NCL Pearl Review

Back from the Pearl 11/02 sailing. It was a great cruise. Here is some info and our thoughts:

Background:

DW and I have sailed Princess (platinum members), RCL, HAL and Carnival, but this was first with NCL. Chose NCL because of price and interest in Freestyle concept.

Embarkation/Disembarkation:

Could be a bit of an anomaly because the Pearl had been in drydock and thus rooms did not need to be turned over, but embarkation could not have gone smoother. We arrived at the port around 11:30. We were on the ship before noon. No waits anywhere. As we boarded, we were met by and NCL rep who handed us champaign and escorted us to our cabin. This never happened with other lines. Our bags were in our room by the time we got back from lunch in the dining room.

Disembarkation was even better. We chose walk off program. As long as you can handle your own bags, you don't have to put them outside the cabin the night before and you get priority disembarkation. We got up the last morning, had a leisurely breakfast, returned to the room finished packing and walked right off the ship at about 8:30. Again, no lines anywhere. We were out of customs and in a cab before 8:45. This was so much better than waiting in a public area on the ship for your tag color to be called.

Cabin:

We booked a balcony guarantee, and ended up with a cabin on the 10th floor. It was no bigger or smaller than those on other ships. Closet space was sufficient. We would have liked some drawers on each side of the bed though. Flat screen tv with decent picture. Small couch and table. The bathroom was quite nice. Roomier than Princess with a very comfortable stall shower with sliding glass door. Balcony could accomodate two chairs and a small table but was not large. No way to put a lounge chair out there. Balcony was private with complete shade.

Public Areas:

We had heard that the ship was garrish. I disagree. I thought the ship was quite tastefully decorated. It was largely open and airy, though no tall atrium. Central area was two stories and held a giant screen tv that showed football games and, on our voyage, the election coverage. Though the ship was sailing full, it never felt crowded. The theater is very large and quite nice. We never had a problem getting a seat for any show. Bliss lounge was a little too dark, but the bowling lanes were fun. Open decks were fine. You can walk all the way around the ship on the promenade deck. There is a jogging/walking track on 14. The ship has a sport court, a rock climbing wall and a couple of pools. Pool area did seem heavily used, but that is not an area we tend to spend time in.

Food and Restaurants:

We read mostly bad reviews about dining. For the most part I disagree again. We ate all but one dinner in the specialty restaurants and they were almost all very good. We particularly liked La Cucina. We loved the myriad of food options and the whole freestyle dining program. We never waited for a table, even on nights we did not book ahead, or on the night in the main dining room, and never had any problem getting a table for two. No one asked us to share a table though we could have requested to if that was our preference. Overall, it had the feeling of shoreside dining. There were 2 nights were you could dress up if you wanted. Most people did not. Shorts are not allowed in any dining room at night, but can be worn in the buffet. We had most breakfasts in the buffet and they were ok. The one dinner we had in the main dining room was probably the worst of the trip. Food and service were average at best. Service in the specialty restaurants was excellent. The specialty restaurants do have a cover charge that ranges from 10 to 25 dollars per person.

Crew:

Hands down the best crew we have ever sailed with. With virtually no exceptions, the crew was very friendly and upbeat. So many crew members learned and remembered our names and went out of their way to greet us. They were truly a delight.

Cleanliness:

Coming out of drydock, the ship was in immaculate condition. However, we also noticed constant cleaning throughout the cruise. Very impressive. There were also hand cleaning stations everywhere, and each dining area had an individual stationed to spray your hands as well.

Entertainment:

Quite good. The floorshow dancers looked the part, uniformly tall, thin and leggy. The shows were fun. The jazz singer was excellent and the jugglers were a treat. We did not see the comedian's show.

Spa:

We did not book any treatments, but signed up for the themal suite. It was the nicest we have seen on any ship. We used it every day with much pleasure.

Random notes:

Based on our many cruises with Princess, we brought our own coffee, a grinder and a french press. We never used them. The coffee was excellent. There were machines that ground the beans and provided regular coffee as well as espresso.

We played bingo for the first time and we won!

Better yet, we won the free cruise raffle!

Win or not, we loved the cruise and will sail with NCL again.

If I left anything out, feel free to post a question.

Marty

thanks for the reveiw. and congrats on winning a free cruise. beginners luck huh :D. have fun on that cruise.

Excellent review, we are leaving next Sat... we can't wait!

Did you see any of the prices in the spa?

Like to get your hair dyed? On other lines it's around 80...just curious if it's the same..or more... or if they offered a deal one day?

