Norwegian Pearl review - Eastern Caribbean - October 24, 2009

[gtalum]

We had a fantastic trip on Norwegian Pearl last week. We departed Miami on Saturday October 24 for Samaná, St. Thomas, Tortola, and Great Stirrup Cay, returning on October 31. The Pearl is gorgeous. Everything we saw on the ship was sparkling clean and looked brand new, and the crew was attentive and friendly. They always had a smile and a greeting for our 3-year-old daughter.

 

This was our 6th cruise, and the other 5 were all on Carnival. I'll do some comparing and contrasting in this review, but know that we feel that overall the two cruise lines are very comparable in terms of quality.

 

Embarkation:

 

Embarkation was a breeze for us. We drove down to Miami the night before, and showed up to the Port of Miami about 10:30. After dropping off our bags we parked, and actually entered the terminal about 10:45, and were on-board before 11:30, made a reservation for Teppanyaki that night, and we were lunching at Summer Palace before noon. No complaints.

 

Staff:

 

I had read a lot of reviews stating that Norwegian staff are rude and inefficient thanks to pooled tips and Freestyle dining. On this cruise, at least, the reality was very different. Staff always had smiles and greetings, and doted on our little one. The room stewards did seem a bit stretched with a few too many cabins, but ours did an excellent job keeping up.

 

Cabin:

 

All I can say is SMALL. We were in an AF mini-suite (really just a deluxe balcony, no suite perks), #11016 directly under the library, and it felt tiny and cramped. Regular balcony cabins on Carnival feel larger. It wasn't a big deal to us, especially since the balcony was nice and roomy and the bathroom was fantastic, but there really wasn't enough space to move around or store everything in the cabin. It felt very cluttered the whole trip. It was nicely appointed, though. It would have been much worse if our third passenger was another adult. As it was it was adequate, but I wish it had been a bit larger. I liked the very refreshing spearmint-scented Elemis body wash (is it okay for a guy to say that? :D).

 

Dining:

 

We loved the whole Freestyle concept on NCL. The sailing was not particularly crowded, so we only made reservations one night, for Teppanyaki. We never had a wait to dine. Food quality is subjective, but to us the quality of food in the main dining room seems to be slightly better on Carnival, and I emphasize slightly. NCL's variety of specialty restaurants was great, and the quality of food was fantastic. We ate in Teppanyaki, Le Bistro, and Shabu Shabu (Mongolian hot pots). We enjoyed every one of these. We also did the Murder Mystery Dinner, which was entertaining but very disorganized on our sailing. We ate dinner twice at Summer Palace, once at Indigo, and one night we just ate at the Blue Lagoon 24 hour restaurant. The buffet is another place NCL really shines. The Garden Cafe is simply the nicest buffet I've ever dined at. We had breakfast and lunch there every day. Choices were plentiful, food was the appropriate temperature. The fruits, vegetables, and salads were very fresh.

 

Ports:

 

Of the ports, Samaná was hands down our favorite. We spent the day at Playa Rincón with an excursion through Casa Dorado (and organized by Cruise Critic member bdgf: thanks Kevin!). I highly recommend this. It is the most picturesque beach we've ever seen. It's also very quiet, with maybe 50 people there on a 3 km beach, most clustered by the vendors and restaurants at one end. There were several vendors set up selling Presidente beer and rum drinks. We ate at Rubi's restaurant, at the recommendation of our guide from Casa Dorado. He helped us get our food ordered, and set it up so we could leave and come back when it was ready. We each ordered a grilled red snapper which was delicious. Our daughter ate Cheetos from a vendor (all the way to the DR to eat Cheetos! Kids... :D). Otherwise it was just 4 hours of paradise. The NCL tour to Playa Rincón showed up and they only got about an hour there, and they were complaining about the rough ride on the all-terrain trucks. Our excursion was by van and boat, with no really rough roads. Save money and get a better experience by gathering 10 people and use the Casa Dorado excursion. The people at Casa Dorado were great.

 

We had a quiet day in St. Thomas. We rented a car and went sightseeing.

 

In Tortola we used Speedy's Ferries to go over to the Baths on Virgin Gorda. This was a lot of fun, climbing through the rocks. Our 3-year-old didn't have much trouble keeping up. We finished with enough time to enjoy a Carib and a Cuba Libre at the Top of the Baths before returning for the ferry back to Tortola.

