Norwegian Pearl - Haven Deluxe Owner's Suite - Full Review

[Spaniel Lover]

A Bad Start To The Cruise

 

Our cruise in the Deluxe Owner's Suite on the Norwegian Pearl was wonderful, and was without a doubt the best cruise we've ever done... and we've done 39 cruises! But it got off to a very shaky start!

 

The Port Of Miami was very busy the day we boarded the Norwegian Pearl. Every berth that could hold a cruise ship was full. Two of the ships that were there that day had just returned from cruises to Cuba, and the Customs & Border Patrol people wanted to do a thorough check of those two ships. So, those two had to dock at berths that had good customs facilities. The customs people weren't concerned about Norwegian Pearl, so our ship got bumped down to the very last berth... which has very minimal facilities. VERY minimal. Having been on 38 previous cruises, we've seen some really nice cruise terminals. Both of our previous experiences as Haven passengers sailing out of Miami were fantastic... they had this cool private lounge where Haven passengers could check in, with V.I.P. treatment... and a special waiting room for Haven passengers, with nice snacks and beverages. It was a luxurious check-in and boarding process. But on this day, with the Norwegian Pearl at the very last berth with very minimal infrastructure, it was a very different experience. The terminal where we checked in and waited for boarding was literally a big metal tent...

 

 

Now, thank goodness we were Haven passengers... because we were all allowed to come in to the big metal tent. The "regular" passengers were only allowed to come in until the tent filled up. Once at full capacity, they stopped letting other passengers in... and they all had to wait outside in a gigantic line. I bet that was a mess. I didn't get to see it, as I was one of the lucky ones inside the air conditioned tent.

 

They did manage to serve some nice snacks and beverages to the Haven passengers, who were all seated in one particular corner of the tent. But because it was one big tent, and everyone could see everyone else, some of the non-Haven people didn't realize the snacks were intended only for the Haven passengers. It got a little awkward at a few points. It was a far cry from my two previous Haven boarding experiences, in isolated rooms away from all the crowds. It's one thing to treat a group of passengers differently in two different parts of the terminal... quite a different thing to give special treatment to one group right in front of the other group that doesn't get it. That was our most awkward Haven moment. Once we got on the ship, everything was great. But that was a bad start!

 

[Spaniel Lover]

Downloads

 

If you're researching the idea of taking a cruise on the Norwegian Pearl,

here are a few documents you might want to download:

 

Norwegian Pearl Deck Plans

Freestyle Daily newsletters - All 5 days

First Day information

Disembarkation information

Key West shore excursion information

Ocho Rios shore excursion information

Shore Excursion order form

Cagney's Menu

La Cucina Menu

LeBistro Menu

Moderno Menu

Teppanyaki Menu

Wine Menu

 

[Spaniel Lover]

Our Future Cruises

 

2016 was a great cruising year for us, and 2017 is off to a good start! We went on four cruises in 2016, and have already done two in 2017. Perhaps you're wondering what's coming up.

 

Because I've made a surprising amount of money from the advertising revenue on

that went viral on YouTube, I'm always keeping my eyes out for other interesting new cruise ship waterslides that might offer good subject matter for another YouTube video. It turns out that Royal Caribbean has three waterslides towards the front of their new ship, Harmony Of The Seas, and then at the back of the ship is the tallest slide anyone has ever put on a cruise ship... plunging more than 100 feet! That incredibly long and tall slide is called

... and it's actually not a waterslide. No water involved... you sit on a mat as you slide down the tube all the way from the top of the ship down to the Boardwalk neighborhood 10 floors below. A very interesting opportunity came up to sail on Harmony Of The Seas during the second quarter of 2017... and I jumped on it. Kellyn was actually the one who brought this opportunity to my attention, because it's a group cruise with a bunch of people who are interested in quilting. So, while Kellyn attends quilting classes during the sea days, I can run around and shoot waterslide videos for YouTube. I think that will keep us both happy! And because it's a group cruise, we got a lower-than-normal rate on a cabin.

