Pearl July 13 Random Thoughts

[Got2Cruise]

There are several comprehensive reviews of the Pearl in the "review" section. I am augmenting those reviews with some random thoughts. Of course if you have any specific questions I will try to help.

 

Best Cruise Critic tip, ever, LOL-- book the specialty restaurant you have your heart set on for the first or second night as soon as you get onboard. Since Mambo’s is free, this is one ofthe most difficult restaurant to get the reservations for. We ate at a specialty restaurant five nights. We enjoyed each one, even for the extra fee. Le Bistro was our favorite.

Meet and Greet The management of NCL is very interested in the opinions of posters on Cruise Critic. Mr. Michael Klieverik, the Hotel Director of the Pearl met with our Cruise Critic group at our meet and greet. He told us that he reads Cruise Critic regularly. We had a very good turnout at our meet and greet and Mr. Klieverik generously offered us a game of bowling. We had lots of laughs bowling together. Thank you, Michael. Thank you also to the guy in charge of the bowling on Sat. morning who helped us arrange the lane assignments. He had great patience, and was so genuinely glad we were enjoying ourselves.

 

The Captain also attended the Cruise Critic meet and greet which was very generous of him. He graciously answered any of our questions. I especially appreciated the Captain announcing whenever his crew spotted wildlife such as bears or whales.

 

We ate at the Blue Lagoon restaurant one afternoon. Every post I recall reading on CC is that the service at the Blue Lagoon was so slow, and how the wait staff takes forever to take your order. Well, Mr. Klieverik must have read this on CC, because let me tell you, we were sitting for maybe three seconds before the waitress came running over to take our order. LOL.

Lattitudes Membership -- When I embarked the ship, I mentioned to the rep that we were Lattitude members. She immediately brought us over to an open window to check in. The Lattitudes party was nicely presented. You had your choice of several free alcoholic drinks. The Captain and Hotel Director, plus the Cruise Director and other staff were in attendance.

Inside Cabin-- We were on deck 10, inside cabin. We spend very little time in our cabin. There are many sun decks on the Pearl where you can get a 360 degree view. The Great Outdoors is at the back with a fabulous view. There is a wonderful outdoor sundeck at the front of the ship, or if it too cold, go to Spinnakers lounge. The insides are small, and if you put the beds together to make a queensized bed (which was very comfy, btw) one of you will have to crawl out of the bed. We realize this must be the reason for the new "round" beds. It gives you the extra inches you need on the end)

 

Nickel and Diming -- Really, we did not experience this at all. Every cruise we have been on, sells drinks and bingo.

 

Hotdogs:D were beef, but they did offer turkeyburgers.

 

 

 

 

[ute_fan]

I'm glad to read a positive "review" from the Pearl. I was beginning to wonder, with all the complaining lately, what happened to the beautiful ship we sailed last year. It's nice to hear that someone else had an enjoyable trip!

[mbisson]

I'm glad to read a positive "review" from the Pearl. I was beginning to wonder, with all the complaining lately, what happened to the beautiful ship we sailed last year. It's nice to hear that someone else had an enjoyable trip!

 

I agree completely. (and with that, it doesn't mean I'm belittling those with real problems - such as about everyone on the Sky)

[NCL DancerMom]

Thanks for posting the positive comments about "our" Pearl cruise. I thought about writing a review, but thought mine might be a "conflict of interest" since Lindsay works on the ship! However, the last couple of official CC reviews haven't been that stellar, and we experienced NONE of the negative things that were mentioned. We did not have a single bad experience the whole week.

 

We thought the ship was beautiful, well maintained, clean - I saw people checking nooks, crannies, and baseboards every day for cleanliness. Our cabin stewards, Dale and Angelo, were always very pleasant and eager to help us with anything we needed. Those poor guys work more than 10 hours a day, because every time we went to our room, they were in the hallway with their cart working on something.

 

We, too, ate in every one of the restaurants (except Lotus Garden, but we did Teppanyaki and figured that covered the Asian food). We didn't experience any slow or unpleasant service in any venue; in fact, we were so pleased with the upbeat attitudes of every one of our servers as well as the maitre'd in each.

 

Loved meeting you and all the other CC's. Thanks again for organizing the Meet & Greet. It was fun putting faces to "names", and then running into each other all week. I really appreciated the Senior Officers coming to the M&G, and every time we saw them thereafter, they were friendly and inquired about our experience on the ship.

