Review Pearl Dec 8-15 W Carib – dailies, Haven & more!

[Artemis]

juliehope, Sarasa and minn55441, thanks for your kind feedback. I couldn't find any Pearl 7-night dailies when we were getting ready to go, so I'm happy to post them and try to pay forward all of the other pre-cruise help CCers were so generous to offer! juliehope,, we miss traveling with little kiddos, so I was especially pleased to be able to get that Seals' schedule for you. It looked like all of the Pearl kids were having a terrific time--the pirate parade and circus brought back such fond memories.

 

Whew! Don't you feel fat just reading about all this food?! Okay, let's talk drinks for a minute.

 

We thought bar service all over the ship was professional and not too pushy, and the pours were just right for a good price. Here's a (barely legible--it was dark!) menu of the holiday drink concoctions followed by a nifty martini flight menu.

 

 

My favorite place to stop and have a pre-dinner drink was Bar City amidship on deck 6. In the lounge area just outside Le Bistro, pianist Peter James played jazzy standards 6-9 PM nightly. I liked his selections, musical style and rare but witty patter.

 

 

The cruise-ubiquitous Piano Man, Jim Badger, played in the same location from 9:15 PM 'til the regular crowd shuffled [out]. He played a wide range of crowd-pleasing tunes and also led a couple of music trivia games. Another musician we liked was Shane Tapper on guitar and vocals. We caught him the second night in the Star Bar doing an Eagles tribute. He appeared in other venues throughout the cruise and did at least one other tribute night I recall (The Beatles).

 

On the subject of entertaiment, CD Archie and his staff did a bang-up job offering late night parties (in particular, White Night out on deck was a blast!), game shows (we didn't play, but Deal or No Deal was very popular) and the usual assortment of daytime activities. I don't know how we stayed so busy and still managed to miss things like the pub crawl, Country Hoedown, Quest and Dancing with the Pearl Stars, but whatever you're interested in doing, they've got you covered--you cannot go home from the Pearl and grumble about being bored!

 

And then, of course, there were the main showtime productions nightly at 7:30 and 9:30 PM (except for the last night of the cruise, when the shows were at 7 and 9 PM). Shows were well-attended, but if you arrive 15 minutes early, good seats are still available. There's pre-show bar service, and there are drink holders located on the back of the seat in front of you. These are the shows that played in the Stardust Theatre during our cruise week:

 

• Day 1 - Opening night show, this is the only one we missed, it featured a preview of a few acts.
  
• Day 2 - "That's Entertainment" by the Pearl singers and dancers - Very strong four lead singers, good-looking and talented troupe of four male dancers and maybe eight female dancers. The Pearl does not have a house band/orchestra, so all music is "canned," but the production quality was very good. - This show covered various standards including Fever, Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend, Material Girl, Fly With Me and another Frank Sinatra favorite, Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel and Viva Las Vegas.
  
• Day 3 - A Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons tribute called Oh What A Night! performed by a cover group contracted for just this cruise (but frequently by NCL, i.e., next week, they're on the Star) - Coincidentally, we just saw the real Frankie Valli in concert a few weeks ago--he was great, and these four men do an amazing job recreating the sound and signature synchronized moves. Rave review!
  
• Day 4 - The Second City - Five cast members from the famed Chicago comedy troupe are resident entertainers on the Pearl. They do some funny skits and improv.
  
• Day 5 - Pearl production team in their second show of the week called "Encore!" - We are musical theatre people, so loved this show because it was straight from Broadway and featured competent-to-excellent renditions of popular numbers from Wicked, The Producers, In the Heights, Swing, Movin' Out and Mamma Mia.
  
• Day 6 - Comedy and juggling by Barry John - I confess, I usually hate this kind of show, but Barry John was absolutely delightful with his low-key, nerdy accountant sort of demeanor and spot on juggling!
  
• Day 7 - Final show with the Pearl singer and dancers opening, more by Barry John and a finale by the Four Seasons guys, plus the moving goodbye from the huge assembly of officers, staff and crew.
  

 

Let's see...there was comedian named Rod Long, we saw his late night adult show (which was SRO--go early if you're into that sort of thing!), he also did a couple of PG13 comedy shows, his humor wasn't our cuppa but humor is such a personal thing. There were a couple of other Second City (different) shows we missed, as well as the comedy troupe's "Presumed Murdered" mystery lunch with audience participation ($20).

 

We thoroughly enjoyed the crew talent show!

