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 ...
What To Pack for a British Isles Cruise
A few days ago I returned from a 14 day British Isles cruise on the Norwegian Pearl. I fretted for months about what to pack for a British Isles cruise because you have so many variables to think about. The weather can change from cold and rainy to hot and humid daily. With the itinerary so spread out you may hike, city tour and just kick back in pubs-all within a few days. I thought I would do the round up of what worked and what didn’t to help any of you out there considering a similar cruise.Our British Isles Cruise Itinerary:3 stops in the Norwegian Fjords (Flam, Geiranger, Haugesund)EdinburghScottish Highlands (Inverness)DublinBelfastParis (Le Havre)LondonBrugge AmsterdamWe sailed mid June. 75% of the time it was cold and rainy. The 25% like London and Paris and Brugge were hot and humid. We only saw the sun one day on the ship. The ship had freestyle casual dining and no formal nights. There were only 3 at sea days. I used the thermal spa every day of the trip so the two suits were absolutely necessary for drying. We hiked in 4 of the spots. I had a bag of laundry sent out on day 7 to be done by the ship.A picture of what to pack for a British Isles ...
Disney Cruise Door Decoration Ideas
More than on any other cruise line, Disney Cruisers LOVE to decorate their doors. It's a real part of the Disney Cruise planning process and people go all out. Are you getting ready for your first Disney Cruise? These Disney Cruise door decoration ideas will have you sailing in style in no time.*this post contains affiliate linksAll of the below photos were taken in November of 2016 on a Disney Merrytime Cruise on the Wonder so that is why you will see holiday themed doors mixed in. There are several ways people make these decorations. Most often people use their Cricut or Silhoutte Machines and follow patterns similar to the ones found in this thread on Disboards. They laminate them and then use heavy duty magnets to make them stick to the door. Per Disney rules, "You are welcome to place magnetic signs on your stateroom door. Though, please note that Concierge staterooms on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy have wooden doors. You may not affix items to your stateroom doors using tape or any adhesive, including removable gel adhesives, as this can damage the doors’ finish." There are fines for damaging the doors. The second most common way, and what I did to save ...
Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain | A Desert Gem
I was born in raised in Phoenix and in the 30 years I spent there had never come across a desert gem like the Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain and that is saying something because Arizona has many beautiful resorts to choose from. Set just outside Marana, AZ (just slightly north of Tucson) this luxurious resort preserves the peace and beauty of the desert in the way you would expect from the Ritz-Carlton brand.Our drive from downtown Phoenix was an easy 1 1/2 hour drive down the I-10, including stop time in Casa Grande for a rare In-N-Out Burger treat these days (side note: Denver, really, you need to get with the In-N-Out program). You could fly into Sky Harbor in Phoenix or Tucson for a stay here. We flew into Phoenix and spent one night at the Hotel Palomar downtown before driving down the next morning.We arrived at the Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain just in time to see the Native American Flautist serenading the sunset perched upon the mountain. This would happen each night of our stay. Anytime I hear a flute playing now I fondly remember that 30 minutes each night to slow down and reflect on the day. The fire pit or pool area gives you the perfect vantage point to both see the ...