 

Great Stirrup Cay was of course just a fun beach day. We got on the first tender and got a seat with an umbrella. Don't expect and umbrella if you're not on the first tender. The food was good and the crowds weren't unmanageable (except the aforementioned lack o fumbrellas), despite many of the bad reviews we've read here.

 

Sea Days:

 

The two sea days were fun and relaxing. One difference we noted between Carnival and NCl was that there were many fewer organized activities at sea on NCL. We did enjoy bowling and rock-climbing, which are not available on Carnival. The pools are much larger on the Pearl than on any Carnival ship we've sailed, but Carnival's water slides are much better than the one on the Pearl. NCL reserves one of the two main pools and two of the four hot tubs for adults only and they actually enforced this rule. This was a big plus. Our daughter enjoyed splashing around in the large shallow areas on the sides of the pool and playing with other little kids there.

 

Kids Club:

 

This was our biggest disappointment on the Pearl, but it still wasn't major. The Aqua Kids' Club on the Pearl was good, but not nearly as good as either of the two Camp Carnival facilities we've used (Carnival Glory and Carnival Inspiration). Where Camp carnival is chock full of toys, Aqua Kids' Club has a big jungle gym and little else. Of the three kids' club staff that we interacted with, two were very friendly and accommodating, and the third was very unfriendly and oddly enough seemed to dislike children. On Carnival, we've never experienced anything but friendly Camp Carnival staff. Overall she still had a lot of fun in the club, but we didn't leave her in the kids' club as much as we would leave her in Camp Carnival because we just didn't think it was as much fun for her as Camp carnival was.

 

Disembarkation:

 

NCL's end of the disembarkation was smooth and efficient, better than any we've experienced with Carnival. We were allowed to remain in our cabins up until last call if we'd wanted to (whereas Carnival pretty much boots you out of your cabin around 8ish). We dined at the Garden Cafe, and our group (which we selected ourselves, thank you Freestyle!) was called at about 8:45, and we were back in the terminal around 9. That's where the mess started. The bags were basically just thrown around in some fairly small baggage claim rooms. There weren't nearly enough porters. The lines for customs and immigration were long and slow, and the agent who "interviewed" us was rude and condescending, and I think was trying (unsuccessfully) intimidate me. After that, we were through and our porter took us with our bags all the way to the parking garage. I tipped him nicely. I of course do not blame NCL at all for the customs hassles. The customs personnel at the Port of Miami, though, simply reeked of self-importance and incompetence.

 

 

Overall, I would definitely sail NCL again if the right deal comes along. We are considering a Mediterranean cruise on Norwegian Jade or Norwegian Gem in the next year or two. We'll probably still stick with Carnival most of the time, though, for Camp Carnival and for the much wider selection of cruises from nearby home ports. It will be interesting to compare Carnival's new "Your Time Dining" to NCL's "Freestyle". Freestyle is very well implemented and is almost certainly the biggest thing we will miss about NCL.

 

I will post a few pictures later.

[CruisnGram]

Great review full of terrific comparisons! This is the type of stuff that people need to see in order to make choices between cruise lines.

 

So glad you had a great cruise!

 

CG

[gtalum]

Oh I forgot!

 

Entertainment:

 

We went to two of the big Jean Ann Ryan dance shows. We didn't really like South Beach Rave at all, but Garden of the Geisha was pretty good. The comedian David Naster I thought was very funny, but my wife thought he was just okay. Sharkbait was hilarious, and had the two best shows of the cruise. I loved all of the live music around the ship. One polace Carnival has cut back is on live music. It's available less than it used to be, and when it is available it's usually two-man bands with recorded backup. I was glad to see NCL had multiple full bands.

[jtdlmc]

Thanks for the review. I am trying to make a decision between NCL and Carnival and had pretty much been leaning more towards NCL but now I think I'm back in the middle again! Waterpark/waterslide and kids' club is a big amenity for us - or I should say for my DS who will be 9 when we go.

