I recently returned from a 14 day British Isles itinerary on the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship. We choose this ship due to the itinerary which was one of the few things we ended up happy with. Although we personally had a wonderful time visiting all these ports this is the first cruise ship I have left in a very long time without purchasing a future booking and have made a point to tell people I absolutely do not recommend sailing with Norwegian Cruise Line when asked about our trip.Norwegian Pearl June 8, 2019 Itinerary:3 stops in the Norwegian Fjords (Flam, Geiranger, Haugesund)EdinburghScottish Highlands (Inverness)DublinBelfastParis (Le Havre)LondonBruggeAmsterdamNorwegian Pearl Massive Price DropWe booked initially in December of 2018 a mini-suite for my son and I. Two weeks after final payment the price on our trip dropped by more than 60%. I was offered a $250 on board credit as a consolation to the almost $7000 drop. Not ever cruising NCL prior I was baffled. I have never seen a cruise line struggle to fill cabins to the extent they created such a massive drop. That should have been our first clue! Since NCL was of very little help I took matters into my ...
Norwegian Pearl Thermal Suite Review
I just returned from a 14 day Norwegian Pearl British Isles cruise and used the thermal spa almost every day to recover from our intense schedule of ports of call. I have used thermal spas on Disney ships in the past more for general relaxation but my purpose this time in buying the pass was because I knew I would be tired and exhausted each night and would need a way to recover to start the next day. The Norwegian Pearl thermal suite pass was $249 per person purchased ahead of sailing. Price varies according to length of cruise. Check out this post for a full review of the Norwegian Pearl.Overall ImpressionsThe thermal suite was by far my favorite part of the ship and I often spent hours rotating between the hot tub, Thalassotherapy pool and the heated stone loungers. The large spouting fountains in the Thalassotherapy pool were perfect to work out knots in your shoulders and the bubble loungers in the pool helped my sore legs get back to all that walking the next morning. The views from the regular loungers can't be beat while pulling out of port.How It All WorksThere was a slight discount to buy the pass prior to the cruise for the entire length. They ...
Celebrity Solstice Alaskan Cruise Review | Inside Passage
6 of us took off this May on the Celebrity Solstice for an Inside Passage Alaskan Cruise and what an adventure we had. It was a bucket list trip for a few of us and with good reason. Alaska is beyond words awe-inspiring. Everywhere you turn there is something beautiful to marvel at. The massive mountains covered in trees thicker than anything I have seen in the Rockies, whales, bears, bald eagles, float planes taking off and landing, glaciers melting before your eyes, ice that sparkles like aquamarines but are the size of small boats, beautiful Totem poles.....Alaska is beyond my vocabulary so instead I will share simply our experience and photos in this Alaskan cruise review and maybe a few hints to help you get there as well! Here are some photos from our trip:What To Do In Alaskan Ports: There is SO much to do. If there is one thing that I regret not doing though it is Misty Fjords Floatplane in Ketchikan. Apparently the views are spectacular.Ketchikan-Hike Deer Trail. It is about a mile walk to the entrance of the trail and its a good workout. Or visit the Ketchikan museums....we liked Totem Heritage Center (people there were SO nice. Cash only) and Southeast ...
Celebrity Solstice Wheelchair Accessibility: Alaskan Cruise
This past month my family of 6 took off for the Alaskan wilderness....OK, maybe a cruise ship buffet doesn't necessarily qualify as wilderness but let's face it, there are some similarities. My family has some mobility challenges as one of my teens is a full time wheelchair user and on this cruise, my mother in law used a rented scooter. As always, before any cruise I did a lot of research prior finding out about wheelchair access on Alaskan cruise ships and how we could make this the most successful trip for everyone possible. Here is what I learned in hopes it helps someone else have as fabulous a trip as we did. If you would like a more general information make sure and read Celebrity Solstice Alaskan Cruise Review. CELEBRITY SOLSTICE WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBILITY ON ALASKAN CRUISE:Landing in SeaTac is very easy. You can reserve a wheelchair accessible taxi that will fit 4 people (including chair user seated in chair) and 4-5 pieces of luggage through Yellow Cab or simply go to the taxi stand upon arrival and they will get you one. The ride to our hotel was roughly $50. Highly recommend the Hampton Inn in Seattle for an accessible solution for pre and post cruise stay. They ...
Our Caribbean Cruise on the Celebrity Constellation Review
This past spring break my family and I took a 4 night Western Caribbean cruise docking in both Key West and Cozumel.Celebrity Cruises had a reputation for being very wheelchair friendly and we choose The Constellation for 3 reasons-accessibility, dates, and we got a kicking deal booking last minute. The Constellation was built in 1991 and while its age is showing a bit, we thoroughly enjoyed our time on board. We had two balcony staterooms, cabins 6107, which is handicapped accessible and 6108. I wrote about the wheelchair accessibility of Celebrity Constellation on Traveling Mom if you want to check that out as well.Here are the Top 5 Things We Loved About Celebrity Cruises Constellation Ocean LinersIn order for us to do a Celebrity Constellation review the PR department was kind enough to arrange a special dinner for my birthday at Ocean Liners, their premier pay French restaurant. The restaurant is beautiful and any foodie would be in heaven here. My family was treated to all the special menu offerings but the highlights were the flambéed lobster and the dark chocolate soufflé. If cruising on board with kids I suggest sending the kids to one of the many activities ...