Live from the Pearl

[reporterjen]

Danice, we'll have to keep an eye out for your daughter on board. We missed last night's show with the dancers, but we did see the new ones in the dining room last night. They had on name tags and filed in together. This was before I saw your message, of course, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear from our server that this was the new dancers, and that they were in training this week.

 

And, Danice, Carlos has been great every time we've called him. We'll let him know you had a wonderful time last week. How did you handle all the kids? We've heard estimates of 700-900 on the Pearl during the Thanksgiving sailing.

 

Re the laundry rooms: They must have *just* been removed, as ohioNCLcruiser noted. They're gone. My husband checked the one on the 10th floor, and I checked the one on the eighth. Neither had signs saying "laundry room" or something similar in small print at the top. They were not marked in any other way. We did not visit the fifth deck location. I'm just glad to know ironing is still an option; I hope it always remains so.

 

Kris, it sounds like you've got the answers you needed about the time, but we'll take a look at any clocks we see ashore tomorrow and see how that matches up with our ship time.

 

We had a great time in Belize today. The weather was beautiful -- mostly mild and sunny. Christopher and I had a blast cave tubing. The hike down was interesting and beautiful; it made both of us wish we had our digital camera in a waterproof case so we could have brought it along. We overcame some nerves and tried termites on the hike; they tasted minty and left a bitter spearmint flavor on the tongue. The water, as widely reported, was indeed "refreshing," which is to say it's pretty darn cold. But, the beauty of the caves and the lush forests around the Sibun River make the goosebumps worthwhile. Our guides were great, and it was wonderful to relax and let them pull us along for most of the journey. A lunch of chicken stew, red beans and rice, watermelon juice and fried plantains was delicious. On the dock, as we waited for our tender back to the Pearl, a local group played Christmas tunes with a distinct accent and flavor.

 

As folks filed off the tender and onboard, many stopped to check out the menu outside Indigo. Suffice it to say that we saw several fellow cruisers move immediately from the menu to the phone a few steps away to ring for reservations at a specialty restaurant. Since tonight's main menu is not spectacular, we've decided to do the buffet tonight and chase that with improv in Spinnaker's.

 

Incidentally, I forgot to mention in my earlier post that the Pearl is all decked out for the coming holidays -- at least for Christmas. There are Christmas trees and red and green decorations everywhere, including in the main dining rooms, where there are cone-shaped objects (meant to be reminiscent of trees) in red and green as centerpieces on every table. There also is a beautiful blue icicle tree (I lack a better name for it) in the lobby/atrium.

 

Jen.

[terrymtex01]

Gotcha! Thanks for the help Terry, the site and your idea provided the information I was looking for.

 

Listen.. I am a Project Manager by trade. For years I was a PM for a major telecom company. Won't say which one, but we called their symbol the death star..LOL. I traveled literally coast to coast all the time. In fact, I traveled so much for them that in 1998 I kept track and I was home in my apartment 18 days for the whole year. Anyway, my team, the group I reported to and worked with had conference calls two or three times a week, and on every conference call they would always have to track me down and get me on the calls because there is some mental block in my brain about keeping track of this time zone, that time zone, etc. Finally one year they gave me a watch as a Holiday Gift that showed four time zones as once so I could keep track of which one I was in , and which one I needed to be on the call for. It still didn't work. LOL.. Even today when Doug and I go on cruises it is totally up to him to keep track of the time changes and make sure we are where we are supposed to be when we are supposed to be. For some reason that part of my brain never developed... LOL

 

That website I gave you the link to has helped me over and over as far as my work now.

[jtravelmom]

Jen,

Do you happen to know if the reef snorkel and beach break excursion in Belize group had to tender to port or if they were picked up at ship. NCL reps can't tell me if we have to tender or not (we are on Xmas week). Was the tubing trip a do not miss? We will have our sons 7 & 10 yrs. and I was scared because of the recent death. Thank you and enjoy the rest of the cruise!

[Syllie]

Hi, I don't know if this helps but as per Julie, customer service NCL traveling size pressing irons are allowed to be brought aboard. Cheers!

 

We'll be on Pearl January 25, western caribean

[momofmeg]

Yes you did, but both times your answer was:

 

 

 

Which didn't answer the question I was inquiring about (which was whether the port observe Daylight Savings Time/DST, NOT which timezone the port is in).

 

Daylight savings time ended the alst weekend in October. It does not apply until next spring.

