Thinking of cruising the Pearl - comparisons w/RCCL, etc?

[mlbcruiser]

We haven't sailed w/NCL in some time, but sailed the old Sunward when she did 4 day cruises and did a 7 day one on the Norway.

 

I guess we are wondering most about the freestyle dining, as we have always enjoyed having the same waiters and have enjoyed getting to know our tablemates in traditional dining. (One of the worst things about land vacations to us is my penchant for trying to find just the right restaurant for the evening, when my husband is one of those, "this is fine w/me" no matter what restaurant we are passing as long as it's cheap!) On NCL we will have to make DECISIONS! :eek:

 

Can some of you who have sailed RCCL, Princess, etc., comment on various aspects of those lines compared to the newer NCL ships like the Pearl? The times we sailed w/NCL we thought the entertainment was really some of the best we've seen. Out of 21 cruises I've never met a cruise I didn't like! (I'll change that to "we" since my dh and I have always agreed in our "ratings", lol!) But some we've liked less than others. We've cruised w/RCCL the most, but have sailed a couple of times on Princess, Carnival and Celebrity, as well as a couple of other now defunct lines. The reason we like RCCL? The lovely decor of the ships and all the bells and whistles! Princess? Great fettucini and nice colors and decor used throughout. Carnival? Well, Joe Farcus' idea of matching colors and a nice decor do not jive w/mine, and although we've always sailed a new Carnival ship, these have been our least favorite. (Did the Liberty last March and thought the food was the worst we've ever had! But met some very nice people and still had a good time.) Celebrity has GREAT food, but is almost a little subdued for us, even though we are not real big drinkers or anything. (I do LOVE RCCL's mango tangos and Love Connections, though!) We're also rarely go to alternative restaurants w/extra charges on ships. This won't mean we won't get good food on NCL, will it?

 

Although we are in our 50's, we tend to like water sports, lounging around all day in the sun, younger music (incl. rap, r&b, int'l., latino and world beat stuff!) and aren't too into art auctions or shopping talks. So whaddayathink? Would we like NCL's newer ships - esp. the Pearl? (The itinerary is a little different which caught my eye.) Opinions, please! And thanks for any replies!

[mlbcruiser]

I'm just checking this question and trying to bump it up, hoping someone will reply. C'mon you guys! PULEEEEEZZZ give some opinions!

[debshomespun]

We decided to give the NCL Pearl a try. We are RCCL fans, as you can see, but this itinery was so fantastic. The Pearl will be a new whip, so we figured we would try it out. We cruised Princess in the spring, and were not impressed with it. Still prefer RCCL. We are also trying HAL Westerdam the end of October.

 

We have not yet had a bad crujise. Just some better than others!

[mlbcruiser]

debshomespun, you sound like us! We like ALL cruises! Only we did pretty much like Princess. We always just think all the other cruiselines need more and better varieties of activities like RCCL! Plus, we LOVE RCCL's cabins. The two NCL cruises that we were on were really two of the most fun cruises (for whatever reasons) that we ever took. We just had good times on them. (Although at first on the Norway, the first few hrs., I was wondering as the ship had an older look and I hadn't yet realized just how nice she would be. Except getting around was kind of a pain due to the layout on the upper decks.) NCL used to have stage plays. I remember seeing Grease on board The Seaward (did I say we'd been on the Sunward? Whoops!) and it was really well done! I think we are going to give the Pearl a try, though. If we do, we'll go in March. When will you most likely go, if you don't mind my asking? At any rate, thanks for your reply! :)

[cruiser82]

mlbcruiser, I'll be on the Enchantment OTS at the end of this month and will be on the Pearl in December. I'll be writing reviews of both cruises on their respective boards and I'll include comparisons between the two in each review because I've seen a few threads on both boards with people requesting info from those who have cruised both lines.

 

Sorry I can't give you more info now but I should be able to help you after my Enchantment cruise!

[mlbcruiser]

cruiser82, thanks a bunch! I will watch for your review! I will no doubt go back and forth on this issue and thankfully we can always cancel cruises w/out penalties up to a point.

