NCL Pearl Questions from a First-Time Cruiser

[NLRetired]

Hello all and thanks in advance for your sharing your experiences!

 

My wife and I are in our mid-60's, retired, and hoping for our FIRST CRUISE this year, to Alaska. From reading various reviews, we are drawn to the Freestyle cruising that NCL presents and the Pearl looks like a good choice but I do have a couple of questions.

 

First, I noticed that the CDC rating for the Pearl was only 91. Have any of you had "bad" experiences in regard to GI type issues?

 

Second, again from a novice, Holland Cruise Lines seems to present a very good array of described land activities with rough pricing for each of them, but I didn't find any such listing for NCL. If there is such a list for the Pearl to Alaska, where might I find it, or do I have to email NCL for it?

 

Third, we're thinking of perhaps late May 2009 for the cruise. I realize this is "low season" for Alaska but would it really be bad weather (below 50 F)?

 

Fourth, we'd appreciate any other input/thoughts about the Pearl (especially given our ages), NCL, or Alaksan cruises in general.

 

Thanks again for sharing!!!

[ohioNCLcruiser]

 

First, I noticed that the CDC rating for the Pearl was only 91. Have any of you had "bad" experiences in regard to GI type issues?

!!

 

I just want to make one comment about this. If during inspection they find that the buffet storage room is keeping a box of Splenda on the same spot as a box of stir sticks its like -3 points (food and non food items can't be stored next to eachother). If there are a few specs of sugar in the sugar packet caddies its like -2 points etc. In the closet where we kept the ice cream toppings we didn't notice a single jelly bean fell out of its bag and was resting next to it and it was a few points off.

 

I use to get worried about CDC scores till I worked on a ship and realized what small things take points off. I wouldn't worry about that. If our local restaurants went through the same inspection as these ships I would be amazed if they scored higher then 5! As soon as I step into a restaurant I notice how badly CDC would score them and shut them down!

[Love to Cook!]

We are sailing on the Pearl in May. I am really looking forward to it.

 

This will be our 3rd trip in May. We love that time of year. I don't think you will be disappointed if you go in May.

 

I cant speak for the other months since I haven't been there other than in May.

 

Maybe we will see you on board!!

 

We have a thread started for May 17th on the Pearl. If you decide to cruise then, please join our thread!!

[CastawayCruiser]

To get a list of shore excursions go to ncl.com and select Shore Excursions from the top blue menu bar. Select your destination and there will be a list. If the excursions are not available right now they are just working on the offerings and will post them when they are ready.

[garycarla]

Health inspections are a funny thing as mentioned above. Some rather "minor" items can get dinged. Not saying they should not take place, but you need to read the full report before you make your own assumptions.

 

As to tours, they will show in time. But I would visit the PORTS OF CALL boards and ALASKA to learn more. It is a great trip to book your own.

 

Late May is very good. You will have days from cold 3--40 and days where you can wear shorts.

 

We loved the Pearl. Since you are new, you might want to check out the link below for more info.

[PDX2Cruiser]

I was just on the Pearl and they boasted that they'd just received a new CDC score of 100. My impression is that it was spotless.

[brunolvr]

Hello all and thanks in advance for your sharing your experiences!

 

My wife and I are in our mid-60's, retired, and hoping for our FIRST CRUISE this year, to Alaska. From reading various reviews, we are drawn to the Freestyle cruising that NCL presents and the Pearl looks like a good choice but I do have a couple of questions.

 

First, I noticed that the CDC rating for the Pearl was only 91. Have any of you had "bad" experiences in regard to GI type issues?

 

Second, again from a novice, Holland Cruise Lines seems to present a very good array of described land activities with rough pricing for each of them, but I didn't find any such listing for NCL. If there is such a list for the Pearl to Alaska, where might I find it, or do I have to email NCL for it?

 

Third, we're thinking of perhaps late May 2009 for the cruise. I realize this is "low season" for Alaska but would it really be bad weather (below 50 F)?

 

Fourth, we'd appreciate any other input/thoughts about the Pearl (especially given our ages), NCL, or Alaksan cruises in general.

 

Thanks again for sharing!!!

 

Hi, NLRetired! We are in our early 60's and have cruised NCL to Alaska the past 6 years, with #7 booked on the Star for May 30th.

 

The weather and temperatures vary so much from year to year and week to week (and even day to day) that it's impossible to predict what you might encounter. We were on the Pearl the end of May last year and enjoyed beautiful weather while the cruises before us and after us had colder, rainy weather.

