Pearl Trip Report 11/28 - 12/05

[philatiger]

philatiger, your review is outstanding! Thank you!

 

We were in 10504 two years ago and will be in 10004 in April. We also were upsold, and it was a pleasant shock walking into the cabin and seeing everything that is there.

 

BTW, what is FOD?

 

Wow...owner's suite again. Have great cruise. The view of the canal from your balconies will be really good.

[hovank]

Where is Cagney's (breakfast)? is it for suite guests only?

Am contemplating Jewel or Pearl...which would you recommend, we've never sailed NCL, always RCCL, and would be going with a least expensive room.

Thank you

[scchasgal]

Where is Cagney's (breakfast)? is it for suite guests only?

Am contemplating Jewel or Pearl...which would you recommend, we've never sailed NCL, always RCCL, and would be going with a least expensive room.

Thank you

Cagney's breakfast and lunch is for suite (not mini suite) guests only. I am heading on the Pearl and have not been on the Jewel they are sister ships with some small variations. I would choose the itinerary that you would like to do.

[philatiger]

Wednesday 02-Dec-2009

 

We got up early, had breakfast at Cagney’s and then headed off the ship. Thought we would try to get to the baths ourselves on the ferry but we heard again that the baths were closed. Not sure if anyone was successful in actually getting to swim or snorkel.

 

We went for a walk, really nothing to see and not much to do in town. We decided to hop on a taxi for a tour of the island. The driver said it was $15.00 each and it was a 2 hour tour (that sounds like Gillgan’s Island) and yes the weather did start to get rough later on. There were 10 of us on an open air bus and we headed out around 9:15. We got to see a quite a bit of the island. If I remember correctly it is 28 square miles. One of the stops was a little rest area where we could get something to drink, they were Christians and playing gospel music. We were almost 2 hours into the tour when we stopped at the Bomba shack. It was a very interesting bar, looked like a strong wind would just knock it over. Sign out front “Girls get naked, get a free t-shirt”. There were women’s panties tacked all over the bar. Funny, the first stop they were playing gospel music and the next stop was a big party bar. I guess it was meant to be an inclusive tour. As we were getting off the bus (11:00AM) at Bomba the driver said we would be leaving in an hour or so. I am not one to hold my tongue and I asked what time would be back to the ship. He gave the wrong answer: 2:00. A 2 hour tour was turning into a 5 hour tour of him trying to get us to spend money at his friend’s places. I signed on for a 2 hour trip and wanted to be back on the ship by 12 for lunch and to relax by the pool. So we had a mutiny, stayed for a half hour and then headed back to the ship. I was hoping I didn’t ruin anyone else’s tour but the general consensus was that everyone wanted to head back to the ship too. We were back around 12:15.

 

Lesson learned and a tip for future travelers in Tortola: Don’t ask how long, ask when you will be back on the ship. And speak up if they try to pull anything.

 

Once back on the ship we had lunch at Cagney’s and then I went off to relax and get some sun. Mark took a nap on the lounger and headed to the casino after his rest.

 

For those who may be wondering, they did offer the laundry special: $24.95 for one full bag.

 

We decided to try Indigo for dinner again, Karan had made us a reservation for 7:30. In hind sight, bad decision. We were promptly seated, handed our menus and sat there for more than 10 minutes before anyone came to our table. Bread, no butter, no water in the glasses, no drink order, not a great start to dinner. Server finally showed up and took our order. Food delivery was very slow again. It wasn’t just our table, everyone who had our server were experiencing the same problems. You could see the looks on everyone’s faces. The female server in the next section was on top of everything. As passengers were seated they were given bread, butter and their water glasses were filled instantly. While we were eating dessert we spoke to the server about what was going on. He told us he had a new assistant server who was just not working out well. She apparently worked for another server earlier in the week who made her cry, so she was assigned to him for training. It ended up that our server had to do everything and his assistant was nowhere to be found. The positive of the evening was that our food was very good.

 

I am wondering whether all the attention we get in the specialty restaurants is impacting our expectations for the main dining rooms. The service in both specialty restaurants was very good and Indigo was really bad. I know the kitchens back up sometimes and I can handle that, but the basics are what were lacking. I did mention to the Hotel director some of our concerns.

 

Tonight’s show was Sharkbait, a DO NOT MISS show in my opinion. Very funny and talented men. The audience participation part was hysterical. After the show we headed up to the White Hot Dance Party in Spinnaker. I guess I am getting old, but it just didn’t do anything for me. I have never been one to go crazy on the dance floor so this was not for me. Everyone on the dance floor was having a good time though.