 

I have been on the Enchantment - but it was about 6 yrs. ago - BEFORE she was refurbished and got the bungee things, etc. She was a very nice ship then. I saw something in, I think it was, Cruise and Travel Magazine a yr. or so ago - sometime after they debuted her "new look". Looks fun! My dd (veteran of 7 cruises) had never been on any of RCCL's "older" ships until last spring when she did her first cruise on her own on RCCL's Majesty OTS w/a friend who had never cruised. They ended up w/great tablemates and even though that ship doesn't have all the bells and whistles the Voyager Class does, my dd said the activities and "feel" of the ship was truly RCCL. They had a GREAT time on RCCL's Majesty, and I think this yr. may try to do the Enchantment if it still has 4 day cruises then. I'd love to go on that one! Have a great time!

[cruiser82]

My first RCCL cruise was on the Majesty OTS! I decided to wait until I completed my Enchantment cruise to make a comparison because the Majesty cruise was my first cruise, it was only for 3 days and to be honest I don't remember that much about it so I thought it would be better to wait until I had more experience with RCCL.

 

Do keep us posted about what you decide to do :)

[mlbcruiser]

Kind of hate to post this, but thought it might be of help to someone, and everyone can come to their own conclusion.

 

Today I went to a large AAA office/headqtrs. (one that has a travel agency in it) to buy some travel gifts for a friend. While there, I spoke to one of the T/As to see if she could give me an NCL brochure. They didn't have any. And another agent spoke up and said AAA doesn't do their regular offer of $25 to hold a cruise final pymt. benefit when it comes to NCL. And they are not one of AAA's "preferred lines". I asked why. She said they have had too many customers who have come back complaining about things not working in their cabins; dirty cabins and ships, etc. etc. Now, that doesn't sound ANYTHING like the NCL ships we were on, and I told her so. But she said that AAA doesn't encourage travelers to sail on NCL due to too many problems. The agent I had been speaking with said that the exception was the Hawaiian cruises they offer. I asked her if any of their clients had been on the Pearl or Star. She didn't think so, and admitted the newer ships might be better. So ??? I did do a search on another cruise passenger website where you can compare ships side by side numerically in percentages based on how other passengers have rated them. Can't say the Star came in that high compared to most other ships I put her up against. The Pearl had no ratings yet. Hmmm. This is making me even more confused about what to do!

[suz1607]

We were booked on RCCL Adventure for New Years but have cancelled and will do NCL Pearl. Actually Adventure has the best itinerary but we have "fallen in love" with NCL. Did not cruise with NCL until this year - we have cruised most of the other lines - but will be taking our fourth cruise on an NCL ship over New Years. We just like the freedom of doing what we want when we want to do it. We find it much more relaxing!

[mbisson]

Actually, the Pearl is still under construction (new ship) so nobody has yet done the Pearl and RCCL.

 

mlbcruiser-this is why there are no ratings for the Pearl yet ;)

 

-Monte

[New cruiser from Atlanta]

I cruised on NCL Jewel earlier this year and have recently booked NCL Pearl for March 2007. I've read that the Pearl will be similar to the Jewel - which I loved (Pearl will have a bowling alley which the Jewel doesnt have). I'm pretty new to cruising and cant offer much of a comparison of NCL to RCCL or Princess but the pros of NCL Jewel were:

• Cabins (even the insides had ample bathroom space, the showers had doors - no flimsy curtain and my room was always cleaned very well)
  
• Shows (Cirque Bijou was excellent)
  
• Speciality restaurants (the newer NCL ships offer lots of specialty dining restaurants ranging from Teppanyaki which is similar to Benihana and Le Bistro. For some of the specialty restaurants there is a half off discount for reservations between 5:30 and 6:30)
  
• Crew was excellent
  
• Embarkation and disembarkation was very orderly (I love how NCL lets you remain in your room until your cabin number is called)
  
• My son loved the arcade (I think the first day at sea there was an hour or so when the games were free)!!

