Kierste

Thanks! We really loved the Pearl!

It wasn't a hull balcony... But the deck above was overhanging. My mom's room was the last one covered that we could see (11590.). If you look at the deck plans, you can see deck 12 bulges out a bit from the forward pool (adults pool) to just about where the entourage dance club is... Which we were right below lol.

Okay, so we did an 11 day on the Pearl... We took scones to our room a couple times to snack on, hubby got breakfast and ate on a lounger on deck 13 and then took his plate back. But others have ruined it for those that can responsibly take food out of dining and eat it is what I think...

I saw dirty dishes everywhere... Under loungers, in hallways, stuck in corners on various decks, piled on any surface that would hold them. And crew trying to follow around and collect it all. I felt they did a good job, but why do they have to guess where the slobs might have put their plate when they were done?

Lots of people are complaining that if they don't feel well their travel partner will bring them food, and now won't be able to. Well, our ship had a GI outbreak... If you felt off you were supposed to report to medical (free of charge) and they would put you on a bland diet... Delivered to your room free because it was part of your medical treatment. So this argument holds no water. If you are sick go see the doctor, if you won't go see the doctor, I figure you are well enough to go sit in a restaraunt.

Lastly, bringing back cooked food to your room might actually give you GI issues... That food will get cold, people don't store it properly (fridges are not cold enough) or have a proper way of heating it back up... So the ship is trying to prevent people from in ignorance getting themselves sick.

We cruise again in two more years. And we'll go with NCL because we enjoyed our cruise and the freestyle concept very much. I think everyone needs to take a chill pill and see the other side of the issue.

Just did an 11 day that ended the day after Easter on the Pearl. Because it was an 11 day, we only had about 100 kids on board. We did pass the Easter bunny at some point, and there were a little bit of stick up decorations in the buffet. I remember there was also a service mentioned in the daily and they televised the Pope's service. We had a sea day for Easter though.

Good Friday however, we were on St Thomas. I know there were less excursions and less shops open because of it. I would assume Easter would be worse. We did the Simplicity sailboat on St Thomas and loved it. Neither the captain or his helper have young kids yet (just a cool dog), so I wonder if they would go out on Easter. My guess is yes.

Hello guys,

I will be in Aruba in 2 weeks and my family wanted to do this day pass. We are a little skeptical about buying this day pass online...Do you know how safe these sites are? To put credit card info on?

Also, is there a limit to these passes, if we were to buy them when we got there at the front desk?

Have any of you bought it at hotel?

There is a limit... We purchased ours from the hotel in advance. I would recommend emailing them, seems safer to me.

Btw, we enjoyed our day there. The beach and water were lovely, decent chairs, no issues with checking in our getting our bracelets. The pool was great (when the beach got too windy). Ate inside at the buffet, and it wasn't bad... Lots of flies around the bread which was a turnoff... But no one left hungry. Had a few drinks a piece and got good sunburns lol

Was your cruise during a school holiday season? Were there a lot of other 10-12 year olds?

It was during spring break. But it was an 11 day cruise, so we only had about 100 kids on board. I think 15 kids was the most that showed up at Dolphins camp on any given night.

We just did the Pearl... the kids club for my 11 year old (the Dolphins 10-12 year olds) was awesome. Great counselors. Activities that really fit the age group...

On any given day they had sports court time, circus skills (they put on a show at the end of the week on the main stage), and theme games--which were between 7 and 10-10:30 pm. The theme games and circus were the big draws. The theme games were games based on Survivor, Hunger Games (they called District 12), Divergent (which they called Factions), Boys vs Girls, Black OPs... it was really really cool. Some involved scavenger hunts... All I know is there was no way my daughter would miss the night activity. So we ate dinner at 5:30 so she could make it in time.

I am sad because she will be in Entourage on our next trip... which I have heard mixed reviews about.

My biggest tip, is the kids need to go on night 1. That is when the friends are made.

