Alaska Cruise on Norwegian Pearl- Part I- Pre Travel

There was a saying prevalent in the 90s that cruises were for the “newly wed or nearly dead”. It has been a long time since then, and the demographics of the annual 27 million cruise passengers is far more varied and complex.  We took a 7-day Alaska cruise with Norwegian Cruise Lines (www.ncl.com) as part of our family vacation in the United States.  Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., headquartered in Miami, FL, operates 26 ships under the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands, totaling approximately 54,400 berths.  Seattle in the northern state of Washington is the most common origin for Alaska cruise route. 

 

For a first time cruise passenger, the decision making can be somewhat overwhelming.  There are 4-6 major decisions to be taken if one has to make an informed choice.  This is particularly important because of the costs involved, and the strict cancellation rules.  Full payment is taken four months before the sailing date, and about 75% of the full cost becomes non-refundable within two months of the journey (100% in the last week).  I will try to present this article from the perspective of an international tourist and a first time cruise passenger.  The major decisions to be taken before booking are as below:

 

• Month and date (Alaska cruises operate between May-September, 20-25 sailing options each week)
• Cruise route (one way vs. roundtrip; port of departure; preference of locations if any)
• Preference of cruise line (12 cruise lines operate)
• Direct online booking vs through travel agent
• Choice of cabin (six types- prices vary widely depending on choice)
• Choice of one or two from among 5-6 on-board free offers from the cruise line    

 

The first decision to make is whether you want to do a round trip to/from the same port (Seattle,  Vancouver or San Francisco), or a one-way (in which case, you will take a flight from the other end).  Roundtrip is usually the easier for first time international travelers.  This route covers the highlights of Southeast Alaska and return to the same port.  In the second option, travelers see the same locations of Southeast Alaska but also spend more time on land in south central and interior parts of Alaska.  There are five broad types of itineraries-

 

 

Picture courtesy: www.cruisealaska.com

 

The Seattle Inside Passage is the most popular itinerary, with about one-third of all weekly departures being on this route.  This protected waterway is one of the most scenic in the world and one of the few locations where deep-draft vessels can sail close to steep mountain walls.  The attractions in this route are emerald green water, glaciers, forest-clad islands, fjords and charming coastal towns.  Once the route is chosen, one can go either by the preferred date of departure (up to three options on any given day of the week), or by a preferred cruise line if there is any.  Alaska cruises operate between May-September, with 561 sailings listed in a calendar year.  Twelve cruise lines operate in this sector- Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Silversea, Disney Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Crystal and Seabourn Cruise Line.  Between them, the companies run 22-25 cruises in the Alaska region every week.  The cruises are almost always for seven nights.  Some cruises originating in San Francisco are for ten nights.

There is a very helpful cruise calendar for 2018 available in this website: http://www.cruisealaska.com/cgi/calendar2.pl?all+2018

   

Frankly, I did not know much of this when I did my booking.  I have never been on a cruise before.  Our trip was planned at very short notice of less than two months.  Apparently, cruise passengers research, plan and book a year or more in advance.  For us, roundtrip from Seattle, on or about mid-May, was pre-ordained because of our overall itinerary.  So (fortunately) our choice narrowed down significantly.  Among the options, the name Norwegian sounded vaguely familiar; the price point seemed competitive and the date of sailing on a Sunday matched my overall schedule.  For the ticketing, I could easily book online using credit card; but I paused at the last minute and explored local travel agent options.  I called up two from among I knew.  One surprised me by saying they had a group booking of 20+ doctors from Kolkata in the same month, but the date did not exactly match my schedule.  Then I contacted Gainwell Travel (www.gainwelltravel.com) and found that they do cruise bookings, including for Norwegian.  The price they offered was very competitive and comparable with the online rate.  I am glad I booked through them- not only I now had the advantage of making Rupee payment, but also I benefited from their knowledge about cruises and their patience with nagging first time cruise passengers asking dumb questions.  I think their tolerance with me was tested most severely when I had a last minute panic attack 48 hours before the cruise and called them up while traveling on Amtrak train towards Seattle to ask whether food is included in the price of the ticket.  They assured me that “all is well” and I should not worry.  The dumbness of the question became apparent when on board we realized the food options were more than we could gorge on in 7 days- a 24X7 Café serving elaborate breakfast/lunch/dinner/snacks buffet and six specialty dining restaurants- all complimentary!

