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Pearl 9 Night Review - Courtyard Villa

pog27

By pog27,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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pog27

pog27

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I was on the Pearl March 2, 2007 9 day sailing with my mother in Courtyard Villa 14510 the “Lotus Courtyard Suite”. We like the traditional cruise ship dining experience but the idea of the private courtyard intrigued us enough to give NCL freestyle dining a try. I remember saying to my mom in the taxi on the way to the port in Miami “We have very high expectations for this cruise, I hope we aren’t disappointed.” The cruise far exceeded our expectations! There are plenty of reviews of the Pearl so for the most part I’m going to focus my review on the suite aspects of the cruise, since there isn’t that much information on cruise critic about them. During the course of the cruise we ate at every restaurant except the Garden Café and for the most part we were impressed with the food. I played quite a few late night (and not so sober) games of bowling in Bliss which was tons of fun. The staff on the ship was very friendly and professional. Whenever we had any concerns the crew went out of their way to make things right. We loved the cruise so much we booked a Courtyard Villa on the Jewel with a similar itinerary for the same time next year.

 

Embarkation was the easiest I have ever experienced. We arrived around 12:30 and there was no line at the Courtyard Villa desk. From the time we got out of the taxi until the time we got on the ship was just about 10 minutes. We had seen pictures of the A3 villas before but when we arrived in the cabin we were still in awe, never having stayed in a cruise ship cabin that could be considered a true suite before. One large room isn’t really a suite. It had 2 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, a living/dining area, and a decent sized balcony. There were a total of 4 flat screen TVs throughout the suite and 4 telephones, one of them being a ship-wide cordless phone. We headed to lunch and were pleasantly surprised to find out there is an option for a sit down lunch on embarkation day at Summer Palace. Everywhere we turned staff seemed to want to guide us towards the buffet but Summer Palace was open and empty. Since there is no service elevator that goes to the 14th floor it took a while for anyone on our floor to receive our luggage but they were all delivered shortly before sail away.

 

We instantly fell in love with the Courtyard and Sun Deck. It was never too crowded and it was just across the hall. We didn’t even get off the ship in half the ports because we loved the Courtyard so much. One of our favorite suite perks was the option for lunch at Cagneys, and having the butler serve it to us in the Courtyard. Between 12 and 1:30 every day there would be Cagneys menus on the tables and either Ryan (our butler) or Michael (the assistant) would be around every few minutes to take orders. Both Ryan and Michael were super attentive and you never had to look far if you needed anything. My mom and I had a butler on a Celebrity cruise over Christmas and it was a joke. The NCL butlers on the other hand were always around to get anything we needed, whether it be lunch or dinner delivered to the Courtyard or our stateroom, or just an afternoon cocktail while we were laying on the Sun Deck. Having a cordless phone that works all over the ship also came in handy when we needed anything.

 

As I said we tried every restaurant at some point during the cruise with the exception of the buffet. Carlos did an excellent job of getting us reservations. We always gave him a days notice and he was always able to get us the time we requested. We also never had any issues with the service at any restaurant. Other reviewers have complained about long waits after being seated but all 9 nights we had very attentive and courteous servers. We ate in Le Bistro twice and loved it. The escargots were very good and the Chateaubriand was excellent, perfectly cooked. We ate at Cagneys the second night of the cruise and were very unhappy at the 30 minute wait even though we had a reservation. On top of that the Star Bar, where they told people to sit while waiting for a table, was completely full so there was nowhere to sit. I expressed my dissatisfaction and they did not charge us a cover that evening. That was the only night where we had to wait for a table.

 

We liked the food at Mambos but thought the menu left something to be desired. We were not that impressed with La Cucina or with Indigo. We knew we had to try Teppanyaki one night since everyone raves about it but the chef we had must have had an off night. The food had way too much oil/butter and it turned both me and my mother’s stomachs. We decided to leave and they accommodated us immediately at Cagneys. They didn’t charge us for the cover in Teppanyaki and gave us a bottle of wine in Cagneys. At no point did I ask for (or expect) any compensation, it was all just offered to us. This is something I have never experienced on another line. I’m not sure if the cabin we were in had anything to do with it (because the concierge handled the switch to Cagneys) but they went out of their way to make us happy. We tried Blue Lagoon for a late lunch one day and hated it. It’s basically fast food, great for the kids, but not so much what we like. We had dinner in Lotus Garden twice and we loved it both times.

