Our Voyage on the beautiful Pearl - part two

[pictonite]

The Ship: The muster drill for us was held in the comfort of the Summer Palace. My DH and I had taken advantage of the Romance Package, and we were greeted with strawberries and bubbly in our cabin, together with a letter inviting us to dine in Le Bistro, and to enjoy cake and a photo during the cruise. It was well worth the price. We also purchased the week long spa pass - a real treat - I would highly recommend both purchases. The ship didn't really seem crowded - we were always able to be seated in the restaurants right away, and the buffet was never overly busy. The shows we saw were very enjoyable. We liked the comedian, and SharkBait was really funny. The Jean Ryan shows we missed because we had seen them in February. We didn't attend any Bingo sessions - but we did enjoy the casino. We attended the Latitudes party - and yes, you can ask for any drink that you want - and yes, the drinks were flowing! We had a small attendance at the Meet and Greet - thank you, Terry! - but the people who attended were delightful, and we encountered many around the ship during the week. We also were grateful to receive a large amount of school supplies that we were taking to Roatan with us - thankyou,fellow CC'ers. There were the obligatory sales in the shops, and there was a lot of action around the ship in the various bars. The ship did encounter some rough weather on the way south, and we did feel some rocking and rolling during the first few days and nights. Not enough, however, to interfere with our enjoyment of the cruise.

The Itinerary: Our first stop was in Roatan. We had booked with Victor Bodden's Tours, and he provided us with a van that was accessible. My DH and I had visited Roatan before, and had specific requests of Victor that were all honoured. We visited a public school on the island and took with us a variety of equipment and supplies for the teachers and the children. The school had so little, and the kids were so terrific. I wish we had taken tons more! We really enjoyed a visit to Victor's home, where we played with the monkeys. As avid gardeners, we enjoyed a visit to the Botanical Gardens. It was a great day, and I would highly recommend Victor. Unfortunately, our second stop - in Belize- was cancelled because of bad weather. We enjoyed our sea day, however, including the Happy Hour that was added on as a special treat. For those who are curious - we were reimbursed the port charges for Belize - they showed up on our final statement of account. In Cozumel, one of our group had booked a dolphin encounter in Chankanaab Park. We got a cab, just outside the port. This was a great treat for us. We indicated that we needed an accessible van, and one arrived with a lift that put the wheelchair in the back. This same

cab returned to Chankanaab to pick us up. A great service, and very reasonably priced. Chankanaab is a beautiful park, with a lovely beach, nice walking trails, and a fairly decent restaurant. We had a most enjoyable day.The final stop - at Great Stirrup Cay - was fine. The wheelchair was hoisted onto the tender by four hefty crewmen, who also had to carry it up and down stairs. Once on the island we exchanged our chair for a beach wheelchair - lots of fun - and we had an opportunity to swim, even though the place was crowded. There are many beach umbrellas, but you have to arrive early to secure them. We found a picnic table with an umbrella. We didn't eat there - but we did have a drink - which we paid for with our card.

How About The Food? We always ate well on the ship. We really enjoyed the specialty restaurants , especially Cagneys. My DH and I had a great feast in Le Bistro - we are lovers of escargot, mussels and onion soup, and we really enjoyed the crepes Suzette at the end of the meal. Funnily enough, I enjoyed the rack of lamb in the Summer Palace even more that the one in Le Bistro! We had good, fresh hot breakfasts in the Summer Palace, and some healthy choices for lunch from the buffet. Being ex-pat Brits, we really enjoyed the scones with jam and cream that were in the Great Outdoors in the afternoons. We never went hungry, and were often very pleased with the food options.

Final Reflections This was our second cruise with NCL, and we would consider cruising with them in the future. We booked through Norwegian Cruise Lines, and were able to get three price reductions through keeping a close eye on the website. We found the crew to be hardworking and very pleasant. Our only negative encounters were with a few fellow passengers who felt the need to be rude to crew members. We are ready to try new adventures, but we are not committed to any one line. We will look for the cruise that offers us new ports of call, and different on board experiences.

