Just off Pearl Panama Canal Oct 5 - 20

[rapata]

We disembarked last week from an absolutely fabulous 15 days on the Pearl from Los Angeles to Miami. I am not going to write a review but will be happy to answer any questions I can about the ship, crew, dining, entertainment, ports etc.

 

We are an active retired couple, ages 74 and 68, and cruised alone. We had a balcony cabin, took the beverage package as our promo and only ate at one of the Specialty Restaurants - Bisto - on the final night. We did not use any of the spa services or visit the casino.

 

Through our Roll Call we met many great people and did two private tours organized through our group.

[mamasylvia]

Did any of the buffets or included restaurants have snack-type food? Rather than pay $8 for room service, I'm thinking that when we are watching outdoors from our balcony, we could just send someone mobile to bring back nibbles.

[GeezerCouple]

We disembarked last week from an absolutely fabulous 15 days on the Pearl from Los Angeles to Miami. I am not going to write a review but will be happy to answer any questions I can about the ship, crew, dining, entertainment, ports etc.

 

We are an active retired couple, ages 74 and 68, and cruised alone. We had a balcony cabin, took the beverage package as our promo and only ate at one of the Specialty Restaurants - Bisto - on the final night. We did not use any of the spa services or visit the casino.

 

Through our Roll Call we met many great people and did two private tours organized through our group.

 

Did you go through the old or new locks?

 

Also, which tours did you do, and would you recommend them?

 

Many thanks.

[rapata]

Did any of the buffets or included restaurants have snack-type food? Rather than pay $8 for room service, I'm thinking that when we are watching outdoors from our balcony, we could just send someone mobile to bring back nibbles.

Yes, you can take any food from the buffet and O Sheehan does wings, fried moza sticks, dips etc. Also Great Outdoors and poolside grill do burgers, dogs etc.

We often ordered continental breakfast in our room and sat out on the balcony, for which there is no service charge

 

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[rapata]

Did you go through the old or new locks?

 

Also, which tours did you do, and would you recommend them?

 

Many thanks.

We went through the old locks, but did see a mega ship going through the new locks. It was hard to see much of the new locks as they are quite a distance from the old ones. The canal transit is amazing. We were on the bow for the first locks, then had a side view from of our balcony for the next one and were up high looking aft through the final set of locks

 

Tours....... we didn't do any in the Mexican ports as we have been there before. We did the NCL Antigua on your own in Guatamela, which was interesting. It's a world heritage colonial city. We passed an active volcano on the way and it Belched out a spume of ash right on cue. We wished we had more time there but it is a 90 minute drive from the port.

 

I arranged a small group (23) private tour in Puntarenas, Costa Rica through Gio Tours...... that was the best port day, we saw capuchin monkeys, did a boat trip and got really close to crocodiles, lots of birds, even a boa constrictor up in the trees, lunch stop for typical CR food, and a stop for shopping. Highly recommend them.

 

Another person from our Roll Call organized a small group tour in Cartagena, by a local lady called Maravely....which was also very interesting and covered many sights, different neighborhoods and lots of history, maybe too much for some folks but a good tour just the same.

 

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[GeezerCouple]

We went through the old locks, but did see a mega ship going through the new locks. It was hard to see much of the new locks as they are quite a distance from the old ones. The canal transit is amazing. We were on the bow for the first locks, then had a side view from of our balcony for the next one and were up high looking aft through the final set of locks

 

Tours....... we didn't do any in the Mexican ports as we have been there before. We did the NCL Antigua on your own in Guatamela, which was interesting. It's a world heritage colonial city. We passed an active volcano on the way and it Belched out a spume of ash right on cue. We wished we had more time there but it is a 90 minute drive from the port.

 

I arranged a small group (23) private tour in Puntarenas, Costa Rica through Gio Tours...... that was the best port day, we saw capuchin monkeys, did a boat trip and got really close to crocodiles, lots of birds, even a boa constrictor up in the trees, lunch stop for typical CR food, and a stop for shopping. Highly recommend them.