 

Carnival has a new ship: the Carnival Vista. There's an interesting new experiment they're trying with this ship... creating a special oasis at the back of the ship called the Havana area, with its own pool and Jacuzzis... but limiting access to only the people paying extra to stay in one of the nearby Havana cabins. I think of it as Carnival's version of The Haven. Count us in! In order to get the special type of cabin we wanted (with its own hanging/swinging chair on the balcony!) we have to wait all the way until the third quarter of 2017 to cruise on her, though.

 

I'd like to do a Panama canal cruise in 2018... almost certainly with Norwegian Cruise Line.

opened last year, and both the Norwegian Pearl and the brand new Norwegian Bliss will be doing Panama Canal cruises in 2018. I've also learned that an older Norwegian ship, the Norwegian Sun, has a suite with a private Jacuzzi on the balcony... and that would be my idea of a great way to see the Panama Canal. So, I'll have to pick one. On the one hand, we had a fantastic cruise on the Norwegian Pearl, so we know that we'd love to spend 14 days on her. On the other hand, it's hard to resist a brand new ship... especially one that's so large that it will have to go through the newer, larger locks... so the Norwegian Bliss is a strong possibility, too. But then there's that private Jacuzzi on Norwegian Joy. At least I've narrowed it down to a NCL ship. There are so many cruises I'd like to do, but so little vacation time!

 

No matter which NCL ship we choose for the Panama Canal, I'll keep my eyes out for opportunities to cruise on some of the other NCL ships... either in the Caribbean, or on the Mexican Riviera. I was so impressed with the Norwegian Pearl that I'm going to try to sail on most of the rest of the NCL fleet in the coming years.

 

As you can see, I have my eyes on some interesting cruises and I'm excited about all the fun we'll be able to have over the next few years.

 

[Spaniel Lover]

Packing List & To-Do List

 

Here's my official packing list.

Perhaps this will help you think of things to pack for your cruise.

On a few of the unusual items, I'll provide a link to the exact version I recommend at Amazon.com

 

Passports

Airline boarding pass

Cruise boarding pass

Luggage tags

If driving, printed directions to the hotel & cruise terminal

Wallet (I actually forgot this on one cruise!)

Swimsuit

Flip-flops

Waterproof beach shoes

Sunglasses

Underwear & socks (incredibly, I actually forgot to bring socks on one cruise)

One dressy outfit

Shirts

Pants

Shorts

Sweatshirt

Deodorant

Q-tips

Hair brush

Nail clippers

Razor

Medications

Toothbrush & toothpaste

Sun block

Hand lotion

Travel-size Kleenex for the airplane

Lint remover

Lawry's seasoning salt

Laptop computer or tablet computer, including charger

Digital SLR Camera

Waterproof camera for snorkeling

Camera tripod, or selfie-stick

Binoculars

Wireless indoor/outdoor thermometer

6-outlet power strip

MP3 player

Noise-cancelling headphones

A Sewing Kit for making emergency repairs to damaged clothing

Cell phone & charger

Waterproof wrist watch

Clothes hangers

 

My pre-cruise to-do list:

Stop newspaper and mail delivery

Book shore excursions

Send an email to family members with my travel plans & itinerary

Turn off water to the house to prevent the chance of a flood from a pipe break

Turn down (or turn off) the water heater to save energy

Make sure garden sprinklers are on

Make sure house is locked and alarm system is active

 

On the last day at work:

Update voice mail message to indicate my return date

Update out-of-office email message, and turn it on

Make sure my temporary replacement has an updated desk guide

Put a sign at my desk indicating my return date

[Spaniel Lover]

What Camera Do I Use?

 

Whenever I post these cruise reviews, I always get questions about what camera I used to take the photos. On this cruise, I mostly used my big Canon DSLR camera for still photos and a very unusual stabilized video camera for most of the videos. More about the stabilized video camera in a minute. Let's start with my main camera.

