Pearl Questions!

[boobear1]

Any inside info or input on the Pearl would be greatly appreciated! We usually cruise Carnival, but trying something different this March. Will be traveling with a 24, 22, 19, 15, husband and myself. Few questions so far...does Norwegian do towel animals? Will the 19 yr old be able to get into the dance clubs, drink? Anytime dining will be new to us...can you make reservations in the free dining for the same wait staff every night if you want or is that not an option at all? I've heard you can.

 

Is getting away from Carnival better as far as less little kids running around?

[che5904]

Yes, NCL does towel animals, at least if the steward has time. We've had one every night on both of our cruises with NCL.

 

Yes your 19yr old will be able to enter Dance clubs as a matter of fact any age (unless specified) can enter any venue.

 

Here is NCL's alcohol rules

"ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION POLICY

Passengers must be 21 years of age or older to purchase or consume alcohol.

With the exception of Alaska and Hawaii itineraries, Norwegian permits young adults to purchase and personally consume wine and beer only while onboard and with the consent of an accompanying parent. Authorization will be given only when the accompanying parent completes the Young Adult Alcoholic Beverage Waiver form. This form can be obtained and completed at the Guest Services Desk upon embarkation of the vessel. However, passengers 18 years of age or older are permitted to consume alcoholic beverages when sailing on round-trip European voyages without having to complete the Young Adult Alcoholic Beverage Waiver form."

 

As for NCL vs Carnival little kids running around. It completely depends on your sailing and the parents of the little kids on your sailing. I went on the Glory last summer and except for the food venues, I'd say the cruiselines were pretty comparable.

 

As for the freestyle dining. Think dining on land.

You walk to whichever main diningroom you choose during open hours (posted in your dailies), go to the host/hostess and asked to be seated. You will be seated at a table suited for the number in your party. Or make reservations at a specialty, additional pay restaurant during the hours they are open (again posted in your dailies) go to the host/hostess give your name and again be seated at a table suited for the number in your party. Or another option is go to the light meal restaurant (24 hr dining venue) for some wings as your apetizer, walk to one of the main dining rooms for your entree and grab some ice cream from the buffet for desert.

 

Requesting the same wait staff? Yes you can and many have been very successful but not all wait staff work in the same venues from my understanding, so there is no guarantee. You can also request sitting with others if that is your preference but again NCL will do their best but there is no guarantee when you enter the dining venue that anyone else will wish to do that but some have had success.

Edited January 2, 2014 by che5904

[swedish weave]

Any inside info or input on the Pearl would be greatly appreciated! We usually cruise Carnival, but trying something different this March. Will be traveling with a 24, 22, 19, 15, husband and myself. Few questions so far...does Norwegian do towel animals? Will the 19 yr old be able to get into the dance clubs, drink? Anytime dining will be new to us...can you make reservations in the free dining for the same wait staff every night if you want or is that not an option at all? I've heard you can.

 

Is getting away from Carnival better as far as less little kids running around?

 

I can help with some of your questions.

 

NCL does towel animals. The 19 year old may be able to drink beer and wine with written parental consent. Large groups can make dining reservations but you need to contact the Maitre'D for this. They usually don't do the reservations during the peak times but will for late dining.

http://www.ncl.com/faq/guest-conduct-policy

 

The "kids" question will vary with the time of year you are booking. During school breaks all cruise lines can be saturated with them.

Edited January 2, 2014 by swedish weave

[Demonyte]

Any inside info or input on the Pearl would be greatly appreciated! We usually cruise Carnival, but trying something different this March. Will be traveling with a 24, 22, 19, 15, husband and myself. Few questions so far...does Norwegian do towel animals? Will the 19 yr old be able to get into the dance clubs, drink? Anytime dining will be new to us...can you make reservations in the free dining for the same wait staff every night if you want or is that not an option at all? I've heard you can.

 

Is getting away from Carnival better as far as less little kids running around?

