9-Day Pearl Review

[dshefter]

My wife, 4 1/2-year-old daughter and I spent 9 nights aboard the beautiful Norwegian Pearl from Jan. 25-Feb. 3. This was my seventh cruise overall and my wife's sixth. It was the first for our daughter. I had previously cruised three times on Royal Caribbean, and once each on Carnival, Regency (out of business) and Cunard (Countess) about 25 years ago. My wife's previous five cruises had all been on RCI. By far, the Pearl was the nicest ship we had ever been on. After reading so many negative reviews about NCL, we were a little skeptical because we had always enjoyed the fine service and food aboard RCI.

After the nine nights aboard the Pearl, I am wondering what cruise ship these people were on. We found the service, food and ship itself to be just wonderful. I will go through each aspect of the cruise and ship separately to break it down.

 

As an overview, the ship was just gorgeous. The public rooms are nicely decorated with the various themes. The staff and crew treated us like VIPs, even though we were not in one of the VIP suites.

We did have our Cruise Critic Meet and Greet on the first sea day. CocoLocoLady set it up and we had about 15-19 people. The hotel director, and ship's group coordinator (Clair Nicol) showed up to give a talk about the ship and Clair set up bowling and free drink for our group for the second sea day, which we took advantage of. Clair also was kind enough to set up a tour of the Garden Villas and Courtyard Villas for the final morning we were aboard. I must say I was very impressed by these upper-level suites. I only wish I could afford to travel that way.

 

EMBARKATION: We flew down the night before our cruise just to make sure we wouldn't be rushing to the ship. We live in New Jersey and the Newark Airport can have awful delays, especially in the winter, where the weather can be somewhat unpredictable. We flew into FLL and took a cab to the nearby Renaissance Hotel (I cashed in some Marriott points). We then used Fort Lauderdale Taxi and Van Service to the Port of Miami on Friday morning. Eric, who owns the company, showed up 10 minutes prior to our departure time and got us to the ship around 12:30. His cost with tip was $90 for the three of us.

 

I must say the embarkation process was the fastest that I have ever encountered. We got through security and registration in about 30 minutes. We paid our cork fee for the three bottles of wine we brought aboard. The process was quite easy and it took only a few mihutes. We got our key cards last and boarded the ship. They said the rooms would not be available until 2 p.m., but we got into ours about 30 minutes early.

We met our room stewards, Fermin and Wilfred, and they could not have been nicer. We brought our own soda and water aboard, so we asked Fermin if he could remove all the drinks from the refrigerator, so we could get our drinks cold. He had all the contents removed after we got back from dinner. Wilfred also got us ice each day for our small collapsable cooler that we brought as well.

 

TIP: If you can, bring your own soda and water. It will cost you $2 a can for soda or you can spend $63 for the all-you-can-drink soda cup that you can fill at any of the bars. We brought enough to get us through the first 4 days. We bought more soda in Tortola and Barbados. We found a supermarket in Tortola and there is a convenience store in the port at Barbados.

 

FOOD: We ate at every restaurant except for the Lotus Garden. We found the food to be great at all of them, although we both thought Teppanyaki was the best. The filet was just tremendous. Cagneys was very good as was La Cucina (we ate there twice), Mambos and Le Bistro. I also ate at the Sushi bar for lunch on the final sea day. The sushi bar and Lotus Garden are open for lunch during sea days from noon to 1:30 p.m. We also ate at the Summer Palace and Indigo (twice). We found the service to be just great. The staff really treated our young daughter like a queen. She always got her meal before we got ours, which really helped. They have the same children's menu in all of the restaurants and they won't charge you in the specialty restaurants as long as they don't order a main entree. The staff just loves kids and trust me, they will get the royal treatment everywhere on the ship.