 

Most of the still photos and a few of the video clips were shot using my big DSLR camera: the Canon EOS 80D.

 

 

If you're in the market for a high quality digital SLR camera, the truth is that the Canon EOS 80D is probably too much camera for most amateur photographers... so the one I actually recommend for most people is the Canon Digital Rebel T6i. If you get one, make sure you get the T6i with the 135mm lens, not the cheap version with the 55mm lens.

 

I also like to have a Canon EF-S 10-18mm lens with me when I'm on a cruise ship. This is a wide angle lens, which is extremely useful when trying to shoot in small spaces (for example, inside a cruise ship cabin) or when shooting something very large (like a cruise ship, when you're standing on the pier next to it.)

 

I also bring along a tripod with me, to allow me to shoot long-exposure shots in low-light situations. It's also handy to have for shooting "selfies". I've got a tripod that is just the right size to fit inside my big suitcase but which is heavy duty enough to be stable. It also has a fluid head, which is something that's very important to look for in a tripod if you intend to use it when shooting video.

 

Any video that involved walking around and shooting with the camera in motion was shot with a DJI Osmo motion-stabilized video camera. It has a gimbal built in to it, which smoothes out all the shakiness you typically see in videos shot with a hand held camera. In the professional video world, they use a Steadicam to create smooth handheld video shots. The DJI Osmo is a way to get somewhat similar results without spending a lot of money.

 

DJI Osmo, stabilized handheld video camera

 

DJI is famous for making the most popular quadcopter drones on the market today... such as the DJI Phantom and the DJI Inspire. DJI developed their gimbal as a way to smooth out the video when a drone is bouncing all around in the sky. Someone at DJI got the bright idea that if they skipped the drone but kept the gimbal and the camera, and mounted it on to a hand grip, they would have a great device for taking smooth looking videos while walking around. That's how the DJI Osmo was born. It sounded like a cool idea to me, so I bought one of the first ones on the market and I use it for video shots where smooth camera motion is important. For example, in

where I walk through the pool area of the Norwegian Escape and then through The Haven to compare the two vastly different atmospheres, I used the Osmo to provide smooth camera motion while walking with the camera in my hand.

 

[Spaniel Lover]

And that wraps up my full review of our cruise in the Deluxe Owner's Suite on the Norwegian Pearl.

 

The problem I have now is I've set the bar pretty high for future cruises! There's just no way that the next few could possibly measure up to a stay in the Deluxe Owner's Suite. Unfortunately, I can't afford to cruise at that level very often... so it's back to "steerage" for me! :)

 

As you can tell, I totally loved it...

And my wish for you is that someday, you get to enjoy a cruise as great as that one was for me.

 

I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have... it just may be a half-day or so before I get around to answering them. Post a question... and check back later for an answer.

 

By the way, I'm posting this on January 28, 2017. I'll keep an eye on it for a week or so, to try to answer any questions that come up. After that, I won't be monitoring it very often... so it would be better to contact me through my web site at jimzim.net

 

If you want to read some other reviews I've written, about the 38 other cruises I did before this... just follow the links in my signature, below.

 

Thanks for reading a very long review!

 

[easyboy]

Thank you for the entertaining tour of your fabulous suite. It was something to look forward to in the future.

Will be following your exploits.

[sue402001]

What a awesome review of a great ship. I'm sure that's as close as I'll ever get to a deluxe owners suite so thank you for the great pictures and review.

 

I had to laugh at your packing list as my hubby forgot to pack socks when we went to Alaska and also only brought 1 pair of pants with him. He was the one viewing glaciers in shorts, lol.

 

Thanks again!

[Coastalbreezes]

Thank you for this fantastic pictorial review. It brought back fond memories of our 12-night Panama Canal cruise on the Pearl last October.

 

We were three friends lucky enough to have one of the Garden Villas (the other was unoccupied during that cruise). Caesar was arguably the best butler I've ever met and he spoiled us beyond expectations.

