Live from Pearl Boston to beautiful Bermuda 04/07-04/14

[warb]

Great Review !!     We took our Grandson on a few Cruises to 

Bermuda , now he is 19 years old, yikes. Great Memories. But we have

a 7 year old Grand Daughter who wants to Cruise. Thanks for taking

the time to let us know how things are Cruising.

 

 

[Seas2mountains]

Thank you for your great review!

 

I'm really sorry to hear that Splash Academy didn't have much for the older kids. We are taking our 7 year granddaughter on the Escape in May and hope to be able to use Splash Academy. She cruised with us on NCL Dawn when she was 3 years old and loved Splash Academy although there were very few kids on that cruise.

 

The hours at Splash Academy seem to be the new ones they are using on all of the NCL ships.  SA was not open when in port on the Gem in March. Before Covid, SA had a consistent schedule and it was open when in port.  It is really unfortunate that they have adopted these new hours as I do think this will turn families away from NCL. I am also hearing they don't have adequate staffing in SA on the bigger ships as some reviewers have reported that they had to be in line about 30 minutes before SA opened to get in or they were turned away and did not get to use SA if they didn't go early. 

 

Do you plan to cruise again on NCL? We do have some MSC YC cruises booked later this year and next year but do still love NCL and will cruise on NCL several times this year. I really appreciated your live review on Divina before we cruised on it in January. 🙂

Do you have any tips about cruising with a grandkid? We did get our granddaughter some specialty meals and the soda package. She will definitely get to enjoy Teppanyaki with us and I do know she could order from the kids menu at other specialty restaurants but she is pretty adventurous about trying new food.

That is wonderful to read that your cabin steward did open and close the sofa bed each day. It sounds like you had a great time and enjoyed making memories with your cute grandson.

[www3traveler]

37 minutes ago, Seas2mountains said:

Thank you for your great review!

 

I'm really sorry to hear that Splash Academy didn't have much for the older kids. We are taking our 7 year granddaughter on the Escape in May and hope to be able to use Splash Academy. She cruised with us on NCL Dawn when she was 3 years old and loved Splash Academy although there were very few kids on that cruise.

 

The hours at Splash Academy seem to be the new ones they are using on all of the NCL ships.  SA was not open when in port on the Gem in March. Before Covid, SA had a consistent schedule and it was open when in port.  It is really unfortunate that they have adopted these new hours as I do think this will turn families away from NCL. I am also hearing they don't have adequate staffing in SA on the bigger ships as some reviewers have reported that they had to be in line about 30 minutes before SA opened to get in or they were turned away and did not get to use SA if they didn't go early. 

 

Do you plan to cruise again on NCL? We do have some MSC YC cruises booked later this year and next year but do still love NCL and will cruise on NCL several times this year. I really appreciated your live review on Divina before we cruised on it in January. 🙂

Do you have any tips about cruising with a grandkid? We did get our granddaughter some specialty meals and the soda package. She will definitely get to enjoy Teppanyaki with us and I do know she could order from the kids menu at other specialty restaurants but she is pretty adventurous about trying new food.

That is wonderful to read that your cabin steward did open and close the sofa bed each day. It sounds like you had a great time and enjoyed making memories with your cute grandson.

Splash Academy along with every other department is having difficulty hiring qualified staff across the entire system.  Will be worse for a while yet as crew will be leaving (if they have not done so already) to staff The Viva.  I would guess that Viva staff will have to be onboard sometime late May or early June.  You are going to have to replace those heading for The Viva and then hopefully fill the staff shortage that were there in the first.

[mawvkysc]

4 hours ago, styles27 said:

Wednesday at sea was very cold and windy. We had some rough seas at dinner time and throughout the evening. 
We were chosen to participate in the “Perfect Couple” game which was hilarious and so much fun. 

We spent a lot of time in Spinnaker listening to Funky Roots. Those guys are very talented!

 

Thursday’s seas were a lot calmer but still very chilly on deck. Lots of diehards on deck trying to get a tan before going home! 😎

Entertainment-

We loved the Legends show in Stardust. Diane Gordon (Tina Turner) was on our Pearl cruise in 2022 also. She has a fantastic voice! 
Michael Jackson and Elvis impersonators were also very good as were the Pearl singers and dancers. Beautiful costumes and cool lighting made the show even better. 
 

We’re surprised they didn’t have the singers and dancers come out on the first night for a preview of what’s to come during the week. 
 

We enjoyed both of Sonia’s shows in the theater.  (She did two different shows)
 

We couldn’t attend the adult comedy show because Splash Academy was closed. 
 

Pure variety was good but the mics weren’t loud enough. 
 

