Were we in Banff?

Just returned from four days of the 2009 Ensemble Conference at the majestic Fairmont Banff Hotsprings Hotel.  Luckily we had this fantastic view from our room - otherwise we wouldn't have seen anything else of this beautiful spot.  The Conference was great though!

NCL PEARL/ENCORE CRUISE ESCAPES CRUISE-SEPTEMBER 25 2009

How sad, just as I was really getting to know my way around the NCL Pearl it was time to go :(  This really was a great trip and I was truly not wanting to leave...not yet!!

All in all, I think NCL Pearl is a great ship. It's perfect for first time cruisers, families, singles, couples..really anyone! The food was excellent, and there was a lot to do onboard.

I will be taking a group on the new NCL Epic on November 13th 2010. Please see more details here:  http://www.epic.ncl.com/ .  I hope to see everyone who's reading this on the ship! I've already suggested closing down Steele's Travel for a week ;)

I decided to keep my own luggage in my room, and just walk it off. This was the easiest way to disembark in my opinion, as I could leave whenever I wanted. There was no need to wait for my 'colour' to be called, etc.

It was VERY difficult to get a taxi or shuttle when we disembarked. I saw people that had reservations for super shuttle and they were not getting preferental service. I would suggest if you have a large group to consider taking a limo as it's not much more than the shuttle but saves you having to wait around for hours.

LAX was about a half hour drive away from the port, and I arrived with lots of time to catch my flight (and a few zzz's while waiting).

Thank you NCL/Steele's Travel and Encore Cruise Escapes for such an amazing time!!

I've included all my 'misc' pictures below.

NCL PEARL/ENCORE CRUISE ESCAPES CRUISE-SEPTEMBER 25 2009

Ah. Last full day of the cruise, and a relaxing day at sea. What to do, what to do......... EAT!! and eat I did. Breakfast and lunch at the amazing buffet, some WII wall sword fighting to work some of the food off and then our group's final dinner *sob* at 'Indigo', which is the other main dining room. There really was so many dining choices, it was hard to fit everything into 5 nights. There's also a Shabu Shabu, Teppanyaki, Italian, French and even just eating at the buffet for dinner. The best part is you don't need any reservations, and if they do happen to be full they give you this beeper that works anywhere on the ship to let you know when your dinner's ready.  They really have a great system.

That night we went up to the top deck to the 'Spinnaker Lounge'. I believe we attempted to have a meeting in this area previously on the cruise but it was so rocky that day that being that high on the ship was unbareable! The cruise staff had a little talk show/comedy routine that was hilarious, and then we played this really fun game where we seperated into teams and different team members were asked to run up to the front if the possessed the item that was asked for. For example, I ran up when they asked "We need a lady in guys pants"... so I put on some strangers pants over my skirt and ran up as fast as I could. It really was a fun game.

After that, we headed to the Bliss Lounge for a Toga party. The staff was at the entrance, and very happy to give us our oh so flattering togas.  I stayed up for as long as I could, as I was very sad to be leaving NCL :(

NCL PEARL/ENCORE CRUISE ESCAPES CRUISE-SEPTEMBER 23 2009

San Francico Day!! When I looked at the weather forcast before departing on my cruise it said that it would be 30 degrees. It might've been in some parts of the city, but definitely not the warf. Needless to say, as usual, I didn't dress for the weather. Had so much fun just walking around the city for the day, and I even managed to find a really sunny spot in an area called 'Mission'.

Arrived back on the boat, and decided it was about time to go for a run on the sports deck. After much calculation and thought, I decided that if 5 1/2 laps was one mile, and I wanted to run 10kms, then I should run around the deck 38 times. I still have NO idea if this is correct, but this is what I did. I'm a very dedicated runner *please read, had too many drinks and was absolutely necessary to run in order to stay in shape*

I forgot in yesterday's entry that I went to watch 'Second City' in the theatre. They're a very famous improv comedy troupe and so hilarious! I really enjoyed watching them, and I'm actually looking forward to my next cruise with NCL so I can see them again.

Tonight I watched a very funny ventriloquist, who's puppet was supposed to be Nadia Cominich, the Olympic gymnast and famous coach. Funny thing is, she actually was my coach at Canadian Adventure Camp when I was younger. Again, sooo funny!! I really enjoyed these shows.

That night, I spent some time at my favourite hang out, Bliss Nightclub and then headed off for bed.