 

We didn’t do a lot in the ports but one trip I would HIGHLY recommend to anyone stopping in Antigua is a helicopter tour to Montserrat. My mother and I did it with a couple from the roll call boards and all four of us agreed it was the experience of a lifetime. Montserrat is a nearby island with an active volcano that erupted in 1996 and destroyed the capital of the island. The tour operator is Caribbean Helicopters (www.caribbeanhelicopters.net). The tour is a bit expensive but well worth it.

 

Another nice Villa perk was reserved seating in the theater. We usually don’t go to the shows onboard but we went to a few this time, mainly because we knew we wouldn’t have to worry about seating. Carlos our concierge was always waiting outside the theater and would escort us to our seats. This was the best cruise we have ever been on with good food, great service, and a beautiful ship.

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marilynd

marilynd

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Thanks pog27 for the great review. My husband and I are taking an anniversary cruise on the Pearl on April 13. We are in the Courtyard villa area in an A3. Excited to hear that Carlos is the concierge. He was on the Star in Alaska this past summer when we took a family cruise. He is great.

 

I know what you mean about the Courtyard Area being so wonderful. My sister and I had the A4 Courtyard Villa on the Jewel in 2005. We loved the courtyard area so much we also missed a port just to enjoy the wave pool and great lounging area.

 

When did you get into Miami on disembarkation day? We were told to book our flight after 5:00 pm and we don't leave Miami until 8:00 pm. Do you know if NCL had any shore excursions offered for those with late flights?

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sneakerstud

sneakerstud

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Nice job done Mr. Neighbor! So you call me just somebody you met from the roll call??? Nice to know!!!

 

I have to add to your review:

Michael is the Courtyard Butler and not a helper to Ryan! He works together with Ryan and John, but is mainly only resposible for the Courtyard and Sun Deck.

If you live up on deck 14...you will never have a problem to get a dining room reservation, even 5 minutes before! They would cancel some common people from downstairs, so you would get your seats (have done that many times and love it)!!!

 

You also forgott to mention Laurent from the Spa, who gave us all the best massages (we are frequent Spa visitors) of our lives!

 

:D

 

King Marcus

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sneakerstud

sneakerstud

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We were docked around 9am and 1st off was around 10am, debark started around 10:30-11am and people as far as I know could have lounged on the ship til 1pm. There have been organized Miami Tours (city or Ecerglades), which ended at the airport of Miami or Fort Lauderdale.

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pog27

pog27

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Glad everyone enjoyed the review. Thanks for the correction King Marcus. Of course you aren't just someone I met off the roll call...you are King Marcus :D I forgot all about Laurence! He gave me the best massages I've ever had. If you are going to be on the Pearl and want a massage, request him!

 

We got off the ship around 12:30 and there will still lots of people waiting to get off. I think the morning we arrived everything was running behind schedule. The line for customs/immigration in the terminal was HUGE it took us over 30 minutes so I wouldn't recommend booking a flight too early. NCL has a program called BAGS where if you are flying certain airlines you can get your boarding passes and luggage tags for your flight onboard. Once you clear immigration you just hand your bags to someone and you hope they make it on your flight. We did this with American Airlines and didn't have any problems. Our flights weren't until 6pm so we went to South Beach and had a nice lunch without having to lug our bags around or go to the airport first to drop them off. I believe Continental and Delta are also part of the program and a few others. They did offer some shore excursions one being the everglades tour for flights after 6:30 or 7pm and a Miami city tour for flights after 5pm if my memory serves me right. Those flight times are for flights leaving MIA.

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cruiser82

cruiser82

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Thanks for the great review pog27, and I'm glad you enjoyed the Pearl. My mother and I will also be on the Pearl in an A3 Courtyard Villa and we're looking forward to it. We know how great the room layout is because we've been in an AB but the Courtyard will be a new experience for us.

 

I'm not sure if we'll be going to any of the shows since we were on the Pearl in December, but just out of interest where in the theater were the reserved seats?

