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New to NCL - Tips & Dining questions on the Pearl

SusiejaneUK

By SusiejaneUK,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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SusiejaneUK

SusiejaneUK

Posted
Posted

Hi, we are about to embark on our first NCL cruise next weekend. I am a little confused about the dining options and whether you should book to go into one of the MDR's? We have not opted for the specialty dining package so are planning (as with our cruises with Celebrity, RCCL, and Princess) to use the MDR and buffet. Would anyone be able to advise us here regarding the MDR's on the Pearl and whether we should consider paying the extra for the speciality restaurant package. The cruise is for 5 days from Vancouver.

 

Also, can anyone tell me what the electricity/voltage situation is and if the plugs are European or American.

 

Any other insider tips would be really welcome:)

 

Thanks in advance

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KeithJenner "Live from...." Rare

KeithJenner

Posted
Posted

Plugs are American and European.

 

There is no need to book MDRs unless you are part of a big group. At busy times there may be a bit of a queue, but my understanding is that having a reservation doesn't actually get you in much, if any, earlier if you are a smaller group.

 

I certainly wouldn't buy the dining package on a 5 day cruise. The included options are very good, in my opinion.

 

Perhaps select one speciality restaurant and just go there for one night.

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Quilting_Cruiser

Quilting_Cruiser

Posted
Posted
Hi, we are about to embark on our first NCL cruise next weekend. I am a little confused about the dining options and whether you should book to go into one of the MDR's? We have not opted for the specialty dining package so are planning (as with our cruises with Celebrity, RCCL, and Princess) to use the MDR and buffet. Would anyone be able to advise us here regarding the MDR's on the Pearl and whether we should consider paying the extra for the speciality restaurant package. The cruise is for 5 days from Vancouver.

 

Also, can anyone tell me what the electricity/voltage situation is and if the plugs are European or American.

 

Any other insider tips would be really welcome:)

 

Thanks in advance

 

 

Are you on the Pacific Coastal cruise on the 26th? If so, come on over to our roll call. We've got an active group. :D

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SuperCrewBear

SuperCrewBear

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I always have to try things for myself (or see a movie for myself) because everyone's opinion is their own. The MDRs had nice enough food in my opinion. None of the extra cost restaurants on Pearl were very impressive to me - except for Cagney's. I enjoyed our meal there - the food was good and the service excellent. As far as the other included restaurants we especially liked Lotus Garden - I ordered sushi (that was very good) to go along both of my meals at Lotus Garden - from the Sushi Bar. Food at O'Sheehan's was good too - some of the best Buffalo Wings I've had anywhere.

 

A tip: If you do decide to make reservations at one of the restaurants while on your cruise there are interactive displays in various locations around the ship where you can do this yourself. You scan your room key card, choose the restaurant and it will give you available times to pick from - you also indicate the number of guests. Not necessarily in that order but it's very easy. I mostly noticed these displays in the elevator lobbies - usually between a set of elevator doors, I think. It seems like there would be one of these displays near the entrance to the restaurants too. It will not let you change or cancel reservations though... (We had to make some changes or cancel so we just went to either the restaurant or the desk in the ship's lobby area.)

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Spiritfire777

Spiritfire777

Posted
Posted

Just booked our first cruise to Hawaii .. so not only is it our first time in Hawaii, but our first time on Norwegian... I have some questions.. I have tried to call the cruise line only to be on hold for so long I gave up... anyhow.. I was wondering about excursions, the site shows none.. ok to be fair the cruise isn't until next year, but still... I am curious to see what they have and would like to look at them .. We will spend a week in Hawaii and I was hoping to start planning what we are going to be doing.... We also have a free choice of different offers and I cant figure out how to choose and where to choose them... did I miss that???.. I sure hope not... IM am having a hard time navigating the website... any help is appreciated... :)

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Lulubelle45

Lulubelle45

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There are enough different free choices on board that it is not necessary to eat at a specialty if you don't want to. (MDR , Indigo, O sheehans, lotus and the buffet.) Especially for 5 days. Im also on this cruise.!!!! We plan on O'Sheehans for lunch. and late night, maybe a breaky, buffet for most breakfasts and dinners in MDR or Indigo. There is also the grills on pool deck. My first time on the Pearl I did eat in La Cucina and found it was just ok. Saving my $$ this time and use it to go bowling

 

Sent from my SM-T350 using Forums mobile app

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BirdTravels "Live from...." Rare

BirdTravels

Posted
Posted
Just booked our first cruise to Hawaii .. so not only is it our first time in Hawaii, but our first time on Norwegian... I have some questions.. I have tried to call the cruise line only to be on hold for so long I gave up... anyhow.. I was wondering about excursions, the site shows none.. ok to be fair the cruise isn't until next year, but still... I am curious to see what they have and would like to look at them .. We will spend a week in Hawaii and I was hoping to start planning what we are going to be doing.... We also have a free choice of different offers and I cant figure out how to choose and where to choose them... did I miss that???.. I sure hope not... IM am having a hard time navigating the website... any help is appreciated... :)

 

Go to https://www.ncl.com/excursions and select each of the Hawaiian ports. They WILL be slightly different when you cruise, but that gives you a general idea of the types of excursions available.