 

We never felt "nickeled and dimed" either - never played Bingo and never bought a pull tab. Just said "no thanks" if we didn't want a drink from the bar. Any extra $$ we spent was intentional and never a surprise.

 

We had so much fun with Lindsay that we have booked another cruise for Thanksgiving week! Steve's dad and his wife will be joining us. The Company Manager and Dance Captain of the JAR cast were so accommodating with Lindsay's schedule last week, that we hope the entire group can join us on Thanksgiving for a nice meal (maybe one of the dining rooms will feature a turkey and dressing feast!).

 

Hope we can all stay in touch!

Danice

[brunolvr]

Was Captain Haavard Ramsoey still onboard?

[Got2Cruise]

Was Captain Haavard Ramsoey still onboard?

 

That was notthe Captain's name. I have to look for my papers to find the Captain's name, but I do know our sailing was his second week oon the Pearl, and he is from Finland.

[ute_fan]

I agree completely. (and with that, it doesn't mean I'm belittling those with real problems - such as about everyone on the Sky)

 

Monte -- we've got to stop agreeing with each other. People will start talking :D .

 

I'm also not saying that there aren't people who have legitimiate complaints, especially with things like A/C and toilets that don't work. Doing with those kinds of physical necessities would have me complaining quickly too.

[Got2Cruise]

I wanted to mention the demographics because this had been previously discussed on CC. There was a very wide age range on this cruise. Lots of kids, but they never were a nusiance. There was a large group of Japanese passengers. I also heard passengers speak German, Russian and Spanish.

[mbisson]

Monte -- we've got to stop agreeing with each other. People will start talking :D .

 

Let 'em talk! It only means that I've got good tastes and that you don't :D

[brunolvr]

That was notthe Captain's name. I have to look for my papers to find the Captain's name, but I do know our sailing was his second week oon the Pearl, and he is from Finland.

 

Thanks, Got2Cruise! I'd like to know his name.

 

Captain Haavard Ramsoey had just boarded the Pearl on May 25th so maybe the Captains just do a 6-week stint before they either have some time off or change ships. I think we've always had a Captain from Norway on all 6 of our Alaskan cruises.

[CanadianTwosome]

Thanks for posting the positive comments about "our" Pearl cruise. I thought about writing a review, but thought mine might be a "conflict of interest" since Lindsay works on the ship! However, the last couple of official CC reviews haven't been that stellar, and we experienced NONE of the negative things that were mentioned. We did not have a single bad experience the whole week.

 

We thought the ship was beautiful, well maintained, clean - I saw people checking nooks, crannies, and baseboards every day for cleanliness. Our cabin stewards, Dale and Angelo, were always very pleasant and eager to help us with anything we needed. Those poor guys work more than 10 hours a day, because every time we went to our room, they were in the hallway with their cart working on something.

 

We, too, ate in every one of the restaurants (except Lotus Garden, but we did Teppanyaki and figured that covered the Asian food). We didn't experience any slow or unpleasant service in any venue; in fact, we were so pleased with the upbeat attitudes of every one of our servers as well as the maitre'd in each.

 

Loved meeting you and all the other CC's. Thanks again for organizing the Meet & Greet. It was fun putting faces to "names", and then running into each other all week. I really appreciated the Senior Officers coming to the M&G, and every time we saw them thereafter, they were friendly and inquired about our experience on the ship.

 

We never felt "nickeled and dimed" either - never played Bingo and never bought a pull tab. Just said "no thanks" if we didn't want a drink from the bar. Any extra $$ we spent was intentional and never a surprise.

 

We had so much fun with Lindsay that we have booked another cruise for Thanksgiving week! Steve's dad and his wife will be joining us. The Company Manager and Dance Captain of the JAR cast were so accommodating with Lindsay's schedule last week, that we hope the entire group can join us on Thanksgiving for a nice meal (maybe one of the dining rooms will feature a turkey and dressing feast!).

 

Hope we can all stay in touch!

Danice

 

Hi... this is completely off topic, but I've been telling my niece what a wonderful experience it would be for her to dance on a ship (I met some really wonderful young people who were dancing on the Star), so I'm hoping she'll be able to join us in January on the Pearl and dance in the talent show, since I've heard they recruit from it. She's been dancing since she was four or five and has won numerous awards, so I'm sure she's got the talent and training needed. I'm wondering if there's any advice you or your daughter could share about the experience. If you wouldn't mind, you can contact me directly at bikerbink@hotmail.com. Thanks!