Cons

• Pool area was very crowded and NCL did not have a good mechanism for making sure that people werent chair hogs
  
• Poolside buffet (I dont even remember if they had one but on my prior NCL cruise this was one of the highlights of the cruise experience)

[mlbcruiser]

mbisson and newbie from ATL, you are, of course, right! :rolleyes: The Pearl isn't done yet. Someone emailed me a nice "review" of what she said was of the Pearl, but when I reread it, it was the Jewel!!!! My mistake. The Jewel is apparently quite similar, though, right? I can honestly say I wish the Pearl had traditional dining as an option, but hey, we can try anything once at least! We tend to like new "gimmicks" and the bowling/sportsbar place sounds fun. (My neighbor and I were in a ladies bowling group one year and our families took several cruises together. She and I used to joke and say we wondered why RCCL hadn't created a ship called "Bowling on the Seas" yet. Looks like NCL did it first! I can't wait to tell her :D . It always takes a while to "break in" a ship, so at least we'll be prepared for that now. I have cruised 21 times and maybe 4 times didn't see chair hogs. For SURE they will be on RCCL and most lines - esp. 7 day cruises and less - in March! Geez, choosing is HAAAARRRDDD! But rereading the Jewel review, I tend to want to ignor AAA! (NCfATL - we will be cruising in March '07 as well! Not sure of which date yet, though.)

[5kids5]

Even though I have only crusied once (Golden Princess 4/8/06) and have very little experience, I can tell you that I did choose the NCL Pearl for the March 30, 2007 sailing.

We cruised with 20 people, 8 adults and 12 kids, ranging from ages 5 - 13.

We did enjoy Golden Princess, the itinerary was great, food very good, but the children's programs were weak and they had no connecting cabins, just through the balconies.

With that, even though the kids still had a blast together, we were pretty much deciding on our next adventure -- Easter Week 2007 -- Originally concentrating on RCCL Navigator of the Seas, looking for the awesone activities we have heard so much about. After searching Cruise Critic, I found that NOS probably had better kids programs and activities, but NCL Pearl, being almost identical to the Jewel, with a NEW FIRST TIME bowling alley, had a better itinerary and food.

The Pearl sails 3/30/07 returns on Easter 4/8/07, and the cost for a junior suite (4 people) was about $5,125.00.

I have an AB Penthouse with a connecting room for my husband, me and our 5 kids (plus one extra kid since one family has 3 kids and we could sleep 8 in the suite/ room) for a little over $12,000. However, this cruise is for 9 days, and the RCCL was for 7. The price for a jr. suite on the RCCL was $6,248 and the suite and room (no more connecting available -- was over $14,000.)

We chose the Pearl because the Jewel has fantastic reviews and felt the new ship would be a plus. We also like the freedom of anytime dining, and I have read that the reviews for the restaurants are great.

I hope that helps, though price and itinerary played a pretty big role in our choice.

[mlbcruiser]

5kids5, thanks for the info. We have not yet even gone on a Grand Class Princess ship (like the one you went on). Princess has some good itineraries but the ships doing those are like one we have been on, the Sun P., which we felt was nice (a bit older so w/out the "extras" of the Grand Class), but was more "low key" w/fewer venues on the ship for different types of things. I agree w/you that RCCL's and probably NCL's kids' programs are top notch. (Better than Carnival's and that is not only my opinion from observations, but the opinion of the 2 girls next door and my dd, who started cruising w/us when they were about 12.) It would be nice to have our whole family cruising together, but it's not to be for both financial and timing reasons. I envy your being able to get such a nice suite. (We have only even had a balcony cabin once - Tahitian Princess, where it was WELL worth it given that itinerary!), but we started out cruising in inside cabins and mostly still do. The cost is the main reason, and it doesn't bother us.

 

It seems that people who start out cruising on the anytime/anywhere dining ships prefer that. But those who have cruised a lot w/traditional dining prefer that! (As evidenced by ships that offer both - where the waitlist for traditional is long!) Guess it's hard to teach old dogs new tricks. The first time we cruised, I will admit, I had some high anxiety about dining w/people we didn't know, etc. But now, after so many cruises, we love that aspect of cruising. I think if you have your family or good friends w/you, it wouldn't be of any consequence since you eat w/them anyway - as we do when we have family or friends along.