 

Yes, NCL does towel animals. What and when depends on the room steward but in general answer is yes - there are also less inclined stewards reported (if they are super busy etc).

 

About young adults aged between 18-20 drinking (from NCL's FAQ on their website):

 

ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION POLICY

Passengers must be 21 years of age or older to purchase or consume alcohol.

With the exception of Alaska and Hawaii itineraries, Norwegian permits young adults to purchase and personally consume wine and beer only while onboard and with the consent of an accompanying parent. Authorization will be given only when the accompanying parent completes the Young Adult Alcoholic Beverage Waiver form. This form can be obtained and completed at the Guest Services Desk upon embarkation of the vessel.

 

About same waiters, no it's not possible to make reservations for the same table and wait staff every night (I think that they are experimenting it on Breakaway to lure in more traditional cruisers but not on other ships). If you are in a large group (8 or more) or in a suite then you can arrange reservations for MDRs but even then the same wait staff is not guaranteed as they do rotate in different restaurants.

 

Kids running around can be seen on school holidays, can't tell how much it differs from Carnival. We have sailed once during spring break and saw a lot more college students than families with small kids (we did B2B and this was on shorter, 5-night leg - on the longer 9-night leg both groups were close to nonexistent).

[travelhound]

We were on the Pearl a year ago right now (wish we were there today!). We'll also be on in March. Which sailing are you on? We've been on many NCL ships and like their freestyle dining concept, so I've never asked if you can make a reservation in the dining room for a specific table. However, I'm sure they would accommodate that if you asked. There are so many options for dining that you may not want to be in the same place each night. Even for the "free" options there are two main dining rooms in addition to the buffet. They usually serve the same food but have different atmosphere. In the mornings, lunch, and/or sailaways don't miss the back deck, called The Great Outdoors. You can either get food from the buffet or they have a smaller version of the buffet in the back. It's a more quiet area with great views.

 

We've usually had towel animals, although sometimes not each night. Last time on the Pearl we had our then 22 month old and we had them each night. I think it depends on your cabin steward.

 

The 19 year old will be able to drink if you sign a waiver. Not sure if it's just beer and wine or full bar. I think dance clubs are usually open to over 18. If there is an age limit after a certain time they will print it in the daily.

 

As for little kids running around, every sailing is different. Being that it's March and there may be a lot of spring break people around, it could be busy. I don't think NCL is different than any other mass market ship in that respect.

 

On the day you come back to the ship in Cozumel you'll see a great dock party. There is music and dancing from the crew to welcome you back to the ship, right on the pier. It's really fun and unexpected. I hope they still do it. I heard only the Pearl does it and only in Cozumel.

 

If you think of any other questions, let me know!

 

Edited: In the time it took me to finish this post, four other people responded. Sorry for the repeats on many of the questions. :)

Edited January 2, 2014 by travelhound

[garycarla]

Big thing on NCL is people can eat anytime they want in main dining room, 2nd dining room, buffet, etc. No reservations.

 

Pearl, Jewel, Jade, Gem are almost identical ships.

 

What cabin setup are you doing?

[swedish weave]

CHE won the race for being the fastest typist !!!!!

[che5904]

CHE won the race for being the fastest typist !!!!!

 

hahahaha too funny.

 

Well although my typing skill are very fast (my employment, I'm clerical). My brain doesn't always co-operate with being as quick as the hands. ;)

 

I actually missed the OP's reservation question, but it was alright, you had my back :)

Edited January 2, 2014 by che5904

[boobear1]

Thanks everyone! Does the Pearl offer the free self serve soft ice cream? What about pizza 24 hours?

[mitsugirly]

I have a review of the Pearl from our cruise last year listed in my signature line, if you are interested. There's tons of pictures.

 

Yes, NCL has soft serve ice cream and pizza 24/7. After hours, the pizza is $5 to be delivered to your stateroom.

[Artemis]

Ho, boobear1, we were on the Pearl in December, and I posted a review plus all the dailies and youth program schedules here: https://sites.google.com/site/nclpearl