 

There is a wide choice about type of room to choose on a cruise ship.  Our ship had 18 Haven category mega suites at the top deck of the ship, with personal butler and concierge; 10 number 2-bedroom family suites with balcony; 20 Penthouses; 134 mini Suites; 360 rooms with balcony; 243 rooms with ocean view but no balcony and 412 Inside rooms with no view.  These can be at the rear (Aft), middle (Mid) or front (Forward) part of the ship.  Usually the higher category rooms are at the upper decks- 8-12.  Most rooms and suites accommodate an average of 4 guests. 

 

The last major decision is about choosing free on-board offers, if applicable with the category of ticket purchased.  There is a discounted ticket category termed “Sail Away” rate, which usually can’t be combined with other deals and discounts.  The free offers are unlimited beverage package, free specialty dining package, $50 shore excursion credit, 250 minutes of free wifi worth $125, and reduced rate for friends and family.  I wanted unlimited beverage and wifi- I was told our ticket category could only provide the free 250 minutes of wifi.  The beverage package and wifi are the most worthwhile in my opinion.

 

Two other sundry points need to be considered- travel insurance and Canada visa.  There is lot of confusion whether overseas travel insurance covers cruise or not.  Considering that there is significant cost in evacuating a passenger by helicopter in case of a major emergency, this should have been explicitly stated by the insurance companies.  I received two contradictory opinions of yes and no from two different executives of the same company.  Most insurance agents say it is covered, but the brochure is silent about inclusion or exclusion.  I was further confused to note that the offline policy details provided by agents did not match the details provided by the company online.  The online rates were lower too.  At the end, I chose the Indian philosophical way of not worrying about it and just booked a comprehensive travel insurance for my overall trip which included by cruise dates.  There is also a compulsory requirement of Canada visa for Indian nationals.  Seattle based round trip cruises have a compulsory docking in a Canadian port under the U.S. Passenger Vessel Services Act 1886.  Norwegian and most other cruises stop at Victoria in British Columbia.  It takes 3-4 weeks to obtain Canada visa from Kolkata in peak travel season.  We applied 5 weeks in advance and were worried, but luckily received the passports back with visa well in time.

 

The next part of the blog describes out travel experience during the 7-day Alaska Cruise with Glacier Bay on board Norwegian Pearl in May 2018.          

 

NOLA Rocks!

A quaint city with loads of history and distinctive influence of Europe, Caribbean and Africa, New Orleans (NO) of Louisiana state (LA)- NOLA as affectionately called by the local population- is a charming place for visitors.  Located in the south-central shore of United States, this place is the favorite landfall point for many of the strongest cyclones and hurricanes which develop in the Gulf of Mexico.  The most famous in the recent history was Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which wrecked havoc of epic proportion.  More recently, the Cyclone Isaac in September of 2012 also caused some damage, and people were evacuated from homes.  My colleague was telling me that she opted for the option of evacuating to Houston rather than staying put at the risk of staying without power for days, low food availability and flooding.  At the time of cyclones and hurricanes, one big worry of the residents is whether the roof of the house with hold!  Apparently, there is also a phase of law and order issue during such times. 

It was a short flight from Houson, but it was late and when I landed at the Louis Armstrong airport it was past midnight.  The airport is quite close to the city center, and there are options of taxi which commute for a flat fee of $33 to anywhere in the city center and airport shuttle which charge $20 but hops from one hotel to another, so if you are the last one out you may be have been sitting in the (comfortable) mini-bus for over an hour for the short ride.  Both options are easy to locate and are efficient means of transportation.  

