ncl Pearl af mini vs ab penthouse vs a3 courtyard villa

[kdzkatz]

There are 4 of us (2 adults & 2 mid-late teens). We went to Alaska last year on the Star in an af mini suite. We had such a good time we are going back up May 24th on the Pearl. It wasn't totally cramped in the mini suite but the closet was very full and we hid empty suitcases all over the place (under the main bed will hold several suitcases, great storage under the bed) to make room. By the end of the week the room was pretty full of clothes, souveniers, ect. I think we are going to move up to the AB penthouse and hope the fairy calls and offers a great deal on the Courtyard Villa. Does anyone have personal experience making the move from the mini suite to the penhouse suite AB and besides the private courtyard and deck 15 are there any real advantages of the courtyard over the ab penthouse? I have read many times that once you get a suite you can't go back to anything less so I'm a little afraid of making that jump..lol. Also, we are going to Alaska again and I am wondering if the penthouses on the port side of the ship experience much more noise than the starboard side as the ping pong table is located above one of them and the fitness center is above others. Is the ping pong table even set up on the alaska cruises as it is not real warm out? Thanks in advance for your input!

RCC Vision of the Seas Mexican Rivera 2004

NCL Star Alaska 2008

[DiBob]

bumping you up...did you try this ? on the NCL board?

[siberian khatru]

My family of five (two adults and three kids aged 11, 12 and 13) were in an A3 in the Courtyard (Cabin 14508) on the Pearl last August for the Alaska cruise.

 

If you can swing the cost of the Courtyard A3 or manage an upgrade, I would definitely recommend doing so. The priority embarkation was such a better way to start the trip that I was happy paying the extra cost before I even got on the boat. The Courtyard is a nice area to sit and relax and makes a wonderful place to have breakfast. The best perk, however, was having breakfast at the Charlie's Steakhouse each morning. I didn't think much of this when booking the room but we had a fantastic meal every time and the service was great.

 

The lap pool in the Courtyard let my three kids splash around but they usually used the bigger on-deck pools to swim each day. The private viewing deck for the Courtyard cabins never had many people on it but it was nice to have your own large space to take in the passing scenery. The hot tub in the corner of the courtyard was very large and clean. There were always beverages and snacks put out between meals.

 

The cabin worked perfectly for us and the master bed and spacious bathroom had plenty of storage space. The kids had their own small bedroom and bath but they normally hung out in the smallish dining room/living room area (it wasn't tiny but all 5 of us filled it up) or out on the wonderful balcony. All in all this room did spoil us but it made for a wonderful cruise. The concierge takes care of special requests like dinner reservations or a slot at the bowling alley in no time at all and leaves you notes on your door to let you know you're set up with whatever you need. The daily tray of goodies left in the room was a meal in itself. You also have a balcony of the theater reserved for Courtyard guests so we always could sit right down without searching for seats together.

 

The biggest problem you might have is all the attention your kids' specially-colored cruise passes will attract from kids in other cabins on the ship. My 13 year old sometimes let other kids in to the Courtyard late at night because they wanted to hang out in an area no one else could enter. They never caused any trouble and the staff never chased them out. My kids quickly had a little posse of buddies asking if they could go in the Courtyard to see the rooms and sitting areas.

 

I loved the NCL Pearl's A3. Worth every penny.