[gtalum]

I should qualify that part. I suspect that for older kids, the NCL Kids' Club is better than it is for little kids. It seemed like the activities for the 2-5 age group weren't as plentiful, but there was more for the older kids to do. It was almost like they built the kids' club for ages 6 and up and then just stuck in the 2-5 age group without much planning.

 

The water slide simply isn't as fast or as twisty as Carnival's water slides. Kids still seemed to like it well enough. :)

[flbeachmom]

great review. Carnival is the one ship we have not gone on yet. I have a 9,14 and 15 year old and they loved the NLC pearl so we are off again this thanksgiving. The pool is never too big of a draw for us living in Fl they seem to swim mostly year round, but the bowling, rockwall, giant chess and checkers on deck, wii on the big screen and kids club keep mine very active. I have wondered about more kid activities on carnival. Funny story last year our ship passed very close to a carnival ship and my 14year old daughter came and said "mom there was a man naked on his balcony swinging his manhood at us!" That is my only Carnival knowledge LOL.

[Sooners]

Great Review! Very useful comparison for those looking at both lines.

 

I think I would be pretty happy on almost any ship, but I love the Pearl!:)

[Sooners]

Funny story last year our ship passed very close to a carnival ship and my 14year old daughter came and said "mom there was a man naked on his balcony swinging his manhood at us!" That is my only Carnival knowledge LOL.

 

ROTFL:eek:

[coka]

Excellent review! I too like to read the comparisons. I was on the week before and agree that Sharkbait was a riot. Good to know you made it to GSC. Did they have clam shell umbrellas or something like that available on the private island? It was something new they had written in the freestyle daily. Also, did you see any progress on the future new tender area? Thanks in advance,

 

coka

[k4btzs]

Thanks for sharing your trip with us. I agree that your review is a very nice balance. Having only sailed on NCL, our upcoming cruise will only be our 2nd, its nice to see Carnival compared to NCL in case that is something we would like to try in the future.

[gtalum]

Excellent review! I too like to read the comparisons. I was on the week before and agree that Sharkbait was a riot. Good to know you made it to GSC. Did they have clam shell umbrellas or something like that available on the private island? It was something new they had written in the freestyle daily. Also, did you see any progress on the future new tender area? Thanks in advance,

 

coka

 

They did have clamshells for rent, all the way to the left when you exit the tenders. I didn't see how many, but it didn't look like a lot of them. I think you rent them at the water-sports shop, but we didn't inquire. They also had regular umbrellas at some of the loungers, but not nearly enough. I did not notice a new tender area, but I wasn't looking for it.

[LorriSG]

Thanks so much for your review. As you can see we have sailed Carnival in the past as well. I always find it enjoyable to read reviews from other CCL sailors when they sail NCL :D

 

When we sailed on the Sky we had some AC problems with our cabin and we felt NCL went above and beyond to make us comfortable and purchased certificates for deposits on future cruises. The Pearl was our choice for one of those.

 

 

Were there any 2 for 1 specials in the pay restaurants?

[gtalum]

Were there any 2 for 1 specials in the pay restaurants?

 

I didn't notice any, but that doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't offered.

[Harleycat]

Oh I forgot!

 

Entertainment:

 

We went to two of the big Jean Ann Ryan dance shows. We didn't really like South Beach Rave at all, but Garden of the Geisha was pretty good. The comedian David Naster I thought was very funny, but my wife thought he was just okay. Sharkbait was hilarious, and had the two best shows of the cruise. I loved all of the live music around the ship. One polace Carnival has cut back is on live music. It's available less than it used to be, and when it is available it's usually two-man bands with recorded backup. I was glad to see NCL had multiple full bands.

 

Question for you. I read a complaint on another site that said they thought the shows (in the Stardust) were too risque. Did you find that to be so? They had a child with them and were told that all the shows in the Stardust were suitable for children. I can only comment on the shows I saw on the Dawn but I didn't find them risque.

[jbo57]

Absolutely great review! I was on your cruise and was on your same deck but on the other side of the ship. My experiences were a little different but just as positive. Since this was our first cruise, I will have to address it from a newbie perspective.

 

Our embarkation was a little different in that we had stayed at a hotel (don't get me started) and they took us to the port. However, the whole procedure concerning getting your bags on board was very positive. (However, being newbies, it took us a few seconds to figure out that the statement, "I will take care of your bags"...interprets out to, "I would love a tip for taking good care of your bags.") :) However, we were about 45 minutes getting on board...which was not bad at all.

