Learning How to
Freestyle
New Orleans, LA
Sunday, March 11, 2018
New Orleans, LA
Sunday, March 11, 2018
Disclaimer
In March 2018 Chris and I took a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise aboard the Norwegian Pearl sailing out of New Orleans, LA. This gorgeous floating hotel took us to the following destinations:
In March 2018 Chris and I took a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise aboard the Norwegian Pearl sailing out of New Orleans, LA. This gorgeous floating hotel took us to the following destinations:
Cozumel, Mexico
Coxen Hole, Roatan,
Honduras
Harvest Caye, Belize
Costa Maya, Mexico
The Norwegian Pearl... Our home away from home for the next 7 days!
I have been on 12 other cruises prior to this
one and Chris has been on 11 (thanks to the Girls Cruise); 9 with Carnival, 2
with Royal Caribbean and 1 with Princess. This will be our first time to sail on a
Norwegian ship and we are excited to share our thoughts and tips for this new
cruise line. This blog will include an overall review of the Norwegian Pearl,
daily entries of our 7 days aboard, a "Foodies" blog
highlighting all of the food options available on the NCL Pearl, a post linking all of the Freestyle
Dailies as well as an extensive photo review of the ship.
Thank you SO MUCH to all my followers... without you the blog would not be as
popular as it is today! Be sure to stay tuned as the posts come through over
the next few days and weeks
(I
am a teacher and it is a busy time of year so bear with me, please).
Morning
We woke up around 7:15AM after a good night sleep
in our Pre-Cruise hotel in Harvey, LA. (Read our pre-cruise blog HERE). Despite
a good night’s sleep, I was not feeling 100% but it was cruise day so my mind
and excitement took over. We got ready and went to eat breakfast that was
included in the hotel stay. As we got downstairs the front desk clerk told us
our taxi was here so I ended up throwing out my breakfast to go get the
luggage. By the time we made it back downstairs, we realized that taxi was for
another family but ours was on its way. The taxi arrived around 9AM; we loaded
it up and were on our way.
Our taxi driver was great and that company, Glenn’s
Taxi Company out of Gretna, LA, was an excellent company with quick and
reliable service. The driver was unsure where to drop us off as he said the
terminal rules and regulations change almost every cruise. We drove around lost
through the terminal for about 15-20 minutes before he finally figured it out.
I do not think it was the driver’s fault as it really did seem that the
terminal officials were unsure. TIP-He ended up dropping us off at the corner of
Julia St and Port of New Orleans Place just east of the actual terminal. Later we found out this is the "typical" drop off spot for the Julia Street Terminal.
It was
so chaotic that I accidentally sent all of our luggage to the porters. We
managed to get about halfway to the terminal before I realized the mistake. I had to go back and
get our carry-on luggage with our medication and emergency items... Rookie Mistake for these veterans! Ooops!
The drop off location for the Julia St. terminal.
The drop off location for the Julia St. terminal.
We arrived at the entrance to the terminal by
9:29AM and were given a “ZONE 1” entry pass. We then had our bags sent through
the metal detectors and sat in the holding area. About 15 minutes later they
called us to actually check in. They had 2 lines, one for the cruisers who had sailed
on NCL before and a separate line for the NCL “newbies” such as us. We somehow
ended up in the wrong line but that did not delay our check in. Tip- We did notice that this check-in took longer than usual because NCL had to get onboard spending credit card linked up and other minor details that Carnival and Royal take care of online prior to check in.
New Orleans Julia Street Terminal 11AM
We got checked in, got our key cards and went back
to the waiting area. We waited around an hour before they started calling
passengers to board the ship. During this hour wait we ran into a lovely couple
from the Houston area who were also teachers. They recognized me from my blogs
and newly created YouTube Channel (located Kellie Davis- Cruise Like a Davis). It was nice to talk to some
followers and discuss our cruising addiction! We ran into them a few other
times on the cruise and they were having a fantastic time.
Happy 12th Anniversary Chris! I love you more and more each day!
Now let's get this party started!
They called “Zone 1” around 11:25AM and by 11:35AM
we heard the glorious “FIRST DING”. We got on the ship and went to the atrium
and looked around before ordering a drink at the Java Café bar. We then went to
look at the Main Dining Room menu to decide if we wanted to eat at a specially restaurant
on the first evening.
We are on the Norwegian Pearl!
First drink of the cruise... The Painkiller!
We had the Ultimate Beverage Package and the 3 Night
Specialty Dining Package as part of our cruise package. These 2 were “PERKS” that
came free with our cruise fare. Tip- NCL offers this sale many times throughout
the year so look for it. These do require prepayment of the 20% gratuity fee. The Ultimate
Beverage Package is usually $89/ per person PER DAY making that package $623.
The 20% gratuities on this package is $124.60 per person. This covers ALL the
drinks on the ship and the tips on top of that. For less than $250 per couple
this is an INCREDIBLE bargain and cannot be missed. The 3 Night Specialty
Dining Package was $69 plus 20% gratuities per person. This makes that total
$82.80 per person and a great bargain as lots of the restaurants are a la carte
pricing. I will explain the 3 specialty dining options we chose as the days
progress.
Tip- Most of the Specialty restaurants were all
booked up online prior to sailing (even 6+ weeks out) but they had PLENTY of openings
once onboard. We were able to book all 3 of our specialty dining venues for the
nights and times we wanted. However, be sure to go to the Deck 7 Reservation
desk EARLY as we noticed those open times filled up fast!
Afternoon
After we booked our dining reservations we went to
lunch at the Summer Palace dining room. We enjoy eating an embarkation lunch at
a sit down restaurant compared to a regular buffet packed with hungry
passengers. This dining room was very high end with extravagant decorations and
fancy table clothes and dinner-wear. The food was OUTSTANDING and we knew this
cruise was already on the right track.