Dining

Summer Palace

We dined here 4 evenings and 2 afternoons for lunch. Service was quick and efficient and we enjoyed everything we ordered. There was always beef, chicken, pork and seafood offered along with pasta dishes and a vegetarian choice. Desserts were excellent!

Teppanyaki

So much fun. We had a great chef who had us all singing with him while he cooked. The food was excellent here as well 

 

La Cucina and Lotus Garden

Both very good.
Overall we enjoyed every meal we ate. Food was served hot and in a very timely manner.
 

The buffet was also very good. Even though the ship was sold out we were always able to find a table and the staff was very quick to clear tables when people were finished.
 

We never felt like Pearl is understaffed. We didn’t have to wait in line for a drink, bar service at all of the lounges and on deck  was great. Love that they’re still offering table service at all of the lounges we went to and by the pool. 

The crew seems very happy. We didn’t encounter one crew member that didn’t greet us with a smile! 
 

Our room attendant converted the bed back to a sofa for us each day and came back in the evening to open it back to a bed.
 

I was surprised at this because we had heard they will only come once a day.

We compensated him with a nice tip and I had made an Easter basket for him as well. He was so touched by the basket he almost made me cry with his kind words of thanks. He was awesome! 
 

Overall we had a great cruise! I’m surprised by the negative comments on our roll call on another site. 
I’m also surprised by how little people research a ship/cruise before booking it. 
I guess I’m in the minority but I spend hours comparing cruise lines/ships/itineraries etc. 
We ran into a lot of folks who didn’t know that Pearl doesn’t have the big production shows or that there isn’t a water slide and go kart track 🤷🏻‍♀️

 

Thank you for following along! If I missed answering any questions please let me know and I’ll check back and try to answer them. 
😊

 

Nice review! I’m excited. I also join the other roll call but much prefer CC because people are so much more informed. If you ask a question you’re bound to get a correct answer. Not so on the other hand groups. 

[mawvkysc]

4 hours ago, styles27 said:

I believe it was around 5 pm

We went to Hamilton on Tuesday. The ferry was full because Prima was also in port so we jumped on a bus and then took a taxi back to the ship. 

Thanks. I was referring to the Bar Harbor tender. Is that the one you were referring to?

[styles27]

2 hours ago, Seas2mountains said:

Thank you for your great review!

 

I'm really sorry to hear that Splash Academy didn't have much for the older kids. We are taking our 7 year granddaughter on the Escape in May and hope to be able to use Splash Academy. She cruised with us on NCL Dawn when she was 3 years old and loved Splash Academy although there were very few kids on that cruise.

 

The hours at Splash Academy seem to be the new ones they are using on all of the NCL ships.  SA was not open when in port on the Gem in March. Before Covid, SA had a consistent schedule and it was open when in port.  It is really unfortunate that they have adopted these new hours as I do think this will turn families away from NCL. I am also hearing they don't have adequate staffing in SA on the bigger ships as some reviewers have reported that they had to be in line about 30 minutes before SA opened to get in or they were turned away and did not get to use SA if they didn't go early. 

 

Do you plan to cruise again on NCL? We do have some MSC YC cruises booked later this year and next year but do still love NCL and will cruise on NCL several times this year. I really appreciated your live review on Divina before we cruised on it in January. 🙂

Do you have any tips about cruising with a grandkid? We did get our granddaughter some specialty meals and the soda package. She will definitely get to enjoy Teppanyaki with us and I do know she could order from the kids menu at other specialty restaurants but she is pretty adventurous about trying new food.

That is wonderful to read that your cabin steward did open and close the sofa bed each day. It sounds like you had a great time and enjoyed making memories with your cute grandson.

Thank you! I’m happy to hear that my reviews have been helpful. I really do enjoy doing them! 
 

We will definitely cruise with NCL again, we had a great time!

I think we’ll book Prima and take our grandson again. He’s only cruised on Pearl so he was pretty excited when he saw Prima in port. 

 

People were lined up ahead of time for SA on our cruise too. The line went all the way to the entrance of the buffet. We were turned away a few times because it was at capacity. 
SA on Pearl isn’t very large. I’m wondering if anything will be done during the dry dock to expand it. 
I think the sports court on deck 13 is a waste of space and isn’t utilized much. It would make a great area for kids and teens. 
 

Evan is definitely an adventurous eater so he ate off the adult menu at every meal. The servers got a kick out of him!
He was able to eat the entire meal at Teppanyaki…I couldn’t even finish mine!
I don’t know where he puts it, he’s so thin but he also never stops moving and kept us going the entire week!  
 

We love taking him with us and he’s also a big help as we allowed him to go to the Great Escape to grab snacks etc. 

 

One tip for cruising with kids that helped us a lot is we brought one of our old iPhones with us and downloaded the NCL app on it. We paid the $9.95 per phone so we could message each other. It worked out great as he could message us if he wanted us to pick him up at SA or if he wanted to negotiate a later pick up time. (More often that was the case lol) 

I highly recommend that if you have an old phone that you no longer use. 

