REVIEW Pearl Eastern Itinerary 10/17/2010

[rikatine]

Hope this covers everything.

 

Our overall experience on this cruise was excellent. The staff, the food, and most of the entertainment were very good. The ship was in good condition and was clean and well maintained. This is our 5th cruise, 2nd on NCL, the rest on RCI. We like variety in our vacations and have done many land based vacation in between cruises. We were on this cruise with two other couples. We are in our mid 40’s.

 

Pre Cruise

 

Flew into FLL the night before. Rented a car from Dollar and stayed at Cambria Suites in Dania Beach FL. The hotel was close to the airport and perfect for pre cruise stay. We checked in and headed over to Las Vegas Cuban Restaurant for a bite to eat. The food was delicious, we all ordered sandwiches, and the price was very reasonable. Headed over to Kmart for a case of water and soda. In the morning we headed down to MIA and dropped the car at the Rental Return Center at the airport, a caught the free shuttle from there to the Port. Very easy process.

 

Cabin

 

We had a balcony cabin at the end of the hall on deck 9. It was a very quiet spot and I would book there again. My sister booked the same cabin on the other side of the ship, so we could just go down the back hall to each other’s rooms. Very convenient without being right next door to each other. The cabin did have a coffee maker and bathrobes. I know there has been talk of those items no longer being standard. We ordered room service coffee most mornings to have on our balcony. The pots are small, so if you really want coffee, write two pots on the ticket you leave out at night.

 

Food

 

We found the food to be very good, to the point that we did not end up eating at a specialty restaurant, even though we had planned to. We ate dinner at Indigo 3 nights, Summer Palace 1 night, Blue Lagoon 1 night, and the Garden Café 1 night. This is the first time we have opted to eat at the buffet for dinner, but the food was that good. They offer a made to order Risotto and Pasta station. The Risotto was delicious. There were so many things to choose from salads, breads, carved meats etc. For dessert, you have to go to the crepe station then take your crepe over and get a scoop of ice cream on it followed be chocolate sauce and nuts. Yum.

 

Breakfast at the Garden Café was great. So many choices. Our favorites were the little round Hash Brown Potatoes, Corned Beef Hash with a splash of Biscuit Gravy. Biscuit Gravy w/croissant, chocolate croissant, Sticky Buns, smoked salmon. BTW the omelette stations are still in tact.

 

The two main dining rooms had the usual menu. I remember a lot of the same dishes from my last cruise, and knew what I like. We ate the Wild Mushroom Quesadilla every night. And every night, it still tasted good. The Lobster and Grouper dish was really good, although I talked to someone who had the same dish and theirs was over cooked. The Lamb Shank was very good, and the Prime Rib was very good and arrived rare like we wanted it. This was quite a plus, because usually mass produced food is over cooked. Overall the food was good with more hits than misses.

 

Blue Lagoon, have the mozzarella sticks, the mild wings, the fish and chips (didn’t care for the fries that much).

 

Entertainment

 

The show the first night was not good at all. The dancers and singers were pretty bad. From there things got better. Oh What a Night, a Frankie Valli tribute was excellent (go both nights). Sharkbait and David Naster were very good. Majority Rules was fun. Quest was fun. Important tip – if you want to go to any of the shows in the Spinnaker Lounge, get there EARLY. You need to be up front to really enjoy the shows. Andy, the cruise director, told us to go to the 8:30 show at Spinnaker followed by the 9:30 show at Stardust in order to fit both shows in. If you do it the other way around, you end up with no seat at Spinnaker Lounge. Felt there needs to be improvement in the lounge acts. Did not find any of them to be that great.

 

The Spa

 

We bought the spa pass for the week and it was a little disappointing. The hot tubs were not nearly hot enough for us (and almost cold a couple of days), so if this is important to you it is something to consider. We enjoyed the stone loungers, and did spend a bit of time in there relaxing in the lounge chairs.

 

Excursions

 

St Thomas – Champagne Sail and Snorkel to St John. Excellent excursion to get away from it all. This particular excursion was not crowded, had good snorkeling, a nice beach, a beautiful catamaran ride over and back, and tons of rum punch and drinks. We had a great time. Recommended!

 

Tortola – Escape to Jost Van Dyke and White Bay. True island paradise and home of the Famous Soggy Dollar Bar. What a great day, three hours to spend at the beach, snorkeling, beach chairs, and several beach bars to choose from. The rum drinks at the Soggy Dollar were so good and the food was pretty good to. Would go back there in a heartbeat. Recommended!

 

Miami – Everglades Tour and Shuttle to FLL. This tour was really worth it. Easy debarkation followed by a surprisingly informative and fun tour. Traveled to a place that does airboat tour and gator demonstration. I was afraid it was going to be dumb so saying it was worth it is saying a lot. Our flight was leaving at 7pm so it was a great way to kill a few hours. Recommended!

 

We found all the staff to be very friendly and the service good. We were able to book this cruise at a very good price and we got our moneys worth. We met a lot of nice people and had a good turnout at our Meet and Greet. We will be cruising on NCL and the Pearl in the future.