 

Every morning we awoke to find a continental breakfast of epic proportions laid out for us which included hot coffee, juices, cereal, danish and fruit. Hot breakfast upon request. He stopped by several times during the day to bring fresh ice and snacks and often lingered for some great conversation. Truly one of the best!

 

The concierge (Yahira)...not so much. I don't think she liked women. When my two friends (both male) would ask something of her (dinner res/shore excursion) it was taken care of immediately. If I (female) asked something, it did not get done without me prodding and re-asking over and over.

 

For example, midway through the cruise, I asked for a printout of my bill to-date (because you could not look up your account on the television and there was a mix-up with some charges). All she had to do was print it out from her computer. Two days later I had to ask again. She rolled her eyes at me, gave a huff and said "I'll be right back". Three hours later I finally got it. There were other issues like that during the week. It wasn't like I was asking for the impossible.

 

I would sail again in a heartbeat with Caesar but will make it a point to never sail with her as concierge.

 

Tracy

Edited January 29, 2017 by TracyE

[philip_eunice1]

Thanks for a great review

We be on the pearl in April you have heightened the anticipation good to see the horrible carpet has been taken out of the garden villa suits

 

 

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[watchdiva]

I think your PCC has it wrong. I'm 95% sure that any Haven guest can sit at the tables in The Haven Courtyard and order breakfast or lunch from the attendant stationed there. He runs down to the restaurant and gets it for you, and serves it to you at your table in The Haven Courtyard.

 

Of course, another option is asking your butler to deliver your meal to your cabin.

 

ALL suite guests (Haven and non-Haven) enjoy breakfast and lunch in Moderno. We always booked Deck 10 AFT suites (10166 is a personal favorite and we have stayed in it at least 6 times) and enjoy breakfast and lunch in Moderno. The Haven on the Pearl (at this time) does NOT have a dedicated Haven Restaurant (maybe one will be added in drydock but I can't imagine where they could put it!) but we have also enjoyed many meals in the Haven Courtyard on the Pearl (when we stayed in the 2 BDRM Haven suite and the 1 BDRM Haven suite) and it's very enjoyable!

 

Our personal preference when staying in a non-Haven suite is to have breakfast and lunch served on our balcony. We ask our butler to bring the Moderno breakfast/lunch menus on day 1 (as well as all the specialty restaurant menus) so that we can just order what we feel like eating without having to go up to Moderno.

 

NCL treats their suite guests incredibly well and with the Pearl being our favorite ship overall, we have loved your review~ It is a very special ship with a very special crew........:)

[Spaniel Lover]

In my story about our cruise, I mentioned that on the last day of the cruise, the crew embarked on a big project to convert one of the swimming pools to a sturdy base for a stage... because the next cruise was some kind of chartered rock music group cruise.

 

With a little searching on the Internet this morning, I was able to find out more about it... and even found a picture of the big stage they built out on the pool deck.

 

The group cruise was called Jam Cruise 15, and it featured musical performances all over the ship... in the Stardust Theater, in the atrium near guest services, as well as on that custom-built big stage out on the pool deck.

 

Here's a photo of the big stage they built on top of that sturdy base I watched them build where the pool used to be.

 

 

[nw gardener]

Thanks for your very comprehensive review. I smiled when I saw the picture of Caesar, he was our butler last year on the Star and we loved him too. The Pearl is my favorite ship, although I will have to win lotto to book that suite! Lovely!

 

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[grandmarnnurse]

I believe your cruise left on 1/15/17, because I boarded the Getaway just behind the Pearl, and witnessed the long, snaking lines out in the hot sun! I actually took a picture of it because my granddaughter and her friends were caught up in that long line to board the Pearl!

 

 

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[MandyMommyof2]

Once again, great review!!! Such a wonderful photo of you and Kellyn in the jacuzzi.So glad the two of you are able to spend such a lovely, relaxing (exciting getting stuck in that dressing room) 5 days together.