 

We have been very impressed with the precautions NCL undertakes to prevent norovirus-type problems. You'll find hand sanitizing stations everywhere with passengers being encouraged to use them and crew members are constantly cleaning and scrubbing.

 

The Pearl is a great choice, especially with Glacier Bay on the itinerary. You can check out (and book) excursions on the NCL website. We have tons of pictures and also a rather lengthy review posted.

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/alaskacruiselvr

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=43152

 

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[terrymtex01]

First of all, NL, welcome to NCL.

 

Hello all and thanks in advance for your sharing your experiences!

 

My wife and I are in our mid-60's, retired, and hoping for our FIRST CRUISE this year, to Alaska. From reading various reviews, we are drawn to the Freestyle cruising that NCL presents and the Pearl looks like a good choice but I do have a couple of questions.

 

First, I noticed that the CDC rating for the Pearl was only 91. Have any of you had "bad" experiences in regard to GI type issues?

 

We have sailed four times with NCL and once with RCCL and once with CCL and I have to say that to me NCL is far above the other lines in attempting to prevent any onboard health issues. I have never seen so many hand sanitizers anywhere. I also have to say that while the Star is our favorite ship, the Pearl has to be the most spotless ship we have ever sailed.

 

Second, again from a novice, Holland Cruise Lines seems to present a very good array of described land activities with rough pricing for each of them, but I didn't find any such listing for NCL. If there is such a list for the Pearl to Alaska, where might I find it, or do I have to email NCL for it?

 

I recommend you follow the other posters advise on where to find the excursions on NCL.com. Once you book your cruise if you see any excursions that you feel are a MUST, I can not stress enough to you how important it is to pre-book them with NCL as early as possible. You do not actually get charged for them until you are onboard, so it doesn't hurt you to do it and you are assured of the excursion. One thing to note, Alaskan excursion are the most expensive of any we have ever encounted, but worth every last penny.

 

Third, we're thinking of perhaps late May 2009 for the cruise. I realize this is "low season" for Alaska but would it really be bad weather (below 50 F)?

 

I think this is just a matter of personal taste, but I think you choose the best time to go to Alaska. Yes, there are times where you might encounter less rain (I still don't believe that is true but it is what some folks say), however the fact that in May you get so many hours of daylight makes it worth it to us. You literally will have daylight from 4AM to 11PM so the entire day you will be able to see beautiful sights from the decks of the ship or your balcony if you have one.

 

Fourth, we'd appreciate any other input/thoughts about the Pearl (especially given our ages), NCL, or Alaksan cruises in general.

 

NCL is a great choice for us because of Freestyle dining. I think that is the greatest benefit sailing with NCL offers. You get to eat when you want, where you want, you don't have to dress up to eat, you don't have to rush back from a port of call and rush to take a shower and rush to get dressed so you can be at your assigned dining time. You just come back from port, take your times getting ready, rest a bit if you need to, then go eat where you want to go eat. NCL does seem to have a more laid back attitude and they do have the most overall friendly staff of any cruiseline we have delt with. Their suite perks can not be matched in the mass market industry and their prices are generally the best. Just my opinion, you get more bang for your buck with NCL than any other mass market line. With all of that said, we are in the group that believes when sailing to Alaska it is less about the ship or cruiseline and more about the itinenary. By that I mean that Alaska is so incredibly beautiful that no matter how you get there, it's worth it just to be there. I don't mean this as to sound bad or anything, but I don't care who you cruise with. I have no vested interest in you picking NCL over anyone else. Just saying that so you know I'm just trying to share my experiences as honestly as I can. I DO care that you have chosen to go to Alaska because I think every one should see it and its beauty and its grandure.

 

Thanks again for sharing!!!

[NLRetired]

Thanks to all of you that responded with such good insights. You certainly answered all my questions and then some. Just what I was looking for!!!

[INDIANA JOE]

NLRetired We cruised 1st. week of June 2008 on the Pearl to Alaska for our 1st. cruise ever. We are early 50's and my sister was 60. Our weather was 50-60 degrees with a mixture of rain,sun and wind at times. Alaska was awesome and we loved the Pearl. I am ready to go back again and do some other excursions at each port plus explore more of the Pearl itself. Got alot of good information here. Plan excursions early . We did the train/van trip in Skagway with Chilkoot Charters. Others have rented cars and followed Murray's Guide on their own. Glacier Bay was amazing and we saw whales about 3 -4 pm that day from the ship. Beautiful scenery