 

In the "we didn't get around to that, either" department, there was bowling in Bliss (for a fee)(I went to look at the Bliss lounge the last day--you've gotta go check out place if you never go for an event, the "brothel/bowling" mix kinda blew my mind!), bingo, karaoke, rock climbing, Wii play, shuffleboard and so much more....

 

We faithfully contributed to the casino! It is pretty smokey. All of the blackjack tables have a game twist. Don't play at the Wheel of Fortune table as it has a terrible payout on a 21 because you're supposed to choose the spin the wheel option!

 

Exercise options abound, too. The basketball court seemed especially busy all the time! There's a nice variety of zumba and other free and fee-based fitness sessions. I went to the gym three times to do weights, but it was rather small in comparison to other ships, with low ceilings and many machines crammed into the space available, so it felt a bit claustrophobic to me for doing a long stretch on the treadmill. Thus, I did my daily 3-mile jog/walk out in the glorious sea air on the dedicated track on deck 13. It's not a full promenade, so you have to make 5-1/2 laps to do just one mile! The track wasn't very well used, at least at the times I went, so I didn't have to contend with much traffic. Apparently, there is a full promenade on deck 6 or 7 that some people prefer because you can go farther in fewer laps, but it's a popular place for folks to hang out, especially smokers.

 

Here's a shot of the gym:

 

[Artemis]

Thinking of the CC help I received pre-cruise reminded me to give a special shoutout to the CCer who spearheaded our Cruise Critic Roll Call's meet and greet. Wow! Not only was it very well-attended by fellow CCers (I'm guesstimating 40+), but it was also well-attended by officers and staff including the Captain, Hotel Director, Cruise Director, Executive Chef and on and on. Then, on top of that, they invited everyone to come up for an exclusive bridge tour! We had to miss, but I heard 60 folks showed up for that very special treat. Thanks to our CC organizer (so sorry, I don't know your name to give credit--I hope you'll chime in and take a bow!) and to the Pearl management for going the extra mile for CCers.

 

Latitudes members (past NCL cruisers) received invitations to various events and several onboard benefits, depending on level. As we had only cruised with NCL twice before, we were at the bottom of the rung at Bronze level. But we appreciated the invite to the "members only" cocktail party with senior officers and the 20 free minutes with purchase of an Internet package.

 

Speaking of Internet, we did buy a package (the pricing and instruction sheet is posted on my website here), but surprisingly, didn't use all our minutes! It was a happy waste of money, as it meant my husband didn't do too much work at sea. :) We were also able to get wifi in every port.

 

So, let's talk about ports! And SolidGoldCruiser, thanks for wading through everything else...here's what I found out about Ocho and Coz for you.

 

Day 2 - Great Stirrup Cay NCL has done a very nice job developing their private beach in the Bahamas. It doesn't take long to tender over; the raw beauty of the setting is spectacular; the facilities seem relatively new, thoughtfully designed and are being well-maintained; the crowd is spread out over several coved beaches, each of which is equipped with plenty of loungers; the restrooms were very clean; and the beach itself is a nice, soft sand, although there are some places where you have to walk a bit to find a non-rocky entry point into the water. We didn't eat the lunch, have any drinks or do any excursions. We did get a free t-shirt from NCL/Bacardi's grand opening of a new beach bar complete with DJ and small dance floor! The only room for improvement we found was, there's a significant lack of shade! I was glad we got up and out early, as we found chairs in a grove that offered pretty good shade, although we had to move our chairs as the sun moved. In fairness to NCL, they do offer some sun tents you can rent for $20, but cocooning inside doesn't feel like a breezy island fun day to me!

 

Day 4 - Ocho Rios We docked at the main cruise terminal. As someone else pointed out, they were on a Pearl cruise that docked at "the other pier," which is located in a sort of grungy, industrial area. I talked with staff about the docking schedule for Ocho, and they said the Pearl usually alternates between the main pier one week and the Reynolds pier the next. Here is the web page on NCL's site that is a reproduction of the port shopping guide with illustrative map.

 

>> This alternating weeks schedule seems to be borne out by the Port Authority of Jamaica's calendar published here: http://www.cruisejamaica.com/ (follow the "Click here for Schedule" hyperlink to the monthly calendar).