[momofmeg]

Danice, we'll have to keep an eye out for your daughter on board. We missed last night's show with the dancers, but we did see the new ones in the dining room last night. They had on name tags and filed in together. This was before I saw your message, of course, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear from our server that this was the new dancers, and that they were in training this week.

 

And, Danice, Carlos has been great every time we've called him. We'll let him know you had a wonderful time last week. How did you handle all the kids? We've heard estimates of 700-900 on the Pearl during the Thanksgiving sailing.

 

Re the laundry rooms: They must have *just* been removed, as ohioNCLcruiser noted. They're gone. My husband checked the one on the 10th floor, and I checked the one on the eighth. Neither had signs saying "laundry room" or something similar in small print at the top. They were not marked in any other way. We did not visit the fifth deck location. I'm just glad to know ironing is still an option; I hope it always remains so.

 

Kris, it sounds like you've got the answers you needed about the time, but we'll take a look at any clocks we see ashore tomorrow and see how that matches up with our ship time.

 

We had a great time in Belize today. The weather was beautiful -- mostly mild and sunny. Christopher and I had a blast cave tubing. The hike down was interesting and beautiful; it made both of us wish we had our digital camera in a waterproof case so we could have brought it along. We overcame some nerves and tried termites on the hike; they tasted minty and left a bitter spearmint flavor on the tongue. The water, as widely reported, was indeed "refreshing," which is to say it's pretty darn cold. But, the beauty of the caves and the lush forests around the Sibun River make the goosebumps worthwhile. Our guides were great, and it was wonderful to relax and let them pull us along for most of the journey. A lunch of chicken stew, red beans and rice, watermelon juice and fried plantains was delicious. On the dock, as we waited for our tender back to the Pearl, a local group played Christmas tunes with a distinct accent and flavor.

 

As folks filed off the tender and onboard, many stopped to check out the menu outside Indigo. Suffice it to say that we saw several fellow cruisers move immediately from the menu to the phone a few steps away to ring for reservations at a specialty restaurant. Since tonight's main menu is not spectacular, we've decided to do the buffet tonight and chase that with improv in Spinnaker's.

 

Incidentally, I forgot to mention in my earlier post that the Pearl is all decked out for the coming holidays -- at least for Christmas. There are Christmas trees and red and green decorations everywhere, including in the main dining rooms, where there are cone-shaped objects (meant to be reminiscent of trees) in red and green as centerpieces on every table. There also is a beautiful blue icicle tree (I lack a better name for it) in the lobby/atrium.

 

Jen.

 

 

Jen, 697 kids were on the Pearl last week-but nearly 2800 total PAX, so they were only a 4th of the PAX. I did not have a problem with the kids, except for one little girl whose family took two of the same tours with us, and we ended up eating near them twice on ship. Everytime I saw that child she was crying and asking her mother when would they go home. One unhappy little girl with a very shirl scream.

 

NOw, rude adults-they were out in full force-too many "me first" folks who thought it beneath themselves to stand in line like the rest of us-who forced their way in front of the ques. But I knew it was because the cruise was Thanksgiving week and the ship was full to capacity.

[amd1234]

Hello thanks so much all your information regarding your cruise on the Pearl..:) We leave on Sunday and having the ship decorated for Christmas is another bonus We are also going cave tubing and its with Major Tom. I am a real nervous nelly so tell me was it scary!! Thanks..

[reporterjen]

Our cave tubing was with the major; you should have a great time next week. The water was warmer than I expected, though it was still pretty cold, and I was shivering for a while after we got out of the water. (But then, I get the chills after drinking iced tea!) Tom had a fire waiting for us when we emerged; it was a very nice and welcome touch.

 

And, it wasn't scary at all. We were linked together almost all of the time, and our headlights kept the caves pretty visible (except for a few minutes when they were turned off for effect). Ziplining is scarier, I think -- at least for me -- even though it was a lot of fun. I suppose fear is too subjective to evaluate. :)

 

Cozumel was gorgeous today. Great weather, and ATVing was a fun (and bumpy) experience, even for my parents in their 60s/70s who were a tad wary at first.

 

The Second City improv show last night was a blast. We're probably going to check out the adult version tonight.

 

We're trying Teppanyaki for dinner; it will be our first night there.

 

Jen.

[momofmeg]

Our cave tubing was with the major; you should have a great time next week. The water was warmer than I expected, though it was still pretty cold, and I was shivering for a while after we got out of the water. (But then, I get the chills after drinking iced tea!) Tom had a fire waiting for us when we emerged; it was a very nice and welcome touch.