 

Once on board it was literally paradise. My group (minus me) went to one resturant where they encountered a rude waiter. That was the ONLY time we encountered any negativity from the crew. In fact, just the opposite was true. Our cabin stewards, Jonathan and Rolllie, knew our names from the time we came on board. They wanted to turn down my room one night and we didn't need the service and I told them it wouldn't be necessary. They thought they had done something wrong and were a little hurt until I assured them that everything was great. (I'd love to have them at home.) Also, the staff on Deck 6 were great. One server in particular is someone everyone should know. Her name is Venus and she ALWAYS has a smile on her face and bends over backward to make sure you are happy...even when you are not buying anything.

 

As mentioned, we found the food to be great. Every morning we would eat in the buffet and they would have every kind of food imaginable for every palate or religious preference. I fell in love with the omelet grill! We would usually eat our lunch there as well and I loved their hamburgers. They had hamburgers, sauteed onions and mushrooms and all the other fixings. Then for supper we would go to one of the more luxurious places and I was thrilled with all of them as well. Cagney's was the most expensive at $25 per, but it was well worth it. However, I could have eaten at none of the specialty resturants and been just as happy, the food was that good.

 

My experience on the outings was just the opposite. We found Samana to be a terrible place to visit and if we were ever on a cruise that stopped there, we would remain on the ship. We didn't speak the language. When someone did they were pushy. We independently contracted with a van to take us to the small waterfall; the beach; and shopping for $20 per person. We got to the waterfall and it was a nice experience with two young people serving as our guides. The young man would get into the water and help our women across so they did not fall. They were very nice. However, when we got back into the van, the driver took us back to where we started and we were informed that we would now be taken to the office where we could choose from a list of things to do and we would have to renegotiate a price. We refused and went back to the ship.

 

St. Thomas was absolutely awesome! Very beautiful...very clean...we spoke the language...and the people valued your business. We loved walking the streets and shopping. I didn't run in to any one who was rude. In fact, I sat on a bench where the taxi dropped us off and a lady from one of the shops came up and asked if she could sit next to me. She proceeded to explain everything about St. Thomas to me...it's lizzards...it's culture...it's love for the cruise ships...her family history, etc. She even told me to tell everyone not to wear red toenail polish because the iguana's eat the native red flowers and confuse the polish with red flowers...much to woman's chagrin. This is the place where we picked up most of the stuff to take home. My wife loves to bargain with people and these people love to bargain back. (She got a ring that was marked $140 for $25).

 

Tortula was also excellent and the snorkling was wonderful! We went to the baths as well and also took Speedy's. ($38 round trip from Road Town to Virgin Gorda.) It took us about 45 minutes to get there. We were supposed to be back on board the Pearl by 2:30 at the latest. To make a long story short...give yourself time and plan for the unexpected. Speedy's was supposed to pick us up for the return trip at 1:45...they didn't get there until 2:00. We didn't get back to their dock until 2:30 (it's faster going back than going out)...and I got back to the ship at 2:45. Now that was the bad...the good was we were able to rent snorkling gear for $10 and the swimming was the most beautiful I've ever seen! Then there are the caves...man, how beautiful. If you get close do yourself a favor and visit Virgin Gorda...but get back on time. ;) (One piece of advice for folks like me who have never been snorkling. Beware of the rocks and if you sit on them make sure you get well above water level. There are barnacles on the rocks and if you sit at water level the waves cause you to go back and forth and the barnacles are very, very sharp. I've got the cuts on my hands, arms, legs and feet to prove it. Then when you are bleeding you start hearing the Jaws theme in the back of your head...) :)

 

My family loved GSC! My wife actually went para-sailing and talked them into dunking her a few times. She loved it. The beach bar b q was wonderful and it was a very relaxing time.

 

To conclude...this cruise was exceptional. I would do it again in a heartbeat! I love freestyle cruising.

[jbo57]

Thanks so much for your review. As you can see we have sailed Carnival in the past as well. I always find it enjoyable to read reviews from other CCL sailors when they sail NCL :D

 

When we sailed on the Sky we had some AC problems with our cabin and we felt NCL went above and beyond to make us comfortable and purchased certificates for deposits on future cruises. The Pearl was our choice for one of those.

