Review 3/22-29 Pearl- Inside cabin to Suite

[jlmza2350]

We had a very nice cruise aboard the Pearl. Not quite smashing, but enjoyable and relaxing.

 

My wife and I are in our 40's and we brought our three children (17,14 and 8). We cruised with my wife's sister and two of her children (17, 15). We have cruised a few times before on Celebrity and RCCL.

 

We flew into Miami the night before and stayed at the Doubletree Miami Mart. The rooms were just adequate, but the airport shuttle was very efficient and there were plenty of options in the morning to get to the port.

 

Embarkation was smooth and we were onboard in 30 minutes.

 

Cabins:

 

We had 3 cabins for the eight of us. A penthouse suite on deck 9 aft, an inside cabin on deck 9 aft and a mini suite on deck 11. How we arrived at these three cabins may be instructive to others. We originally booked three inside cabins on deck 8 all next to each other. A few days before sailing my wife and I had second thoughts about staying in a cabin without a balcony (we have always stayed in one). I called and upgraded one room to a balcony. It was quickly confirmed as a guaranteed room. The next day I received a call offering to upgrade and I arranged an upgrade for two of the rooms and moved the third to be by the suite. All this was done for considerably less then what it would have been if I booked these rooms originally.

 

My wife and I stayed in the suite and it was wonderful. The suite perks are great but if you are traveling with others be warned they might not let your group use some of them (I feel this is fair). Our butler was Jeffrey and he was outstanding!

The concierge was Erica and she was barely adequate. One of the perks of a suite is advanced reservations. We asked for reservations to four extra charge restaurants and Erica told us no problem. She arranged the first one and last one fine but failed on the middle two. We always confirmed the reservations the day before but the day of the reservation of the two missed ones she left a message saying it did not work out All in all just a bump in the road.

 

The Mini suite was also very nice. Plenty of room and a very nice balcony. The three teenage boys stayed in the inside room by the suite and there was plenty of room for teenage boys.

 

 

Food:

 

Freestyle dining was a hit with our group.

 

We ate at Cagney's two times and both meals were excellent. We ate at Mambo's once and it was ok. It was like eating at chain Mexican restaurant. We had one dinner at Indigo and the service was good but the food was poor. The other nights we ate at the buffet, which was very good. It had lots of choices and was fast. This helps when you are with teenagers.

 

My wife and I ate breakfast at Cagney's most mornings and the service and food was top notch.

 

 

Entertainment:

 

Sharkbait was hilarious! Second City was also very good (don't miss the improv show). The stand up comedian was just fair. I did not see the production shows myself but my wife and her sister said they were average.

 

 

Ports:

 

Roatan:

We went to Fin and Flippers on our own. A very nice location. The snorkeling was average, but the food was good. They are building a small rescue zoo and our 8 year old like this. We booked ahead online and saved $5 per person.

 

Belize City:

We booked the zip line and cave tubing with Major Tom. I think he probably does as good a job as any of the tour people we saw.

 

The problem was we saw a lot of tour people. The cave tubing was very crowded and the water was low. It was at times chaotic. We were constantly lifting our backsides up to avoid rocks. None of this do I blame on Major Tom, but I would definitely consider doing something else at this port.

 

The zip line was fun and very well organized. Who ever you book with, the tour operator just brings you here and the zip line staff takes over.

 

Cozumel:

We have been here a few times before and we really enjoy this port. We all went to Paradise Beach and had a great time. They have free wi-fi so bring your phone if you want to check email. The beach is nice and the kids loved the water toys. We left there and ate lunch at Senor Frogs and the adults liked the yard beers and the kids got a kick out of yard sodas. The food was as good as always. We did some shopping around the port area and found a few good deals.

 

A hint to those traveling in larger groups. Cozumel has many passenger van taxis and this saved on the fare to Paradise Beach and back.

 

GSC:

We enjoyed the island but it was very crowded. The tender operation was very well run.

 

Ship:

 

The ship itself is very well maintained. I did not like the layout of the ship. There are to many dead ends. At times it felt very crowded on board. The pool area was packed on sea days. My wife and I used Spa day passes on one sea day and that helped to get some relaxation. The spa is very nice.

 

Our eight year old enjoyed the kids club and went four evenings. She especially liked the pajama night. The staff at the kids club is great. The teenagers all tried the teen club and it was essentially worthless. I checked it out and agree. Compared to RCCL it was not even close. They still had fun. They enjoyed bowling, ping-pong and the hot tubs. All four of the teenagers liked Sharkbait and Second City.

 

Overall:

 

We enjoyed the Pearl and would consider booking with NCL again. I think my family would prefer to cruise with RCCL. They enjoy the larger ship layouts more.

[watchdiva]

Thanks for your well-balanced review. It's nice when someone new to NCL comes back and tells the rest of us what they liked and didn't like about their cruise.

 

Overall it sounds as though you had a good time!

[lhall85917]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences. We'll be sure to report back after we sail next week.

[Stillfloatin']

Thank you for an informative and balanced review.

[Mooder]

I agree. Thanks for the balanced review. Just a comment to share my experience with the concierge and reservations. Sometimes a concierge cannot get a reservation when you CAN get one yourself. The only explanation is that they must have a certain number of reservations and when they are filled, they say they can't get any. But if you call the reservations number directly, they might have a spot. Annoying, but the result is we choose to make our own. If we ever get turned down by general reservations, maybe we'll use the concierge, but that hasn't happened yet.

 

Happy cruising!

