Pearl 3/6-13 review intro

[Darthdaddy]

Hi,

Just got back from a week on the Pearl. I will attempt to break things down, but, frankly, I'm too tired to try to do it all in one big bite. Accordingly, this will be Part 1 (no idea how many parts this will take---try to hang in with me).

 

First, here are the general parameters of this "review." I'm just a basic middle aged guy, who travelled with his wife and 3 college-aged young adults. The comments and observations in this review are MY comments and observations. I readily acknowledge that other folks will have differing opinions. I can only give you my POV. I leave it to you to figure out how relevant it is to you.

 

I fully expect there will be things that please and things that upset both the "bashers" and the "cheerleaders." Which camp best describes me? I'll leave that to each of you to decide.

 

Thanks for your patience.

[lbjohnston]

Welcome back to reality. Looking forward to your review segments.

[DMH15]

DarthDaddy-

 

I always enjoy reading reviews that have highs and lows. That's how we all learn things and help each other. The only kind of review I hate is one that is 100% negative. Like someone who spends a week on a cruise ship with 12 restaurants and every single thing is inedible. I have loved all of my cruises but I have admit I have had a few bad experiences, but hopefully your bumps were not too big either.

[raytownlady]

Anxiously waiting on your review; tell it like you saw it everyone is entitled to their POV.

[debshomespun]

Waiting for all the info you have to give us . . . . Can you tell me if they have the spinach/artichoke dip in the Blue Lagoon on the Pearl? It was my favorite dish while on the Dawn last Nov.! Thanks!

[Sports Dr]

yep

[NicksPhilly]

Hilary & I had a wonderful time on the pearl.

In your review don't forget about THONG GUY,lol.:D

If you were on this cruise, you will know WHO I'm talking about.

 

If possible Mike,could you post a link to Terry's tour of El Limon.

We had a blast,More positives,a few negatives,but that's why this is cc.

We are looking forward to our next cruise in October, Nick & Hilary

[Wetmib]

Nope - can't forget Thong Man nor the jewelry ladies - talk about two extremes -

 

I'll be interested to read others reviews.

[Darthdaddy]

Nick,

I'll let you take a "crack" (pardon the pun) at describing Thong Man!

 

Contact info for Terry's tours on Samana region is:

 

toursamanawithterry@hotmail.com

 

He's good about getting back to folks, but it may take a day or so.

 

Next time we'll have to tackle the rock climbing wall...how 'bout it!

Mike

[zqvol]

Nick,

I'll let you take a "crack" (pardon the pun) at describing Thong Man!

 

Contact info for Terry's tours on Samana region is:

 

toursamanawithterry@hotmail.com

 

He's good about getting back to folks, but it may take a day or so.

 

Next time we'll have to tackle the rock climbing wall...how 'bout it!

Mike

 

I'm not sure who was scarier, the thong men (there were at least two) or the jewelery ladies there were over 500. I bet NCL lost their socks last week on Pearl because the jewelery ladies did not buy alcohol per company policy. (I'm sure some cheated, but sales could not have been what NCL expected.)

[Darthdaddy]

Wow, if those jewlery ladies had that much fun w/o any alcohol, I can barely imagine what it would have been like if they had been drinking. They were a fun bunch.

[Sports Dr]

How on earth did the thong quiff not get punched out by someone? He was around little

kids, showing his hormone enhanced breasts to everyone in the hot tub. Also, has there

ever been a more energetic, efficient cruise director than Julie?. Very professional, and yet

participated with the crowds and activities. And she could be a laughable brat (I mean that in a nice way) while maintaining a great demeanor.

[Darthdaddy]

Very much agree that Julie was an excelent CD. The whole staff was quite good. Lots of participation and enthusiasm. From early AM to late PM they kept things going.

[Wetmib]

I offer you this

[noreddye]

I offer you this

 

OMG!!! My eyes, my eyes...YUCK! :eek:

[KweezyCruiser]

Thanks for the offer. Can you take it back? Please.;)

[Wetmib]

And that is only the back - and, it doesn't even begin to tell the story of it's actions - creepy

 

No I won't take it back - I'm a good share - er:D

[NicksPhilly]

Well????

What can you say??

The comedian said it best, "I have sailed with NCL for 22 years,Been to 36 countries and THIS cruise had a THONG Guy",lol.

I told him(Jerry),That NCL is a family cruise line,and if he was in Deerfield Beach,Fl,No one would really care.

But Jerry said "I don't care".:eek:

Not the sharpest tool in the shed.:p

And who could forget the Premier Jewelry ladies,Some of the NICEST people I have met on our 3 cruises.

Nicky & Hilary

[janvino]

So where is the money shot, so to speak???????????? How bad was the frontal view??;)

[NicksPhilly]

Nick,

I'll let you take a "crack" (pardon the pun) at describing Thong Man!

 

Contact info for Terry's tours on Samana region is:

 

toursamanawithterry@hotmail.com

 

He's good about getting back to folks, but it may take a day or so.

 

Next time we'll have to tackle the rock climbing wall...how 'bout it!

Mike

 

I'm in Maybe?lol.Your wife and daughter made it look easy.