 

 

Were there any 2 for 1 specials in the pay restaurants?

 

My wife asked because we had been told that they had them at the steak house. Unfortunately, they did away with them before we sailed. Can't speak for the other ships, but they didn't offer them on the Pearl while we were onboard. However, the food at the free restaurants are so good, you might find that you don't need the specialty restaurants at all.

[jbo57]

Question for you. I read a complaint on another site that said they thought the shows (in the Stardust) were too risque. Did you find that to be so? They had a child with them and were told that all the shows in the Stardust were suitable for children. I can only comment on the shows I saw on the Dawn but I didn't find them risque.

 

The shows that I saw at the Stardust were not overly risque, imho. David Naster did a couple of "suggestive" jokes but were not over the top. That's just one man's opinion. I did not see the Geisha show, but my wife did and she's more sensitive than I am and she liked it.

[gottacruisemore]

We found Samana to be a terrible place to visit and if we were ever on a cruise that stopped there, we would remain on the ship. We didn't speak the language. When someone did they were pushy. We independently contracted with a van to take us to the small waterfall; the beach; and shopping for $20 per person. We got to the waterfall and it was a nice experience with two young people serving as our guides. The young man would get into the water and help our women across so they did not fall. They were very nice. However, when we got back into the van, the driver took us back to where we started and we were informed that we would now be taken to the office where we could choose from a list of things to do and we would have to renegotiate a price. We refused and went back to the ship.

 

Did you arrange this before sailing or at the pier when you got off the ship?

[DebbieCruises]

We'll bw on the Pearl this coming week-end with my parents. Do you think we could take my mother shopping in St. Thomas? I know some ports have cobbled streets and a wheelchair would be tough to push or ride in. I was there years ago, but don't remember the details. Thanks! Debbie

[lynneamycruise]

Thanks for the 2-1 review. Both of you went to the Baths on Speedy's.

Did you book tickets prior to arriving in Tortola or did you just walk up?

We are going in a few months and just want to know.

Thanks

[cruiseat50]

We'll bw on the Pearl this coming week-end with my parents. Do you think we could take my mother shopping in St. Thomas? I know some ports have cobbled streets and a wheelchair would be tough to push or ride in. I was there years ago, but don't remember the details. Thanks! Debbie

 

Good question - I hope someone can answer. Mom doesn't have a wheelchair but does use one of those walker/chair things.

[gtalum]

We'll bw on the Pearl this coming week-end with my parents. Do you think we could take my mother shopping in St. Thomas? I know some ports have cobbled streets and a wheelchair would be tough to push or ride in. I was there years ago, but don't remember the details. Thanks! Debbie

 

I don't think you'll have any trouble pushing a wheelchair around Charlotte Amalie. There are some cobblestone streets, but there are generally sidewalks too. Can she climb up into one of those truck-taxis though? As long as you can get her up and down in and out of the taxi, you should be fine.

[gtalum]

Thanks for the 2-1 review. Both of you went to the Baths on Speedy's.

Did you book tickets prior to arriving in Tortola or did you just walk up?

We are going in a few months and just want to know.

Thanks

 

We just walked right up and bought the Speedy's tickets. You can buy them ahead of time but I didn't want to commit to it in case weather was bad or something came up. The ferry terminal is only about a 10 minute walk from the pier, so it's not difficult at all to get there to catch the 9:00 ferry. It's $38 per person for round-trip ferry tickets and a round-trip shuttle to and from the baths on Virgin Gorda.

[DebbieCruises]

I don't think you'll have any trouble pushing a wheelchair around Charlotte Amalie. There are some cobblestone streets, but there are generally sidewalks too. Can she climb up into one of those truck-taxis though? As long as you can get her up and down in and out of the taxi, you should be fine.

 

It takes two of us to help her up and down, but we can usually do it. Thanks for the answer and the reminder about the taxis.:)

[chitowncruiser23]

Thanks for the great review! We will be on the Pearl in December and it will be our first time on NCL. I've cruised on Celebrity Constellation twice and Carnival Liberty once (loved both) and I'm sure the Pearl will be great too :p