 

We never had a problem making reservations. I went to Mambos every morning at 8 a.m. and there were hardly any people there. I worked out each day at 6:30 a.m. and made sure to get down to Mambos by 8 if we wanted to make a reservation. We got all the times we wanted and our longest wait for the main dining rooms was 5 minutes on the first formal night (second night).

 

TIP: We ate breakfast at the buffet, main dining room (Summer Palace) and Blue Lagoon. If you want a quiet place to have breakfast, go to the Blue Lagoon on Deck 8, although the menu is a bit more trimmed. You can get eggs, omelettes and French Toast. And you don't deal with the large crowds of the buffet. Summer Palace is also nice for breakfast.

There is also a Kids Cafe toward the back of the buffet. They have kids food at lunch and dinner time, as well as breakfast items.

During lunch time, you can also get hot dogs, hamburgers, fruit, desserts and salads at the Topsider Grill near the pool.

 

I must say that I had my doubts about the Freestyle concept because of previous reviews, but it worked well for us. It's nice when you have a small child and can work your eating schedule around her. The only drawback is you don't get to eat with other people and we like to mingle with others. We did have table mates at Teppanyaki and it was a very nice couple from Ottawa, Canada. They were in a suite, so we got the lowdown on what it's like to travel in one of the nice suites.

 

PUBLIC AREAS: I spent a lot of time in the Corona Cigar Bar. I met a lot of great people in here, including a couple of cast members from Second City. They do sell cigars here, but no Cubans. If you want Cubans, I would suggest visiting Little Denmark in Tortola, which has a huge humidor stocked with Cubans. You can also get them in Barbados in the Duty Free liquor stores. Be prepared to pay for them. Also beware of fakes. At Cayo Levantado, they were trying to hawk Cohiba Esplendidos for $5, so I knew right away they were not the real things.

 

The pool does get quite crowded on sea days and the chairs around the pool do fill up quickly. But we always found chairs on Deck 13, just above the pool. There are two pools, one for adults and another for kids/families. The kid pool has a gigantic water slide that was quite popular with kids and adults. There are four hot tubs as well, two for each of the pools.

 

My wife and I also enjoyed the Casino. She won $1,000 on the Wheel of Fortune slot machine the first night. I played mostly blackjack on the $10 table. They also have tournaments each of the sea days in blackjack, slots and Texas Hold'em. I played in one blackjack tournament the first sea day. It cost $15.

 

Bingo is quite expensive. I did it twice. A six-play card is $29, while a portable computer machine that plays 36 games at one time will cost you $59. The cash payouts, I thought, were quite weak. The final snowball jackpost was $1800, which was significantly less than the big payouts I have seen on other ships. I definitely think NCL makes a nice profit on Bingo.

 

LAUNDRY: The Pearl does have free laundry machines on Decks 5, 9 and 10. They are located on the Starboard side mid-ship. There are three machines and three dryers. If you don't bring your own detergent, you can pay $1. We brought our own. Some people didn't even know the machines existed and you can easily miss the door if you are not paying attention. You will see a small sign that says Laundrette. The door is wooden.

 

CABIN: We were in an inside cabin and found the space to be comparable to other ships we have been on. There was plenty of room for our belongings. We had a foldout bed on the wall, but our daughter chose to sleep with us. The stewards pushed our two twin beds together to make a double. I loved the bathroom. The shower has a sliding door, which is great. On some of the RCI ships, the shower just had a curtain and the water tended to flood out the bathroom. We had good water pressure and never had a shortage of warm water. We were on Deck 9, which was equi-distant from all the major public rooms on Decks 6, 7, 8, 12 and 13.

 

PORTS: We went to Cayo Levantado in Samana. We chose the beach excursion due to previous poor reports of the town. I didn't want to risk going into town and having a bad experience. While I think the Cayo Levantado excursion is a bit pricey at $33 ($25 for children), we found the beach to be quite nice. We got nice chairs close to the ocean and our daughter loved the water. It was a little green, but it was fine to swim in. There is some OK snorkeling on the far right near the rocks, but it is not great. You will also find the usual hawkers for hair braids and other items. Beware of the fake Cuban cigars they will try to sell you. Buy your cigars in other ports.