Finally got around to writing this... figured I'd put it here too in case people have questions :)

We were first time cruisers... Me, my husband, our 11 year old daughter, and my almost 70 year old mother. Had connecting mini-suites (11588 & 11590). These rooms were wonderful, convenient to the buffet, splash academy and the pool deck. They also have covered balconies, which we liked so we could be shaded from the hot sun. They are under the teen Entourage area, which could sound like a herd of elephants above you at times, but always quieted down by 10 or 10:30.

I'd like to say people in general complain too much. We found very little to complain about the whole trip.

We ate at the buffet for breakfast and lunch daily and the food was good to very good. And it was a buffet, if you didn't like something go get something else. We ate in the mdr for dinner (one or the other) half the nights and the other half we tried a different specialty restaurant. All were very good to excellent. Dinner tended to take 90-110 minutes... Never a full two hours. We all ordered different things and never had much to complain about. One night my steak was a little on the fatty side for me, so ate around the fat and didn't order that again. The variety of desserts was really good, and the desserts were much better than I was led to believe they would be. Food as a whole was very good, service better than average, and we never went hungry.

Splash academy for the 10-12 year old group was spot on. The theme game nights were perfect for what this age group is in to. The counselors were fantastic. My fairly shy daughter hardly wanted to leave! We did have to eat dinner early--5:30, and explained that we needed her to get her entrée when we got our appetizers (she skipped the appetizer each night to speed up dinner for herself), we were accommodated everywhere but teppenyaki where that isn't really possible. This way our daughter could get to splash academy by 7 or 7:15 for the nighttime activity. For a spring break cruise there were only about 100 kids on board. I think this was due to it being more than a week long cruise.

We did attend a couple of the nighttime shows and those were enjoyable. Especially the Living Legends show... The girl that played Madonna was awesome. We also attended a couple of the game shows, very fun! My daughter climbed the rock wall a couple of times, what a scary and fun challenge! The pool(s) are a little small, not sure what people expect to be able to fit on a ship. But after dinner was the best time to go in them... No people! Not much shade on the pool deck, and we were all burned in Aruba... So we stuck with the lounge chairs along the jogging track on deck 13... Could still hear the pool deck music, less crowded and shaded :)

Our steward was fantastic, both rooms were kept very clean and we saw him multiple times a day either in our room or nearby in the halls, he always had a kind word and wanted to make sure we were having a good time.

Went to three tastings... Whiskey, mojitos, and margaritas. All three were lots of fun and very worth the $15 pp price. Kids virgin drinks are pricey, we only allowed our daughter one a day... But $5.31 including the service charge for a virgin piña colada is too much. I wish NCL would do something about that.

There was an outbreak of Noro on our sailing. Well, we washed our hands like crazy anyway, and did even more when we learned of the outbreak, and none of us got sick. I have to applaud the way the ship handled the situation. I actually preferred the buffet once no one was allowed to serve themselves... It moved much quicker and seemed more organized. After seeing the ship in action dealing with an outbreak, I would not worry in the future. I know you can get GI illnesses from anywhere, but the ship's crew did an amazing job containing it to just over 100 people we were told.

The ports were great and the islands were varied. Loved the amount of time we had each day in port. Had no issues getting on or off the ship. We booked our own excursions privately and did not use ship excursions.

Things I saw that made me shake my head... People putting their dirty room key between their lips to hold it so someone could spritz their hands with disinfectant. People putting 3 chairs together and laying on the middle one with their hands and feet on the ones on either side of them. People taking an extra lounger to put their stuff on next to them... Not to reserve it, just to hog it. People complaining about the repetitiveness of the buffet... Umm. Eat elsewhere then... There are many free choices.

Overall most people were friendly, the crew was top notch, customer service was spot on. We would cruise the Pearl again in a heartbeat.

Things I am glad we brought: little battery operated tea lights for the bathroom at night. Not too bright and easy to pack. Boca clips to hold the towel to the lounge chair... It was windy often... They also came in handy to clip wet things to the deck chairs to dry overnight (better than the line in the shower.). A cheap water proof watch, that we hung on the beach bag, so no one had to wear a watch or bring their phones. Vitamin waters and sodas. The water on the ship was fine, but it was nice to have some flavor without paying for the sodas. Plus we could refill our vitamin water bottles from the tap if we needed to.