Thanks, Norwegian Pearl - you were just as beautiful the second time around!

[dustyroad]

thank you so much for the review. i will be on the pearl in may and i cant wait. i read everything about her and yours have helped me to feel like i know her already. thanks again.

[amd1234]

Thank you for your interesting review.. We are sailing the Pearl Dec 7 and we have also booked Victor for our tour of Roatan. We wern't sure of what to do and suggested a tour of the Island, a little shopping, lunch and beach for a few hrs. We also would be interested in seeing a public school please give some suggestions on what to bring for school supplies...

 

What a wonderful thing to do!!! We are so very fortunate!!:)

[AerynSun_JohnCrighton]

Wow! Wonderful revieew...

 

so they have some English tea type items in the one buffet in the afternoon? About what time?

 

Just so I can plan to stop by at least once. ;)

[Jamrenjer]

Thank you for the review! :) Sounds like you had a great time!

[pictonite]

Thank you for your interesting review.. We are sailing the Pearl Dec 7 and we have also booked Victor for our tour of Roatan. We wern't sure of what to do and suggested a tour of the Island, a little shopping, lunch and beach for a few hrs. We also would be interested in seeing a public school please give some suggestions on what to bring for school supplies...

 

What a wonderful thing to do!!! We are so very fortunate!!:)

 

Hi! It was a real privilege to go to a school. My DH and I are both retired school administrators, and our schools were so well equipped. The school we visited had only three classrooms, and two sessions of kids attended daily - one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. They had nothing! The teacher had to borrow a piece of paper from a child to write down the name of the school for us. Here's what to do - ask Victor to take you to a Spanish speaking public school. Take with you some Spanish paper back books for children , some pencils, erasers, stickers - anything you think a classroom might need. Anything and everything will be gratefully received.

Cheers!

[pictonite]

Wow! Wonderful revieew...

 

so they have some English tea type items in the one buffet in the afternoon? About what time?

 

Just so I can plan to stop by at least once. ;)

 

 

They put the scones out about 4 o'clock

Enjoy!

[terrymtex01]

I have to tell you we had the pleasure of meeting Annette and her family at the Meet and Greet and it was a joy seeing them around the ship. Their compassion for children is obvious and contagious. Hope to have the pleasure of sailing with them again.

 

Annette.. I wish I had realized it was your Mom's birthday. You may have even told us but that was the day the seas were so rough and we were both a bit drugged from the meds we took to compensate. I would have insisted on having a birthday cake sent to her.

 

Great review by the way. Very well thought out.

[coka]

Hi Pictonite!

I am going on the Pearl in February with my sister who is in a wheelchair. We are in the same cabin.

1. Does the queen bed pull apart into two? There are three of us in the cabin.

2. I hear this cabin's balcony is big! Are there loungers out there?

3. Can you give email or websites for the private tours you took on the islands?

4. Was the sand wheelchair on private island difficult to maneuver? Did the crew help put your mom in it? Where did they put your mom's wheelchair?

5. Chankanaub park...easy for mom in wheelchair?

6. I also hear this cabin does not have a bathtub because of large handicapped shower...is this true?

 

If you do not wish to write everything here, you can email me at quest4coka@aol.com

 

 

Thanks in advance,

 

coka

[pictonite]

Hi Pictonite!

I am going on the Pearl in February with my sister who is in a wheelchair. We are in the same cabin.

1. Does the queen bed pull apart into two? There are three of us in the cabin.

2. I hear this cabin's balcony is big! Are there loungers out there?

3. Can you give email or websites for the private tours you took on the islands?

4. Was the sand wheelchair on private island difficult to maneuver? Did the crew help put your mom in it? Where did they put your mom's wheelchair?

5. Chankanaub park...easy for mom in wheelchair?

6. I also hear this cabin does not have a bathtub because of large handicapped shower...is this true?

 

If you do not wish to write everything here, you can email me at quest4coka@aol.com

 

 

Thanks in advance,

 

coka

 

You have email, Coka!

 

Annette