 

And, it wasn't scary at all. We were linked together almost all of the time, and our headlights kept the caves pretty visible (except for a few minutes when they were turned off for effect). Ziplining is scarier, I think -- at least for me -- even though it was a lot of fun. I suppose fear is too subjective to evaluate. :)

 

Cozumel was gorgeous today. Great weather, and ATVing was a fun (and bumpy) experience, even for my parents in their 60s/70s who were a tad wary at first.

 

The Second City improv show last night was a blast. We're probably going to check out the adult version tonight.

 

We're trying Teppanyaki for dinner; it will be our first night there.

 

Jen.

 

 

Jen, I would ask the purser's desk and see if the laundry room has been removed. It was not very obvious. In fact I could not find it, even though I followed the purser's desk's directions. I had to ask a steward I saw cleaning a room. It was across from 10082 but the door blends in with the wall-it is not turqoise like the stateroom doors-it is a fake brown wood tone color. The plaque that says "laundryroom" was very small-only like 3 inches by 6 inches. They defientley did not want it to stand out.

 

As others have mentioned, it would make an extremely small stateroom. I would sure hate to stay in it. I suppose they could make it a linen closet for the stewards.

[reporterjen]

jtravelmom:

 

I'm afraid I don't know about the tendering situation for the reef snorkel and beach break excursion in Belize. We haven't talked to anyone who went on it. If I hear anything, I will pass it on. FWIW, my parents, who were on an NCL excursion to Lamanai, tendered to port and then transfered to a bus and later a boat. But then, they also had to travel inland quite a distance.

 

The cave tubing was a heck of a lot of fun, and the scenery around the river, on the hike to the river and inside the caves was beautiful. Was it "do not miss?" That's so subjective, it's hard to say. If you're a huge ruins person, maybe that's a better option for you in Belize, but I'd bet that young boys your sons' ages would have a blast with the tubing.

 

We had read up on the death, of course, before our adventure. We didn't see any evidence of the kind of problems that appeared that day. The waters were low -- in fact, our guides had to drag us at times over extremely shallow water and smooth pebbles -- and the river wasn't overcrowded at all. Our guides also kept us linked up at all times and one of them was always holding on to us or a couple of feet away. We wore head lamps and our life preservers at all times, and we never got out of our tubes.

 

We did see one smaller group wearing helmets as well, but they weren't affiliated with us. We also saw another large group in which folks were freely floating through the caves with someone named Sharon untethered/unlinked. I believe they had on helmets, but then, there were times they came near the rock walls of the cave very quickly, since they were floating freely, so they probably needed them more!

 

HTH.

 

Jen.

[reporterjen]

The laundry rooms are *definitely* gone. We used the same rooms on the nearly identical Gem a year ago, and we had the room numbers and our memory of the small signs and doors from a year ago , so our visual check confirmed it.

 

But, most convincingly, the hotel manager said they were being phased out fleetwide during the CruiseCritic meet and greet. And, when I asked him about the laundry rooms personally during the Latitudes party, the hotel manager mentioned that ironing boards and irons were still available to be checked out from reception.

 

Fortunately, we only needed them for the ironing board this time around. A year ago, on our honeymoon -- when the cruise was just the beginning of several weeks in Europe -- not having the laundry facilities would have been a much tougher situation! But then, I guess that would make the $20 laundry bag deal all the more attractive.

 

BTW, does anyone know if a cruiser taking advantage of the $250 deposit deal for a future cruise (booked within 12 months and taken within about 3 years), in exchange for $100 in onboard credit on this cruise means you can't take advantage of cruise deals that include onboard credits? I'm probably not explaining this well. We've been told that even with our $250 deposit paid on a future, to-be-booked cruise, we could book the specific cruise with any travel agent or service of our choosing. But we are not sure if this would preclude us from taking advantage of special discounts and offers, such as onboard credit or coupon books in conjunction with low costs.

 

Incidentally, folks might be interested to learn that on this sailing, the number of cappuccino/espresso machines in the buffet has dropped down to one. We had at least two on the Gem a year ago. And for this week, the sole machine is not functioning at all. It has been cordoned off and under repair since day one. We're lucky to have a cappuccino/espresso machine in our room, and, of course, I take advantage of the cappuccinos during meals in the main and specialty dining rooms.

 

Jen.

[NCL DancerMom]

The laundry rooms are *definitely* gone. We used the same rooms on the nearly identical Gem a year ago, and we had the room numbers and our memory of the small signs and doors from a year ago , so our visual check confirmed it.