[Cruisermom2nick]

ALL suite guests (Haven and non-Haven) enjoy breakfast and lunch in Moderno. We always booked Deck 10 AFT suites (10166 is a personal favorite and we have stayed in it at least 6 times) and enjoy breakfast and lunch in Moderno. The Haven on the Pearl (at this time) does NOT have a dedicated Haven Restaurant (maybe one will be added in drydock but I can't imagine where they could put it!) but we have also enjoyed many meals in the Haven Courtyard on the Pearl (when we stayed in the 2 BDRM Haven suite and the 1 BDRM Haven suite) and it's very enjoyable!

 

Our personal preference when staying in a non-Haven suite is to have breakfast and lunch served on our balcony. We ask our butler to bring the Moderno breakfast/lunch menus on day 1 (as well as all the specialty restaurant menus) so that we can just order what we feel like eating without having to go up to Moderno.

 

NCL treats their suite guests incredibly well and with the Pearl being our favorite ship overall, we have loved your review~ It is a very special ship with a very special crew........:)

 

 

Thanks for this info! We are so excited!!! :)

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[GeezerCouple]

Thanks for the great photos.

 

We have very fond memories of the Haven on the Pearl, from a 2BR suite.

We had the amazing Maxi as a Butler, and we've missed him ever since...

 

That Sun suite, an OS (not a DOS, although it deserves that category) has an AMAZING view, right above the Bridge, with a very wide panoramic view.

We took it to Alaska, and if there is ever a time for that view... that's it!

 

We've now reserved it for a South American cruise, and in the future, we'll try to do a full Panama canal transit.

On the other hand, the OS on Pearl, with the front AND side balcony, might be good for that, with the good side view to look down at the mechanisms or whatever can be seen.

 

The Sun OS seemed a bit tired, although I thought it had recently had a drydock (?).

 

One thing from the 2BR suites... that huge picture window next to the bathtub. What a treat. :)

(DH got some great photos with a strategically positioned huge pile of bubbles.)

 

We had toured the GV on the Dawn, courtesy of the passengers staying there, and the space was really... huge...!

But we weren't quite enchanted with the view of the pool area.

We prefer seeing the sea, or other natural sights.

That Sun OS seemed the best combo.

A slightly smaller suite on the Dawn (called a DOS) had no balcony, although the view was wonderful. We won't do it again because there are other forward views with balcony.

[cruisingbajan]

Awesome review as usual Jim Zim.

 

No Obligatory Lawry Seasoning Salt on this trip?:D

[s_mich]

Amazing review! I really enjoyed reading it and we were on this ship with you! I was wondering what was going on with the pool while we were in Key West!

 

 

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[luvdznee]

Thank you so much for the fantastic review and amazing pictures.

 

We have been lucky enough to stay in the Haven on several ships, but I think to this day my favorite Haven experience was on our 2010 cruise on The Pearl in The White Diamond Owners Suite. Our Butler was Gian and he was to this day the best Butler we have had on any cruise. He was a sweetheart and couldn't do enough for us.

 

And while I very much enjoy the private bar/lounge and restaurant for Haven guests on the newer ships, the courtyard area on the Pearl is still my favorite. I like that it is smaller and quieter compared to the larger pool area in the newer Havens. It provided a more relaxing experience, in my opinion. 😃😃😃

[Spaniel Lover]

So glad the two of you are able to spend such a lovely, relaxing (exciting getting stuck in that dressing room) 5 days together.

 

One thing I think I forgot to mention is that our cruise on the Norwegian Pearl was actually cruise #2 of 2 for this particular vacation. The week before, we did a 7-day cruise on Allure Of The Seas.

 

Let me tell you, if you ever want to do a study in contrasts, take a 7-day cruise in a Boardwalk-view balcony cabin on the former biggest cruise ship in the world, and then follow that with a 5-day cruise in the Deluxe Owner's Suite on Norwegian Pearl.

 

It was like night and day!

 

 

Awesome review as usual Jim Zim.