Did they offer a 'Ladies Night' in the spa? HAL, Princess and RCCL does... so just curious...

did they ever offer like a mini-facial deal on a port day? If so do you remember the price?

I think that's it.

Thanks for the review! Sounds like you had a great time!:)

Excellent review, we are leaving next Sat... we can't wait!

 

Did you see any of the prices in the spa?

 

Like to get your hair dyed? On other lines it's around 80...just curious if it's the same..or more... or if they offered a deal one day?

 

Did they offer a 'Ladies Night' in the spa? HAL, Princess and RCCL does... so just curious...

 

did they ever offer like a mini-facial deal on a port day? If so do you remember the price?

 

I think that's it.

I do remember a few weeks ago they offered "spa packages" for a fairly good price. You know the kind where you get to choose like two of three options for one low price. Ie. a facial, a massage and a manicure, etc.

Yeah, I usually go for one of those... last cruise I did 'Ladies Night' it was fun. Hydrapool for about 30 to 40 min, mini-facial, neck and shoulder massagae and ankle massagae... and a glass of champange... I was nice and relaxed by the end...

Great review thanks for sharing:)

Congrats on the free cruise win! Did you say excellent coffee? I have not had a good cup on NCL! Guess I to have to go on the Pearl next :)

Is the coffee and espresso on NCL free? Carnival and RC always charged extra for espresso based drinks. Thanks! Glad to hear you had a good time! We're taking our first NCL cruise next month.

Is the coffee and espresso on NCL free? Carnival and RC always charged extra for espresso based drinks. Thanks! Glad to hear you had a good time! We're taking our first NCL cruise next month.

There is a cappuccino machine in the garden Cafe and it is incredible!

Hi, OrchidKing. Really informative review..... thank you. I'm going on the Pearl in January, only my second cruise with NCL, and you reassured me about my choice and answered many questions.

Would you please explain what the thermal suite is and what is the charge? Is it a daily commitment or for the entire cruise?

Many thanks,

Peggy

Thanks OrchidKing! We'll be on the Pearl in January also, and everything I read just make me look forward to it more and more!! Now if only I could win one of those cruise draws - that would be the perfect birthday present!

Hi, OrchidKing. Really informative review..... thank you. I'm going on the Pearl in January, only my second cruise with NCL, and you reassured me about my choice and answered many questions.

 

Would you please explain what the thermal suite is and what is the charge? Is it a daily commitment or for the entire cruise?

 

Many thanks,

Peggy

Thanks OrchidKing! We'll be on the Pearl in January also, and everything I read just make me look forward to it more and more!! Now if only I could win one of those cruise draws - that would be the perfect birthday present!

You all are going to LOVE the Pearl.. She is such a beautiful ship. And very well laid out, I think. There are a few things I would change as far as the layout, but overall she is a great ship.

As far as the coffee onboard, except for the coffee maker in the room I honestly never had a bad cup. Now I am not very picky with coffee, really, but it was usually good every where I had it. That included the main dining room, the buffet (and believe it or not I never tried the cappuccino machine in the buffet but have heard great things about it), the casino bar and the coffee bar in the main atrium. Good stuff..

One tip I have for those of you who are like me and must be nothing more than cheap christmas trash.. lol.. if you like powdered creamer rather than liquid, bring your own. I found none onboard the ship. I say cheap christmas trash because that is how people look at me when I tell them I like the powdered stuff over milk, cream or liquid creamer, etc. I like it because it doesn't cool down the coffee like the liquid stuff does.. 8-)

I was on the same cruise and would agree with everything Marty said ... by the way I saw you win the cruise! ;).. wishing it were me ! the only change I would make for my next cruise on the Pearl - I would skip Mambos.. no big complaint - just not worth an upcharge as far as I am concerned .. I would choose Indigo in a heart beat - good food , great service..I used the spa too and it was wonderful!we had a minisuite- excellentwe also bought the Romance package - worth it!- and got a specialty restaurant dinner @La Bistro for no charge, bottle of wine( that followed me to Indigo the following night and then back to my room as neither hubby or I are big drinkers , bottle of champagne , etc... I thought it was well worth the cost

ask away if i can help with anything:)

Thanks so much for the review, makes me even more excited about my Jan cruise on the Pearl.

I have to agree about the coffee on the Jewel though it was good, im not an espresso\latte person just the plain stuff for me. Oh yea with milk and not that powdered stuff, lol sorry Terry.