 

Off to bed and a Sea day tomorrow.

[Snowkhat]

Chuck---awesome review, very detailed and helpful.

Btw--the ice cream balls are called Mochi..I love them and am definitely eating them in a week. :D

[philatiger]

Chuck---awesome review, very detailed and helpful.

Btw--the ice cream balls are called Mochi..I love them and am definitely eating them in a week. :D

 

Thanks for the name of the ice cream balls. Have a great cruise. I wish I was back on the Pearl.

[philatiger]

Thursday, 03-Dec-2009

 

Being a sea day, we slept in and had a late breakfast at Cagney’s. While we were eating Karan stopped by to see how things were going. We took this opportunity to express our dissatisfaction with the service in the Indigo restaurant. We were scheduled to eat at Summer Palace tonight. He said he would arrange for us to be seated in Furtoso Gionsalves (Sr Head Waiter) section who would definitely take care of us. We agreed to the change back to Indigo for the 3rd time.

 

I was scheduled for a spa treatment at 10:30 so I headed down to the Spa. They offered a special on Swedish and facial for Thursday. I thought I had kept a copy of the spa prices but I cannot seem to find it.

 

Met Mark at Cagney’s for lunch. Again the food and service was excellent. After lunch headed out to get some fun and read my book. Mark’s was scheduled for 2:15 for his massage.

 

Today was very uneventful, just relaxing and enjoying the sun, sights, and sea breeze.

 

Dinner reservation was for 7:30. Tonight was lobster night. We were promptly seated and I have to say the service was impeccable. From start to finish we had no complaints. But after dinner I reflected on the events of this past week regarding service. It should not require a complaint to get basic service. I don’t need or want anyone fawning all over me, but I do expect the basics which we did not receive without complaining. We were fortunate to have a concierge who handled this for us. What recourse do passengers have if they do not have a concierge other than to complain to guest services? But I guarantee guest services got an ear full this week since I overheard many complaints from people walking the hallways and on the elevators. None of these issues ruined our vacation, but definitely an area that NCL needs to look at improving.

 

After dinner we headed up to the chocolate buffet. We were fortunate to get in early to take a few pictures and get a few samples before the onslaught started. They did a nice job with the display, although there was nothing I would say was spectacular in taste. I thought the chocolate sushi was interesting.

 

After the buffet we headed up to Spinnaker for the Liar’s Club. Very funny show, Sharkbait hit it out of the park with his impersonation of the captain. I hope all the officers they made fun of have a good sense of humor….<G>.

 

Next on the entertainment list was the Quest Game Show. Another really funny show but in my opinion would have been better without so many teams. I think there were over 50. It got pretty crazy with everyone dashing up to be counted. Definitely an adult show and not for the prudish.

 

If you really want to be part of the quest with any hope of winning I would recommend skipping the chocolate buffet to get good seats for the Liar’s club and not move. The winning team was in the very front row of seats. If anyone wants to know what the quests were I would be happy to share what I can remember to help give you an edge.

 

Off to bed. Tomorrow GSC.

[philatiger]

Friday, 04-Dec-2009

 

We woke up to another beautiful morning and we had made it to GSC. Breakfast at Cagney’s and then waited in the lounge for our priority debarkation. It was really nice to be on the first tender. When we got to shore we had choice of seating. We turned right when we got off and grabbed a bunch of loungers right next to the water. This was a great location, right near the music, food, rest rooms, bar, and shopping. This area never got crowded. We watched other tenders come n and everyone went to the left and there were still plenty of spaces in our area of the beach. If you don’t have kids I would recommend this spot, it’s away from all the action.

 

We went snorkeling and saw plenty of fish, not much coral. As I was headed back to the beach I noticed a big fish directly below me, as it turned I saw teeth….it was what I am pretty sure was barracuda…took a quick pic of the teeth and high tailed it out of there.

 

We headed up to the buffet, which in my opinion was pretty bad. I ate half a piece of chicken and a bite of my pizza. After this headed up to the shops to get a Christmas ornament ( we get one everywhere we go). It’s a great way to remember our vacations each year as we decorate the tree. Mark headed to play volleyball and I decided to head back to the ship, grab something edible to eat and relax by the pool while it was quiet.