I was delighted when my cab stopped at my designated hotel- Astor Crowne Plaza on Canal Street & Bourbon.  It looked aesthetic and in the heart of the city.  It was past 1 am but the surrounding was abuzz with activity.  Burly and loud people speaking in heavy Southern drawl could be intimidating initially, till you can relax, lower your guard and start forgetting that you are an outsider.  I realized soon that everyone quickly becomes an insider in New Orleans.  
   
Next morning, my work took me to The U.S. Customs House.  The huge building with solid exterior of grey Massachusetts marble and cast-iron entablature spanned a full block.  As I stepped inside, I was immediately impressed by the collection of old marine gadgets displayed all around, the intriguing inner corridors with huge doors enclosing the office spaces.  It had a jail-house ambience and an overall spooky feeling inside.  Indeed, my colleague said that there are confirmed stories of ghosts residing in the building, and the presence have been felt by many who stayed back late.  I later learnt that this is one of the oldest and most important federal buildings in the southern United States and one of the major works of architecture commissioned by the federal government in the nineteenth century.  It is now designated as a National Historic Landmark.  The grand Marble Hall in the center of the building was described as “the finest business room in the world”.  Audubon Butterfly Garden & Insectarium, the largest free-standing American museum dedicated to insects, is now located in this building.
New Orleans was founded as part of the French colony of Louisiana in 1718.  New Orleans was given to the Spanish in 1763 following the Seven Years War.  The Americans gained control of the colony following the 1803 Louisiana Purchase.  New Orleans’ economy in the nineteenth century was similar to other southern cities- based on selling cash crops such as sugar and tobacco. By 1840, newcomers whose wealth came from these industries turned New Orleans into the third largest metropolis in the country.  In today’s world, port and maritime activities, engineering industries and most importantly tourism constitute most of the city’s economy.  Port of New Orleans on Mississippi River is one of the busiest in the country, moving 500 million tons of cargo every year.  The city has created a wonderful niche for itself as a convention city.  The New Orleans Convention Center is one of the largest venues available in United States for trade shows, hosting very large exhibition and conferences on themes ranging from automobiles to funerals.  The show on the latter theme was organized by National Funeral Directors Association, and my colleague was telling me that with coffins and tombstones lying all around, it was not an event for the faint-hearted!  The reason for my visit too was WEFTEC, which is America’s largest water related trade show organized by the Water Environment Federation and had over 1200 exhibitors.  Each such event brings over 10,000 visitors to the city for an average of three days; thereby keeping the hotels, shops and restaurants and other tourism establishments busy for several days in each month.  The heritage French architecture; exotic French, Spanish and local Louisiana cuisine; art; Jazz music and most importantly the “wildness quotient” of the city is a magnet for business visitors and tourists alike. 

New Orleans is a small city of 907 sq km and little over 300,000 population, which shrinks after every large natural disaster and grows again within a few years.  But if Calcutta’s city center of Dalhousie-Esplanade area was curved out as a separate city, there would be many similarities with New Orleans.  The most striking similarity is about the heritage architecture and the ornamental iron castings which adorn the balconies of the French era houses in the famous French Quarters area.  I spend a large part of my weekend daytime in taking pictures of the houses and the balconies in particular.  The intricate craftsmanship of the iron castings used in the balconies was a visual treat to my eyes, particularly in the curved balconies of the houses on corner plots.  The designs were mostly neutral, such as a bunch of grapes with leaves.  And having documented the iron casting designs in Kolkata extensively in the last three years, I can now say with authority that the repertoire of designs of the iron castings found in Kolkata is much larger than what is found in New Orleans.  The style of casting is similar but I did not find any design which is common between Calcutta and New Orleans.  However, the iron casting used in Marble Palace owned by the Mullick family in Calcutta (designed by the French architect Antonio Rinaldi and completed in 1785) is very similar to the style of casting used in New Orleans.

