Pearl questions...

[lunyma]

I'm going on the Pearl next month, and since this is my first NCL cruise, I have a few questions that I'm hoping someone can answer...

 

Are the pools saltwater or freshwater?

 

Are there cool showers by the pool? (didn't notice any in pics I've seen)

 

Can I use my laptop anywhere onboard with wi-fi?

 

Where is the best place to go when I board, to book my specialty restaurant reservations?

 

Are there menus for the specialty restaurants anywhere online?

 

Can I get lobster somewhere other than the main dining room, and if not, is formalwear required in the main dining room on the night they serve it?

 

What restaurants, if any, are open for lunch on the day of embarkation? Any recommendations?

 

Appreciate any answers I can get. I feel like a total newbie, even though this is my 22nd cruise!

[immargaret]

I'm going on the Pearl next month, and since this is my first NCL cruise, I have a few questions that I'm hoping someone can answer...

 

Are the pools saltwater or freshwater?

 

Are there cool showers by the pool? (didn't notice any in pics I've seen)

 

Can I use my laptop anywhere onboard with wi-fi?

 

Where is the best place to go when I board, to book my specialty restaurant reservations?

 

Are there menus for the specialty restaurants anywhere online?

 

Can I get lobster somewhere other than the main dining room, and if not, is formalwear required in the main dining room on the night they serve it?

 

What restaurants, if any, are open for lunch on the day of embarkation? Any recommendations?

 

Appreciate any answers I can get. I feel like a total newbie, even though this is my 22nd cruise!

 

I haven't been on the Pearl but I can help with a couple of your questions.

 

The pools are saltwater, but it is clorinated and filtered so it doesn't really feel like salt water.....if that makes sense.

 

Formal clothes aren't required on any NCL cruise, as long as you are wearing resort casual (not jeans) you can eat in any of the restaurants on the ship, any evening.

 

Normally there is 1 main dining room open for lunch when you get on the ship.

 

Even with wi-fi you will need to purchase an internet package. On the Dawn there were several hot-spots on the ship but not everywhere is covered, maybe they have improved this on the Pearl.

[lunyma]

Thanks, Margaret. I much prefer a sit down lunch than a buffet (or *action station* as the case may be )

 

Any idea what the cost is for the internet package? And how does that work exactly, since my wireless card is built in to my laptop?

[Guest Anorak33]

I was on the Pearl Transatlantic and can answer some of your questions,The pool is normal saltwater, it wasn't very warm while I was on board but I think its heated.

There are showers by the pool/jacuzzis, they were cool at first then warmed up as the water ran.

I know you didn't ask abut the jacuzzis, but they weren't warm enough most of the time and the jets ran for only a very very short time after you pressed the button. Its a new ship and jacuzzis aren't rocket science but there you go.

You can get Maine-style lobster any night at Cagneys Steakhouse, $20 charge for the whole meal. Very nice, no bib or fingerbowl provided however. Steaks there varied from Ok to excellent.

Caribbean spiny type lobster one night in dining room, never any compulsion to wear formal, no one cares whether you do or not.

I think it was at the Mambos restaurant where they took bookings for the specialty restaurants, about midday to 5pm or so, they give you a little printout of what you have booked to remind you and as proof.

I would recommend le Bistro (excellent) and Cagneys, if I went on Pearl again I would book them up as soon as I got on board for every night, but there is nothing bad about the food in the regular no fee restaurants. La Cucina Italian is also no fee and the appetisers are the best part for me there, it gets booked up real fast.

Please remember that I was on the first cruise and things may have changed since then, also this is all only my opinion.

You can get a more definitive answer from Shoreguy if he's around.

[shoreguy]

I was on the Pearl Transatlantic and can answer some of your questions,The pool is normal saltwater, it wasn't very warm while I was on board but I think its heated.

There are showers by the pool/jacuzzis, they were cool at first then warmed up as the water ran.

I know you didn't ask abut the jacuzzis, but they weren't warm enough most of the time and the jets ran for only a very very short time after you pressed the button. Its a new ship and jacuzzis aren't rocket science but there you go.

You can get Maine-style lobster any night at Cagneys Steakhouse, $20 charge for the whole meal. Very nice, no bib or fingerbowl provided however. Steaks there varied from Ok to excellent.

Caribbean spiny type lobster one night in dining room, never any compulsion to wear formal, no one cares whether you do or not.

I think it was at the Mambos restaurant where they took bookings for the specialty restaurants, about midday to 5pm or so, they give you a little printout of what you have booked to remind you and as proof.

I would recommend le Bistro (excellent) and Cagneys, if I went on Pearl again I would book them up as soon as I got on board for every night, but there is nothing bad about the food in the regular no fee restaurants. La Cucina Italian is also no fee and the appetisers are the best part for me there, it gets booked up real fast.

Please remember that I was on the first cruise and things may have changed since then, also this is all only my opinion.

You can get a more definitive answer from Shoreguy if he's around.

 

You did great.