I am a Disney nut... But booked our cruise with NCL because it is quite a bit cheaper than DCL... Maybe that is what you are missing... No Disney magic, but an awesome cruise on a new NCL ship for cheaper. We'll be doing the escape too in 23 months lol. I thought it was a steal because our cruise last month was 11 days... 7 is for sure cheaper than 11! :)

My daughter had such a blast the 1st night she was afraid to tell us the next morning that she didn't want to hang out with us and wanted to go back to splash academy. The only activities she skipped were the ones involving the sports court... She wasn't feeling the sports activities. But the circus skills bits and the nightly games were a must!

The Dolphins splash academy group is 10-12 year olds... And it is amazing! I recommend having them go the 1st night, that is when most friendships are made... And then each night from 7-10:30 is the cool theme game... Scavenger hunts, hunger games, divergent, survivor themed games. The kids had a blast... And my dd loved it and made some great friends from all over the world.

We gravitated toward the Pearl's deck 13 along the jogging track... Not as many people, close enough to the pool to hear the music. And can watch the ocean :)

Hi, can anyone tell me what time the evening show starts on the pearl? Thank you

7:30 and 9:30... We found 7:30 was hard to get to even tho we ate dinner at 5:30. If we went at all it was for the 9:30 show. Living Legends... Especially the girl who played Madonna was very good.

I will check it out... I got a pretty good sunburn in Aruba, bet the snow room would have felt good after that lol ;)

I totally get that. I think it was just the way it was handled; no notification of the change, no offer of a kids menu, being chased out after departure, etc... You got very clear upfront communication which I am happy about for you.

So, did you say something to guest services while you were on board? Not that they would have been able to do anything, but I would have given them the chance to make note of the change and the lack of comminication regarding it. My other thought... your kids are 8? And they big for their age? Maybe you weren't offered a kids menu because they looked over 12? My 11 year old is petite... About the size of a 9 year old. We had such amazing customer service on the Pearl, I am scratching my head why your experience on the dawn could be so different!

Just off the Pearl, and my daughter was in the 10-12 year old group. The activities are very similar ship to ship I understand... She loved splash academy, and was there most afternoons from 2-5 pm and every evening from 7-10 or 10:30 pm... Typically they do some sort of sport court activity every day, circus skills practice (Chinese yo-yos, lasso, juggling, devil sticks-I think they were called) and at the end of the cruise they put on a show on the big stage showing off their new skills. The best was every night there was a theme game/activity... Survivor, hunger games, divergent... All things this age group are really into... Plus scavenger hunts all around the ship... It was so well done, and perfectly fit the 10-12 year old crowd in my opinion. I am sure the getaway will be just as great.

Entourage, which is the teens, has planned activities too, but I understand they are a little more flexible and will vote on what they want to do. We saw entourage kids at lunch together, heading to the arcade etc... In small groups. Our sailing only had about 100 kids... So it was a great way for them all to meet each other.

On our cruise, just before the change, we ate in 5 different specialty restaurants... Each one the server specifically asked if we wanted a kids menu (the answer was no), and specifically asked how old our daughter was... And then told us we would be credited half our prepaid cost for her for dinner since she was 11. We did not have to ask for it or force the issue. Like I said before, I thought it was a great deal. To the OP, sorry the policy changed for your sailing. You probably could have made a stink while still on board since it was a surprise to you. But again, kids have the option of eating off the free kids menu which is the same in every restaraunt and IMO is pretty boring. Or they can get as big of a meal as the adults and pay the same.

Just off the Pearl a month ago... Our 11 year old was half price... But I heard it changed and kids are full price now... And it makes sense... She skipped the appetizers, but ate the main course off the regular menu and the dessert... And could have had an appetizer too but they weren't appealing to her, I felt like it was a real bargain when they would refund us back our half her prepaid dinner price. I can see if I had a 3 year old that they wouldn't eat that much... But for us it was a deal. I also wonder if you had two kids if they would allow them to split a meal and pay for just 1 like land base restaraunts would do.