[MissRabbit]

excellent review.

 

btw, what is "Majority Rules"?

[rikatine]

excellent review.

 

btw, what is "Majority Rules"?

 

It is a game played in the Spinnaker Lounge where everyone forms teams of say two or more, and they ask a question such as "What do men do to attract women?" Each team writes down and answer and brings it to the middle of the floor, and the answer that is given most, the Majority answer, is the right answer, and your team gets a point if it has the Majority answer, thus "Majority Rules". While they are doing all the point keeping, the asst Cruise Director reads off a bunch of the oddball answers and some are very funny. We had a lot of laughs, and our team of four won! We teamed up with another couple from Cruise Critic, Gatorj. It was a lot of fun.

[Gatorj]

We teamed up with another couple from Cruise Critic, Gatorj. It was a lot of fun.

 

 

And just remember, any answer given that includes "in tight pants" is sure to win a point!

 

:D

[live.love.cruise]

Thanks for the review.

 

We're considering sailing on this ship next month.

I've never cruised on NCL so I was a little nervous about the quality of the food in the MDR. I've read/heard so many negative things about NCL's food but I'm so ready to try a new line.

 

Anyway, reading reviews like yours helps ease my new cruiseline anxiety. Thanks

[yomaryjo]

Thanks for the review. How was disembarkation? We are going on the same cruise out of Miami in January. If we book a 10:15 flight out of MIA are we crazy?????

[rikatine]

Thanks for the review. How was disembarkation? We are going on the same cruise out of Miami in January. If we book a 10:15 flight out of MIA are we crazy?????

 

We did an NCL excursion in MIA and we were taken as a group to the gangway. However, if you are doing self disembarkation (taking off your own luggage) you should be able to get off pretty early. We arrived at the dock very early and they were telling people they could get go ahead and do self disembarkation. I don't remember the exact time but I think it was before 8am. Don't hold me to that though.

[rikatine]

And just remember, any answer given that includes "in tight pants" is sure to win a point!

 

:D

 

So funny! I was thinking of that as I was typing me answer to the question :D.

[rikatine]

Thanks for the review.

 

We're considering sailing on this ship next month.

I've never cruised on NCL so I was a little nervous about the quality of the food in the MDR. I've read/heard so many negative things about NCL's food but I'm so ready to try a new line.

 

Anyway, reading reviews like yours helps ease my new cruiseline anxiety. Thanks

 

All six in our group agreed that the food was good. If you have any more specific questions I will try to answer them. One couple are loyal RCI cruisers, and had positive things to say about the NCL food.

[MissRabbit]

It is a game played in the Spinnaker Lounge where everyone forms teams of say two or more, and they ask a question such as "What do men do to attract women?" Each team writes down and answer and brings it to the middle of the floor, and the answer that is given most, the Majority answer, is the right answer, and your team gets a point if it has the Majority answer, thus "Majority Rules". While they are doing all the point keeping, the asst Cruise Director reads off a bunch of the oddball answers and some are very funny. We had a lot of laughs, and our team of four won! We teamed up with another couple from Cruise Critic, Gatorj. It was a lot of fun.

 

 

thanks for letting me know. We're leaving in a couple days and will definately attend this!

[rikatine]

thanks for letting me know. We're leaving in a couple days and will definately attend this!

 

Hope you enjoy it, have a great cruise!

[rikatine]

One more thing for every one yet to sail, I can't tell you how many nice people we met on this cruise. So it is worth it to take the time to join your roll call and attend your Meet and Greet even if it is not your thing. In my opinion, NCL cruisers are so friendly, it really enhanced our vacation.

[scarlettohara]

One more thing for every one yet to sail, I can't tell you how many nice people we met on this cruise. So it is worth it to take the time to join your roll call and attend your Meet and Greet even if it is not your thing. In my opinion, NCL cruisers are so friendly, it really enhanced our vacation.

 

 

I second that Christine! I really enjoyed seeing our CC friends around the ship or on our excursions!

 

Great review. We also chose not to eat in the paid restaurants, and found the food in Indigo, Summer Palace, Blue Lagoon, and Garden Cafe to be very good. My favorites at breakfast were the frosted cinnamon rolls (to the right of the first omelet station), and those round hash browns....so yummy! As you said, the mushroom quesadillas were great; I also ordered a caesar salad every night as well. The other thing we liked were the cookies - sometimes hard to find, but I did find them late at night at the Great Outdoors and in the casino!

 

Patti

[cowtowngals]

 

 

 

 

Excursions

 

 

 

Tortola – Escape to Jost Van Dyke and White Bay. True island paradise and home of the Famous Soggy Dollar Bar. What a great day, three hours to spend at the beach, snorkeling, beach chairs, and several beach bars to choose from. The rum drinks at the Soggy Dollar were so good and the food was pretty good to. Would go back there in a heartbeat. Recommended!

 

 

 

How is the swim to shore on this excursion? Is it an easy swim or a bit of a challenge? We are thinking of this one, but are just wondering what level of swimmer you need to be.