 

A little clarification - on lobster night you can get them at no additional charge in any restaurant. As posted formal wear is never reguired. Cagney's has real Lobstah every night

 

Indigo dinning room was open for lunch as well as the action stations of the Garden Cafe and The Blue Lagoon

 

Best place to book the Concierge - second best place the reservations desk outside Mambos:D

 

Wifi is in most of the public areas and in the penthouses. Ethernet connection in all cabins. I had a Cisco AP in my AB.

 

 

Cost of internet

 

Time Package Plan:

250 minutes for $100 ($0.40 per minute)

100 minutes for $55 ($0.55 per minute)

Pay as you go $0.75 per minute

[Don Haynes]

In all of the ships I have sailed on with NCL, its the aft restaurant that is open for lunch on embarkation day. It makes a bit of common sense that they won't be using the amidships main restaurant since that is the elevator banks they are using to embark the passengers.

 

NCL has recently changed their menus for the restaurants. There have been very nice cruisers who have posted these menus within the past month, from the main restaurants on 7 and 11 day cruises, to all of the speciality restaurants which most have the same menus every night.

 

A simple seach Dawn menus will probably suffice. Or click on the next few pages of this forum. They may have fallen off the first page, but they are not that deep yet.

[lunyma]

Thank you all for the answers so far... I really appreciate it. Maybe I'll re-think taking along my laptop and make this a *real* vacation? Since I usually use the *buffet* type restaurants for most lunches onboard, as I spend most of my day by the pool, I think I'd like to try Indigo that first day.

[Guest Anorak33]

You have probably realised that the Garden Cafe buffet style restaurant is very near the pool area and on the same deck. I don't think they like you wearing bathing suits in there though.

Although I am not a buffet person this was the best one I have used on a ship, rather over busy on our Transatlantic though and a bit of a huddle around the drinks machines however, the traffic just doesn't flow well around there. There is another drinks machine in the next section of dining area which is less busy.

If you want to grab a bite around the pool area there is a buffet right there you can use wearing your swimmers or whatever no problem. Not anything like as much variety, It opened at 7.30 most days, as did the pool and jacuzzis. No coffee but a lady with a cart came round all morning for that. Nice for a light breakfast or snack on deck, they had big beds/sofas near there as patio furniture with big cushions. Get one early if you want one.

I wanna get back on Pearl now!

[lunyma]

Can I assume that *chair saving* around the main pool is just as prevalent as on other lines?

[electricron]

Can I assume that *chair saving* around the main pool is just as prevalent as on other lines?

 

Yes! Why should or would it be any different?

[shoreguy]

In addition to the Garden Cafe and the poolside Topsiders Grill, there is also the Sky High Bar overlooking the pool area with cooked to order Burgers and such.

 

Click to enlarge

 

[calmac]

Lunch on embarkation day of the Transatlantic sailing may have been in the Indigo restaurant as the Summer Palace (main aft facing restaurant) was being used to host lunch for "visitors" to the ship.

[shoreguy]

Lunch on embarkation day of the Transatlantic sailing may have been in the Indigo restaurant as the Summer Palace (main aft facing restaurant) was being used to host lunch for "visitors" to the ship.

 

Good point - I walked into that luncheon :D Normally on all the other NCL cruises the aft dining room was used.

[driker2]

Wifi is in most of the public areas and in the penthouses. Ethernet connection in all cabins. I had a Cisco AP in my AB.

 

Just to confirm, Shoreguy. My wife and I will be in an AA (port side) on the Pearl's September, 2007 west-to-east Trans-Canal trip. My wife is blind and we download books and other such material from a website which needs a special "manager" program on our computer to effect the download. The books and material then go from the laptop to a tiny MP3 player.

 

[1] I am assuming that I will not be able to load the "manager " program on NCL's computer. Seem correct to you? [2] Anticipating this, I plan on bringing my own laptop with its wi-fi card, so I can handle our downloads.

 

Is [1] true? If it is not, then I assume I won't have to do [2]. :confused:

[shoreguy]

Just to confirm, Shoreguy. My wife and I will be in an AA (port side) on the Pearl's September, 2007 west-to-east Trans-Canal trip. My wife is blind and we download books and other such material from a website which needs a special "manager" program on our computer to effect the download. The books and material then go from the laptop to a tiny MP3 player.

 

[1] I am assuming that I will not be able to load the "manager " program on NCL's computer. Seem correct to you? [2] Anticipating this, I plan on bringing my own laptop with its wi-fi card, so I can handle our downloads.

 

Is [1] true? If it is not, then I assume I won't have to do [2]. :confused:

 

True - bring your laptop and download as much as you can before you go. The Satellite link from the ship can be slow especially when many others are logged on sharing the limited bandwidth. I am not sure how big the files are but downloading my company mail once a day could take up to 20 minutes for 5-10 MB.

[Guest Anorak33]

Lunyma I got the impression, maybe wrongly, that NCL are not expecting to have to accomodate too many passengers around the pool as the ship will be visiting ports most days in the Caribbean and Alaska and most of them will be ashore.

Transatlantic - which was a one off - there were not sufficient seats/sunbeds/tables/public space for the passengers wishing to use it.