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Quilting_Cruiser

Quilting_Cruiser

Posted
Posted (edited)
Just booked our first cruise to Hawaii .. so not only is it our first time in Hawaii, but our first time on Norwegian... I have some questions.. I have tried to call the cruise line only to be on hold for so long I gave up... anyhow.. I was wondering about excursions, the site shows none.. ok to be fair the cruise isn't until next year, but still... I am curious to see what they have and would like to look at them .. We will spend a week in Hawaii and I was hoping to start planning what we are going to be doing.... We also have a free choice of different offers and I cant figure out how to choose and where to choose them... did I miss that???.. I sure hope not... IM am having a hard time navigating the website... any help is appreciated... :)

 

I assume you're looking for excursions on your Vacation Summary on your MyNCL account? When and how many excursions they post there seems to be hit or miss. If you want to look at what may be available, don't log in to your account and on NCL's home page select "Shore Excursions" in the "Learn About Our Cruises" tab. You'll see there that you can choose your port of call and see what excursions may be available.

 

Personally, I use the ship's offerings to see what types of things are available in the port and then look for an independent vendor that has good reviews. I find excursions through the ship to be more like being herded around than actually enjoying myself in the port of call. :D:p

Edited by Quilting_Cruiser
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cml4958 "Live from...." Rare

cml4958

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Posted
wow!!.. ok.. now there's so much there I'm overwhelmed... so is it REALLY that expensive??? or am I missing something??

 

anything with in walking distance of the ship? .. just wondering.. sorry for all the dumb questions..
Head on over to the ports of call board (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=62) and I'm sure there is tons of information available. Please read the "Stickys" at the top of the page if necessary. You may get many of your questions answered.

 

The ships excursions are going to be more expensive than DIY. And Hawaii is definitely DIY from what I've heard.

 

Have a great trip. Oh, and ship excursions for your sailing likely won't be fully posted until 100 or so days prior to sailing.

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Quilting_Cruiser

Quilting_Cruiser

Posted
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They aren't dumb questions! This forum exists to connect cruisers and share knowledge. :D

 

Excursions through the ship are marked up to maximize profit. I suggest you go to the ports of call part of this forum and see what independent vendors people recommend. Also, join your roll call. Many roll call groups set up private excursions to share and those are most often far less expensive than booking through the ship. Ship excursions are typically your most expensive option. If you book independents, make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to get back to the ship before all-aboard!

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relic2

relic2

Posted
Posted
Just booked our first cruise to Hawaii .. so not only is it our first time in Hawaii, but our first time on Norwegian... I have some questions.. I have tried to call the cruise line only to be on hold for so long I gave up... anyhow.. I was wondering about excursions, the site shows none.. ok to be fair the cruise isn't until next year, but still... I am curious to see what they have and would like to look at them .. We will spend a week in Hawaii and I was hoping to start planning what we are going to be doing.... We also have a free choice of different offers and I cant figure out how to choose and where to choose them... did I miss that???.. I sure hope not... IM am having a hard time navigating the website... any help is appreciated... :)

 

 

 

You might want to go to the library (or Amazon) for the book "Hawaii by Cruise Ship". It has many suggestions as well as a removable map.

 

We are booked on POA January of 2017...a reprise of our Jan 2016 cruise. We spent 3 days on Oahu before our cruise and 2 days after. We did some private tours both times. One was an island tour. Another was an early scuba tour. The Hawaii boards have many great suggestions.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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atomax

atomax

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But if you do get the book from the library, please don't remove any maps! Other people may want to use them too ;)

 

I've gone to the library and taken pictures from my phone of key pages/maps so that I don't need to carry books or extra pieces of paper.

 

Definitely join your roll call when it's available. We did our first cruise on the POA years ago. We basically rented cars at each port (most rental companies will pick you up at the port) and drove around to places of interest. We were able to stay one step ahead of the massive NCL tour buses (and thus the crowds).

 

You might want to go to the library (or Amazon) for the book "Hawaii by Cruise Ship". It has many suggestions as well as a removable map.

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Joyously Sailing Away

Joyously Sailing Away

Posted
Posted
There are enough different free choices on board that it is not necessary to eat at a specialty if you don't want to. (MDR , Indigo, O sheehans, lotus and the buffet.) Especially for 5 days. Im also on this cruise.!!!! We plan on O'Sheehans for lunch. and late night, maybe a breaky, buffet for most breakfasts and dinners in MDR or Indigo. There is also the grills on pool deck. My first time on the Pearl I did eat in La Cucina and found it was just ok. Saving my $$ this time and use it to go bowling

 

Sent from my SM-T350 using Forums mobile app

 

 

Same. Lydia and I can't wait to try out the bowling! It's going to be fun if we have a big wave day lol. We should do a bowling party [emoji38][emoji106][emoji962](close enough)

 

 

Have a great day[emoji924][emoji4][emoji106]

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