 

But, most convincingly, the hotel manager said they were being phased out fleetwide during the CruiseCritic meet and greet. And, when I asked him about the laundry rooms personally during the Latitudes party, the hotel manager mentioned that ironing boards and irons were still available to be checked out from reception.

 

Fortunately, we only needed them for the ironing board this time around. A year ago, on our honeymoon -- when the cruise was just the beginning of several weeks in Europe -- not having the laundry facilities would have been a much tougher situation! But then, I guess that would make the $20 laundry bag deal all the more attractive.

 

BTW, does anyone know if a cruiser taking advantage of the $250 deposit deal for a future cruise (booked within 12 months and taken within about 3 years), in exchange for $100 in onboard credit on this cruise means you can't take advantage of cruise deals that include onboard credits? I'm probably not explaining this well. We've been told that even with our $250 deposit paid on a future, to-be-booked cruise, we could book the specific cruise with any travel agent or service of our choosing. But we are not sure if this would preclude us from taking advantage of special discounts and offers, such as onboard credit or coupon books in conjunction with low costs.

 

Incidentally, folks might be interested to learn that on this sailing, the number of cappuccino/espresso machines in the buffet has dropped down to one. We had at least two on the Gem a year ago. And for this week, the sole machine is not functioning at all. It has been cordoned off and under repair since day one. We're lucky to have a cappuccino/espresso machine in our room, and, of course, I take advantage of the cappuccinos during meals in the main and specialty dining rooms.

 

Jen.

 

Bummer - they were working on the machines several times last week - I guess all those people on our Thanksgiving cruise used them to death! I personally took advantage of them several times a day :o!

[momofmeg]

Bummer - they were working on the machines several times last week - I guess all those people on our Thanksgiving cruise used them to death! I personally took advantage of them several times a day :o!

 

I went in Thanksgivng morning just to wash a load so Meg would have clean stuff to start out the work week. No one was there but us, and we split the load up over 3 dryers so it would dry faster. A man did come in later, while our clothes were drying. I told him the washing machines were free and that by the time he needed the dryer, it should be free also.

[michigan tim]

BTW, does anyone know if a cruiser taking advantage of the $250 deposit deal for a future cruise (booked within 12 months and taken within about 3 years), in exchange for $100 in onboard credit on this cruise means you can't take advantage of cruise deals that include onboard credits?

Jen.

 

It merely reduces the deposit and should not impact any onboard credit on a future booking.

[cruizinwithkids]

BTW, does anyone know if a cruiser taking advantage of the $250 deposit deal for a future cruise (booked within 12 months and taken within about 3 years), in exchange for $100 in onboard credit on this cruise means you can't take advantage of cruise deals that include onboard credits? I'm probably not explaining this well. We've been told that even with our $250 deposit paid on a future, to-be-booked cruise, we could book the specific cruise with any travel agent or service of our choosing. But we are not sure if this would preclude us from taking advantage of special discounts and offers, such as onboard credit or coupon books in conjunction with low costs.

 

 

It merely reduces the deposit and should not impact any onboard credit on a future booking.

 

Yes, I currently have a deposit on a cruise AND I have a $200 OBC for that cruise.

[odblnt]

Just curious... Is Michel back as Hotel Director, or is Dennis still there?

 

Dennis was on during our repo in September, but I understood that Michel was just on vacation.

[NCL DancerMom]

Just curious... Is Michel back as Hotel Director, or is Dennis still there?

 

Dennis was on during our repo in September, but I understood that Michel was just on vacation.

 

It is Denis Prguda - Michel is no longer there.

[NCL DancerMom]

I went in Thanksgivng morning just to wash a load so Meg would have clean stuff to start out the work week. No one was there but us, and we split the load up over 3 dryers so it would dry faster. A man did come in later, while our clothes were drying. I told him the washing machines were free and that by the time he needed the dryer, it should be free also.

 

reporterjen was referring to the cappucino machines - I didn't do any laundry (but I'm still doing it at home!!)

[bijou02]

Hey, I was on the Pearl in October, it was geat except the horrible problem I had with bugs on Roatan. Especially liked Sharkbait jugglers and wanted to find the DVD. I had no time to purchase the night of the show as my friend was desperate for a ladies room :) Does anyone have a copy? Is there a web site listed on it or some other way to get ahold of it? THX

[reporterjen]

The laundry rooms are *definitely* gone. We used the same rooms on the nearly identical Gem a year ago, and we had the room numbers and our memory of the small signs and doors from a year ago , so our visual check confirmed it.