 

In Tortola, we were supposed to do the ship's excursion to The Baths. But the tour operator told us the water was too rough and you couldn't swim in the caves. That scared away half the people scheduled for the tour and the operator needed 80 people to do the tour, so it got canceled. This was a little disappointing. I was looking forward to this tour. I found out later from the Canadian couple we met at Teppanyaki that you could swim at The Baths. They went over on the Speedy's boat and did it on their own. I didn't go this route because I was worried that if something happened to the ferry, we would not get back to the ship in time. Next time, I will do it on my own. We wound up taking a taxi over to Canes Garden Bay Beach. It was a beautiful ride over the mountain pass and we got some gorgeous panorama views of the island and surrounding islands (St. Thomas and Jost Van Dyke). The beach was quite nice, although the water was a bit rougher than Cayo Levantado. Our daughter still enjoyed the beach. We paid $10 for two chairs. The cab ride was $6 per person each way.

 

We did beaches in Antigua and Barbados. Went to Dickenson Bay in Antigua and was not disappointed. Also rented a Waverunner there for $45 (30 minutes). Paid $10 for two chairs. Water was a little murky here.

Barbados has long been my favorite Caribbean island and it did not disappoint. We walked through the Port Terminal and got in the cab line. Rode to The Boatyard, where we paid $15 per person (our daughter got in free) and that included one alcoholic drink, a chair and the taxi ride back to the ship. It is a happening place and many crew members from the ships go there. Also rented a Waverunner here for $50 (30 minutes). The water was crystal clear and it felt like a bathtub. By far the nicest beach we went to on the cruise.

 

In St. Lucia, my wife and I did the zip-lining tour through the rain forest. We took a 35-minute bus ride to the rain forest, where we got an aerial tram ride up the mountain. We then hiked to the lines. You do 10 lines and it was a lot of fun. I had previously zipped in Hawaii, but my wife had never done it. She had a blast. We used the ship's group babysitting for our daughter. It cost $5 per hour.

SHOWS: I went to three shows, Second City, Jeff Trachta and the magic show. All three were excellent, but Trachta was really good. He does impressions and sings popular songs. Trachta was on The Bold and Beautiful soap opera and has performed on Broadway. Second City is the comedy troupe that does skits and some improv. They were very good and as I mentioned earlier, I met a couple of cast members in the Cigar bar. The magician was really good and was our daughter's favorite. My wife also went to the Geisha dancing (she said it was OK) and the International Dance Revue.

 

The shows are at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., so you can plan your dinners accordingly.

 

FITNESS/SPA: I did use the workout facilities on a daily basis. There are plenty of treadmills, eliptical machines, free weights and Nautilus weight machines. I did go for one spa treatment as did my wife. I didn't sign up to use the spa, but it will cost you $139 for the entire cruise or $20 per day. I still think it is weak that NCL charges for aerobics and other classes. It will cost you $10 per class. To me, that should be a free service.

 

KIDS CLUB: Our daughter used the Kids Club twice, but she preferred staying with us. But we met people who just loved it and the counselors were very nice. Everyone we encountered who used the Kids Club on a regular basis, raved about it. For some reason, our daughter didn't want to go there, but it wasn't because of the staff working there.

 

DEBARKATION: Again, this was very simple. We picked up our tags on the second sea day (Friday) and waited in our cabin for our color to be called. We had breakfast that morning in the Indigo dining room. We were off the ship, through Customs and had our luggage in about 30 minutes. We grabbed a taxi and he took us to Hertz, where we had a rental car. We drove up to Orlando to spend a few days after the cruise before flying home to New Jersey.

 

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the NCL Pearl and I would definitely take another NCL cruise. The Pearl is a beautiful ship with plenty of amenities. Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions.