 

We enjoyed a quiet morning-early afternoon aboard ship, then got off to check out the possibility of renting a Hobie cat for an hour. I could see them over at a resort on the tip of the peninsula just across from the boat. We walked about 15 minutes to the resort, which turned out to be the Sunset Grande. We learned, not surprisingly, that we couldn't get in just to do a sail rental without purchasing the all-inclusive day pass. It was reasonably priced at $60 pp, but with only 2 hours left in our port day, it didn't make any economic sense for us. We did this Sunset Grande or the one in MoBay some years ago...I can't recall which! I have a favorable memory of the experience (it seems to get positive reviews from CCers in the Ports of Call>Jamaica forum) and am glad to be reminded of how close the resort is to the Ocho pier. Of course, most people wouldn't walk, but it would be a short taxi ride!

 

Speaking of which, here is a shot of the taxi fare board at the cruise terminal. If I'm interpreting it correctly, the *roundtrip* fare to Sunset Grande would be $10 pp.

 

 

On Main Street, we stopped in the local grocery store and went up and down the aisles. We like to do that when we travel. Yeah, we're kind of strange! But check out the flavors of Häagen-Dazs they get, mon! I'm taking this shot to my local grocery store to find out why we don't get some of those. :p

 

 

We stopped at the coffee shop right at the cruise terminal plaza to grab some wifi. It was $3 for 2 hours (wifi is complimentary at many restaurants around town, so the cost is about the same or better depending on what you might order to drink!).

[Artemis]

Day 5 - Grand CaymanThere were so many ships in Cayman this day! :eek: We heard a lot of grumbling by fellow pax about crowds everywhere, and one of the ship's own tour operators really dropped the ball in failing to provide enough buses to transport everyone to the turtle farm and stingray city--that tour turned into an all-day hurry-up-and-wait adventure causing those folks to barely make the last tender back. You can check the Cayman cruise ship schedule on their port authority website.

 

I goofed and forgot to snap the posted taxi rates here, but after we weaved through the busy cruise terminal and made our way to the street, I saw a couple of the shared-ride taxi vendors holding signs indicating the rate to our destination, the Royal Palms beach club at the close end of 7-Mile Beach, was $4 pp. Call us really crazy, but just like in Ocho, we decided to walk there! It is a straight shot down Church Street to the left as you exit the terminal, probably about 2 miles, as it took roughly 45 min. on narrow sidewalks (we also made one beach/water passage detour!). Okay, I just checked on Google maps, and it is 3.1 km or 1.92 miles if you stay on Church>W. Bay Rd. Like any of you will do this?! And yeah, the sun was burning down on us. But we had on our sun screen and hats, and we kind of like those spontaneous walks to get a taste of a place and feel like we're "far from the maddening crowd," even though you're never really far from tourist civilization in these ports!

 

And weirder than grocery stores, we like visiting cemeteries when we travel, so naturally, we couldn't resist meandering through the seaside Dixie Cemetery located just before you reach 7-Mile Beach. It was a serene resting place with a view of the cruise ships! I can't tell which ship that is, can you?

 

 

The walk was worth it. Here's a shot of my second row vista at the Royal Palms beach club:

 

 

Beaches are public in the Caymans, so you can stretch out on any piece of sand that pleases you, but you can't use the chairs or facilities, of course. So Royal Palms is an economical, no frills option that we like because we don't drink enough to justify the all-inclusive passes at other resorts and it's close enough to the port to squeeze every last minute out of the day. The day pass is $2 pp, which gets you access to the bathrooms, outdoor shower and pool with swim-up bar. Beach chairs are $7 pp, and an umbrella is $10 (big enough to shade two chairs). So, before food and drinks, it's basically $28 for two people (plus we tipped the beach attendant $2 for finding us an umbrella, which was something of a feat considering the crowd!). We had a couple of beers to start at $6.50 each (import or domestic, all beers are $6.50--this is the Caymans, everything is a tad pricey!), then I ordered a beer and hummus appetizer, which turned out to be quite a nice lunch of two kinds of hummus, warm flatbread and salad. Here's a pic (I realize it's odd to post this picture--although after a grocery store and cemetery, my oddness was sealed!--but because I'm always frustrated by beach club lunches of burgers and fries, I figure someone out there might feel the same way and be happy to see what a good option it turned out to be!), plus a snap of the receipt so you can see the pricing in Cayman dollars vs. US dollars (note, also, that a 15% service charge is included).

 

 

 

Although Royal Palms was packed when we first arrived, by early afternoon, it felt like we had the place to ourselves. We left a little after 3 to make the last tender at 3:30 PM (that would be cutting it too close at beach clubs farther out on 7-Mile Beach because of the heavy traffic from the beaches back into town). Taxis were out front waiting, and we easily made it to the cruise terminal. The tender queue was so long, we had a long, hot wait!

