Kellie vs The Cruise Director
Sea Day #2
March 17, 2018
Morning
We woke up around 7:45AM to the bright sunlight shining
through the window. Chris was having a major headache and not feeling 100% but
we got up and went to breakfast anyway. The pool area was already crowded and
there was not an empty chair in sight, even at 8AM. However, there were NOT a
lot of people actually in those chairs but towels and personal belongings
holding the chairs. We went and ate breakfast in the Great Outdoors area in the
aft of the ship. This became one of our favorite places throughout the cruise.
Most of the pool chairs reserved with no occupants!
After breakfast, Chris went back to the room to take a nap
and recover from his headache while I went and bought souvenirs in the gift
shops. I was able to get all of our keepsakes and even a inflatable cruise ship
for Luke.
At 10AM we went to the Captain’s Question and Answer session
in the Spinnaker Lounge. We have done these type of Q & A sessions before
and learned a lot so we were hoping NCL’s would be no different. The Captain, Paul, and Hotel Director, Cary, answered the many specific questions about the ship and
sailing but also answered personal questions such as “What is your favorite
itinerary to sail?”. However, usually on Carnival and Royal Caribbean the
Cruise Director is involved and you can ask him/her questions as well. While
Vincent was there at the Q & A, yet again he was not involved at all.
We enjoyed these officers and their responses a lot!
Plus it was our 1st AMERICAN Captain!
Plus it was our 1st AMERICAN Captain!
At the end of the session I went up to Vincent to ask him
about his job and how he likes it. Here is how the conversation went:
Me- So Vincent, I’ve noticed that you are not around very
much and may introduce a show but not stay until the end. Why?
Vincent- (With a rude look on his face) Well, I am not sure
why you haven’t seen me but I am here.
Me- I have noticed that when I do see you, you do not look
happy to be here. Do you like your job?
Vincent- I have been an entertainer since I was 5 and I love
entertainment but NCL’s Cruise Director title is Cruise Director/ Entertainment
Manager which means I spend at least half of my day in my office planning.
Me- Interesting, I guess that would explain my Fabio (the
assistant cruise director) was leading all of the games and shows.
Vincent- (kind of shutting me off) Well, did you get a
selfie with me?
Our conversation ended there and he began answering other passengers
questions. I took the cue and left. I have been on enough cruises to know what a
good Cruise Director is and Vincent is not it. He mentioned he was part of NCLA
(Norwegian America) that cruised solely in Hawaii and was one of only a handful
of American Cruise Directors. He also said he has been a CD on the NCL Jewel, Jade,
Aloha and Getaway but only been on the Pearl for 2 cruises. I cut him some
slack knowing this is only his 2nd cruise but he was a major
letdown.
After the Q & A, we laid out on the promenade deck for a
while before going to the bowling alley in the Bliss Lounge. TIP- The Freestyle
Daily said bowling was from 10AM-12PM and we arrived at 11:38AM to be told “There
is not enough time”. I think it should be stated in the Freestyle Daily
something like “Last sales end at 11:30AM”. This would allow passengers to know
the actual time frame. There was another group in front of us with some very
upset and crying kids. We decided to come back that night
Again, I feel a note saying "Last game sells at 11:30AM" would have helped clear up the timing issue!
Then I did some more exploring around the deck while Chris
took a nap. I laid out for a while and then walked over a mile on the promenade
deck. I took a time-lapse video of the promenade but didn’t realize I was
walking so fast. Then I went up to the Lido deck to see the Luau in the Great
Outdoors. They roasted and carved an entire pig as well as cutting and
decorating all kinds of fruits.
I cannot get enough of this view!
This is worth EVERY penny!
Haha... I love this sign!
This was a good deck to jog on but they requested only walking!
The massive pig that was roasted!
Time Lapse video of Deck 7- Promenade
Haha... I love this sign!
This was a good deck to jog on but they requested only walking!
The massive pig that was roasted!
Afternoon
We ate lunch at Lotus Garden one more time and this time
ordered from the Sushi Bar as well. TIP- This venue is only open for lunch on
Sea Days and only from 12-2PM. It is open nightly from 5-9PM. We ordered the “50
shades of grey” sushi roll which featured white fish as well as shrimp and
crab. The sushi was outstanding and we enjoyed it very much. Tip- The sushi
rolls were reasonably priced at $5-8 per roll and were very large compared to
sushi we get on land.
The "Fifty Shades of Grey" Sushi Roll- $6 well spent!
The unforgettable Steamed Pot-Stickers!
The unforgettable Steamed Pot-Stickers!
After lunch we decided to roam the decks and take time-lapse
videos of the main areas. We enjoy watching cruise videos online and this would
allow us to showcase the NCL Pearl to our YouTube followers. We took videos of
Decks 6, 7, 12 and 13.Then we decided to rest up as the cruise was about to be
over. We laid out on deck 7 for the rest of the afternoon just enjoying the
calm seas and gorgeous weather.
Deck 7 Time Lapse
Deck 13 Time Lapse
To end our afternoon we went back to the Great Outdoors Bar
in the aft to meet up with Rashad, the South African bartender, which we liked
so much. His contract was over the next day so we talked to him about how he
was going to spend his vacation. He was getting an 8 week vacation followed by
an 8 month contract back on NCL. I cruise a lot but am still astonished by how
long and hard these cruise crewmen work. Hats off to you Rashad and the many
other Cruise Line Crewman who work day after day, long hours and no days off.
THANK YOU!
Our afternoon view!