 

 

The architecture of the old houses otherwise is typical but not hugely impressive.  None of the houses are too big.  The other points of similarity with Calcutta include proximity to river (Mississippi), narrow roads, lots of people merrily crossing the road, much higher proportion of honking than is normally found in American cities, plenty of shops, several poor people, passion for food and trams.  Calcutta can learn much from New Orleans in preserving trams as a means of public and tourist transport.  Here the trams are single compartment, heritage-looking but modern interiors, noiseless, high-speed, moves on dedicated tracks in selected stretches and integrated with bus transport under the common umbrella of Road Transport Authority (a common bus-tram combination ticket can be purchased).  The stops provide safe boarding and aligning facilities for passengers, and tickets are collected by the driver (often a lady) in a ticket vending machine, which even prints a ticket for change due if any and which can be used for any future travel.  I really hope and pray that Calcutta learns from New Orleans, Frankfurt and other such cities which have proudly preserved and used trams as clean and efficient means of urban mass transit. 

 

 

The “wildness quotient” of the tourist part of the city deserves special mention.  Several people have told me, “this is New Orleans- you can pretty much do what you want”.  I got a taste of this when in my very  first morning, I saw a girl breaking out in to a full-throated, trance-like “Hare Rama Hare Krishna” song and dance as she was passing by an Iscon Group singing along the sidewalk. 

 

But the full magnitude of this statement will not be evident until one visits Bourbon Street during the weekends- the main artery of the French Quarter area and the magnet for tourists seeking all-time nightlife high.  And this was a normal weekend- the revelry index shoots many times higher during the carnival season climaxing during Mardi Gras in February-March.  My hotel- Astor Crowne Plaza- was at the entry point of this road; so I could soak up the life of Bourbon Street over the full seven nights of my stay.  When the city’s streets were designed by the royal engineer in 1721 and the streets were being named after French royal houses and Catholic saints, Bourbon Street paid homage to France's ruling family, the House of Bourbon.  In 1788, a major fire destroyed 80 percent of the city's buildings.  The Spanish rebuilt many of the damaged buildings, which are still standing today.  For this reason, Bourbon Street and the French Quarter display more Spanish than French influence.  Chances are, you will be greeted by a jazz and brass band playing at the corner of Bourbon and Canal Streets.  This “To Be Continued” jazz and brass band was formed by a group of young boys in 2002, and became immensely popular.  The upper end of Bourbon Street near Canal Street is home to many of the French Quarter's strip clubs. These include Rick's Cabaret, Temptations, and Larry Flynt's Barely Legal Club.  Among the other tourist attractions are bars, restaurants and souvenir shops.  

 

A part of this street also caters to New Orleans' thriving gay community. Cafe-Lafitte-In-Exile is the oldest gay bar in the country. I got some pictures of weirdly dressed people in this area. 

 

It is fun to walk in Bourbon Street in the evening- the crowd is in celebratory mood, many walking with a super-large container of drink.  We came across two girls, young and good-looking,  who wore practically nothing but body paint of the logo of the wildly-popular New Orleans Saints team and were walking the Street to collect tips.  Needless to say, tips were raining on them and they were also happily posing for photographs.  We could also see the Mardi Gras spirit in action- the custom of throwing trinkets from the balconies to the people passing below.  Some girl groups were quite insistent about the "Throw Me Something Mister", and the men on the balconies negotiated well and managed to have some of the girls flash before they showered the girls with trinkets.  To capture the full spectacle, one needs to visit on the date of Mardi Gras which is 46 days before Easter.  During the 12 days preceding Mardi Gras, more than 60 parades and hundreds of private parties, dances and masked balls are annually scheduled in the metro area. Fat Tuesday is a legal holiday in New Orleans, a day when half the town turns out in costume to watch the other half parade!

