Trip Index
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Lynda and I spent a wonderful
day and night in Vancouver, B.C.; now it was time to bid farewell to this beautiful city and cruise back down the coast on
Norwegian Pearl. I had never sailed Norwegian Cruise Line before and was looking forward to checking out their "
Freestyle Cruising" theme. Our booking included a free "specialty dining package", allowing us to eat at all of the specialty restaurants at no extra charge (except for pre-paid gratuities). Since we only had three nights, I chose to dine at Moderno, Cagney's, and Le Bistro for dinner, and planned to try the other venues (buffet and complimentary restaurants) during breakfast and lunch. We'd have to eat at the other two specialty restaurants (La Cucina and Teppanyaki) on a future NCL cruise.
We checked out of the
Holiday Inn and Suites Vancouver Downtown and walked down the street towards
Canada Place where the cruise ships were docked. Along the way, a man stopped me and asked where I got my Tom Bihn
Tri-Star backpack. "That's exactly what I am looking for!" he said. I gave him the information which he wrote down, but when he asked the price, he was taken aback by my response. It definitely is pricey at ~$300 but it should last forever.
When we arrived at Canada Place, there wasn't much of a line to get through embarkation, which was convenient for us first time Norwegian cruisers, having no priority status to shorten the wait. I had booked an "inside guarantee", so we didn't receive our cabin assignment until about a week before the cruise. We ended up with a mid-ship inside cabin, one category higher than standard inside. I found the wood trim and contemporary design very nice.
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| the "welcome" sign can be turned to "do not disturb" or "please make up room" |
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| twin bed configuration |
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| vanity area |
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| mini-bar (for a fee) |
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| in-room safe |
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| small flat screen TV and ice bucket |
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| spacious bathroom with large faucet |
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| the shower was big enough to have a sliding door |
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Day 1 Norwegian Freestyle Daily:
We were starving so we dropped our bags off and headed right upstairs to the Summer Palace dining room for lunch. Even though the ceilings weren't super high, I thought the room was nicely decorated and comfortable. There weren't many guests dining there (most probably went up to the buffet) so we had very attentive service. When the wait staff found out it was our first time on Norwegian, they commented that it was the best cruise line. Now I had high expectations! At least we found our lunch to be very fresh and delicious...a good start to our cruise. (it could have been our empty stomachs' opinion...)
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| Summer Palace |
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| lunch menu page 1 |
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| lunch menu page 2 |
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| enjoying Atlantic crab salad with a glass of white wine |
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| calamari fritti |
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| open faced omelet |
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| shrimp and arugula salad |
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| key lime parfait |
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| rose water oranges |
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After lunch, we explored the ship. There were many cool elements on board, like large beds in the nightclub, bowling, and funky lounge chairs.
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| bowling shoe rental |
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| two of four bowling lanes |
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| huge sofas in Bliss Lounge |
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| beds too - "come hither..." |
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| awesome couch! |
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| beautiful Stardust Theater |
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| looking down onto the atrium |
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| Spinnaker Lounge |
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| cool chairs |
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| ship chapel |
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Since the cruise was only three nights long, we didn't have time to try out the complimentary Lotus Garden restaurant (Asian cuisine), only open for dinner. The menu looked pretty good.
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| Lotus Garden restaurant |
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There was another complimentary restaurant called O'Sheehan's (a play on "oceans"?) Pub. This was open for breakfast and lunch so we'd definitely try it later in the cruise. The waiters in the Summer Palace dining room had recommended it.
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| one side of O'Sheehan's Pub |
A peek at the buffet:
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| wide walkway |
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| flavored water offerings |
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If you want to be active, there are plenty of options...
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| pool and hot tub |
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| sports deck |
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| rock climbing walls |
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| arcade |
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| gym |
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| large exercise room |
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When we returned to the cabin, chocolate covered strawberries and champagne awaited us. Thanks Norwegian, for taking care of your travel agent partners!
Lynda and I headed up to the Spinnaker Lounge for sail-away. The large windows offered a perfect view of the ship's exit out of Vancouver Harbour and sailing under
Lions Gate Bridge.
Dinner tonight was at specialty restaurant
Moderno Churrascaria, a Brazilian steakhouse. The format was the same as churrascarias on land. An extensive salad bar was offered and servers armed with skewers of meat and sharp knives roamed around the restaurant, slicing portions onto diners' plates. Each guest had a card on the table that basically said "Go" on one side and "Stop" on the other; the card was flipped to control the flow of food. However, even if my card was in the "Stop" position, the servers would still offer to cut more onto my plate! Lynda and I found the food pretty yummy, though we weren't too impressed with the dessert menu. (slices of grilled caramelized pineapple were enough to hit the spot) Next time, I have to remember to not fill up on the salad bar! So much food.
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| Moderno dinner menu |
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| Moderno dessert menu |
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| salad bar in the restaurant |
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| little bit of this and that from the salad bar |
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| ceviche was ok |
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| let the carving begin! |
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| prize sirloin was my favorite - fatty goodness |
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| garlic beef and sausage |
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| also lamb chop, beef ribs, filet |
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| cheese bread, yum |
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| sides of rice, beans, mashed potatoes, plantains |
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| baked cod in banana leaves and shrimp stew |
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| grilled pineapple is the bomb |
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| flan, papaya cream and mango rice pudding |
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After such a big meal, it was time to work it off! We hit the Bliss Ultra Lounge for karaoke (which was a 5 hour event!). There were only the two of us and a couple of other people in the club so stage fright was at a minimum; we could sing as much as we wanted. Once we had our fill, we roamed the ship for other entertainment and dancing. Returning back to the cabin, a towel animal was waiting up, and another edible gift was delivered, courtesy of the captain.
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| Lynda is a natural |
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| a one-man band in the atrium (he was pretty good) |
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| dancing game at the Spinnaker Lounge |
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| a towel rabbit |
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| fruit plate from the captain |
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Tomorrow, we arrive in Astoria, Oregon! Stay tuned...
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A day and night in Vancouver, B.C.