Edited December 17, 2013 by Artemis

[Artemis]

^^ I forgot to mention there's wifi at Royal Palms.

 

Day 6 - Cozumel Our Cozumel port day was 11 AM to 6:30 PM ship's time. Because it's the only port on this itinerary that isn't in the Eastern time zone, the ship doesn't change the clocks, and you have to be very careful to monitor your time off the ship according to the ship's clocks and not local time, which is one hour earlier Central time. We didn't leave anyone behind this trip, but there were a few late runners who were probably saved by the fact the ruins excursion to the mainland returned after 6:30 PM.

 

The Pearl used the Punta Langosta dock, which is the dock nearest downtown (but not to be confused with the old ferry dock right in downtown). Farther out are the International and Puerto Maya piers. The staffer I talked to about Pearl docking said the Pearl *usually* uses Punta Langosta...but sometimes docks at one of the other piers. I wasn't able to locate an offical port schedule for Cozumel's three cruise docks, but you can Google it and come up with a fairly reliable prediction.

 

Here's a snap of the taxi rate board at the Punta Langosta terminal. The basic rater covers 1-4 people, so for our destination, Paradise Beach, it was $15 whether you were solo, a couple or a family of four. They will take your party in a small car, if you wish, or load you up in a large van of folks going to the same place. So obviously, if you want to wait for others and form a cooperative of sorts, you can lower the per person rate. The rates are one way.

 

 

This was probably our 10th time at Paradise Beach--we've been going for years. Every time we visit, there's some new feature; but the cleanliness and good service never change. This beach club is large enough to accommodate all takers, even when there are a lot of ships in port, but rarely feels crowded. And when it does, never fear. Just like at Royal Palms in the Caymans, when we're in paradise at Paradise :D, we've always felt like we had the run of the place come 1 or 2 PM.

 

The cost is $2 per person for facilities use AND your beach chair and umbrella. They expect you to order a minimum of $10 food and drink per person, but your money goes a lot farther in Mexico than in the Caymans--to illustrate, domestic beers were $4.25, imports $4.75 and frozen drinks and cocktails $7.95. Food is similarly reasonable, and there's a wide variety of menu options. To play on the big floatables, tramps, use mats, kayak, snorkel with their gear, try stand up paddle, etc., it's $12 for the all-day activities wrist band. You can do things like a boat snorkel or parasail for extra, e.g., the parasailing was "on special" for a tandem parasail (2 up at a time) for $100. There's hair-braiding, beach massages, gift shops and the like. The wifi is free (open) and surprisingly strong and reliable even during peak crowds.

 

I'm a beach lover; my husband prefers a pool. I think this is his favorite pool anywhere! It is huge, beautifully blue-tiled and sparkling clean, features a semi-submerged deck so your lounger is halfway in the water, has a lovely swim-up bar and is surrounded by white stone deck dotted with palm trees and plenty of lounge chairs....

 

Here's a pool shot taken at 2:30 PM. See what I mean about everyone leaving? Thank you all for leaving early to go shopping! :p

 

 

At the end of the day, we grabbed a taxi (many were waiting) and returned to port. I couldn't resist having a Starbucks. And I was actually going to try to pick up some authentic Talavera pottery, but the reliable retailer, Los Cincos Soles, had recently closed its Punta Langosta location, and on quick glance around, it appeared no other stores at that cruise terminal seemed to sell anything better than the usual tourist fare. So we walked back down the long pier to the ship.

 

Hats off to NCL for providing drinking water and cold towels at every port!

 

And this evening, we were in for a brilliant surprise, as the entertainment staffs of the Pearl and neighboring NCL Dawn had put together a pier party! My shot is jiggly because I was laughing or dancing or both. See the dance line you're expected to strut your stuff through if you dare!

 

[Artemis]

The Haven We had an entry level suite in The Haven, a category S5 Courtyard Penthouse Balcony. There's a lot of information out there about The Haven and suite life on NCL, so I won't spend too much time on this topic, except to mention a few things that stood out to us about our stateroom and the overall Haven experience.

 

The cabin décor was garish. Where are those HGTV makeover brothers when you need them?! I wish the lighting had been better when I took this pic, but maybe you can get the idea.... All by itself, the puce, worn-thin, stretched and sagging polyester-upholstered couch was a suite buzz kill the moment we opened the door! :eek:

 

 

But we quickly recovered when we saw the bathroom. I want to live somewhere where I can have a floor-to-ceiling window in my shower! And over the tub! And where my shower is equipped with one of those fabulous shower columns (hint, hint, Santa)! The only negative is the toilet door, which doesn't offer much privacy.