 

Another person from our Roll Call organized a small group tour in Cartagena, by a local lady called Maravely....which was also very interesting and covered many sights, different neighborhoods and lots of history, maybe too much for some folks but a good tour just the same.

 

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Thanks very much.

 

This full transit is on our bucket list, but currently, the dates don't work for us - yet ;)

 

We'll keep note of these tours. Sound very nice.

 

Glad you enjoyed it.

(We were going to do a partial transit, but I *really* want to do the full transit. The history of the canal construction was fascinating, and it would be better to see all of it.)

 

Thanks again!

[rapata]

You are welcome. We were also going to do a partial but for your first time absolutely wait until you can do the full transit. We read The Path Between the Seas before the trip..... I think I appreciated the canal more knowing all the history.

 

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[easyboy]

Thanks for the feedback.

[cookie38]

I will be on the Pearl in January with 5 girlfriends...obviously not same itinerary, but what were some of the shows?

favorite things in the dining room?

How was beverage package? problem with getting drinks in dining room?

overall, how was service?

since it is going into refurb in Feb (?), is it looking pretty rough?

thank's

Julie

[Turtles06]

We went through the old locks ..

 

Tours....... we didn't do any in the Mexican ports as we have been there before. We did the NCL Antigua on your own in Guatamela, which was interesting. It's a world heritage colonial city. We passed an active volcano on the way and it Belched out a spume of ash right on cue. We wished we had more time there but it is a 90 minute drive from the port.

 

I arranged a small group (23) private tour in Puntarenas, Costa Rica through Gio Tours...... that was the best port day, we saw capuchin monkeys, did a boat trip and got really close to crocodiles, lots of birds, even a boa constrictor up in the trees, lunch stop for typical CR food, and a stop for shopping. Highly recommend them.

 

 

Glad you had a great time, and thank you for taking the time to post. We're on the Jewel for a full transit (westbound) in January. Did NCL have an expert on board commentating during the transit? Any pre-transit lectures about the Canal?

 

We are also doing the Antigua on Your Own excursion. Anything you recommend as a don't miss once we get there?

 

And a small group of us are also booked with Gio Tours, so I'm happy to read your very recent positive review! (I smiled though, at your description of 23 people as a small group! But I guess it IS smaller than a ship's tour. :) )

[Turtles06]

Did you go through the old or new locks?

 

 

It's quite expensive for ships to transit the Panama Canal via the old locks, even more to use the new locks. So ships (like the Pearl and Jewel) that can fit through the old locks are not going to use the new locks.

[newmexicoNita]

We disembarked last week from an absolutely fabulous 15 days on the Pearl from Los Angeles to Miami. I am not going to write a review but will be happy to answer any questions I can about the ship, crew, dining, entertainment, ports etc.

 

We are an active retired couple, ages 74 and 68, and cruised alone. We had a balcony cabin, took the beverage package as our promo and only ate at one of the Specialty Restaurants - Bisto - on the final night. We did not use any of the spa services or visit the casino.

 

Through our Roll Call we met many great people and did two private tours organized through our group.

 

I am really jealous. Can't wait to hear about you adventures.

[cbtravel1]

You stated that you were on the bow for the first locks, what deck will be the best for this

viewing?

[roger001]

You are welcome. We were also going to do a partial but for your first time absolutely wait until you can do the full transit. We read The Path Between the Seas before the trip..... I think I appreciated the canal more knowing all the history.

 

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All of the above!!!

[roger001]

You stated that you were on the bow for the first locks, what deck will be the best for this

viewing?

 

We've done the full twice. It's such a full day of viewing, I am all over the ship looking at it all from every angle. Because you go through six different locks (?) you will have opportunity to see everything. Not to spoil the event for anyone, but if you wish, here's a huge bunch of pics I took on our first crossing. It begins early morning and exits the PC late afternoon. This was an east to west crossing on the Pearl.

 

http://s241.photobucket.com/user/roganderson60/media/Panama%20Canal/DSCN8966.jpg.html?sort=2&o=0

[Ranger719]

Rapata...