 

Dinner tonight was in the Summer Palace. I really liked the décor of this restaurant. Kinda reminded me of what the dining rooms looked like in the olden days. Had dinner with Bev and Alan and had a nice table all the way in the back by the windows. Service was good as was the food. Big difference from our experience in Indigo. We decided to skip dessert and head to the variety show: tonight it was first half Sam Fedele (the comedian) and Sharkbait closed the show. Again, another great performance.

 

We completely forgot about the Second City Scriptless show and went to the casino. Casino worked out better though since we walked away winners. Headed back to the cabin and stated packing, we were not ready to leave this cabin.

 

Tomorrow, sadly we leave the Pearl

 

Saturday, 05-Dec-2009

 

We woke up early and enjoyed the cabin for the last time. Headed to Cagney’s at 8:00 for breakfast. We decided to stay on the ship for as long as possible since our flight wasn’t until 1:55. We met at 10:00 in Bliss and Karan walked us off the ship. Debarkation was a breeze, we grabbed our luggage, went through customs and were off the ship in about 20 minutes. We shared a cab with Bev and Alan since we were on the same airline with similar departure times. Check in was somewhat painless. Next time we are going to check out the line for checking luggage if you do self check in. The line was long and took forever with everyone having to pay for checked luggage. Next time if the lines are long we will just get in the regular line which was moving pretty well.

 

While we were sitting at the gate we struck up a conversation with a couple who were on the ship with us. For those who watch the Food Network you will know who this is; the couple was the parents of Dave Lieberman who hosted Good Deal. We talked food for a while and after more conversation it turned out they knew many of Mark’s previous clients ( Mark is a wedding consultant), small world.

 

Flight went well and we were back in Philly at 4:30. It was cold and snow was on the way; A quick reminder that our wonderful vacation had come to an end

[philatiger]

Chilled Fruit Soups, there were more that I did not try.

Saturday: Peach

Sunday: Pineapple

Monday: Blueberry

Tuesday: Melon

Wednesday: Avocado Cucumber and Rhubarb Strawberry

Thursday: Watercress

Friday: Black Cherry

[cruiseat50]

Friday, 04-Dec-2009

 

We woke up to another beautiful morning and we had made it to GSC. Breakfast at Cagney’s and then waited in the lounge for our priority debarkation. It was really nice to be on the first tender. When we got to shore we had choice of seating. We turned right when we got off and grabbed a bunch of loungers right next to the water. This was a great location, right near the music, food, rest rooms, bar, and shopping. This area never got crowded. We watched other tenders come n and everyone went to the left and there were still plenty of spaces in our area of the beach. If you don’t have kids I would recommend this spot, it’s away from all the action.

 

We went snorkeling and saw plenty of fish, not much coral. As I was headed back to the beach I noticed a big fish directly below me, as it turned I saw teeth….it was what I am pretty sure was barracuda…took a quick pic of the teeth and high tailed it out of there. :eek: OMG! I wouldn't like to see big teeth while I'm in there and certainly wouldn't be taking pics of them! lol

 

We headed up to the buffet, which in my opinion was pretty bad. I ate half a piece of chicken and a bite of my pizza. I wasn't impressed at all with the buffet although I did try but just couldn't eat anything but the fruit and they had some sort of cake (but can't remember if it was carrot or banana)[/quote]

 

We had heard that it's best to go to the right and we found a couple of loungers (we were also on the 1st tender). When the band started playing and we decided that it would be way too loud for us. We headed over to the other side but by then we couldn't find a spot until close to the rocks at the far end. This was okay but it sure was a long walk to the bathrooms especially after a drink or two.:p On our return trip in Jan we are going to have to get something closer as mom will not be able to walk that far in the sand. As I remember it (maybe correct, maybe not) if we go to the right the sand is hard packed which would be easier for her to walk on. Could we drag some of the loungers a little farther away from the band? I realize they have to have it loud enough so that the people at the other end can hear but it seemed a bit overboard to me.:rolleyes:

[nancyox]

philatiger: thanks for a great review...we are also from the philly burbs and sailing on the pearl at the end of january. one question, and forgive me if this was already covered...did u get an upsell to the owner's suite, or did u originally book it? we are reserved in an AF mini suite; 3 adults (husband, adult daughter and myself)...it would be great to get a good deal on an upgrade (just like everyone else wishes)!!

 

thanks, and happy holidays!!