 

I think the Jewel and Pearl sound like cool ships. (Although looking at photos of the Jewel's cabins, RCCL has them beat for sure. Maybe not the huge suites w/the "outdoor" sections, but otherwise. . . ) And the RCCL ships of the Voyager Class (of which NOS is one) are fabulous. So are their Brilliance/Serenade type of ships, although w/kids the Voyager Class (and I'm SURE the new Freedom OTS) outdoes even those. W/out a doubt, RCCL has THE MOST and BEST variations of things to do than ANY other line. Really cool discos like the Vault, etc. (not like the little room off the hallways that Carnival ships have). And even their older ships have them in the nice Crown Lounges. Looks like the Princess ship you went on has a Skywalker's disco that looks like it might be nice. Since we are diamond members of RCCL we can sometimes get a discount, but yes, RCCL is a bit higher priced than some of the other lines. That, and their same ol'/same ol' itineraries have kind of kept us away from them the past couple of years. My dd is about to have a baby. Once he is old enough to sail, I bet we all go on the Freedom OTS, though. She has seen the surf thing and is rarin' to try it! (So am I!) Can't you just imagine the lines, though!

 

One more thing, anytime you cruise at Easter, you will be in for a crowd, unless maybe the cruise goes over 7 days. We will probably either book the Pearl for the first sailing in March or around the 3rd. One is spring break where my husband works (a univ.) and the other is my dd's (sr. in college this coming yr.).

 

Have a wonderful cruise and don't forget to get on the roll call for the Pearl. I will as soon as we know what/where/which! :)

[mlbcruiser]

Oh, I forgot - Suz167, it's encouraging that you found NCL to be to your liking after trying the other lines. Thanks!

[tomluvsaida]

How can you compare The Pearl to anything? It doesn't exist yet.

[mlbcruiser]

Well, Tom, someone already said that above. You can't REALLY. But the Jewel is a very similar ship, supposedly, and like w/a certain class of ship with any cruiseline, that usually means a lot of similarities. I have found this w/RCCL for sure.

[Swimteammom]

My husband and I have taken 4 cruises (all of which we loved) and are also looking at the Pearl. I like the idea of 9 days and sailing from Miami instead of the hassle of San Juan for a Southern Caribbean. We have not sailed Norwegian so I am equally curious to an answer to your questions. We are similar in age (my husband is 56 and I am 44) with similar ideas on ship activities and music!! Which date are you thinking of? We are looking at January at this point.....get out of the cold after Christmas.

 

Looking forward to a response................

 

Linda

[5kids5]

mlbcruiser,

thanks for your post.

actually, we tried to book the Freedom of the Seas as soon as we saw that TODAY show that showed that stupid wave rider that my kids insisted on going on. I think 1/2 of the cruising America thought the same thing because once that aired, the cabins totally disappeared for the Easter Week sailing ( I had inquired through Expedia -- not seriously, but some pricing -- And there were the 5 cabins we needed available, but not connecting cabins). After the show, there was literally 5 inside cabins left scattered over the ship. So, I then went to plan B, which was to Compare Navigator, as I explained, and the Crown Princess. However, the Crown's Itinerary for that week happens to be the exact same one we just did on the Princess this past April so we scratched that one.

We actually held the rooms on the Navigator, but then I "cruised" Cruise Critic and found out the Pearl was debuting. I could not find ANY information excpet it had a bowling alley. Then I found that it is the sister ship to the Jewel, and I studied that ship, which is also new (2005).

That ship had great reviews, so I kind of looked at the itinerary, which was more attractive to me, and it was for 9 days for quite a bit less money. I forgot to mention I also got a $250 on board credit for the suite and $150 for the mini suite. That's a lot of Margarita's!

I am in rms 11516 and 11512, which connect..That was another selling point for me, as I indicated earlier.

Actually, I think they all have their pluses and my choice really wasn't seriously thought through and through. The Jewel looked good so I thought the Pearl has a great chance of being Very much the same, good pricing, and great itinerary. That's all I needed to hear!

Good luck in your decision making process.

[5kids5]

OOOOOOOOOOPPS....

cabins #11512 & 11514 -- not 516.

[mlbcruiser]

Linda and 5kids5,

 

We will be going in March - might be early, or might be late in the mo. Most likely early, as I think that is when my dh's work (at a univ.) has their break. IF my dd would decide she wanted to come w/us, then we'd have to rethink the whole thing. I doubt she does, though. . . . .