Thanks for the link,I will post it on our Rc for the Dawn,10-22-10

Nick & Hilary

[Darthdaddy]

Nick,

My wife & daughter haven't stopped rubbing it in about how they rang the bell on the rock climbing wall. Kris keeps saying that, if she had "found the wall" earlier in the cruise, she would have conquered the medium difficulty climb, too...she's probably right. Cammy was thrilled to have bragging rights over her big brother.

Maybe you and I can get private lessons from Jim. He scaled that wall with ease!

Mike

[atlasali]

Okay Darthdaddy, while patiently waiting for your review; we have been subjected to humorous descriptions of and to actual views of Thong Guy - PLEASE no full frontal views! Now, we understand why there is a safe place for children on ships. :eek:

 

Any of you fellow passengers - What were the prices for Speciality restaurants? Was there a coupon for buy-1 get-1 free at Cagneys on the night you sailed? What was the rate for the Thermal Spa suite week?

 

Any tips? any recommendations? We return to the Pearl April 24th to reposition to Vancouver. But it has been a while since we were last on the Pearl.

 

Thanks for your help and we are patiently waiting....

[Darthdaddy]

I tried to post 2 more parts of my "review" last evening, but it seems that either (a) they floated off in cyberspace or (b) I committed operator error. I'm sticking with (a), but you may reach your own conclusion.

 

I'll try to catch up later.

Mike

[Darthdaddy]

Hi,

Found the posts I made yesterday. I thought it would be easier for people to pick and choose what they wanted to read, if I made each part of the review a separate thread. Once, again I outsmarted myself. all I accomplished was to make it more difficult for folks to find and follow the basic thread.

 

Below is just some background info so that you may credit or discredit the rest of my comments that will be posted later.

 

******

So that everyone can know my points of reference for my comments, here is some general background info...

 

2/04 Disney Wonder---Port Canaveral to Bahamas---with kids

12/05 Disney Magic-----Port Canaveral to W. Caribbean---with kids plus grandma

05/09 NCL Dawn--------NYC to Bermuda---no kids, traveled with another couple

03/10 NCL Pearl--------Miami to E. Caribbean---with college kids

 

As you can see, I'm not a rookie, but far from a seasoned cruise vet. Others with far more experience are free to chime in. Heck, everyone can post their thoughts. It simply helps to put those comments in context for others to weigh.

 

I'm on a roll so here is a bit regarding embarkation...

We landed at MIA @11:30am. Two taxis to POM cost $30 each incl tip. Trip from MIA to POM is 15min tops. Not going to waste a lot of time describing what I had for breakfast and how many butterflies I had upon first gazing the ship. Embarkation was fast and relatively easy. Disney has a newer and nicer terminal. Manhattan cruise terminal is actually easier and smoother than POM, as well. Still, there were no real problems other than the chaos of 3K people trying to get onboard ASAP. We were onboard @12:45pm. Because we wanted to wander around, we opted for lunch at the buffet. Not surprisingly, it was very crowded. Other than that, no problems.

 

Next up: our staterooms...

[Darthdaddy]

We were in staterooms 8552 & 8554.

These are obstructed view cabins. 8052 & 8054 are indentical, but starboard, rather than port. My observations about 8552 & 8554 should be just as applicable to the cabins on the other side of the ship.

 

Quite simply, I was too clever by half when I booked these cabins. The OV cabins on deck 8 are obstructed by the lifeboats hanging above deck 7. From the Pearl's deckplan it appears that there are no lifeboats in front of 8550, 8552, or 8554. I booked our cabins thinking that I had scored a mostly-clear ocean view at a significantly reduced fare. When I posted a request for info on these boards, someone responded that there was a little boat that was not shown on the deckplan, but that would, in fact, block our view. That post was accurate. There is a funny little life boat (looks like a child's bath toy) that essentially blocks the full view from 8552. 8554 has a much less obstructed view, but it is not fully clear. So much for my shrewd and canny research.

 

Since a catwalk allowing crew to access the lifeboats for maintenance runs along the outside wall, you may glance out to see someone outside your window. This happened a couple of times during our cruise, but was not a big deal. Since deck 7 is a promenade deck, there are exterior lights on all night. This is not really a problem either, because the blackout curtains do their job.

 

Other staterooms listed as obstructed seem to be true to the deckplan, i.e., the lifeboats seem to match up pretty well. One caveat, 8550 (and 8050) show nothing blocking them on the deckplan. In reality they have NO view. They get some diffuse natural light, but have NO view of the water, due to a solid steel plate about 10' out from the window.

 

We had verandah staterooms on Disney and an inside on our prior NCl cruise. Sure I love having the verandah. At the same time I didn't have any problem with the inside cabin. Was it worth it to have the daylight? That's one of those things I can't answer for you. The rest of my family preferred having the natural light, even though there was little actual view. I would have been ok with the inside. There was very little difference in price, so I guess it was worth it. If the cost differential was even $100/pp, I would opt for the inside or bite the bullet and jump to a balcony.

 

How 'bout everyone else? I'm sure we had members in every stateroom category. Were you happy with your staterooms? Any quirks that might help other decide what rooms they might book in the future? Share your thoughts.

 

Next: common areas