 

nancy

[philatiger]

philatiger: thanks for a great review...we are also from the philly burbs and sailing on the pearl at the end of january. one question, and forgive me if this was already covered...did u get an upsell to the owner's suite, or did u originally book it? we are reserved in an AF mini suite; 3 adults (husband, adult daughter and myself)...it would be great to get a good deal on an upgrade (just like everyone else wishes)!!

 

thanks, and happy holidays!!

 

nancy

 

Hi Nancy,

 

We were originally booked in an AE and got the call on Tuesday the week we were leaving. It was a nice surprise. Enjoy your trip on the Pearl. We sure did.

[philatiger]

 

The Barricuda (I think), it was a good 3-4 foot long.

[philatiger]

Some pics from embarkation day:

[philatiger]

Cayo Levantado, Pearl from the beach and me.....

[RalphWiggum]

Yikes, that's one scary-looking fish.

 

I enjoyed reading your trip report. Thanks.

[Dr. Jack Daniels]

Thanks again for the great review.

 

I was wondering if any of the bars had a live band at night that played rock and roll. Not heavy metal but a good mix of 70s and 80s music (Motown, Eagles, Bob Seger, etc...). Did they play in the same bar every night?

 

Thanks!

[philatiger]

Thanks again for the great review.

 

I was wondering if any of the bars had a live band at night that played rock and roll. Not heavy metal but a good mix of 70s and 80s music (Motown, Eagles, Bob Seger, etc...). Did they play in the same bar every night?

 

Thanks!

 

I could not remember but I checked through my daily's. A group called the Gills played in the Bliss lounge but we didn't see them. The daily called them the hottest rock band on the high seas...<G>. They played Sunday, Monday and Wednesday nights in Bliss and Thursday night at poolside.

[nancyox]

philatiger: if you don't mind my asking...what kind of a deal did u get on ur upgrade?

 

nancy

[nikita]

Philatiger - just wanted to say thank you so much for your wonderful review!! I was wondering how many dress up or not nights there were. Some people say 2 some say 1. I like to dress up but don't want to over pack if there is just one. We leave on Christmas day to travel to Florida for our Dec. 26th cruise and we are also from Philly area and are really looking forward to escaping the cold weather for a while. Thank you again for taking the time to write such an informative review!

[philatiger]

Philatiger - just wanted to say thank you so much for your wonderful review!! I was wondering how many dress up or not nights there were. Some people say 2 some say 1. I like to dress up but don't want to over pack if there is just one. We leave on Christmas day to travel to Florida for our Dec. 26th cruise and we are also from Philly area and are really looking forward to escaping the cold weather for a while. Thank you again for taking the time to write such an informative review!

 

Hi...

 

Sunday night was the only listed dress up or not night. I only saw one couple in formal and that was in Le Bistro. Most everyone else were dressed business casual in the dining rooms and specialty restaurants. I was very comfortable and did not feel under dressed in dress shirt and slacks. Did not remember seeing any women in formal, many wore dresses or a nice blouse and pants in the main and specialty rest.

 

Indigo was very casual for dinner every night, I actually wore dress shorts one night. Summer Palace does not allow shorts.

Christmas might be a different story though since a lot of people like to get dressed for the holidays. I would post a new thread and get some opinions on holiday attire.

Have a great cruise and a great holiday.

[Planer's Edge]

Indigo was very casual for dinner every night, I actually wore dress shorts one night. Summer Palace does not allow shorts.

 

What exactly are you calling dress shorts?

 

I thought shorts were not allowed in any dining room after 5pm?

 

PE

[philatiger]

What exactly are you calling dress shorts?

 

I thought shorts were not allowed in any dining room after 5pm?

 

PE

 

I wore cargo type shorts without all the pockets and a nice button down shirt one night. They were permitting shorts in Indigo all week from what I was told. This was Indigo only. They were enforcing dress code at Summer Palace.

 

I even checked before we went in to eat to make sure. I prefer to follow rules and not break them. To be honest, I actually looked better than quite a few men who were "dressed".

[realcindylouwho]

Chuck: Yes, you found us! We received your card today and will send one back to you.

Planner's Edge: The last night of our cruise, we were unexpectedly asked to join another couple at their table in Indigo. We were on our way to the buffet when the question arose. I had on madris plaid walking shorts and a nice sleeveless blouse. I was concerned that I would not be allowed in Indigo with shorts on, but I was ushered right in. (Thank goodness they didn't make me take off my shorts!!!:eek: That would have been a sight!)