 

But, most convincingly, the hotel manager said they were being phased out fleetwide during the CruiseCritic meet and greet. And, when I asked him about the laundry rooms personally during the Latitudes party, the hotel manager mentioned that ironing boards and irons were still available to be checked out from reception.

 

Fortunately, we only needed them for the ironing board this time around. A year ago, on our honeymoon -- when the cruise was just the beginning of several weeks in Europe -- not having the laundry facilities would have been a much tougher situation! But then, I guess that would make the $20 laundry bag deal all the more attractive.

 

BTW, does anyone know if a cruiser taking advantage of the $250 deposit deal for a future cruise (booked within 12 months and taken within about 3 years), in exchange for $100 in onboard credit on this cruise means you can't take advantage of cruise deals that include onboard credits? I'm probably not explaining this well. We've been told that even with our $250 deposit paid on a future, to-be-booked cruise, we could book the specific cruise with any travel agent or service of our choosing. But we are not sure if this would preclude us from taking advantage of special discounts and offers, such as onboard credit or coupon books in conjunction with low costs.

 

Incidentally, folks might be interested to learn that on this sailing, the number of cappuccino/espresso machines in the buffet has dropped down to one. We had at least two on the Gem a year ago. And for this week, the sole machine is not functioning at all. It has been cordoned off and under repair since day one. We're lucky to have a cappuccino/espresso machine in our room, and, of course, I take advantage of the cappuccinos during meals in the main and specialty dining rooms.

 

Jen.

[Got2Cruise]

reporterjen was referring to the cappucino machines - I didn't do any laundry (but I'm still doing it at home!!)

 

Hey Danice, so glad you had a great time!:) I never do laundry on the cruise either, that's what overpacking is for.:p And just to chime into the time setting confusion. DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. The ship leaves a card on your pillow to tell you when to reset your watch. It is also printed in the daily newsletter. You can't rely on the "technically correct time". My nephew did this, he relied on his cell phone which adjusts through time zones, and he was an hour late for dinner.:eek:

[mississauga]

Re the laundry rooms: They must have *just* been removed, as ohioNCLcruiser noted. They're gone. My husband checked the one on the 10th floor, and I checked the one on the eighth. Neither had signs saying "laundry room" or something similar in small print at the top. They were not marked in any other way. We did not visit the fifth deck location. I'm just glad to know ironing is still an option; I hope it always remains so.

 

 

 

You can say you were the last person to use it now! The rooms were removed this week.

 

Does anyone know why NCL has decided to remove the laundry rooms?

 

Incidentally, folks might be interested to learn that on this sailing, the number of cappuccino/espresso machines in the buffet has dropped down to one. We had at least two on the Gem a year ago. And for this week, the sole machine is not functioning at all. It has been cordoned off and under repair since day one. We're lucky to have a cappuccino/espresso machine in our room, and, of course, I take advantage of the cappuccinos during meals in the main and specialty dining rooms.

 

We were on the Pearl last year when she was brand new and there was only the one espresso/cappucino machine in the buffet area. The Jewel ( older than Pearl and Gem ) has 3 so I guess there are little differences on each of the ships.

[Fisical1]

We used the certificate you are speaking about and booked our next cruise in March 2009. We only had to put down 250.00 and also received 350.00 OBC that was running. I think this is a great deal they have on board.

[momofmeg]

reporterjen was referring to the cappucino machines - I didn't do any laundry (but I'm still doing it at home!!)

 

so those were taken out? I hate that. I loved them best. I did buy a couple on deck 7 next to the big screen, and they were better, but thsoe machines were still pretty good. I just wished I had borught my splenda coffee flavorings with me.

 

Meg used her pillow chocolates to turn hers into mochas. It was SO simple from our AFT stateroom to run up just one flight of stairs for those-that we never made coffee in our room except the first day.

[momofmeg]

Does anyone know why NCL has decided to remove the laundry rooms?

 

Not used enough? To make more money on doing your laundry?

 

We were on the Pearl last year when she was brand new and there was only the one espresso/cappucino machine in the buffet area. The Jewel ( older than Pearl and Gem ) has 3 so I guess there are little differences on each of the ships.

 

the AFT station had two machines but the other drink stations had none-of course the other stations had ice tea-this was only a coffee station or a hot water station,for tea bags or instant hot chocolate.