Norwegian Pearl Review
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Okay, I am finally back to the real world, and we were cruising Sept. 7 - 14 on the Pearl. I HAD to go to Alaska because I just quit teaching and I did not want to be around when school was starting. What an opportunity! We booked my dream cruise on short notice and I began researching. I had lots of questions, and many were answered here on this site, and also through travel destination guides books. I found all of the travel info I needed to know where I wanted to go, and what I wanted to do. I am a planner, so I needed to know how it was going to all work out and I would be happy, happy, happy....
I WAS happy! We booked a frugal hotel room at SeaTac for the Sat. before we began our cruise, which was a great idea. Coming to Seattle the day before is a bonus! Flights and all make being there such an advantage. We reserved the hotel through AAA and had a car Sat. with unlimited mileage. We are native Washingtonians living in CA, so we decided to go to Mt. Rainier. It was sunny, beautiful and peaceful. The perfect way to begin a cruise. We drove up, soaked in all of the beauty, and made plans to camp there next summer. I also have a National Parks Passbook, so we bought a National Parks Annual Pass...it is now $80, but worth it as that day was paid for, and some places in Alaska as well...bonus. (Plus we go to Yosemite and plan to use it around and about this year as well. John Muir's home is in Martinez, and we plan on connecting with that....) So, I got the Mt. Rainier stamps and had a lovely day. The car rental was easy and gas was okay. We filled up, spent the night at a clean, older motel, and saved money. Returning the car the next day was easy and we made our way to the public bus outside the airport. Catching the bus cost us $1.50, and we were off to downtown Seattle. Another free bus connection and we were right down on the docks, walking into the NCL Pearl boarding lines.
Getting bags checked in was no big deal or time consumer. We had the tags made out and the papers necessary from the on-line registration handy. We also had our passports ready, as these are a must. (Okay, some people used their birth certificates, but we had passports.) We were served yummy cookies and coffee, chairs to sit in and a little time to mingle and get comfy. It wasn't long until they were calling numbers to get on board, and it is important to keep the little square that has your boarding number handy. We were quickly on the ramp boarding, and before we knew it champagne was in hand and we were on the ship. We enjoyed looking around and seeing all of the accommodations. The buffet was nice, and the offerings were huge. Lots of different things to eat and places to get it from. Seating was a bit hard to get to, but we found a really nice spot where we were watching the harbor and the Space Needle. Pictures, eating a relaxed lunch, and taking in Seattle. It was a beautiful Sept. day in Seattle, and the beginning of a great cruise!
Cabin Review
We had an inside cabin because it would cost $300 to get a window. I was being frugal, and it was fine to not have a window going to Alaska. It really was. It took me some adjustment not to have any outside light, but it was kinda like the northern lights. :) Also, my husband would turn on channel 21 (I think) and there would be the bow of the ship and what we would be seeing had we been in the control room...then he would say, "Oh, good morning, let's open the window..." It really is what you make it! On another cruise I will have a window and perhaps a balcony...depending on the destination. There are plenty of lights to turn on, and it was a great room. We did not have much need for many electrical outlets, so did not see any need to bring an outlet source, as was suggested. Families would probably need this.
As far as the ammenities...storage is spacious. We had the beds put together and next time we won't...more room to move around. It was always clean and well appointed. The shampoo and soap are in pump dispensers which I totally agree with - for economy and environmental reasons. (I bring my own.) They have small bottles of lotion, which I use when I use so much hand sanitizer...I just asked for more when I ran out. Plenty of big, thirsty towels, always refreshed. Ice in the bucket every day! We did not ask to have the ref. emptied, but just moved the things to the shelf above, and put our own stuff in it. We did not notice any noise or disturbances of any kind...we were in the middle of the tenth deck. The shower may seem small, but after spending three weeks in Europe, it was fine! We had experienced smaller ones, and less convenient! The nozzle moves up and down and the temp control is easy to figure out. There is room to move away from the water as you do this. They also have a "laundry line" that is in the shower that you can pull out for overnight washing of your handwashables or swimsuits. I also loved that I can control the room temp. I like it cool/cold and it was easy to adjust and keep it lower in temp. We also had excellent service and even though we are charged for tipping, I gave them an extra tip. They made everything tip-top in our room, and it was my decision. A little extra for a job well done!