[retiredAF]

Thanks for the review and tips! Sounds like you had a great trip. We are on the Pearl in June and can't wait!

[sazzle99]

Great review - thanks!

[janiceah]

What a great review. I was thrilled to hear about the ease of making reservations for the restaurants and that you were able to find chairs on the deck above the pool. Also thanks for the hint about eating breakfast at the Blue Lagoon. Were there pretty good choices?

How was it with the taxis in Barbados? I heard they are hard to deal with and only want to take you where they want to go. Did you get one right by the port or walk in further? How was the beach you went to in Antigua. That's the two island where we were going to just hit the beach on our own also. Gosh I'm excited!!! Janice

[dshefter]

We walked out to the taxi line in Barbados. It took about 10 minutes or so to get to the front. We just told them we had three people and wanted to go to the Boatyard. We got into a van with a few other people and off we went. It was about a 10-minute ride to the beach.

 

Just ignore all the people who are trying to sell you tours. If you do your homework ahead of time and know where you want to go, you should be just fine.

 

As for the Blue Lagoon, I ordered an omelette there and French toast. I loved that restaurant for breakfast as there were very few people. You also get a nice view of the sea from the outside tables. The service was quite fast. If you don't need the full breakfast menu (i.e. cereals, waffles, pancakes, etc.), then this is the perfect place to enjoy a morning meal.

[slotaddict]

We enjoyed the Blue Lagoon for breakfast as well. The Pearl is truly a wonderful ship.

 

What Wheel of Fortune did your wife hit. There are three dollar wheels, I hit the one on the end the last night of our cruise for 1000.00, then I hit the wheel on the other end for 1000.00 and then the middle one for 500.00, what a nice way to end the cruise. :D

 

 

We had a great time on the Pearl, and will probably book the Western Carib, just so we can get back on her.

[paiagirl]

I enjoyed reading your review especially when it came to Fermin and Wilfred. We also had them on our Jan. 20 to 25 cruise. Our stateroom was also inside. We would see them working every morning and evening and still be cheerful and helpful. They were great.

[dshefter]

Slots: I am not sure which one she hit as I was not present. She came into the Cigar bar and told me. Congrats on your winnings.

 

Fermin and Wilfred were just wonderful. We gave them $30 extra each for all of their hard work.

 

In Antigua, we went to Dickenson Bay Beach. Wonderful beach, but beware of the hawkers. They constantly come by trying to sell you cheap jewelry and hair braiding. But that's pretty standard everywhere in the Caribbean. You just ignore them enough and they won't come back.

[sazzle99]

Could I ask anyone who knows where the best places are for a little shopping. We are on the Pearl in a couple of weeks and are doing trips and don't want to shop as such but would want to pick up a few souveniers and things like hot sauce, rum. local products etc.

 

Is it easy and best to buy at the port in eg Barbados, Antigua etc? We are going with Cosol in St Lucia so figure there will be time to shop there on the tour from what people say

[dshefter]

Barbados has a huge Port Terminal where you can find all kinds of shops, including Duty Free liquor, cigarettes, etc.

 

We also found excellent shopping in Antigua just off the pier. We did a little shopping in Tortola as well. Our taxi driver actually dropped us off at a supermarket on the way back from Canes Garden Bay Beach, where we bought sodas and snacks.

 

There are also shops in St. Lucia right next to the pier.

 

Hope this helps. Enjoy your cruise!

[sazzle99]

Barbados has a huge Port Terminal where you can find all kinds of shops, including Duty Free liquor, cigarettes, etc.

 

We also found excellent shopping in Antigua just off the pier. We did a little shopping in Tortola as well. Our taxi driver actually dropped us off at a supermarket on the way back from Canes Garden Bay Beach, where we bought sodas and snacks.

 

There are also shops in St. Lucia right next to the pier.

 

Hope this helps. Enjoy your cruise!