If you ate in any of the specialty dining rooms were you able to tell whether the Pearl has switched to the new NCL menus or is it still on the old ones ?

Thanks

 

 

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[cmego2]

We disembarked last week from an absolutely fabulous 15 days on the Pearl from Los Angeles to Miami. I am not going to write a review but will be happy to answer any questions I can about the ship, crew, dining, entertainment, ports etc.

 

We are an active retired couple, ages 74 and 68, and cruised alone. We had a balcony cabin, took the beverage package as our promo and only ate at one of the Specialty Restaurants - Bisto - on the final night. We did not use any of the spa services or visit the casino.

 

Through our Roll Call we met many great people and did two private tours organized through our group.

 

Greetings in B.C. from the Chicagoland area! We are getting ready to board the Pearl on 11/17/2016 for an 11/night Partial Panama Canal sailing RT from Miami. While I am jealous that you got to spend 15 days aboard the Pearl, we are in our early 40's so the vacation time from work limits our travel plans. I have no doubt that we will enjoy the cruise all the same. Perhaps in the future we will do a full transit, but that may be a long way off!

 

I have two questions for you, and they are both fairly short and sweet: I am the Meet & Greet Organizer for our Roll Call, and I am wondering if the Staff held a cruise recap/follow-up event toward the end of your sailing? I know the Staff of the Pearl did this for quite some time, but I don't know if this is something that is still going on. If so, I would like to pass the possibility of this happening to our Roll Call. Secondly, I am hoping to see a few familiar faces onboard. Would you mind posting the names of the Senior Officers and Cruise Director currently onboard? I have asked on the "2016 NCL Officer Identity" thread, but all that has been posted is the name of the Concierge.

 

Thanks in advance; I appreciate your time! Welcome home.....

 

- Khristine -

[rapata]

I will be on the Pearl in January with 5 girlfriends...obviously not same itinerary, but what were some of the shows?

 

favorite things in the dining room?

 

How was beverage package? problem with getting drinks in dining room?

 

overall, how was service?

 

since it is going into refurb in Feb (?), is it looking pretty rough?

 

thank's

 

Julie

 

 

 

As this was a repositioning cruise they had entertainers coming on and off in some ports, they did one or two shows and then left. We had one guy who did Sinatra and Buble songs, very good. Sorry I did not save the dailies so dont have his name. Also a group doing a Jersey Boys act, they did 2 nights. We also had Nadeen doing a hypnotist show, she also did seminars and a very funny show in Spinnaker late one night. The production cast only did 2 shows, would have liked more as they are good. We also had a comedian on for several nights.... Only went once! And a juggler.

 

We were a bit disappointed in the MDR menus, they have changed since we cruised on the Gem last year, when we thought the food was excellent. Very little seafood and up-charge for lobster and good steak. They did turkey on our Canadian Thanksgiving but only had prime rib once, and lamb shanks once. We preferred Indigo MDR to Summer Palace which is very big and quite noisy, though it had great views. Also ate several times at Lotus Garden for nice Asian and OSheehans, where they had prime rib on the first night.

 

Bar service with the bev package was never a problem getting service anywhere, including the MDR. We are not wine snobs and found the wines on the list OK. again, prices have changed since last year and my DH was surprised to find that his favorite scotch was no longer included in the UBP?

 

The crew on the ship are very good and we had excellent service everywhere. The ship is lovely, not as garish and gaudy as Jewel and Gem so it will be interesting to see what they do. The cabin carpets looked a bit tired and faded, but the ship is clean. We were told they are replacing the old TVs with newer flat screens, but who watches TV on a cruise!

 

 

 

 

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[rapata]

Glad you had a great time, and thank you for taking the time to post. We're on the Jewel for a full transit (westbound) in January. Did NCL have an expert on board commentating during the transit? Any pre-transit lectures about the Canal?

 

 

 

We are also doing the Antigua on Your Own excursion. Anything you recommend as a don't miss once we get there?