 

 

New Orleans was the birthplace of Jazz.  It was considered an expression of freedom, of jubilation.  The music form evolved from within, and quickly flourished through the creative geniuses of Buddy Bolden, Nick LaRocca, Louis Armstrong and several others.  One of the more distinguished aspects of New Orleans culture is the jazz funeral- a practice which traces its roots back to Africa.  The city has many jazz clubs- some of the more famous ones are House of Blues and Bombay Club in French Quarter area.  We heard that there is another area- the Frenchman Street- is quaint and vibrant with jazz music.  This was our chance to see another part of the city outside the routine French Quarter, so we hopped in to a cab and after a short ride reached what looked like a residential neighborhood.  The street was lined with several restaurants, clubs and pubs- each advertising the live performances scheduled during the week.  It was Monday and relatively quiet.  We checked out the Blue Nile Club, but they did not have a performance on that day.  But we found that Maison on 508 Frenchman Street rocking with music and bustling with clients.  We managed to get a table and settled down.  The tables were full, the music was soulful, the musicians were lively and the crowd was discerning- applauding every piece of good performance.  At times, the young lady who was the lead musician stepped down from the dais and walked up to the tables to collect tips- the guests contributed generously.  The good food and drink tasted even better in the cheerful ambience.    

  

 

No discussion on NOLA is complete without a note on food and drink.  The cuisine here is distinctive and robust, unlike most places in U.S.  The food follows two broad likes- Cajun and Creole.  Cajun is country-style food, a combination of French and Southern cuisines and consists of heavy, one-pot dishes, like Jambalaya (sausage, vegetables and a variety of meats and/or seafood) or crawfish étouffée, served over steaming rice.  Creole food is created in New Orleans with European and African roots.  The French influence is strongest, but the essence of Creole is found in rich sauces, local herbs, red ripe tomatoes, and the prominent use of seafood, caught in local waters.  It is associated with the old-line kitchens of New Orleans, where generations of traditions are carried on today.  The most popular one is Gumbo- okra simmered for hours in a stock made as rich as possible using a variety of meats, onions, celery and bell peppers. Served over rice, variations include seafood gumbo with shrimp, oysters and crabmeat, or chicken gumbo with andouille sausage.  Both foods make liberal use of chopped green peppers, onions and celery.  The other popular dishes are Red Beans and Rice, Po Boy (long, submarine-style French bread piled high with meat such as roast beef, catfish or oysters), Shrimp Creole (freshly peeled shrimp), Muffuletta (sandwich filled with salami, ham, provolone and olive spread).  Alligator meat is quite popular- supply chain assured from the swamps surrounding New Orleans.  I passed the incitement to try it- I am told it is tender and tasty.  I loved all the places we ate in, but I remember with particular fondness the Red Fish Grill on Bourbon Street- a traditional, family-owned restaurant serving authentic and fresh New Orleans cuisine with style and pride.  The food in Farmers Market was fun too.  The coffee shops and confectioners are also very much part of the food experience.  Café Du Monte on Decatur St. across Jackson Square is the pilgrimage among the coffee shops, being the original French Market coffee stand serving cafe au lait and beignets (fried dough coated with powdered sugar) since 1862.  Praline (almonds coated with cooked sugar and cream) reigns supreme among the confectionery products.  Being endowed with a traditional Bengali sweet tooth, I simply loved the Pralines.  Much like food, the drink options in New Orleans is also wild, robust and cheerful.  Hurricane is one of the most popular.  It is a sweet, juice-filled bright red rum drink and served in a tall glass.  Apparently, the drink derived its name from the shape of the iconic glass resembling a hurricane lamp.  The other popular drink (apart from beer) on Bourbon Street is named Hand Grenade.  The proprietors keep the ingredients of this neon green drink a secret, only calling it the most powerful cocktail on Bourbon Street.  It comes served in a custom plastic yard glass, tinted green and shaped like a grenade at the bottom.        

 

 

 

Overall, New Orleans is a complete fun city, with loads of character.  It embraces the serious travelers and revelers with equal warmth.  The mix of fun, food, architecture, music, art ensures there is something for everyone.  Very few cities in U.S. can match up with the unique personality of this quaint city.  The waves of history have etched indelible marks, and have enriched the city and its population with something new, something better and something different.  NOLA just rocks!