 

perfect - thanks so much for your quick reply! :D

[janiceah]

We walked out to the taxi line in Barbados. It took about 10 minutes or so to get to the front. We just told them we had three people and wanted to go to the Boatyard. We got into a van with a few other people and off we went. It was about a 10-minute ride to the beach.

 

Just ignore all the people who are trying to sell you tours. If you do your homework ahead of time and know where you want to go, you should be just fine.

 

As for the Blue Lagoon, I ordered an omelette there and French toast. I loved that restaurant for breakfast as there were very few people. You also get a nice view of the sea from the outside tables. The service was quite fast. If you don't need the full breakfast menu (i.e. cereals, waffles, pancakes, etc.), then this is the perfect place to enjoy a morning meal.

Thanks for the info. I didn't realize the Blue Lagoon had outside tables. It sounds like you liked The Boatyard. Was it packed or not too bad? Would you recommend the beach in Antigua just for some time relaxing? Thanks again, Janice

[retired rascal]

my husband and i were on the same cruise and concur with all you said...we had been on the ship for the previous 5 days and did not enjoy that part as much since there were too many very poorly parented children [not the kids fault] and samana is awful!!! having said that, the positives were: the mini-suite on deck 11 FWD was fabulous as were the stewards. the spa which we 'joined' for the 9 day portion is one of the better spas [land included] we've been in; we spent time soaking up the warmth of the tile loungers and just reading on the wicker lounges in the front; during the day we found it fun to curl up on the huge turquoise double lounging things in the front of the nightclub on deck 13; we enjoyed the sundeck.the snorkeling excursion to grand cayman was better than many; the other snorkeling was fun...the stingrays are great to pet. we found the food to be just fine. we didn't take the cruise for superior gourmet cuisine and were quite pleased with the range and quality of food on board. the captain's presentation of the workings of the ship is fascinating and worth going to. the shopping in tortola in the first crafts area tents before any of the 'real' stores was excellent---good stuff; bargainnable prices. st. lucia was second best....best stores and very good 'local' crafts people right at the pier. the cappucino machine kept us going. excellent and easy and fre espresso drinks. overall, fabulous ship with very responsive crew.:)

[retired rascal]

my husband and i were on the same cruise and concur with all you said...we had been on the ship for the previous 5 days and did not enjoy that part as much since there were too many very poorly parented children [not the kids fault] and samana is awful!!! having said that, the positives were: the mini-suite on deck 11 FWD was fabulous as were the stewards. the spa which we 'joined' for the 9 day portion is one of the better spas [land included] we've been in; we spent time soaking up the warmth of the tile loungers and just reading on the wicker lounges in the front; during the day we found it fun to curl up on the huge turquoise double lounging things in the front of the nightclub on deck 13; we enjoyed the sundeck.the snorkeling excursion to grand cayman was better than many; the other snorkeling was fun...the stingrays are great to pet. we found the food to be just fine. we didn't take the cruise for superior gourmet cuisine and were quite pleased with the range and quality of food on board. the captain's presentation of the workings of the ship is fascinating and worth going to. the shopping in tortola in the first crafts area tents before any of the 'real' stores was excellent---good stuff; bargainnable prices. st. lucia was second best....best stores and very good 'local' crafts people right at the pier. the cappucino machine kept us going. excellent and easy and fre espresso drinks. overall, fabulous ship with very responsive crew.:)

[dshefter]

The Boatyard did begin to fill up as the day progressed, but it wasn't bad. Plenty of chairs were available and the beach is pretty wide. The water was unbelievable. The clearest water of any of the islands.

 

Antigua has 365 beaches, so I am sure whichever one you choose, you will enjoy. Dickenson Bay had watersports available and it's a short ride from the town. We had our 4 1/2-year-old daughter with us so that played a major role in which beaches we chose. She got in free at The Boatyard.