 

 

The dining area complete with table for four, Lavazza machine, frig and bar set-up was quite nice, although underused by us. Naturally, now that we're back home, we regret we never made the time to avail ourselves of the much-touted in-room dining service! We greatly enjoyed the comfortable "Bliss" bed in the dark and cozy bedroom, although both the bed linens and blackout curtains that double as the bedroom door could stand to be upgraded. A few other minor quibbles....

 

The balcony is tiny. We assume the rationale is, you have access to (shared) The Haven courtyard and sun deck. We adorned our balcony rail anyway with our standard Lone Star flag and holiday lights (which we enjoyed while in the cabin, but were bummed to realize you cannot find many Haven cabins from outside the ship because they are so high and inset from the ship's profile). Again, my quick iPhone snap doesn't do it justice, but see the Miami skyline with the sun setting behind it? It was absolutely gorgeous to watch.

 

 

There is scant clothing storage! This is a picture of the closet. It's not a walk-in, and there was barely enough room for two of us to share. In fact, I would've used several more hangers but for the fact they curiously don't have any hangers with clips (for skirts and pants you'd prefer hang instead of fold over). Also, it's hard to tell in this picture, especially as my two long dresses are black, but the closet isn't tall enough to accommodate ladies' evening gowns! Both dresses are dragging on the floor.

 

 

This picture shows the stack of drawers and shelves to the right of the closet. That + the closet is ALL the clothes storage in the cabin! Of course, like all other cruise cabins, interesting little storage spaces turned up the more we poked around, and we managed to find a place to stash everything. (There is a lot of storage in the bathroom, for example, plus plenty of under-the-bed space.)

 

 

Technology and lighting were mostly great! The cabin had three TVs (although the Pearl offered a fairly limited TV and movie line-up) and a portable phone you could carry with you to call the concierge or butler (or your cabin if your partner stayed behind). The lighting was pretty good all over and excellent in the bathroom, with intense spots over the vanity plus a lighted magnifying mirror. There were convenient bedside light switches to turn off room lights and wall-mounted bedside lamps. It'd be ideal if they added flexible reading spots by the bed.

 

We felt very spoiled by the cabin.

 

With that said, other than sleeping in and watching late night TV, we didn't spend a lot of time in our cabin. We were mostly out and about the ship or lounging around in The Haven courtyard with small pool or private sun deck above. The courtyard, which comfortably accommodates about a dozen people lounging at a time, also features its own hot tub, a two-machine workout "cubbyhole" (I never saw it in use--the space is wholly unappealing) and a two-person steam room, as well as a few dining tables and a buffet stocked in the AM with a continental breakfast and the rest of the day with coffee, hot water for tea, ice water and cookies, M&Ms and juju candies.

 

Here are some random observations about our week in The Haven, including a few points of departure from some CC lore about suite perks:

 

• There were several families with children enjoying The Haven, even on this relatively low kid count cruise week.
  
• Pre-cruise, we received a welcome to The Haven via snailmail that generally reviewed amenities and included a generic "contact us if you have any questions or requests;" but we never received any communication (pre-cruise or on embarkation), inviting us to select from a pillow menu, express coffee and tea preferences (which I'd guess has been mooted by the placement of a Lavazza machine in all suites) or submit other special requests. Of course, during their introduction, the concierge and our butler encouraged us to be in touch with any needs or wants...but some of us don't know what we need or want until we're educated!
  
• The delivery of afternoon treats is now made per a set rotation as to type; special requests aren't entertained absent food allergy. (I imagine there is quite a bit more movement in this "rule" than it sounds, but we didn't test it.)
  
• We were all invited to a cocktail reception with the Captain and officers--this was the only organized event where The Haven and other suite guests mixed and mingled.
  
• The arrangement for reserved theatre seating is thoughtful for busy nights, but the upper left balcony location in the Pearl theatre isn't really a plum spot (while it could be very desirable on other ships in the fleet).
  
• Similarly, priority embarkation and disembarkation services are something of a hollow perk as executed on Pearl--some creative improvements could be made within the limitations placed on NCL by the port of Miami facilities and processes, as well its own ship design and staffing.
  
• It was wonderful to receive priority tendering to ports! It would be equally wonderful to receive priority tendering back, she thought to herself while wilting in the late afternoon Cayman sun!
  
