My first Cruise! Taking the Pearl to Alaska

[CarrieNAustin]

I just booked a 7 day Alaskan cruise on the Pearl for my 40th birthday...I am SO excited. I have never cruised before and have never been to Alaska.

I have read through several messages and have gotten a few answers, but still have a couple of questions.

One thing I definitely want to do is have a spa day on-board. I am having trouble finding prices. Are massages your basic $65 for an hour or will my spa day break my bank? Does anyone have a price range for spa services?

What are Must Sees in Alaska? I am sure we are going to do a few excursions, but I also really enjoy exploring a town/city, eating good food and having good cocktails. I would hate to miss a good excursion or a good meal because I made the wrong choice

I will be traveling with a friend...we are both in our late 30's and single. While it's not a huge deal, we are worried that we will be a bit of an anomaly! What would the clientele of a typical Alaskan cruise look like? We would love to make friends, meet new people and avoid being the third wheel of the newlywed crowd!

Thanks so much for y'alls words of wisdom!

 

[nmnita]

Re: My first Cruise! Taking the Pearl to Alaska

congratulations on booking the Pearl, she is a really nice ship and Alaska is a wonderful way to start experiencing the world of cruising..

Do not expect the spa to be $65 for an hours massage, the good news if there is any, NCL has lower spa rates than most lines. I know that isn't saying much.

Thinks not to miss in my opinion, if you are doing Skagway and I think you are, be sure to take a tour of the surrounding area. I would suggest you go to ports a call, either on this board or another one and check out tours. I want to say the one we did is run by a guy named Bob, but i will try to look this up for you. It is a fun tour, you will be taken on a van, clear up to the Yukon and you will get a real feeling of what the area was like back when...many say take the train trip in Skagway, I guess it is really awesome as well but very pricey.

In Juneau I would just do my own thing, it is a fun town, but not as filled with interesting sites (in my opinion) probably the best way to get ideas on what to do is attend the pre port talks the day before or a few days before you get to the port. These talks are designed to sell you on using the cruise lines tours and recommended shops but they can give you good ideas as well. There is one bar, famous (I can't remember the name, but you will hear about it ) within walking distance to the ship. You need to visit and have a bloody Mary. The bar is filled with history..

There is so much for you to do, don't worry about missing something, you won't be able to do it all anyway.

Now, for the demographics, cruises to Alaska do draw a Little older crowd, but there will be many your age on the ship. Like any cruise the action will be in the bars after dinner. This doesn't mean the bars will be hopping, they may or may not be, but that is where singles will be hanging out. One thing to remember, people do choose Alaska cruises for the itinerary more than the party life.Watch the Freesyle dailies (the little newspaper that will be in your cabin each night and on the afternoon of embarkation) there may be a couple of singles get together.

As for things to do on the ship, I would recommend you choose to dine in a couple of specialty dining rooms. Our favorite is Le Bistro, others will say Cagney's. Both are good and worth the extra bucks, but you do not have to feel you will miss something if you decide to stick with the inclusive dining rooms. Of course no NCL cruise would be complete without trying the buffalo wings or fish and chips in the Blue Lagoon (no charge) I am saying they are the best in the entire world, they are not, but for free they are darn good.

Nita

 

[CarrieNAustin]

Carrie White

Thanks Nita! Wonderful info and it is very much appreciated!

Am I right to budget about $200 for spa services for massage, a treatment and tip?

My friend and I are definitely going to Alaska for the destination....we just didn't' want to be the youngest people there or the only singletons

We are going to Skagway, so I will take your advice and check out the excursions there. I did just find out that an old friend of mine opened a restaurant in Skagway, so I will definitely have to check that out (Of course it is Mexican! That is one thing I don't want to go to Alaska for! I get enough Mexican and Tex-Mex here!)

I would love to see a menu or sample menus of the on-board restaurants...just to get an idea of what they serve. This has been my main issue on getting info...no food menu, spa services menu, up-charge list or anything that will help me budget is online!

Great tip on Fish and Chips!

 

[nmnita]

Re: My first Cruise! Taking the Pearl to Alaska

Carrie, btw I always loved the name Carrie, too bad the guy I have been with for almost 51 years didn't agree with me when we were having kids..Well, I like it for a gal, but I didn't consider it for our son..P)

Yes $200 should easily cover a really good spa day and I will add, spa specials are abundant on port days, so if you have a day you are not spending all day in town you may want to check the prices.

As for Skagway, I checked and the only thing I could find that came close to what I had in mind was Klondike tours, I don't think that is the same as I was referring to, but sounds very similar. It is $65.00 per person and I believe it is about 3 1/2 hours long. YOu can check it out. Enjoy your Mexican meal in Skagway, for some reason I just don't see it, especially when we have spent almost our whole lives in SoCa, NM and Texas...

Nita

 

[CarrieNAustin]

Re: My first Cruise! Taking the Pearl to Alaska

Oh, I don't see it either! I am a native Texan, so I definitely won't be craving Mexican food! But it is a chance to see an old friend who moved from the Lone Star State to Skagway.

I was aparently named after Carol Burnet's daughter...Carrie...I knew several male Cary's growing up...so it isn't too unusual