No Obligatory Lawry Seasoning Salt on this trip?:D

 

Ha! Clearly, you have read a few of my cruise reviews before this one. I'm embarrassed to say that during our first breakfast in Moderno, I forgot to put the seasoning salt back in my pocket... and it was never seen again.

 

 

While I very much enjoy the private bar/lounge and restaurant for Haven guests on the newer ships, the courtyard area on the Pearl is still my favorite. I like that it is smaller and quieter compared to the larger pool area in the newer Havens. It provided a more relaxing experience, in my opinion.

 

I am in complete agreement with you on this!

[Ontario cruise duo]

Enjoyed your review of the Pearl and the Deluxe Owner's Suite. We cruised on the Pearl at the end of May, beginning of June, 2014 to Alaska. Now I finally get a glimpse of what is behind those mirrored windows. Your posts are always very interesting and informative. I believe it was you who posted a breathtakingly beautiful picture of the Pearl while we were sailing in Glacier Bay and you were sailing on I believe a RCL ship at the same time. Have you entered that picture in any photo contests, because it certainly is a "winner"!

Edited January 30, 2017 by Ontario cruise duo

[Vyhanek]

Your suite is beautiful.

 

One thing that I notice in the pictures that is so blaring to me is how the pool deck isn't jam packed with people! I was on this ship several years ago and I remember loving the ship.

 

Since then my NCL cruises have been on the mega ships and wow is there a difference in the amount of people they pack on the sun decks! In your picture, there's space between the chairs, even if this picture was taken during a port day, still there is open deck space!

[Spaniel Lover]

I believe it was you who posted a breathtakingly beautiful picture of the Pearl while we were sailing in Glacier Bay and you were sailing on I believe a RCL ship at the same time. Have you entered that picture in any photo contests, because it certainly is a "winner"!

 

I'm delighted that you remembered that photo. That's a huge compliment to hear that a photo from years ago made such an impact that you still remember it. As a photographer... to hear that from you just totally makes my day.

 

For those that don't know what we are talking about...

 

In 2014 I took an Alaska cruise on the Coral Princess. Everywhere around me, there were beautiful things to photograph. I must have taken a thousand photos on that trip! When our ship was cruising through Glacier Bay, I saw the Norwegian Pearl off in the distance. With my longest zoom lens, I was able to get a pretty great photo of the Norwegian Pearl with the beauty of Alaska in the background.

 

 

It's certainly one of my favorite photos of all time.

 

So, before our cruise on the Norwegian Pearl a few weeks ago, I thought of that photo of the Pearl in Glacier Bay. I printed out a large print of it on 13x19 inch photo paper, carefully protected it, and packed it in my suitcase so I would have it with me in the Deluxe Owner's Suite. My plan was that I would give it away to whichever Pearl crew member impressed me most. After a couple of days under the good care of our butler, Caesar, it was a no-brainer to give it to him. So, I won't forget him, and now maybe he won't forget me! He even asked me to sign the back of it for him. I hope he frames it and hangs it in his home... or carries it with him from cruise ship to cruise ship.

 

By the way, there's a video version of that photo that I'm quite proud of, too. It might just be the best YouTube video I've ever made.

 

It's actually best watched in HD, full screen. To do that, go to

 

But if that's too much trouble, just watch it here in a smaller format...

 

[YOUTUBE]E0oUvR8UaTY[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Ontario cruise duo]

Well Jim, Thanks for warming a "Canadian" girl's heart on a not so nice January Monday. That is certainly my all time favourite picture ever posted by someone on this board, and more importantly, because we were cruising on that very ship that you just so happened to photograph on our day of sailing in Glacier Bay. Please enter it in a contest somewhere, because I am 100% certain that you would be a winner! Thanks again for taking me (us) back to Glacier Bay and reliving our cruise of not quite 3 years ago. P.S. Also enjoyed the video you attached! Just showed DH, who responded, see, that's exactly why we have to go back. Ooops, I may have started something (only problem now is he's retired and the income just isn't what it used to be). Maybe someday, someway:rolleyes:. Thank you, again!!