Review of Pearl cruise to Alaska 07/01-07/08

[switzer29]

Demographics: There were about 30 of us from the same family ranging in age from 93-18 months. Our family had previously cruised to Hawaii on the Star and grandpa got to pick where we were going. He chose Alaska. Everyone was really excited about going and I was put in charge of reading Cruise Critic and picking up great tips. By the way thanks for all of the great tips:D .

 

Flights: Most of us were coming from the Quad Cities. We went to Atlanta first and then from there on to Seattle. We had an uneventful trip and the plane to Seattle was really comfortable. We flew on Delta and was pleased with the service. My relatives in Florida had a different experience. There were 8 of them and their flight was cancelled. They didn't even get an explanation why. So they had to scramble to find an alternative flight. They ended up flying to Cincinnati, then San Jose I believe and finally to Seattle. My poor cousin didn't even get on that flight. Fortunately we had decided to fly on Sat and stay at a hotel overnight so Clark had a little bit of time. He finally found a flight but all of the people from Florida lost their luggage. They finally got it Sun morning at 6 am. That was cutting it close. We stayed at the Embassy Suites in Seattle and had a very nice room and nice breakfast. It was a very relaxing morning since we didn't have to meet the shuttle to the pier until 12:00.

 

Embarkation: There really wasn't much of a line when we got there. We went right through and got our cards and set up our account. It took all of ten minutes maybe. It was really easy and much faster than Hawaii. We boarded the ship and sanitized our hands (the first sanitation of many). Our rooms weren't quite ready yet so they ushered us into the buffet to have some lunch. It was a zoo. There wasn't a seat anywhere but a few of us managed to find a table so we sat and ate. The food wasn't too bad for being buffet food. After we were done eating they announced that we could go to our rooms so we did.

 

Accomodations: My grandparents paid for the entire cruise for us so we weren't in the more luxurious accomodations. We were on deck 5. The room was pretty nice. The colors were pretty wild but I loved them. The bed took up most of the room but really how much space do you need. My boyfriend and I were in room 5546. We found there was plenty of space for our clothes. We actually had some space leftover. We didn't have a sheet for the bed but I called and they brought it right away. The bathroom is pretty small but it served its purpose. The rooms were always kept clean and the stewards made towel animals for us. That was really neat. Overall we were really happy with the room and the picture window that we had.

 

Food: Everyone's favorite category!! We ate at almost every restaurant on the ship except for the Japanese restaurants, Le Bistro and Indigo.

 

Buffet: It wasn't too bad really. My boyfriend and I didn't really mind dorm food so we thought it was pretty good. They had really good macaroni and cheese and a fish selection every night. I really love fish!! The pasta station was always busy but I managed to get some fresh pasta once and it was really good. They had really good french fries. The only complaints I really have is the fact that it was sooo busy. There were times where you walked around and around and couldn't find one and then by the time you found one your food was cold. I understood that the cruise was full so I really didn't mind it too much until I saw how many people were just sitting at the tables not even eating. I understand that the view was nice but in my opinion it is highly rude to take up a table when you can see so many people looking for one. Overall the food was decent.

 

Cagney's: This is a pay restaurant and for 20 dollars you have the privilage of eating there. The whole family went there together one night and we had three tables. We were kind of noisy so if any of you were there that night sorry about that. The steak I had (ribeye) wasn't too bad and the fries were really awesome. I even tried the crab cakes and thought those were delicious. I didn't hear anyone complaining about the food. Overall I felt it was worth the extra charge.

 

Summer Palace: My boyfriend and I went here for lunch. I had an awesome salmon with a mango salsa. The chicken strip appetizer was really good. My boy friend had a hot dog. He's not much for fine dining. My mother and sister ate there for dinner and said it was awesome. My uncle ate there and didn't like it but he is more of a meat and potato type of guy so the menu really didn't suit him. I loved the decor and the ambience. I minored in Eastern European Studies so the Russian theme really thrilled me. Overall I thought it was delicious.

 

La Cuchina: Oh what an experience that was. We couldn't get in until 9:15 and we still had to wait. No one was leaving the restaurant so they finally seated us in the oveflow section of the buffet. There were four of us and my sister stated her displeasure kindly and firmly so they gave a free bottle of wine with dinner. That was nice. The dinner I had was really good. I had the snapper with the risotto. I really liked it. Everyone loved their meals. My sis and boyfriend each got a pizza and they couldn't finish it. I know some people have said the food isn't good here but we were really pleased. Overall I thought it was a really good experience after we got seated.

 

Mambos: Again we couldn't get reservations until 9:15 but this time we were seated on time and right next to a window. It was a really awesome view. There were four of us my mother, sister, boyfriend and me. The nachos appetizer I thought was really good but I am easy to please when it comes to nachos. The gooier the better. My boyfriend got the quesadilla and he wished he had gotten the nachos. My taco salad was really good. For an entree I got the burrito which I thought was excellent. It was spicy but not too spicy. My sister didn't understand the meaning of tex mex so she was really disappointed with her burrito. My boyfriend got Il Popo and I don't think he realized how big it was so he and my sister shared it. Overall it was a great experience and the sopa that I had for dessert was awesome!!

