I am planning an Alaskan cruise for DHs 60th Birthday. Hopefully about 10 family members will be joining us. If anyone has been on this ship please tell me about the restaurants and which ones have a cover charge. I noticed they have a Japanese Steakhouse and that is my favorite. I want to plan something special for his BD on the 28th.

For those who have done this cruise to Alaska please tell me what excursions we should consider. I notice many are quite expensive and I am not looking to break the bank. One son will come from London and loves to fish. Any suggestions for that? One said they would love something with dog sledding. I have noticed something about a train ride but I thought that is only through RCCL is that true? What do we not want to miss? We are considering a Mini Suite v a balcony. Any views on that? Going at the end of May what wildlife and sealife will we see?

I am a sun and steel drums type of person so I am trying to get myself excited for cold weather. I also need to convince a few other family members who wish we were going to Hawaii or the Caribbean. Any suggestions?

I've been to Alaska twice and will go there this summer again....It's almost a religious experience:-)....I will be on the Pearl this winter...I did do the Jewel (sister ship) and she was wonderful....I'm looking forward to spending 9 days on the Pearl....You can book salmon fishing in Ketchikan....and I would take the White Pass railroad while in Skagway....Juneau, I would do the Mendenhall glacier for starters....lots of shopping in all of the ports.....I usually don't do the pay-for-extra restaurants....the main diningrooms usually are very good...but the people who do the extra pay restaurants say it was worth it...
Just enjoy the beautiful scenery, good food, and the relaxation....There should be Orca's to see, dolphins, eagles, seals, sea otters, and much much more.....Happy Cruising...

Bob E

San Dee:

Have cruised on the Pearl 3 times....great ship. Did the Alaska cruise on May 20th, 2007 and had a great time. I wrote an extensive cruise review here on cruise-chat.

Check it out......it should really help on your cruise planning.

Here's the link to cruise-chat review.

http://cruise-chat.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/303601132/m/8561069513

Richard & Mary
Las Cruces, New Mexico USA

Next cruise:

15 day Diamond Princess to Hawaiian Islands - Dec 3rd, 2007

Good to see you back Richard & Mary, have missed you posting for a while.

Cheers, Neil

Thanks Berick1234 and Mary for your input. I am really looking forward to the Pearl as all her reviews are very good. I will definitely look into the shore excursions you suggest. I know my son will love the idea of Salmon fishing. Keep the suggestions coming!

SanDee,

Go out to NCL.com and click on Shore Excursions if you haven't already.....you can see what there is to do in every port....have a smashing good time...It's starting to look like Alaska here in Minnesota...time to go to the Caribbean...

Bob E

Hi! We also did the Alaskan cruise. We did all the shore excursions that Berick1234 suggested. We loved them all, my son caught a 34# king salmon on the fishing excursion. I was also not excited to go to Alaska, I prefer warm weather. I totally loved every minute of the cruise. We went on RCCL, we had the Royal Family Suite on the back of the ship and it was awesome. Loved cruising the glaciers, icy straight we could see both sides at once. It wasn't that cold either. We went the last week in May into June. Would love to go again sometime. ENJOY!!!

Don't worry where other family members wish to cruise, it's you husband's 60th birthday, his opinion should count most. If he wants to cruise to Alaska, that's where everyone should go.

Alaska is beautiful in May. Every Alaskan port has many different kinds of activities to choose from that should satisfy everyone, except a sunny beach.

NCL will have three ships sailing to Alaska next May, although only the Pearl will be sailing to Glacier Bay National Park. It's fares will be higher than the others.

There's so much to do at every port, everyone will be exhausted upon returning to the ship. So, plan a few easy excursions during the week.