are safely at the vet for boarding. Right now, I am trying to check in for my flight to Boston tomorrow, however, Delta is very slow. Good thing I took the day off. I cannot believe my trip has finally arrived! 

[Denise T]

A little bit more about my trip. My sister and I are in a balcony club suite on deck 11 aft. My sister gets claustrophobic so a balcony it is. We chose not to upgrade because we are happy with what we have. No Haven for us as we are just not interested in it. Our goal is to relax and enjoy ourselves. We will do our best to avoid very crowded areas and take the stairs mostly (I am a diabetic so I try to walk as much as I can). If necessary, we will wear masks as I am considered high risk (I am fully vaccinated and boosted and already had COVID). We may come down with COVID as we will be going through airports and such and if that happens, it is what it is. 

 

We are booked for Cagney's and La Cuchina. We plan to try the main dining rooms, the buffet, Lotus Garden, and O'Sheehan's. Will we be able to see the Eagle's game on Sunday or a Phillies game, who knows? I would like to get a massage and perhaps I will set foot in the gym. Since my sister and I are such workaholics, we are going to attempt to be as unstructured as possible. Will it work? Let's hope so. 

 

We will be in Boston tomorrow and I will try to get some pictures there. Looks like rain, so we will play it by ear. We may be sailing out on Friday in a thunderstorm! 

 

Stay tuned for more!

[bonvoyagie]

Enjoy this cruise - we did a similar one in 2016 on the Gem - 14days Boston to Quebec and back. There is lots to do in Halifax - try to see Peggy's Cove and the Maple Syrup factory. The Titanic graveyard is also interesting. Walk the boardwalk along the harbor - lots of interesting things to see and do - check out the crystal factory/shop there. We were lucky enough to visit here twice on our cruise so we took a taxi tour the first stop and went to Peggy's Cove and the syrup factory and walked the boardwalk on the second visit. We arranged taxi tours for most of our stops or rented cars and dit DIY tours using guide books. Most of the time you need to arrange these months in adance. 

[jpcdds6]

Great ship. The Jewel class ships are some of the best designed mid size ( funny how a ship of almost 100,000 tons is considered mid size), cruise ships in the world. Great public spaces and nicely appointed cabins. The aft corner penthouses on deck 10 is prime real estate. Enjoy your cruise.

[Denise T]

Landed safely in Boston. The flight was quick and smooth. Staying at the Hyatt Place Boston/Seaport District. View is fantastic from the window. Watching the different ships go by.

The first photos is my drink on the plane. 

[trivia addict]

I usually cruise on another line but the Pearl is a great ship that I like very much. She actually has the best spa facilities that I have yet to encounter. The sauna is beautiful. 

I also do my own excursions rather than the ones offered on the ship.

In Halifax I recommend the Hop on Hop off bus. Also a walk along the boardwalk is nice.

if you haven’t been to Boston, the Freedom Trail walk is a great way to experience history.

Make sure that  you have lobster in Bar Harbor. There is a restaurant next to the port that is good, but there are also others you can research. Also in Bar Harbor take the Acadia National Park tour given by the park. The headquarters are close to the port, and although it only uses a school bus, it will show you what you need to see and the cost is less than the ship.

[Denise T]

Its cruise day!

[cruiseny4life]

Thanks for the pre-cruise tour! Enjoy your cruise...it's been a month, plus two days since I disembarked, so I'll be living vicariously through you for awhile!