[benmoll]

Hi,

I just finished reading your excellent review and appreciate all the helpful hints and suggestions .

You happened to mention where to buy genuine Cuban cigars vs. fake Cubans. I was wondering how someone can tell the real difference between the fakes and the real deal???

Thanks,

Jerry

[dshefter]

Well, it can be challenging deciphering between fakes and real ones. I could tell the ones at Cayo Levantado were fake because he wanted to sell me a Cohiba Esplendido, which normally sells for $40 a stick, for just $5.

 

When I visited Little Denmark in Tortola, I actually walked into the humidor and saw all the boxes of cigars. They all had Product of Habana on them. I could tell they were real. They were also priced much higher. I smoked a few on the ship and they tasted great. I also kept a few to take home for special occasions. I purchased a Romeo Y Julieta, a Bolivar Churchill, a H. Upmann Churchill and a Montecristo Torpedo at Little Denmark. Bought two more Romeo Y Julietas in Barbados.

 

To tell you the truth, good Dominican cigars such as Montecristos, are pretty good themselves.

 

Just don't buy your Cubans in Samana. Wait until you get to Tortola, Barbados, Antigua or St. Lucia.

 

Good luck with your shopping.

[janiceah]

my husband and i were on the same cruise and concur with all you said...we had been on the ship for the previous 5 days and did not enjoy that part as much since there were too many very poorly parented children [not the kids fault] and samana is awful!!! having said that, the positives were: the mini-suite on deck 11 FWD was fabulous as were the stewards. the spa which we 'joined' for the 9 day portion is one of the better spas [land included] we've been in; we spent time soaking up the warmth of the tile loungers and just reading on the wicker lounges in the front; during the day we found it fun to curl up on the huge turquoise double lounging things in the front of the nightclub on deck 13; we enjoyed the sundeck.the snorkeling excursion to grand cayman was better than many; the other snorkeling was fun...the stingrays are great to pet. we found the food to be just fine. we didn't take the cruise for superior gourmet cuisine and were quite pleased with the range and quality of food on board. the captain's presentation of the workings of the ship is fascinating and worth going to. the shopping in tortola in the first crafts area tents before any of the 'real' stores was excellent---good stuff; bargainnable prices. st. lucia was second best....best stores and very good 'local' crafts people right at the pier. the cappucino machine kept us going. excellent and easy and fre espresso drinks. overall, fabulous ship with very responsive crew.:)

Thanks for adding more great & helpful info. So do you think the spa was worth the $$. I'm thinking of doing it for the 9 day. I was thinking it would be nice to have a quiet place to get away from the crowds once in awhile. Does the spa have any outside seating or is it all inside? Was it hard to get those comfy loungers on Deck 13? I've heard they're pretty hard to get. I've read the cappucino machine is great. Thanks so much-janice

[dshefter]

Janice: You don't actually sit outside in the Blue Lagoon. What I meant was there are tables by the windows. Sorry for the confusion.

 

If you plan to use the spa all nine days, then I would say it is worth it. With us being in port five days, I didn't feel like I was going to get my money's worth out of the spa. There are some nice amenities in there and I know people who did purchase the 9-day spa deal for $139 and loved it.

 

We always found a lounge chair, but the ones directly by the pools were gone very early. Go up one level and you should be able to find chairs. People come and go all the time. It is just a short walk down the stairs to the pools and jacuzzis.

 

Have fun on your cruise. You will thoroughly enjoy the Pearl. She is a beautiful ship.

[dshefter]

I didn't see any outside seating at the spa. There are lockers for use as well.

["JJ"]

In regards to the fitness center, there were many free offerings for classes:

the 730 and 8 am classes were free, 730 was usually a stretching class

(yoga) followed by an aerobics type class (offered about 3 different types

in the 9 day period). These were so much fun, the attendance grew all

week! Several free informative classes (secrets to a flat stomach, accupuncture...). Very nice!