 

Blue Lagoon: I really loved this place on the Star but it wasn't the same on the Pearl. It was really hard to figure out where exactly the seating was since it is so close to Mambos. I got the fish and chips and I really liked it. My boyfriend wasn't too impressed so we only ate here once. I liked it for a quick snack.

 

Outdoor Cafe: Ate here once when sitting outside. It wasn't the best in the world but it wasn't horrible.

 

Overall I really liked the food especially the desserts. Room service for breakfast wasn't too bad since we only ate cereal anyway. The pizza was hit and miss and so was the grilled cheese, but it filled the hole adequately.

 

Entertainment: We saw Second City twice and thought that was really funny. Didn't really go to any other shows. My sis, mom and I saw the strippers and one sat on my lap (my bf wasn't there thank goodness). Went to the nightclub a few times with my cousins to watch karaoke and hang out. There was a lot of booze floating around and the decor was awesome!! We hung out on those beds and that was really neat. The casino was kind of fun. I won the first time I was there and didn't win anything after that. My bf really likes live music so we would hang out in the atrium and listen to the guy who sang really mellow songs. He played shuffleboard with a few people a couple of times. I really wanted to play trivia but never got around to it. Overall it doesn't take much to entertain me so I was happy with the entertainment.

 

Juneau: The first port we went to. We docked and right off the ship is a row of vendors who will sell you passes on buses to go to Mendenhall Glacier. We opted to do that instead of the excursion. It worked out well for my mom, sis, bf and me. We thought the Glacier was really neat to see and we didn't have to stay there too long. The bus driver was kind of cheesy and the bus was really old (i think it was blue) but it got us there. I thought Juneau was ok. It was a little too touristy for me. I did get an Icon at the House of Russia. I had been looking for one for awhile.

 

Skagway: We were here for the Fourth of July. The parade was small but it was a good time. My boyfriend and I got there early and managed to get a seat on some bleachers they had set up. It was a good parade except for the fact that some lady kept on trying to get her bf or husband to take her pic like right in the parade. It ruined most of our pics. Finally people started to get kind of angry and she stopped for the most part. After the parade we walked around a little bit and didn't really see anything to do. I really wanted a train ride so we bought one. We were on the train going up and took a bus going back. It was really neat and only took about 2 and half hours so it was perfect for us. Here's a tip: sit on the left side on the train. We sat on the right and regretted it. On the bus we managed to sit on the good side but by then our camera was dead and we had forgotten to pack the battery. It was still at home:mad: . It was a pretty neat town and I really enjoyed the day there.

 

Ketchikan: The ship arrived pretty early here and we docked. We didn't have to tender at any port. Yay :p . We walked around the shops for a bit. It was a neat town and too bad we couldn't stay there longer. We went to the lumberjack show which was really awesome!! The only thing that sucked was that the excursion ticket told us to meet at the pier and we did but they made us walk back all the way through town. We wouln't have minded except for the fact that we hauled butt to get back only to find out that we just could have walked there in the first place.

 

Glacier Bay: That was some spectacular scenary. The only thing that really sucked was the constant barage of the park ranger. I know some people liked it but we were awakened really early by that guy. We ended up hating him by the end of the day. It's too bad we couldn't turn him off since we really didn't want to hear that.

 

Disembarkation: The worst day of the cruise. We did the bag program where they take them to the airport for you and that was a great service. Our bags arrived back at the QC Airport just like they were susposed to. It didn't take too long to get off the ship. We then boarded a bus to go to a hotel and relax since our flight didn't leave until 11:45 that night.

 

Overall: It was an awesome cruise. The kids loved the pool and my little cousin loved the Kids Club. Thanks for the laundry heads up. I think everyone used that service. If you want to know any more or have any questions feel free to ask. I will try to help. By the way, the service was really good on the ship. I did get the pop plan since I drink a lot of pop and I felt it was worth it. Some places even gave me cans (buffet was one example). If you drink a lot of pop it might be worth it too you.

[bewitchedwitch]

Thank you so much for the great review - it was very detailed and helpful! I'm sure I have some more questions, but for right now...

 

The morning you left the ship, you wrote that you took a bus to a hotel to hang out until your flight left late that night? Which hotel did you stay at? Did you have to pay for a whole night or did you get a day rate?

[switzer29]

We stayed at the Homewood suites. I don't know if what we paid for it since my aunt got it for all of us. We just basically went there to hang out and watch some tv or sleep for awhie before the flight. I had a king size bed in one room and two queen sized beds in another. There was also a kitchen and fridge and I think a pool. So it was pretty nice. Hope this helps.