I also second, why were you adding a 10% tip on top of the service charge you were already being charged?

Kierste, just wanted to comment on your question re the Mini with Large Balcony M6 which are all located on deck 8.

 

I don't know how the M6 balcony size compares to the large Balcony you currently have booked. I don't believe the website lists the actual size, but just an average and have also seen speculation that the Escape M6's will not be quite as large as the other Away ships.

 

We had an M6 on the Getaway and loved it, so we have another booked in January on Escape and hoping the balcony is as large as previous. We had two lounge chairs, 2 regular chairs and a small table. The bathroom was wonderful. We are not big pool deck fans and loved that forward deck 8 location very close to the outdoor Waterfront area where we spent lots of time, and also very convenient to all the action on 6, 7, and 8.

 

You have plenty of time to get first hand reports after the ship sails, and then change cabins if you want.

Thanks! That was the only thing we were missing on the Pearl... We had a mini suite and loved it (the tub is great for soaking snorkel gear lol)... But we would have loved having a lounger. We ended upstrairs a couple decks along the jogging track to be able to be outside yet covered... And it was still so windy... Where our lanai was wind free and would have been perfect!

Great itinerary for your first cruise! That was number 28 for us and ended up being one of our favorites.

 

You may need to squeeze something in before then! ;)

I am not sure it can get better than the Pearl... But we will give it a try... Next time is St Thomas again (awww shucks lol), Tortola and Nassau... We've been eyeing Atlantis forever... But it is too much $$$ to go there from Oregon... So we are excited to go spend a few hours in the water park and then go back to the ship. In my mind that is the perfect way to do it.

I think I need to go back to Kauai in between. I loved the variety of all the islands we saw, but it made me miss our own islands on this side of things...

The cruise was soooo very awesome. I meant to write a review. But it hasn't happened yet lol. The Pearl was amazing, and as a cruise virgin, I really had no complaints. Sure there were some things I could have got my panties in a bunch about... But in the grand scheme of things they were so small... We just enjoyed every minute. So, now, I have to wait nearly 2 years... And I am going to try the other end of the spectrum... The escape! Couldn't pass up the promo, and since it was 7 days instead of 11 the price seems like a deal lol.

I don't know the answer to that, but have enjoyed the lunch menu in the MDR. Popcorn shrimp appetizer is delicious. :D

We should have done that, we never made it to the mdr or breakfast or lunch... Dinner a couple times... And it was really good. Next time might be easier... We were trying to wrangle three adults and an 11 year old last month... Too many decisions lol.

So we missed the whole service charge shake up while we were on the Pearl last month. I prepaid for our dinners and had no issues with extra charges.

I realize things could change 10 more times between now and 2017, but I am curious how it works. We chose the udp for our promo, since I am not paying for the udp I am not seeing the service charge tacked on to the price... I assume it's included with the promo? We won't get a bill at the end of each meal showing the service charge now due on a promo will we?

Both food republic and margaritaville will be lunch options correct? We got bored of going to the buffet on the Pearl for lunch (dd wasn't keen on o'shehans menu) be nice to change it up.

We just did our 1st cruise, and loved that it was casual. I had a hard enough time walking a straight line with the swell in flat shoes... Can't imagine what heels would have been like. Put me in the--I don't iron at home, and don't want to worry about fancy clothes on vacation group!

I booked the escape yesterday for 2017... I had chosen the UBP promo, but just called and switched to the UDP instead... We just got off the Pearl... drank a max of 2 drinks per day... so just for rounding sake $40 a day for the room. On a 7 day cruise that would have cost us about $300. The dining package would have cost us $357. Not a huge savings but some... and I am partially rolling the dice... if the free booze on the Sky works out, it might roll out to all the ships by 2017, and then we will have both. *fingers crossed*