 

 

Edited April 15, 2023 by styles27

[styles27]

6 minutes ago, mawvkysc said:

Thanks. I was referring to the Bar Harbor tender. Is that the one you were referring to?

Oh sorry about that! I thought you meant the NCL ferry to St George. 
We didn’t go to Bar Harbor this cruise. I believe they don’t begin going there until late April/early May. 

[salzdt]

On 4/6/2023 at 6:51 PM, styles27 said:

My (our) bags are packed, we’re ready to go I’m standing here outside your door….🎶 

I’ve had that song in my head all day! 🙈
 

I’m looking forward to boarding the beautiful Pearl tomorrow with my husband and our 9 yr old grandson!  
We took him on this cruise last Easter too but we’re expecting a full ship this year.

 

We live about 45 min south of Boston which is why we cruise to Bermuda as much as we do. You cannot beat not having to fly to a port!

 

Our last cruise was over New Year’s on MSC Divina for 14

days and it was a not so pleasant experience.

The ship and crew were great no complaints there…it was the hundreds of rude passengers that was hard to take for that many days. 
So back to Norwegian we come and we hope it’s a more positive experience. 
 

I hope you’ll follow along!(hopefully the internet will cooperate)

 

Will be back in the morning to report on embarkation! ⚓️🛳️

 

 

 

Where is the best parking?  We will be cruising to Canada in September. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Dot and Fred Salzberg

[styles27]

47 minutes ago, salzdt said:

Where is the best parking?  We will be cruising to Canada in September. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Dot and Fred Salzberg

We used the ParkWhiz app and parked in the lot right next to the ship. It was a very easy in and out lot and a very short walk to the terminal. It was $185 for the week and I reserved and paid for it a few weeks before our cruise. 
 

[macor]

Styles27 - it was so thoughtful of you to bring an Easter Basket for your cabin attendant.  We will be cruising NCL for the first time in September.  I would like to bring something for our attendant as well.  Is there only 1 person that takes care of the cabin?  We usually cruise Oceania and there are usually 2 people that care for the cabin.  Granted one is the primary, but both do the big cleaning each morning.  Any suggestions for items the staff enjoy would be appreciated.  Thanks for sharing about your cruise.  It has been helpful as well as enjoyable.  

[Barb Nahoumi]

On 4/14/2023 at 9:34 AM, buffet24 said:

Haha!!!  It was on OUR cruise when the Pearl backed into the Port!!!  DUH!!! 🤣

Beautiful picture.  I enjoy meals in the "Great Outdoors."

[RenieRaider]

Thank you Styles27  I enjoyed every one of your posts. The photos were great.  Your Grandson sounds like a joy to be with. He is blessed to have you.

Did you try that Deal or No Deal game? What was the cost, I could not see it on the daily.

Glad they still have Bingo., some lines have dropped it.

Regarding the Ship Tour, was that crazy crowded or was there more than one person taking perople around?

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your vacation to share your Norwegian Pearl experience. Be well and smooth sailings.  

[FuninWB]

We're going on this cruise May 12, our 15th trip to Bermuda on NCL.  I read somewhere that NCL is changing the  main dining room menus so that they no longer rotate. Was that true for the Pearl on your trip? Thank you for your wonderful review. 

[latebloomer56]

On 4/15/2023 at 3:59 PM, styles27 said:

Thank you! I’m happy to hear that my reviews have been helpful. I really do enjoy doing them! 
 

We will definitely cruise with NCL again, we had a great time!

I think we’ll book Prima and take our grandson again. He’s only cruised on Pearl so he was pretty excited when he saw Prima in port. 

 

People were lined up ahead of time for SA on our cruise too. The line went all the way to the entrance of the buffet. We were turned away a few times because it was at capacity. 
SA on Pearl isn’t very large. I’m wondering if anything will be done during the dry dock to expand it. 
I think the sports court on deck 13 is a waste of space and isn’t utilized much. It would make a great area for kids and teens. 
 

Evan is definitely an adventurous eater so he ate off the adult menu at every meal. The servers got a kick out of him!
He was able to eat the entire meal at Teppanyaki…I couldn’t even finish mine!
I don’t know where he puts it, he’s so thin but he also never stops moving and kept us going the entire week!  
 

We love taking him with us and he’s also a big help as we allowed him to go to the Great Escape to grab snacks etc. 

 

One tip for cruising with kids that helped us a lot is we brought one of our old iPhones with us and downloaded the NCL app on it. We paid the $9.95 per phone so we could message each other. It worked out great as he could message us if he wanted us to pick him up at SA or if he wanted to negotiate a later pick up time. (More often that was the case lol) 

I highly recommend that if you have an old phone that you no longer use. 