The Summer Palace Dining Room on Embarkation Day!
Sitting in the aft of the Summer Palace Dining Room... What a SPECTACULAR view!
They made the announcement during lunch that our
cabin was ready (Approximately 1:10PM) so we ended lunch and took our carry-on
bag to our room to check out our cabin and do some unpacking. Our remaining 2
suitcases had not arrived yet so we headed back out to explore the ship.
Walking to our room from the Deck 5 Mid-Ship Elevators
NCL Pearl Oceanview with Large Picture Window Cabin 5510
Large Ocean-view Window Cabin 5510- We really enjoyed this cabin!
The Stardust Theater (Deck 6/7 Forward)
The Stardust Theater had a very nice set up but the chairs were not comfortable and there were not sturdy drink holders, which became annoying as the cruise progressed.
NCL Pearl Deck 6 walk through!
The Atrium and Java Cafe (Deck 7 Mid-Ship)
A view of the atrium from O'Sheehan's Pub!
For the most part it continued to stay this crowded during the duration of the cruise!
NCL Pearl Deck 6-7 Timelapse video!
(Sorry it is so fast... I thought I was walking slow)
The Main Pool on Deck 12 Mid-Ship!
For the most part it continued to stay this crowded during the duration of the cruise!
(Sorry it is so fast... I thought I was walking slow)
We explored the main decks and found O’Sheehan’s
Irish Pub on deck 8. Despite just having ate lunch, in true Davis fashion, we
ordered more food… just to “check it out”. We ended up trying lots of small
items on the menu, all of which were great! We tried to call the kids again but
Facetime was not working well so a regular phone call worked just fine. NCL stopped service of the food and beverages
around 2:30PM for the muster drill, which seemed VERY early.
Time to eat... AGAIN! Only on a cruise!
We finished eating
and then went back to our room to see if our luggage had arrived and sure
enough, it was all there around 2:55PM. I took about 15-20 minutes to unpack it all and ended
just in time for the 3:30PM calling of the muster drill. Tip- Unlike many
Carnival ships, this muster drill was ALL inside. All of the stations were
located indoors, which is great in the southern heat. Usually we are packed in
like cattle on the promenade deck sweating like bullets in the Texas heat! This indoor muster station was a nice and pleasant surprise.
Our home away from home for the next 7 days!
TIP- We use this magnetic banner as door decor so our room is easy to spot!
We ordered it from Custom Cruise Wear.
TIP- We use this magnetic banner as door decor so our room is easy to spot!
We ordered it from Custom Cruise Wear.
After the muster drill we went to the Sail away
party on the pool deck with the Cruise Director, Vincent. Even in the first 30 minutes of the sail away party, he was not impressive. He was famous for his "suits" he wore of all types of designs. He also had a "Selfie with the CD" contest for the 1st 5 nights of the cruise. Basically you had to FIND HIM and get a selfie with him in a suit after 6PM. Sounds like a great idea... But who wants to chase him around on your vacation? PLUS he was NEVER around! Of course we are used to the awesome entertainment of CDs like "The Flying Scotsman" on the Carnival Dream or Schwartz on the Carnival Breeze, both who will be your favorite CDs if you get a chance to cruise with them.
The weather and temperature were pleasant and we had a great time. We ended up staying at the pool deck for nearly 3 hours. We met new people and had a great time. For whatever reason, which we were never told, we did not set sail until approximately 5:30PM but neither did the Carnival Dream who was sailing with us down the Mississippi River.
Our first glance at the Pool area on Deck 12.
Vincent, the Cruise Director, leading the sail-away party!
We did get a balloon animal from the CD staff... which we were told was a sword.
Seems a little questionable to me.
It became a topic among us and other passengers during the sail-away party!
Cheers to FORTY years! Happy 40th Birthday Chris!
Goodbye Kids! We LOVE YOU!
We didn't set sail until 5:30PM but the Carnival Dream set sail just before 5PM.
The Carnival Dream setting sail down the Mississippi River!
The weather and temperature were pleasant and we had a great time. We ended up staying at the pool deck for nearly 3 hours. We met new people and had a great time. For whatever reason, which we were never told, we did not set sail until approximately 5:30PM but neither did the Carnival Dream who was sailing with us down the Mississippi River.
Seems a little questionable to me.
It became a topic among us and other passengers during the sail-away party!
Evening
We enjoyed talking to more passengers and enjoying
cocktails as we set sail. As the afternoon progressed I started to feel sick
and went back to the room. It is a good thing I did as I got sick and spent the
rest of the night in the room. Chris was hungry so went to eat dinner in O’Sheehans
Pub. This was perfect for him as their nightly special was Prime Rib on night #1. Tip- O'Sheehan's offered a nightly special each night. Check your Freestyle Daily for the specifics. After
dinner he came back to the room but I was still not feeling well so he went
back out to explore more of the ship on his own.
This is not how either of us pictured our 12 year
anniversary evening on board to go but that is how it came and went. I was sick
most of the night with a nasty stomach bug but luckily Chris never got sick.
Day #1 came and went and even though it was not how
either of us would have predicted it to go, it was still a great day and we
knew we still had 6 days to make up for it. The Norwegian Pearl had already impressed us with her food,
service and overall upscale atmosphere and we could not wait to see what the
next 6 days would bring.
Be sure to check back for the daily posts of our
trip. Each day we will include more tips and tricks about the Norwegian Pearl
and cruising NCL. We will also compare NCL with Carnival and Royal Caribbean
cruise lines throughout the blog.
Once again, thank you so much for following along!
Next up... Sea Day #1 on the Pearl!
God is good… ALL the time!
Carnival Legend- ALASKA- 2016
Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Carnival Legend- ALASKA- 2016
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