• While no one wants to be subjected to pushy sales pitches, there was a total absence of promotions in The Haven. For example, the courtyard attendant will never ask if you'd like a drink (you're supposed to ring your butler), and although there were copies of specialty restaurant menus available for perusal, there was no overt or subtle marketing of the Chef's Table or other special food and beverage events (which I realize were mentioned in the Freestyle Daily, but as hard as I try to digest everything presented, it's information overload to me!).
  

 

All in all, The Haven concept is great.

[SenatorsFan]

Hi Artemis!:) Thanks so very much for the feedback on Moderno. I was hoping it would be a hit. My cruise is with a friend who's never cruised before and has expressed an interest in Moderno. I hoped she wouldn't be disappointed, so all looks good! Thanks also for the very helpful dining information. My family cruised Sky in July and we chose the specialty dining package, with the other night in Crossings. We're not going to do that this time, so it's helpful to hear about the different options and even the differences between the two main dining rooms, which I hadn't heard before. I like to dress up, so it looks like Summer Palace will be for us. Your port info. is useful, too. I've been to all these ports before, friend no, so I'm trying not to take over and plan too much.

Looking forward to whatever else you have to share. Thanks again.

Heather

[Artemis]

And reviewing my notes, here are some miscellaneous points made at the last day's Q&A with the Captain, Chief Engineer and Hotel Director (which was fascinating and informative, if you like that sort of thing!):

 

• If the Pearl had a slogan, it would be "Washy, washy!" There were sanitizers everywhere and many humorous (and even musical) pleas to "Washy, washy!" The effort apparently pays off, as the Pearl enjoys a negligible noro incidence rate.
  
• The Pearl passed her latest CDC inspection with flying colors (I didn't record the exact figure, but the score was over 95%).
  
• And the Captain explained why the Pearl made several 360-degree "donuts" shortly after we pulled away from Miami: they had to re-calibrate the magnetic compass in the nav system!
  

 

Last, a few things about traveling to/from Miami and embarkation/disembarkation on the Pearl:

 

• Flying to embark on a cruise - Just a friendly reminder to always come in the day before! We were flying to MIA via Dallas' DFW airport, which was iced in (a rare event in Texas) by a winter storm that impacted a lot of the country. We were among the lucky ones who made it to our destination, albeit many hours late. We were so relieved we weren't trying to fly in on cruise day!
  
• Self-carry luggage - In addition to the disembarkation benefit (see below), we were so glad we hadn't checked our luggage on the flight to MIA. Risk of baggage loss is the usual (and a very good) reason people cite for handling their own luggage. But the flight mess caused by the winter storms illustrates more reasons to keep your bags with you. A very small percentage of flights actually made it out on peak storm days, so people were trying to move from canceled or delayed flights to other options that had better chances of getting them to their destination. If you had checked your luggage, though, you had no flexibility to jump on another flight at the last minute. And as happened to another cruiser we met while waiting hours at the gate, you may learn your second flight (to the cruise) has been cancelled, but you have to take the initial connector because it's leaving now and your luggage is aboard and won't be removed!
  
• Embarkation - We arrived at the Port of Miami at 1:30 PM. The line snaked outside and around the side of the building. It took about 20 minutes to reach the suite guest priority check-in station, and we were walking aboard at 2 PM, as were the non-suite guests we queued with.
  
• Disembarkation - We left the cabin at 8:15 AM and quickly made it to the baggage claim point, where there was a quite build-up of pax waiting for luggage. Because we were self-carrying our luggage, we breezed right through one of the several then-empty immigration/customs stations!
  
• Security Line at MIA - I didn't document it, but we had to have arrived at MIA around 8:45 AM. The security line was horrendous! I estimate it took 30+ minutes to get through (and after security, your gate may be 10+ minutes away--we had to walk a ways, then take a skytrain, then walk some more to get to our gate). I would have been a basket case over making our 10:20 AM flight but for the fact we travel a lot, so have the benefit of the TSA Pre-Check express lane.
  

 

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Thanks to all for reading. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

 

And if you're reading the thread backwards just looking for those dailies (hey, I'd do that, too :cool:):

 

Click HERE to download the dailies, kids program schedules, spa and Internet pricing sheets and a handy map of the ship!