But we were creative, for example Bridge players used Le Bistro during the day which had plenty of tables and chairs.

The real card room only had a handful of tables and was woefully inadequate for the numbers wishing to use it. We never got in there in 10 days and used Mambos restaurant for our daytime board games.

So yes, if you want a sunbed get up early and claim one, or of course get up there later and throw someone elses towel off which has been there too long and move the sunbed to a new location. The crew did not enforce any sunbed rules as far as I knew. Never bothered me but then I will just lie on the wooden bench all round the pool if I need to.

Don't forget to try the big yellow whirly slide by the pool, the water is heated and its not too fast.

[dateacher]

Lunch on embarkation day was in the Summer Palace. A great way to start the trip.

 

We made our reservations for the speciality restaurants by 1:30PM on the day of embarkation and the line was long and not all dates/times were available. We also made reservations for the speicality restaurants for the end of the trip in case we decided we liked the main ones enough to go back.

 

Of the three speciality ones we ate in, Cagneys was fabulous, Le Bistro was ok and La Cucina was adequate. My son said it reminded him of Olive Garden. We found the food in the main dining rooms to be good to great (esp. on the next to the last night). We also looked forward to the lobster night and found it not to be worth the excitement. I wouldn't make my dinner plans around the lobster.

 

Full report to come soon.

[greenie]

"You did great.

A little clarification - on lobster night you can get them at no additional charge in any restaurant. As posted formal wear is never reguired. Cagney's has real Lobstah every night

 

Indigo dinning room was open for lunch as well as the action stations of the Garden Cafe and The Blue Lagoon

 

Best place to book the Concierge - second best place the reservations desk outside Mambos:D

 

Wifi is in most of the public areas and in the penthouses. Ethernet connection in all cabins. I had a Cisco AP in my AB."

*********************************************************

 

Love the TA photos, shoreguy--the AB looks lucious, reminds me of the AC on the Spirit. Please tell me AD suites will get one of those coffeemakers! Please! (Lie if you have to.)

[lunyma]

Thanks, Anorak... Assuming the weather is nice, I plan on being out by the pool every day, including port days. I really hope they have enough lounge chairs by the pool! No problem for me getting out early though. I'm an early riser :).

[Bobbie Ford]

We just got back from our first NCL cruise and loved it. The food was the best that we have had in recent years on other cruises. We really liked the freestyle, where we could eat when we were hungry, and we didn't have to get dressed up. We liked the intimate public spaces and got a kick out of the furnishings in the Bliss Lounge.

 

On the recommendation of our TA, we booked the specialty restaurants by phone as soon as we got on board. The night we had La Cucina booked, we weren't hungry, since we had a late lunch. We had to forgo our reservation and never could make another one. The Summer Palace and Indigo have the same menus, but Indigo fills up much faster. The rack of lamb in Indigo was tender and flavorful. The pasta station in the Garden Cafe at lunch was excellent. The escargot in Le Bistro were about the best I have ever had. For something different, try the Mongolian beef dinner at Shabu Shabu in the Lotus Garden. It was very tasty.

 

During the day at sea, the pool area was packed. Every lounge chair was taken. We retreated to our cabin and sat out on the balcony to read.

 

Tip: If you want to get ashore on days you are tendered, then you need to sign up for a shore excursion. If not, you'll be waiting hours for your color-coded ticket to be called. This problem is not unique to NCL.

 

Have fun cruising on the Pearl. We know you'll love it.

 

Bobbie

[w99flash]

Will be on the 1/5 9 nite.Does anyone know if they still offer a late night chocolate buffet?? They had this several years ago when we sailed the Wind and it was to DIE FOR.

[Bridge4033]

They didn't have it on the Dec 18th 4 nighter. Maybe just too short to bother.

[shoreguy]

"*********************************************************

 

Love the TA photos, shoreguy--the AB looks lucious, reminds me of the AC on the Spirit. Please tell me AD suites will get one of those coffeemakers! Please! (Lie if you have to.)

 

Since you asked so nicely the answer is yes;) . They are in all the penthouses including the AD.

[shoreguy]

Thanks, Anorak... Assuming the weather is nice, I plan on being out by the pool every day, including port days. I really hope they have enough lounge chairs by the pool! No problem for me getting out early though. I'm an early riser :).

 

If you really like the sun - don't forget the 100s lounge chairs on the deck above the pool. Even more a deck higher above the Sky High Bar.

 

Click to enlarge

 

 

And for those of us that wish to stay out of the direct rays of sun - lots of seating on the pool deck

 

[calmac]

Will be on the 1/5 9 nite.Does anyone know if they still offer a late night chocolate buffet?? They had this several years ago when we sailed the Wind and it was to DIE FOR.

 

There was a chocolate buffet on the 10 night transatlantic. It was in the Garden Cafe and, in our opinion, had more chocolate based items to eat than we had seen previously, but fewer chocolate and ice sculptures. We may be in the minority but we prefer the sculptures to the (American) chocolate-based items available to eat.