Congrats on the free cruise!!!

gnurse and Marty,

Going on Pearl in December. Could you expand on your experiences in specialty restaurants? Did you do Cagney's, Le Bistro or Asian?

Thanks.

I could not recommend the Pearl more, I've only gotten to be on her once, but she is far and away my favorite NCL ship.

Is the coffee and espresso on NCL free? Carnival and RC always charged extra for espresso based drinks. Thanks! Glad to hear you had a good time! We're taking our first NCL cruise next month.

There is indeed a great espresso and cappuccino machine in the aft most portion of the garden cafe. I used it every day to make cafe americanos and my dw loved making lattes. The ship has a coffee bar, but we never saw the need to pay for coffee we could make for free.

gnurse and Marty,

Going on Pearl in December. Could you expand on your experiences in specialty restaurants? Did you do Cagney's, Le Bistro or Asian?

Thanks.

We went to Tepanyaki, Mambos (2 times), La Cucina (2 times) and the Asian restaurant. La Cucina was the best experience. The soup, anti pasto cart, ceasar salad and pasta were all excellent and the atmosphere and service were first rate. Mambos was a little disappointing the first time but really quite good the second. I would avoid the specialty Il Popo. The fajitas were excellent. Tepanyaki was great fun. I thought my steak was excellent but my wife was not quite as wild about the seafood. The Asian restaurant was not the best. The appetizers were tasty, but the orange beef was just not very good. In each case the service was all we could have hoped for. I did not feel bad about the service charges, but that is a matter of individual opinion. I love the idea of dining in a different restaurant each night.

Hi, OrchidKing. Really informative review..... thank you. I'm going on the Pearl in January, only my second cruise with NCL, and you reassured me about my choice and answered many questions.

 

Would you please explain what the thermal suite is and what is the charge? Is it a daily commitment or for the entire cruise?

 

Many thanks,

Peggy

The thermal suite is part of the spa. It includes a large therapy pool with jets that work different parts of your body. Wow it felt great. There are heated benches for relaxation and a standard jacuzzi. This is the coed section. Then there are separate men's and lady's sections with steam room, sauna, plunge pool, small jacuzzi tubs, lockers and showers. The thermal suite is all the way forward and has large floor to ceiling windows overlooking the bow and comfy lounges to kick back in. The cost is $75 per person for the week for use of all the amenities. Only 60 memberships are sold for the week so it is never too crowded. We used it every day and it was a highlight. We also found it to be a great spot to relax and watch the sunset.

Princess ships have similar rooms but I have not found them to be as nice as this one.

Lettuce cups in Lotus Garden!mmmmmm!~:cool:

Chinese chicken salad!!!! Beautiful presentation and tasty!

We went to Tepanyaki, Mambos (2 times), La Cucina (2 times) and the Asian restaurant. La Cucina was the best experience. The soup, anti pasto cart, ceasar salad and pasta were all excellent and the atmosphere and service were first rate. Mambos was a little disappointing the first time but really quite good the second. I would avoid the specialty Il Popo. The fajitas were excellent. Tepanyaki was great fun. I thought my steak was excellent but my wife was not quite as wild about the seafood. The Asian restaurant was not the best. The appetizers were tasty, but the orange beef was just not very good. In each case the service was all we could have hoped for. I did not feel bad about the service charges, but that is a matter of individual opinion. I love the idea of dining in a different restaurant each night.

Hey...

is there squid on the anti-pasto cart? I ordered anti-pasto one cruise and quid came on it... kinda grossed me out...wasn't expecting it.

Also, is there some good choices? Besides ceasar salad for diabetics..my mom can't eat pasta, and she doesn't like seafood...so wondering if she can eat in La Cucina w/ out too many problems.

Hey,

might seem a silly question, and this is no big deal, but on HAL in the cabins, there was DVD players attached to the tvs... does NCL have them too? We are in a mini-suite if that makes a difference...

The thermal suite is part of the spa. It includes a large therapy pool with jets that work different parts of your body. Wow it felt great. There are heated benches for relaxation and a standard jacuzzi. This is the coed section. Then there are separate men's and lady's sections with steam room, sauna, plunge pool, small jacuzzi tubs, lockers and showers. The thermal suite is all the way forward and has large floor to ceiling windows overlooking the bow and comfy lounges to kick back in. The cost is $75 per person for the week for use of all the amenities. Only 60 memberships are sold for the week so it is never too crowded. We used it every day and it was a highlight. We also found it to be a great spot to relax and watch the sunset.

Princess ships have similar rooms but I have not found them to be as nice as this one.

What is a plunge pool?

Bill