 

I looked at the Crown Princess, too. Wanted to go on newer Princess in a way to see how their outdoor movie screen usage was done compared to Carnival's Liberty. (I have heard Princess's is better w/the popcorn and stuff.) But I managed to get my hands on a few promo books from Princess, RCCL and Celebrity the other day and have been perusing them. Wish I had one from NCL, too. I tried to order one on their site but it kept blinking off (?).(I'd rather look at and study the books and ship layouts that way than on a computer.) I didn't really see any other itineraries I liked as well as the Pearl's We have been to all of the Pearl's ports except Dominica but we LOVE St. Lucia and Tortola, and were only at Barbados once. (A lady who works w/my husband LOVED the naturalness of Dominica.) The good itineraries I did see all seemed to be on ships identical to the bit older ones we have already sailed. (Sun Princess has a good one, but we sailed her last yr. and she was nice but a bit low key.) I'm not sure about the itineraries of Celebrity because the book I had did not list 2007 cruises. When I checked them online, though, I don't recall seeing anything. We even have a standing deposit on Princess for any ship that we put down on last year's cruise. (They have a great program for prebooking when you are on one of their ships. We can still use the dep. for a couple more years, though.) Our older dd wants to go on the Freedom OTS. When she, her dh and child can go, I'm sure we will, too. But it won't be next spring, I don't think. She is about to have her first baby a wk. from today (induced is why I know) and will no doubt not be ready to take him on a cruise for a while yet! I think there is another RCCL ship coming out w/the surf thing next yr. or so, too, I think. . . .I saw part of the Today show filmed on the Freedom, but not all of it. There was a show (Regis?) on one of the NCL ships a few mos. ago I think as well. Guess that's all it takes to get the word out! Sometimes various travel agencies have blocks of cabins booked - or used to?- so I wonder if you could have found something elsewhere for the Freedom? But 5 cabins together would be tough no matter what. So, welcome to the Pearl! There WAS some onboard credit being given by at least once agency I saw last wk. But when I saw it, it was late on the night of the last day you could book, so guess I will have to look around and see what else I can find. Those credits DO come in handy! I'm pretty sure we'll sail the Pearl, though.

 

By the way, we LOVE sailing out of Miami, too! That was the first port we ever left from and it really does feel more exciting and tropical - like you are REALLY going on a cruise - than when leaving any other port, I think. My brother lives near FLL so we like to leave from either Miami or FLL and see him for a night or two first. . . . I noticed a few years ago that you could do a longer cruise and not pay as much overall if you left from FL to the So. Carib. and didn't spend the extra money to FLY to San Juan. Once we did a cruise longer than 7 days (our longest has been 11), we also hated to do just 7. RCCL doesn't have the "extra few days" sailings so much as some of the other lines. I LOVE their ships the best, but . . . ! . . .Yes, the Jewel's reviews do sound very good. And, they have a slide as well as the bowling alley. The kids will like that!

 

Isn't it so fun to plan these cruises?! ;)

[debshomespun]

mlbcruiser: We are booked on the 3/2/07 sailing of the Pearl! We liked the 9 night, as the most we have been on is an 8 night on the RCCL Jewel. We love the itinery, as we have not yet been to dominica or St. Lucia (not been to tortola yet, but will on the Westerdam 10/29/06 cruise)j.

 

We are going on the Freedom of the Seas in just under 5 weeks, and can't wait. The next in the line will the Liberty of the Seas coming out in Spring of 07. Not sure how those "BIG" ships will be, but will definitely get our exercise.

 

We are trying out Holland America on the Westerdam 10/29/06, and I think from what I am reading, we will have an excellent time. My DH just turned 50 yesterday, and I am 47. We have been on a variety of cruises, and they have all been fantastic. Some are better than others, but we have had a great time on every one.

 

Let me know what you decide!

[5kids5]

mlbcruiser,

thanks for the detailed response. Love to hear it!

I have another question for you, since you have sailed out of Miami:

The Pearl docks at 12:00pm. Kind of late, huh?

We have tenative flights home out of Miami leaving at 5:00pm.

Would love to book an earlier flight, but not sure if I can logistically.

I read in another thread that you may disembark yourself, and leave as soon as the ship docks. Have you heard of this? If that is true, then maybe I can book a flight at 3:00pm or so.

Another option is to fly JetBlue back to NY through Fort Lauderdale. How far is the Miami port from Ft. Lauderdale Airport?

Thanks again!

PS : I am already looking at the Spring '08 Freedom or Liberty....TA said FOS will come down in price once the Liberty debuts next year...

 

ALSO, regarding the Pearl Onboard credits being offered NOW, they raised the credit to $300 for Penthouse Suite AB and I called Expedia to get the extra $50 (I was given $250) and they said no way. (It expired last night, 8/6)

Any experience with that??