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pog27

pog27

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The reserved seats are on the balcony level on the left as you are walking into the theater all the way towards the front. The Concierge should be waiting by the left entrance to the theater every evening and will show you to your seats. You are your mom will love the courtyard, its a great setup. It's so nice not to have to walk more than a few steps to get to the courtyard and its always peaceful unlike the main pool deck.

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pamera

pamera

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They would cancel some common people from downstairs, so you would get your seats (have done that many times and love it)!!!

King Marcus

 

It's an interesting type of person that gets so much enjoyment from having other people's reservations canceled.

 

Otherwise, thanks for the review pog27.

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cruiser82

cruiser82

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The reserved seats are on the balcony level on the left as you are walking into the theater all the way towards the front. The Concierge should be waiting by the left entrance to the theater every evening and will show you to your seats. You are your mom will love the courtyard, its a great setup. It's so nice not to have to walk more than a few steps to get to the courtyard and its always peaceful unlike the main pool deck.

 

Thank you!

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hotspur

hotspur

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It's an interesting type of person that gets so much enjoyment from having other people's reservations canceled.

 

I'll tell you--if someone canceled my reservation in order to serve an inconsiderate person like sneakerstud instead, there'd be hell to pay. Too many selfish people in this world--and a disproportionate number of them like to cruise.

 

NCL's emerging two-class cruising is going to come back and bite them in the butt.

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dwrist

dwrist

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The reserved seats are on the balcony level on the left as you are walking into the theater all the way towards the front. The Concierge should be waiting by the left entrance to the theater every evening and will show you to your seats. You are your mom will love the courtyard, its a great setup. It's so nice not to have to walk more than a few steps to get to the courtyard and its always peaceful unlike the main pool deck.

 

 

Again thank you for all the info you have shared with us about the courtyard area and the perks that come with the villas. Your review is making the excitement grow more and more. :)

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toz

toz

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Lighten up, cruisers. King Marcus is just toying with you. He's a very kind, considerate, and charming person...he even mingles with "the commoners" on the ship. By the way, I'm pog27's mom.

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sneakerstud

sneakerstud

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Thank you Paul's Mom...no there is nothing to talk about anymore and people will start to like me!

 

YES...NCL is kind of going back to a class system, which is totally right! If you pay USD 10000.00 per person for a cruise, you do not want to stand in line or if you want to have dinner, you want it regardless! Sorry for the once who pay USD 500.00 for the same cruise. But on the other hand most people who can afford trips like that, have to work hard...so don't give me the rich bam bam!!! You all have no idea, how many days and nights I have to work the steets!:D

 

King Marcus

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pamera

pamera

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YES...NCL is kind of going back to a class system, which is totally right! If you pay USD 10000.00 per person for a cruise, you do not want to stand in line or if you want to have dinner, you want it regardless! Sorry for the once who pay USD 500.00 for the same cruise. But on the other hand most people who can afford trips like that, have to work hard...so don't give me the rich bam bam!!! You all have no idea, how many days and nights I have to work the steets!:D

 

King Marcus

 

Ok - not I'm not "knocking" you thoughts, but I am curious as to how far you think this should go. I always book a balcony (BA), so do you think a balcony has the right to "bump" an inside cabin? I agree that the more you pay the more "perks" you should get but I'm not sure if I think that should come at the expense of others. (Especially when it comes to food and a cruise ship.) ;)

 

Also Sneakerstud - when's your next NCL cruise? Are you booking the new Gem? (I briefly meet you on the last cruise and heard you talking about the Gem.)

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sneakerstud

sneakerstud

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BA is tooooo cheap too! LOL

We talk about Penthouses/Villas...they do get better service and food then the rest of the ship!!! You should have read the special Breakfast and Lunch Menu...yummy!!!

 

I have no clue, if I will go to the Gem, thought about the Transatlantic, but it is really late in December to cross the North Atlantic and I'm not doing 7 night Florida cruises out of New York. I'm booked on the Pearl for next year 9 night same time same room, but that can change to a Garden Villa on the Spirit or a Owners Suite on the Pride of Aloha.

 

This year I want to go on Sea Dream Yacht Club or Seabourn and I will book that the next days, too!

 

There at least it is just one class and no the fighting with the "Common People", by the way Paul...I didn't get it why you even talk to them...they should just gat a little wave in the morning and should be happy with that!

 

Have a great day...

 

King Marcus

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