A walk through of the NCL Pearl Night Time dinner buffet!
Evening
We made a quick stop by the Bridge Viewing Room on deck 11
before going to the Indigo Dining Room for dinner. We went straight to the dining
room in our cruise casual shorts and t-shirts. This was a huge plus for us as
we LOVED the Freestyle cruising. Dinner
in the Indigo was fantastic and the service was even better. We were in and out
of the Main Dining Room in 1 hour and 10 minutes which is a new record for us.
On the open seas and the Captain was nowhere to be found and this guy was just "chilling".
It is so fascinating how far these ships have come as far as technology is concerned!
This Bridge Viewing Room allowed us to see so much! Be sure to check it out on NCL ships!
It is so fascinating how far these ships have come as far as technology is concerned!
This Bridge Viewing Room allowed us to see so much! Be sure to check it out on NCL ships!
After dinner we went to Finale show at 7:15PM called Pure
Variety. This featured the Pearl Singers and Dancers in a Latin Themed short
show and then Alex Ortiz, the comedian and Jason Garfield, the “World Champion
Juggler”. The juggler was “tired” as he admitted and just awful. Almost as if he was sick or
drunk or something. We have never seen anything like it as he was practically
getting “boo”s from the audience. Alex Ortiz was hilarious as usual and did a
great job of wrapping up what could have been a terrible show to end the cruise
on.
At the end of the show, Vincent came back to the stage and had a few jokes and funny things passengers have asked him. He started by saying "Today I got asked by a passenger 'why don't I ever see you' and I told the guest 'I've been here all week'. The guest didn't believe me". Yeah... he was talking about me and our conversation that morning. What is funny is that many people behind us in the Theater agreed they had not seen him very much either! Sorry, Vincent, but you weren't very visible!
At the end of the show, Vincent came back to the stage and had a few jokes and funny things passengers have asked him. He started by saying "Today I got asked by a passenger 'why don't I ever see you' and I told the guest 'I've been here all week'. The guest didn't believe me". Yeah... he was talking about me and our conversation that morning. What is funny is that many people behind us in the Theater agreed they had not seen him very much either! Sorry, Vincent, but you weren't very visible!
After the show we went back to the Bliss Lounge to go
bowling. When we arrived Chris realized he did not have his correct card and
the waitress from the Theater must have given him the wrong card. Tip- As much
as you use your card on a ship, especially when you have the Ultimate Beverage
Package, be sure to check you get YOUR card back each time.
After we went to guest services to get a new card, we went
back to the Bliss Lounge and had a game of bowling. This ship did not offer a
mini-golf so this was our “competitive” activity of the cruise and I won this
one! Tip- Bowling is $7 per person per game and it includes the bowling shoes
but you must bring your own socks. We noticed that during port days, they
offered a “2 for 1” game for about 2 hours so if you are onboard during these
times, it is a great bargain.
I won this game with an awful score of 72 to 55!
Kellie bowling a "split".
Chris bowling a STRIKE!
A Gutter Ball... "I wasted that strike."- Chris said!
IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY A...
A Gutter Ball... "I wasted that strike."- Chris said!
After bowling we went to the Piano Bar and listened to the
musician as we enjoyed our last drinks on board. This piano bar was not set up
as well as Carnival ships but the entertainers and musicians were just as good.
We also made one final stop at O'Sheehan's Irish Pub... I mean, it was St. Patrick's Day anyway! We enjoyed our favorite items on the menu and even a green drink! It was a great way to end the night and the cruise!
Cheers to 40 Years!
We also made one final stop at O'Sheehan's Irish Pub... I mean, it was St. Patrick's Day anyway! We enjoyed our favorite items on the menu and even a green drink! It was a great way to end the night and the cruise!
Then we went out to the promenade deck to watch as we approached
the mouth of the Mississippi River. We were even able to watch the Pilots come
aboard the ship. We watched for about 30 minutes
waiting to see us enter the actual river but it was after 11PM and we had not
packed at all so we gave up and went to the room to pack. Of course, about 10 minutes
after we got in the room we were in the river and even passed the Carnival
Triumph leaving to go on a 5 day cruise to the Caribbean. We got all of our
bags packed and finally made it to bed after midnight.
The pilot boat dropping off the 2 pilots who would lead us back to New Orleans during the night!
It takes about 8-10 hours to get down the Mississippi and 2 pilots switch off between the night.
Pilots getting on the ship... So close!
It takes about 8-10 hours to get down the Mississippi and 2 pilots switch off between the night.
Tip- Usually when sailing from NOLA, you get the Mississippi around 11PM on the out and on the way back in. It is really neat to see the water shift from blue to yucky and murky river brown. Plus you can actually see the barricades if you look closely.
It had been a fantastic cruise and one for the memory books
for sure but we were ready to see our kids. Little did we know the whole
process of disembarkation and actually getting back home would be such a
nightmare. More on that later.
Next up… The nightmare also known as NCL Disembarkation.
Thanks again for following along!
God is good… ALL the time!
Carnival Legend- ALASKA- 2016
Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Carnival Legend- ALASKA- 2016
THANK YOU for the terrific commentary, photos, insights and ideas. We're sailing on the Pearl for 14 days with nine ports, including the Panama Canal. We've sailed with NCL several times in the past and have a pretty good idea of what to expect. But your Freestyle Dailys and restaurant menus-along with comments-have MADE IT sooooo much easier for us to plan(And what to avoid.) YOU have been a Godsend. Merci beaucoup !!
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