Two-bed, two-bath family suite Cabin 11530 on Pearl, more details & perks

Just returned from a fabulous two-week cruise through the Panama Canal. This was our first time in a real suite, and I thought I'd write about some perks or details that I wondered about but didn't find when I searched the boards before we left. Traveling this time were me, my husband, and my brother, who really appreciated having his own bedroom and bathroom while sharing the rest of the suite benefits. We're all retired.

Some benefits that weren't totally expected:

Lighted magnifying makeup mirror in the master bathroom as well as vanity and stool.

Fresh flowers on the coffee table, until they died about a week in.

Free DVD movies from a list of maybe 100, some pretty new releases.

Free room service--no $7.95 charge for suites.

Individual temperature controls for the three areas: Living area, master suite, and second suite.

Three flat-screen TV's, for each bedroom and the living area.

We had a doorbell!! Took us a while to figure out how the butler and steward were doing that!

The balcony had two chairs and a lounge, all with nice cushions and pillows, plus a little table. Our mini-suite neighbors were jealous of the lounge and the cushions!

Other notes:

The drawers in the master suite were not as wide but might have been as deep as in the mini suites. The closet is easier to access than in the mini suites, and there were lots of other shelves, drawers and cabinets to store things.

The shower is fantastic with six extra nozzles, but it was surprisingly narrow.

The closet in the second bedroom is shallow but has two short forward-facing rods for shirts and three large drawers plus some shelves.

Second bathroom shower is not as narrow as master.

Our steward left my brother's bed made up during the day (he likes to nap), and he left the upper bunk down (over the foot end of the bed) so he could toss all his stuff up there. It worked well, but I'm guessing it would be kind of crowded with more than one person in that room.

One note SPECIFIC to Cabin 11530 on the Pearl: There was a lot of scraping above us on a handful of mornings, around 6 or 7 a.m. Sounded like deck chairs being dragged around. We never said anything about it; it wasn't every day.

We got a letter from NCL asking for pillow and coffee choices ahead of time; the coffee and tea were done, but the pillows weren't (as I'd read might happen). No problem; our steward brought my memory foam pillow as soon as I mentioned it.

Before we went, I didn't think we needed a butler, but we enjoyed Richard! We only used room service twice, but he brought the afternoon snacks, kept the coffee maker cleaned and stocked, took the dishes away, and brought the movies (which we never did watch, it turns out). And it was just nice to see him around all the time!

You also can't underestimate the value of priority embarkation and debarkation, especially at the ports. Overall, we were truly spoiled!

Hope this helps someone. I generally get on Cruise Critic right before a cruise to do my research and then don't pay much attention afterward, but if you have questions, I'll try to respond!

Thanks so much for the information. We are sailing in an SC suite on the Gem in February. Good to know about the 2nd bedroom. If our son can't come, I was thinking about inviting my sister to stay in the 2nd bedroom.

on the Pearl there is no Haven, correct? i know on the breakaway a suite like that is haven and very expensive!

No, there was still a Haven or Garden Villa category on the Pearl; we were just below that. No private courtyard or anything. Yes, it was still expensive, but truly a good experience. Still, not that much higher than doing a mini-suite and an inside cabin, and the goodies were worth it. One thing I forgot to note--the reserved seating at the theater did NOT apply to us, although the concierge offered it to us one night when it wasn't full.

Janice

We are leaving on the 26th of next month on the Pearl. Can you tell me who the current concierge is?

We had Yahira Suazo, and the other lady's name was something like Gisella. They worked together, and I think they were the only ones, but this was all new to us.

it sounds lovely!:)

I have a question about embarking at ports. I know we will get priority disembarking but is there also a separate line (kind of like a fast pass line) for getting back on the ship at each port. Or do we just line up with everyone else?

We are on the pearl in a 2 BR Suite (not In the Haven) for thanksgiving in a few weeks.

Thanks!

You'll just line up with everyone else to get back on. In our experience, the lines were never very long coming back since folks filter in and out all day.

You'll just line up with everyone else to get back on. In our experience, the lines were never very long coming back since folks filter in and out all day.

That’s what I thought. Thanks so much!

Jewel class - Pearl,Gem, Jade pretty much the same.

We have done this suite and the haven suite. Same EXACT room, but without the haven lounge and small pool area. No food/drinks there but you get to eat in Moderno/Cagneys for lunch breakfast in either suite.

2nd bedroom is great.

Suite with three ROOMS is way better than Owners Suite.

Love it.

Jewel class - Pearl,Gem, Jade pretty much the same.

 

We have done this suite and the haven suite. Same EXACT room, but without the haven lounge and small pool area. No food/drinks there but you get to eat in Moderno/Cagneys for lunch breakfast in either suite.

 

2nd bedroom is great.

 

Suite with three ROOMS is way better than Owners Suite.

 

Love it.

That's interesting.

We are hoping to enjoy an Owner's Suite, because we *really* enjoy a forward view. And on the Jewel Class, there are the two balconies, so if there is too much wind, there's still a side balcony.

For only 2 people, it seems the OS would have plenty of space, with the extra half bath (not a full, but "close enough for gov't work" (or something like that ;) ), plus the separate LR and DR area (on Deck 10).

I guess we'll find out!

On the first time in a 2BR, DH had to make a business call before sailaway, and he didn't realize what the suite would really be like. He got a kick out of telling his associate that he was "calling from his office on the ship" :D

But we didn't really use it much, except for the extra bathroom, and mostly just as a half bath, given the wonderful shower and that huge tub with big picture window in the main bath. Now THAT was nice!

GC

That's interesting.

 

We are hoping to enjoy an Owner's Suite, because we *really* enjoy a forward view. And on the Jewel Class, there are the two balconies, so if there is too much wind, there's still a side balcony.

 

For only 2 people, it seems the OS would have plenty of space, with the extra half bath (not a full, but "close enough for gov't work" (or something like that ;) ), plus the separate LR and DR area (on Deck 10).

 

I guess we'll find out!...

The extra balcony is nice in the OS. We are older and often have different sleep patterns. Being able to go out to the Living Room and close the bedroom door while the other sleeps is a big plus for us. The OS has lots of room, but it is really just a big room. I know some prefer that, and that is great.

On one trip, I was waking up at 4 in the morning often. I actually went into the 2nd BR to lay down and watch TV.

Thanks so much! We'll be in this same room in March. I was wondering if there would be any noise from the pool deck above. Oh well. Interesting on the movies - I had heard that they pulled all the dvd players out and had went to an "online" movie methodology - I guess this was incorrect for the pearl?

Yes, I think I included in my review that there was quite a bit of noise from above on a few mornings, but not all. Probably dragging the chairs around on the pool deck. Definitely still had the DVD players, although we never did use them.

Janice