[mlbcruiser]

Then debshomespun, we will be on the same sailing! I just booked it tonight! We did get a $50 onboard credit (not through Expedia) and my dh and I each have a $30 class action suit voucher to use on NCL that was awarded to people who sailed w/them in the mid-90's. (Every little bit helps!) My dh's work will be on break starting the 3rd, so it seemed the best wk. for us. (Now I just hope my dd doesn't decide after our final pymt. date that she would have wanted to go on a cruise w/us on HER break a couple of wks. later! That's unlikely, though.) Did you sign up on the roll call boards yet? I am going to soon.

 

5kids5, I want to go on the Freedom or Liberty OTS (wow, that one is gonna get mixed up w/Carnival's Liberty!) maybe in spring of '08, too. My dd that is about to have a baby wants to go on one of those so I am hoping it will work

Now, in regard to your questions:

 

I didn't realize the Pearl docks at noon in Miami on debarkation day! Yes, that is DEFINITELY later than any ship we've ever sailed on or even heard about! It's not that far to either MIA or FLL from the port. Assuming you are let off the ship by 1:00, you should EASILY be able to make it to MIA by 1:30 and FLL by 2 p.m. Those airports tend to be a bit less crowded on weekdays in the spring because most cruiseships come and go on Saturdays and Sundays. Most unload a couple of thousand people so you can guess how many are flying out from late morning on. (Lots of bumping in springtime!). When the Pearl has been sailing a few wks. you should be able to post a question on the boards to find out about what time everyone is being let off the ship (you know how that goes, depending upon customs clearing the ship and so forth).

 

Yes, most ships do allow passengers to carry their own baggage off the ship if they have an early departure. You should tell the purser that you have an early departure and find out how they handle the timing of allowing you off. Another thing is you can go to the purser's desk and just tell them you have an early airline departure and want the color tags coded for early departures so you don't have to drag your luggage around w/you before getting off. (Those in the most expensive cabin categories generally get these automatically.) You will notice that the cruiseline will ask your flight number on one of the cruise documents that you must fill out to help them determine if it is necessary to allow you off early, but don't count on their picking up on this for sure. Take matters into your own hands and check w/the purser's desk the night before the last night on the ship.

 

I have no experience regarding the onboard credit going up and asking for the adjustment. That would seem to me something that a good T/A could go to bat for you about or pass on to you an onboard credit amount of his/her own. You can always cancel the booking, and then rebook it as long as you are outside of the 90 (or whatever is required) days final payment date. This happens all the time with cabin price drops. It's usually nearly impossible to get your price adjusted if the drop occurs AFTER the final pymt. date. There are exceptions to this such as if your T/A happens to carry a LOT of clout w/the cruiseline or decides to take the hit herself and make up the difference. But generally it's pretty easy before the penalty date. Our neighbor and I once had to go to bat w/our T/A at a major agency because a 2nd price drop came around after we had him adjust our prices once already. He balked at first and finally gave it to us under threat by my neighbor of our cancelling, and my pointing out something in their policy listed online. (Which was promptly changed!) He said his boss got mad about it but he finally went ahead and made the adjustment. Sometimes if you have booked directly w/the cruiseline they will make an adjustment or offer you a higher category of cabin if one is available. But I don't know that they would adjust a simple "perk" of an onboard credit quite so easily. You will have to be careful and make sure there is another cabin or cabins that you want if you decide to cancel & rebook because it might be that your "old" cabin gets snatched up right away and won't be available when you go to rebook. Check some other online booking agencies to see which other companies are still offering onboard credits and the amounts.

 

Hope this has been of SOME help! (Sorry my reply is so long! Thank goodness I type fast! LOL!)

[debshomespun]

mblcruiser: Yes, I have joined the roll call. Here it is: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=347377

Hope that works. There are a few people there already. Not a lot of catching up to do. I just LOVE this itinery. We are in an inside cabin down on deck 4. My DH just is retiring, and we are trying to save $$$ so that we can still afford to go a couple times a year. Where is your cabin?

 

Our kids are out of college now, thank god. No more college payments. They are 24 and 22. We are from NE Ohio, where we get lots of rain, and not so much sunshine. Must be why we love the caribbean!