[rikatine]

How is the swim to shore on this excursion? Is it an easy swim or a bit of a challenge? We are thinking of this one, but are just wondering what level of swimmer you need to be.

 

It depends on how tall you are. If you are 6' tall you can touch the bottom. If you are shorter, it is a few bobs 'till you can touch. It was maybe 10 to 20 feet to shore. It was SO easy. They also provide a buoyancy belt to put on your waist if you need. it. I would not even call it much of a swim, but it was over my head for the first few feet. Any other questions, I would be happy to answer.

[Canagirl]

Thanks a lot for the review. Sounds great. We're leaving Sunday on the same ship/same itinerary.

 

Do they have maps of the ship available on board, or should I print one off before I leave? Thanks.

[rikatine]

Thanks a lot for the review. Sounds great. We're leaving Sunday on the same ship/same itinerary.

 

Do they have maps of the ship available on board, or should I print one off before I leave? Thanks.

 

They will give you one at check-in. They are also on each deck, and one of the whole ship in the atrium. It is a good idea to look ahead of time at the dining rooms etc.

[Canagirl]

They will give you one at check-in. They are also on each deck, and one of the whole ship in the atrium. It is a good idea to look ahead of time at the dining rooms etc.

 

Thanks! I thought they would probably have them available but wanted to make sure.

[pompey8]

Thanks for your review. We'll be going on the same cruise in late Novemeber. I know NCL has the freestyle dining, does this mean there are no need to make reservations for the non-specialty restaurants? Also there is no need for a suit/tux right? I'm a total newbie!!

[rikatine]

Thanks for your review. We'll be going on the same cruise in late Novemeber. I know NCL has the freestyle dining, does this mean there are no need to make reservations for the non-specialty restaurants? Also there is no need for a suit/tux right? I'm a total newbie!!

 

There is no need for reservations in the main dining room. In fact we ate each night around 6:30 with a group of six, and only had to wait a short time one night. They gave us a buzzer, and we went and sat down in bar city. When we got seated about 10 minutes later they apologized for the wait. Oh, also, we went to Indigo one night, and it looked crowded so we all headed over to the Summer Palace and were seated right away. There is a screen that shows the approximate available seating at the restaurants.

 

No need for a suit, although some people do opt to dress up.

[polySeraph]

Thanks for your review. We'll be going on the same cruise in late Novemeber. I know NCL has the freestyle dining, does this mean there are no need to make reservations for the non-specialty restaurants? Also there is no need for a suit/tux right? I'm a total newbie!!

 

Hello Pompey8 and welcome to Cruise Critic. Are you on the Pearl cruise that departs from Miami on November 28th? If so, you and I will be on at the same time. Why don't you come join us on our roll call? (Click HERE to find the Roll Call for the Nov 28th cruise.)

 

You won't need a suit/tux unless you want to wear one. They do have Dress-Up-Or-Not evenings where you have the option of dressing up and having your picture made. Some do and some don't and everybody's fine. At times in the MDR, I've seen tables where folks were dressed up and tables right next to them where folks were dressed in resort casual and everyone was good. So bring a tux/suit if you want to or leave it at home if you don't. . . it's your choice.

 

P.S. To the OP, this was a great review! Thanks!

[rikatine]

Hello Pompey8 and welcome to Cruise Critic. Are you on the Pearl cruise that departs from Miami on November 28th? If so, you and I will be on at the same time. Why don't you come join us on our roll call? (Click HERE to find the Roll Call for the Nov 28th cruise.)

 

You won't need a suit/tux unless you want to wear one. They do have Dress-Up-Or-Not evenings where you have the option of dressing up and having your picture made. Some do and some don't and everybody's fine. At times in the MDR, I've seen tables where folks were dressed up and tables right next to them where folks were dressed in resort casual and everyone was good. So bring a tux/suit if you want to or leave it at home if you don't. . . it's your choice.

 

P.S. To the OP, this was a great review! Thanks!

 

Thanks, and have a great time on your cruise!

[tazz233]

Hello Rikatine

 

Thanks for the great review!

 

We have been offered to stay in 9168 on the pearl and just wondered if this was near your cabin? We are concerned that the space next door is a crew/utility area and might be noisy? Any advice would be appreciated!

 

Thank you :)

[rikatine]

Hello Rikatine

 

Thanks for the great review!

 

We have been offered to stay in 9168 on the pearl and just wondered if this was near your cabin? We are concerned that the space next door is a crew/utility area and might be noisy? Any advice would be appreciated!

 

Thank you :)

 

9168 was our cabin. We really liked this room, and my sister had the exact one on the other side. The balcony is a plus because you have just one cabin next to you, and no one below (less chance of being bothered by smoke if that matters to you). Yes it is next to a crew supply closet, but we were never disturbed by any noise there. In fact it made it easy to get any extras you need. The crew cart was parked a little close to our cabin door a couple of times, but that did not bother us and they were most apologetic if it was in our way. Also, there is no noise from traffic in the hallway. Hope this helps. I would book this cabin again.

 

Enjoy your cruise!