 

 

 

And a small group of us are also booked with Gio Tours, so I'm happy to read your very recent positive review! (I smiled though, at your description of 23 people as a small group! But I guess it IS smaller than a ship's tour. :) )

 

 

 

We had a canal expert Eddie come aboard with the pilot and he narrated throughout the day. It was broadcast all over the ahip and you could watch the whole thing on your cabin TV and the big screen in the Atrium. They showed a movie about the history and building of the canal the day before our transit.

 

Antigua...... The main square is nice, check out the fountain in the centre...... The tour guide may try to steer you to the Emerald and Cocoa "museums" skip them and explore on your own. its a small city so you can see a lot in the time there. Wear really good shoes, the cobblestones and hard to walk on. Lots of street vendors but they were not too pushy as in Cartagena.

 

Out tour group was 17 originally, then 6 more joined and they put on a second van for them so it was not crowded. Our guide was Jesus, he is excellent.

 

 

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[rapata]

You stated that you were on the bow for the first locks, what deck will be the best for this

 

viewing?

 

 

 

It was Deck 8 all the way forward, they had signs guiding you there. Get there early, there is not a lot of rail space. Also the sun deck 14 is good, high, but you are looking through glass so not the best for photography. Explore the ship before the transit day and scope out good spots. We found at the first locks everyone was outside but as the day progressed it was not as crowded. We really liked the side view from our balcony.

 

 

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[dexddd]

You stated that you were on the bow for the first locks, what deck will be the best for this

viewing?

 

They may have been up front on the bow by the crew pool. NCL typically opens up that area, puts up a bar, and lets people view from there. At this moment the Pearl is going through the locks and you can see the people there on the webcam.

[rapata]

Rapata...

If you ate in any of the specialty dining rooms were you able to tell whether the Pearl has switched to the new NCL menus or is it still on the old ones ?

Thanks

 

 

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We only ate in Bistro once and it seemed like the same menu we had on Jewel 3 years ago..... They still had escargots, french onion soup, rack of lamb, we both had duck....its was very good. Everything is a la carte if you don't have the dining package.

 

 

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[rapata]

 

 

 

I have two questions for you, and they are both fairly short and sweet: I am the Meet & Greet Organizer for our Roll Call, and I am wondering if the Staff held a cruise recap/follow-up event toward the end of your sailing? I know the Staff of the Pearl did this for quite some time, but I don't know if this is something that is still going on. If so, I would like to pass the possibility of this happening to our Roll Call. Secondly, I am hoping to see a few familiar faces onboard. Would you mind posting the names of the Senior Officers and Cruise Director currently onboard? I have asked on the "2016 NCL Officer Identity" thread, but all that has been posted is the name of the Concierge.

 

 

 

Thanks in advance; I appreciate your time! Welcome home.....

 

 

 

- Khristine -

 

At the meet and greet we had all the senior officers including Captain Stephan and yes, we did have a recap on the last day with the Hotel Director, Housekeeping, Exec Chef. F & B officer and Dan the cruise director. Sorry but I dont have the names of the officers but if you go to our Roll Call thread and contact our organiser Ralph... BRaddock620 he may be able to give you the names.

 

 

 

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[rapata]

 

We are also doing the Antigua on Your Own excursion. Anything you recommend as a don't miss once we get there?

 

 

Correction... its Jade in Antigua. emeralds in Colombia.

 

Antigua...... The main square is nice, check out the fountain in the centre...... The tour guide may try to steer you to the Emerald and Cocoa "museums" skip them and explore on your own.

[mamasylvia]

Thanks for the snacks info. O'Sheehan's sounds like it will suit us fine. (I'm not a fan of cold hamburgers, lol. When we want a meal, we'll either pay the room service charge or go somewhere.)

 

I have only cruised once so forgive me if this is a stupid question. On RCL OOTS, we could access the daily MDR menu from our room tv screen since had a computer function as well. Does Pearl have this feature? Made it very convenient to decide between MDR and buffet for each meal.