[NCL DancerMom]

Hi... this is completely off topic, but I've been telling my niece what a wonderful experience it would be for her to dance on a ship (I met some really wonderful young people who were dancing on the Star), so I'm hoping she'll be able to join us in January on the Pearl and dance in the talent show, since I've heard they recruit from it. She's been dancing since she was four or five and has won numerous awards, so I'm sure she's got the talent and training needed. I'm wondering if there's any advice you or your daughter could share about the experience. If you wouldn't mind, you can contact me directly at bikerbink@hotmail.com. Thanks!

 

Check your e-mail! :D

[cantwaitt]

The Pearl and the Gem are the best. Don't listen to the negative reviews. They are petty complaints.

[Got2Cruise]

The Pearl and the Gem are the best. Don't listen to the negative reviews. They are petty complaints.

 

I didn't notice "those" reviews until yesterday. . .some of the info posted was simply incorrect. One person said that there was a charge for wake up calls! There is no charge for wakeup calls. I checked my invoice.

 

Some more comments I thought to add:

 

Customer Service Desk -- There never was a line at the Customer Service desk that I noticed. We had two issues that had to be resolved and the reps helped me and solved it with no problem. One was that I inadvertently threw away my "Anniversay Package" letter. I asked for a copy, and was provided one. Another time, we were given back the wrong cruise card in the show lounge and didn't notice it. Tried to get into the room, oh no. Went to the desk, they called the manager to the front in two seconds, and we got everything straightened out, no fuss.

 

Art Auctions -- Laura S. has a thread on the homepage about Art Auctions. We have been cruising for ten years and they have always held the art auctions. Personally, I don't take a cruise to purchase art, but, everytime we passed the auction, the place was packed. Obviously, someone is buying.

 

Garden Cafe -- I am not a buffet lover, but the buffet selection and presentation has improved tremendously since 2.0. The seating section of the GC on the Pearl was simply perfect.All tables and booths facing the windows. You didn't feel you were sitting in a cafeteria. We never had trouble finding a table, except the day for lunch at Glacier Bay. The reason being some people sat at the tables from breakfast time and never got up. A nice touch for people who like to eat dinner at the buffet is that they have a section with tablecloths and glassware set out. Look for it, it is when you first walk in.

[Got2Cruise]

I apologize, I thought I brought home some dallies, to supply the Captain's name, but after cleaning out my suitcases. . .none to be found. I thought of some more info people might be interested in. . . .l

 

Stability of Ship- I don't know if it standard, but on the Pearl 7/13 sailing, there was very little motion on the ship. Even when the Captain would announce, the seas might be a little rough during the night. . .nothing. We were sorta disappointed, lol, we enjoy that rocking ship feeling while you are laying in bed.

 

Deck Seven - We spent a lot of time out on this deck. Since the Pearl is so large, all you need to do is complete the path 3 times and you have walked a little over a mile! We walked 2 miles each morning to work off last night's dessert.:) Also, this is where we stood to watch for wildlife. There are lounge chairs, and the area is covered. It is a good spot to read a good book or just meditate. Also shuffle board is on this deck.

 

Drink Prices -- A can of Diet Coke, was $2.01 including the tip. Margaritas came in all price ranges from regular at 5.95, and then up depending on the label of Tequila. Same for martinis. You can order a regular, or a "special". A cosmo was around $9.00. The beer helmets are buy 5 get 1 free. On this Alaska cruise, there really isn't a lot of time to sit around drinking. We always ordered a bottle of wine with dinner, if you don't finish the bottle you can save it for the next day, or take it back to your cabin. The fancy drink of the day, with souvenier glass was $8.95. You can order drinks without the glass, it is less money, but you have to request no special glass when ordering.

 

Shore excursions -- There were a wide range of shore excursions offered, appealing to the sedentary to the very active. The shore excursions we took from the ship were very well run and safety minded. In all the ports there were tour operators at the piers if you hadn't already booked something. There are plenty of free things to do at the ports also. I recommend taking a shuttle $14.00 round trip to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau. In Skagway, take the free tour offered by the National Park Service. The highlight of our cruise was the talk given by the National Park rangers while the ship was cruising Glacier Bay. Yes, the best things in life are free.

 

Bingo and Casino -- We didn't particpate, so I can't comment. Bingo seemed to be a very popular activity on our sailing.

 

If you need to know anything else, I will try to remember. lol