[Artemis]

Hi, Heather, it has been fun chatting with you. You will have a blast cruising with a newbie, who will be so wowed by everything and appreciative of your experienced-but-not-controlling guidance! :p Re: Moderno, just remember that our take on it was just that; others have reported being disappointed--dining is so subjective! You may want to read a few more reviews to see if other comments resonate with you more than what I've said. I will say Moderno didn't quite rise to the level of the chain Fogo de Chao; but they delivered an excellent meal, and we really appreciated the attentive service, which is very important factor in our overall takeaway. So...in the context of our other specialty dining experiences aboard Pearl, yes, we felt Moderno was the best. :)

 

Re: the ports, without knowing what you did last time, past highlights for us include Dunn's River Falls in Ocho; Stingray City, self-drive to Rum Point and America's Cup (or maybe we did that in Sint Maarten?!) in the Caymans; and snorkeling (at Chankanaab or by boat trip) or self-drive to "the wild side" of the island in Coz.

 

Don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any other questions. Happy trails and cruises!

[Mrs. Squirrel]

Thank you for your review. As I posted before, we were on the same cruise. Loved the Pearl and her staff! I could not agree with you more about the visibility of the Pearl's Officers around the ship.

 

We were blessed to be selected to have dinner in Cagney's with the Captain and Chief Engineer. Both were very personable and the Captain shared plenty of stories with us. He has a good sense of humor and fun! It was a delightful meal and evening. :D

 

Can't wait to be on the Pearl again in 2015 and to introduce my DH (who wasn't with us this time) to this lovely 'gem' of a ship.

[Artemis]

tofu_tonight, I was just buzzing back through the thread before I threw my notes away to be sure I had addressed everyone's questions. I am so sorry I didn't catch your first post! I hope I shared some of the show and entertainment info you were looking for. Let me know if there's anything else as you prepare for and enjoy the anticipation of your Pearl cruise!

 

Mrs. Squirrel, I recall meeting you at the CC meet and greet--your clever posting handle (and those of your DH & DS!) helps make you memorable! So glad you, too, had a great week. And wow, what an awesome treat for you to dine with the Captain and Chief Engineer a/k/a the funny guy and tall man! Thanks for coming back to share the news of your lovely evening.

Edited December 17, 2013 by Artemis

[SenatorsFan]

Hi, Heather, it has been fun chatting with you. You will have a blast cruising with a newbie, who will be so wowed by everything and appreciative of your experienced-but-not-controlling guidance! :p Re: Moderno, just remember that our take on it was just that; others have reported being disappointed--dining is so subjective! You may want to read a few more reviews to see if other comments resonate with you more than what I've said. I will say Moderno didn't quite rise to the level of the chain Fogo de Chao; but they delivered an excellent meal, and we really appreciated the attentive service, which is very important factor in our overall takeaway. So...in the context of our other specialty dining experiences aboard Pearl, yes, we felt Moderno was the best. :)

 

Re: the ports, without knowing what you did last time, past highlights for us include Dunn's River Falls in Ocho; Stingray City, self-drive to Rum Point and America's Cup (or maybe we did that in Sint Maarten?!) in the Caymans; and snorkeling (at Chankanaab or by boat trip) or self-drive to "the wild side" of the island in Coz.

 

Don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any other questions. Happy trails and cruises!

 

Oh, I know how subjective dining can be; we dined at the Cucina del Capitano on Carnival Breeze for supper in July and every review I read raved about the service and the food. For us it was a disappointing experience for a pay extra venue. We found the service decidedly lacking and food portions too big and overall, no "wow" factor. We've always been fans of Carnival's steakhouses and expected the same quality and outstanding service we've usually had in this new for pay venue. I appreciate your take on Moderno since this was a recent cruise, and the same itinerary as mine.

My friend does want to snorkel, so I will suggest Chankanaab and she also wants to go to Hell and to see the turtles, while I'm hoping to get back to 7 Mile Beach (we may have done Royal Palms last time, too).

Thanks again, and Merry Christmas to you.

Heather

Edited December 17, 2013 by SenatorsFan

[tofu_tonight]

tofu_tonight, I was just buzzing back through the thread before I threw my notes away to be sure I had addressed everyone's questions. I am so sorry I didn't catch your first post! I hope I shared some of the show and entertainment info you were looking for. Let me know if there's anything else as you prepare for and enjoy the anticipation of your Pearl cruise!

 

Artemis, thank you so much for this thorough review, and for posting the dailies! You more than answered my questions.

 

We leave tomorrow, and I can hardly wait!

[Artemis]

Wow! So green! Just think, this time next week, you will be waiting in the tender line after a fabulous day in Grand Cayman. :)

 

Safe travels and best wishes on your Pearl Christmas-week celebration!