 

 

Did you need the internet package for the 9.95 per phone? We always lock them up when we board but our oldest asked about walkie talkies for him and our grandson they use when camping. This sounds better.

[styles27]

5 hours ago, macor said:

Styles27 - it was so thoughtful of you to bring an Easter Basket for your cabin attendant.  We will be cruising NCL for the first time in September.  I would like to bring something for our attendant as well.  Is there only 1 person that takes care of the cabin?  We usually cruise Oceania and there are usually 2 people that care for the cabin.  Granted one is the primary, but both do the big cleaning each morning.  Any suggestions for items the staff enjoy would be appreciated.  Thanks for sharing about your cruise.  It has been helpful as well as enjoyable.  

Thank you! We had 1 cabin attendant and he was a joy! He always had a smile on his face and he learned our names and greeted us by name every day! For the Easter basket I filled it with the usual Easter candy and included an extra cash tip for the week. We also hid some cruise ducks which he was very interested in because he has 2 small children back home, so we gave him some Easter ducks for his kids. 

1 hour ago, RenieRaider said:

Thank you Styles27  I enjoyed every one of your posts. The photos were great.  Your Grandson sounds like a joy to be with. He is blessed to have you.

Did you try that Deal or No Deal game? What was the cost, I could not see it on the daily.

Glad they still have Bingo., some lines have dropped it.

Regarding the Ship Tour, was that crazy crowded or was there more than one person taking perople around?

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your vacation to share your Norwegian Pearl experience. Be well and smooth sailings.  

Thank you so much! 
We did not play Deal or No Deal. We did play Bingo once it was $49 for 3 cards/3 games. We had fun but didn’t win lol

We didn’t do the behind the scenes ship tour this time, sorry I can’t comment on that. 
 

1 hour ago, FuninWB said:

We're going on this cruise May 12, our 15th trip to Bermuda on NCL.  I read somewhere that NCL is changing the  main dining room menus so that they no longer rotate. Was that true for the Pearl on your trip? Thank you for your wonderful review. 

We thought the MDR had very good choices. 
On the left of the menu they have “Classic entrees” that are available every night and they don’t change.

They included NY Strip, Rotisserie Chicken, Pork Loin, Shrimp Alfredo over Fettuccini and Flounder. 
The right side of the menu had different entrees every night and they weren’t repeated the 4 times we dined there. 
There were at least 10 entree choices between the two sides of the menu each night. 
 

[styles27]

Forgot to mention

We ordered a plate of steamed vegetables to share each night in the main dining room.  
The servers were very accommodating and always asked if the sides that came with the entree were to our liking or if we wanted something else. 

[styles27]

59 minutes ago, latebloomer56 said:

Did you need the internet package for the 9.95 per phone? We always lock them up when we board but our oldest asked about walkie talkies for him and our grandson they use when camping. This sounds better.

No internet needed to use the message feature in the NCL app. 

 

You put the phones in airplane mode and use the Pearl internet that is designed to work with the app. 
I’ve heard some complaints about the message feature but we didn’t have one problem with it.

It really was a great thing to have so we could communicate with each other when he was at Splash Academy. 
He also felt very grown up having the cell phone for the week since he doesn’t actually have one in “real life” lol

[latebloomer56]

56 minutes ago, styles27 said:

No internet needed to use the message feature in the NCL app. 

 

You put the phones in airplane mode and use the Pearl internet that is designed to work with the app. 
I’ve heard some complaints about the message feature but we didn’t have one problem with it.

It really was a great thing to have so we could communicate with each other when he was at Splash Academy. 
He also felt very grown up having the cell phone for the week since he doesn’t actually have one in “real life” lol

I will pass this on none of us has the app, but will explain it to him.

Thanks

[cruiseny4life]

17 hours ago, FuninWB said:

We're going on this cruise May 12, our 15th trip to Bermuda on NCL.  I read somewhere that NCL is changing the  main dining room menus so that they no longer rotate. Was that true for the Pearl on your trip? Thank you for your wonderful review. 

When NCL unveiled Pr1ma they marketed a streamlined, never rotating menu. It's currently only on Pr1ma, though NCL made some comments that (if customers enjoyed it) it would be rolled out to the entire fleet sometime in 2023. I haven't seen NCL say anything about rolling it out fleetwide yet, so I suppose they are still studying/are not doing it/will do it, but haven't announced it yet. I suppose I could be wrong, but I doubt it'll be the non-rotating menu by the time you sail. 

 

Yo, Styles, thanks so much for such a wonderful review! I really enjoyed following along on adventures with your grandson! 

[redmomof4]

Thanks for this. I enjoyed reading through as I'm considering a trip on the Pearl next summer!