Edited December 19, 2013 by Artemis

[juliehope]

Artemis- i too want to thank you for your great info- we will be sailing with ToFu Tonight and are climbing out of our skin with excitement--

[Artemis]

We did many Christmas cruises with our children when they were young. I remember how fun it was to gather 'round and sing carols, admire the gingerbread houses made by the culinary staff and check out fellow pax in every holiday outfit imagineable from olde yule finest to shirts with blinking lights. I imagine there will be a special dinner Christmas Eve or Christmas, a non-denominational service or two and probably a visit from the jolly old elf himself!

 

It was always a special week to be at sea, and many of our fellow pax didn't even observe Christmas but enjoyed being along for the merry secular aspects...like fellows in bikinis and Santa hats. Have fun!

[3DBeach]

That you for such an enjoyable review! I loved reading it :)

[OurDogCisco]

Great review and appreciate you taking the time to post especially during this busy time. Did you by chance take a picture of the menus? I really liked how all the docs are in google. I'll have to remember that next time. We will be sailing the Pearl in June to Alaska.

[Artemis]

Hi, 3DBeach and OurDogCisco, thanks for reading and your kind words! :) Best wishes of the season.

 

OurDogCisco, so sorry, I didn't do much in the way of menus. I guess you saw the (not very good) snaps at post #s 20 and 22 of the Moderno and MDR menus. You'll likely turn up a good collection via CC archives search or even Google search (less clunky, always pulls up past CC threads plus other cruise fan sites to which folks contribute menus, dailies, etc.). Yes, I always publish my scans to a quick-and-dirty Google site because it's user friendly to make one and, like you, I like the way it formats the PDFs for viewing. Wow, how much fun to be researching and anticipating an Alaskan cruise! It's truly a remarkable experience. If you haven't already figured it out, the CC Alaska forum is, hands down, the best place anywhere to find current, reliable info and opinion on shorex, what to pack, etc.

[SuiteCruisin14]

Artemis-Thank you for one of the most insightful reviews I have ever read. Your info was easy to read and follow and I copied some of the schedules to use for our Pearl trip in 12 days.

 

This is our 23rd cruise, only the last 4 on NCL and we love the Freestyle concept. I don't need to know the menu for every night but a peek at what's to come was great for getting me in the mood. I am doing the Meet & Greet for Jan 5 cruise so a list of officers and crew was most helpful.

Wonderful review,

Lynda

Edited December 23, 2013 by SuiteCruisin14
context

[SolidGoldCruiser]

Artemis - Your review is fabulous and so very helpful. Thank you for taking the time to research and answer my questions. Most appreciated!

 

So glad you came back to NCL.....................

[Artemis]

Thanks for the feedback, SolidGoldCruiser. I hope you enjoy your upcoming Pearl cruise and those W Carib ports as much as we did!

 

Aww, I appreciate your sweet words, SuiteCruisin14, and am just happy that something I said or published helped an experienced cruiser like you! How nice you have figured out that Freestyle cruising with NCL is just right for you. I hope you have another fabulous trip...in 12 days!!!

[dancinchick1505]

Thank you Artemis for your great review. We are sailing on the Pearl on the

25th May and your dailies & review was very useful. Thanks

[Artemis]

Hi, dancinchick, thanks for reading! I hope you have as much fun on Pearl as we did. Enjoy your spring of anticipation!

[SolidGoldCruiser]

Hi Artemis - just wanted to pop in and thank you again for taking the time to answer my specific questions. Your review is helpful in so many ways.

 

I did a cut & paste and added a lot of your info about the entertainment and ports to my folder. Just wondering............how was your walk to the Sunset Grande in Ocho in terms of safety/harassment? I would probably be by myself.

 

If we do not get in to GSC, I will be longing for a beach day, and the Sunset Grande sounds like the place to be.

 

Jean

[Artemis]

Hi, SolidGoldCruiser, it's fun to hear the anticipation in your post!

 

We didn't feel unsafe walking through town, and you'll see other cruisers at every step. You will often be asked if you want a taxi or to buy something, but a polite "no, thanks" will take care of it. If you are coming from the Reynolds Pier, you'll just make your way to Main Street and follow it until the final jog left to the resort. If you dock at the main cruise terminal, you can either go straight out to Main or you can follow a walk that tracks the curve of the bay--don't take the first beachside walk, as you'll have to pay a fee because you are entering the municipal fee-based public beach area; instead, take the walkway behind and you will end up at the beach entry point behind a shopping area--just cut through to Main. It goes something like this:

 

 

I think your idea to spend the day at Sunset Grande if the Pearl doesn't make it in at GSC sounds great! Whatever you choose, have fun!