[jlmza2350]

I agree. Thanks for the balanced review. Just a comment to share my experience with the concierge and reservations. Sometimes a concierge cannot get a reservation when you CAN get one yourself. The only explanation is that they must have a certain number of reservations and when they are filled, they say they can't get any. But if you call the reservations number directly, they might have a spot. Annoying, but the result is we choose to make our own. If we ever get turned down by general reservations, maybe we'll use the concierge, but that hasn't happened yet.

 

Happy cruising!

 

I tend to agree with your reasoning on the reservations.

 

But what was frustrating is the concierge told my wife and I at breakfast that it was all arranged. We would have understood that all are four requests could not be filled and would have made other plans early in the day.

 

Still only a minor problem! :D

[teacher_md]

Thanks for the review.

 

I am going on the Pearl next Sunday and really want to do the cave tubing. Any hints or tips before going? I guess the constant "lifting up backsides" has got to be annoying. I just kind of picked this itinerary because I wanted to do cave tubing. It sounds like a really cool excursion. I hope I'm not disappointed.

 

Thanks again, AJ.

[njmtnmom]

Thanks for the review.

 

I am going on the Pearl next Sunday and really want to do the cave tubing. Any hints or tips before going? I guess the constant "lifting up backsides" has got to be annoying. I just kind of picked this itinerary because I wanted to do cave tubing. It sounds like a really cool excursion. I hope I'm not disappointed.

 

Thanks again, AJ.

 

Just got off the Pearl on the 29th - we went cave tubing, we didn't plan ahead, just went for it in Belize through XStream Cave Tubing, and I have to say it was the best time ever! Please bring a pair of water shoes - you really need them, just need a bathing suit and possibly a waterproof camera and you will thoroughly enjoy the experience.

 

BUTTS UP! no big deal - and it's fun. Do a search for cave tubing in Belize and you will find XStream cave tubing, they include lunch - it's the best.

 

As for the Pearl itself-it was a beautiful ship, but could have used more pools or positioned the adult pool on another deck away from the kids pool, similar to what Princess has, where the adult pool is in the back of the ship. The food was below par, the quality and the service has gone down, since I last sailed on NCL 2 years ago. But all in all it was a relaxing time, the best time to get a deck chair by the pool is when everyone is off the ship or early morning!

 

Have fun -go relax and enjoy - you will have a SMASHING time!

Donna

[dtracker]

We had a very nice cruise aboard the Pearl. Not quite smashing, but enjoyable and relaxing.

 

My wife and I are in our 40's and we brought our three children (17,14 and 8). We cruised with my wife's sister and two of her children (17, 15). We have cruised a few times before on Celebrity and RCCL.

 

We flew into Miami the night before and stayed at the Doubletree Miami Mart. The rooms were just adequate, but the airport shuttle was very efficient and there were plenty of options in the morning to get to the port.

 

Embarkation was smooth and we were onboard in 30 minutes.

 

Cabins:

 

We had 3 cabins for the eight of us. A penthouse suite on deck 9 aft, an inside cabin on deck 9 aft and a mini suite on deck 11. How we arrived at these three cabins may be instructive to others. We originally booked three inside cabins on deck 8 all next to each other. A few days before sailing my wife and I had second thoughts about staying in a cabin without a balcony (we have always stayed in one). I called and upgraded one room to a balcony. It was quickly confirmed as a guaranteed room. The next day I received a call offering to upgrade and I arranged an upgrade for two of the rooms and moved the third to be by the suite. All this was done for considerably less then what it would have been if I booked these rooms originally.

 

My wife and I stayed in the suite and it was wonderful. The suite perks are great but if you are traveling with others be warned they might not let your group use some of them (I feel this is fair). Our butler was Jeffrey and he was outstanding!

The concierge was Erica and she was barely adequate. One of the perks of a suite is advanced reservations. We asked for reservations to four extra charge restaurants and Erica told us no problem. She arranged the first one and last one fine but failed on the middle two. We always confirmed the reservations the day before but the day of the reservation of the two missed ones she left a message saying it did not work out All in all just a bump in the road.

 

The Mini suite was also very nice. Plenty of room and a very nice balcony. The three teenage boys stayed in the inside room by the suite and there was plenty of room for teenage boys.

 

 

Food:

 

Freestyle dining was a hit with our group.

 

We ate at Cagney's two times and both meals were excellent. We ate at Mambo's once and it was ok. It was like eating at chain Mexican restaurant. We had one dinner at Indigo and the service was good but the food was poor. The other nights we ate at the buffet, which was very good. It had lots of choices and was fast. This helps when you are with teenagers.

 

My wife and I ate breakfast at Cagney's most mornings and the service and food was top notch.

 

 

Entertainment:

 

Sharkbait was hilarious! Second City was also very good (don't miss the improv show). The stand up comedian was just fair. I did not see the production shows myself but my wife and her sister said they were average.

 

 

Ports:

 

Roatan:

We went to Fin and Flippers on our own. A very nice location. The snorkeling was average, but the food was good. They are building a small rescue zoo and our 8 year old like this. We booked ahead online and saved $5 per person.

 

Belize City:

We booked the zip line and cave tubing with Major Tom. I think he probably does as good a job as any of the tour people we saw.

 

The problem was we saw a lot of tour people. The cave tubing was very crowded and the water was low. It was at times chaotic. We were constantly lifting our backsides up to avoid rocks. None of this do I blame on Major Tom, but I would definitely consider doing something else at this port.

 

The zip line was fun and very well organized. Who ever you book with, the tour operator just brings you here and the zip line staff takes over.

 

Cozumel:

We have been here a few times before and we really enjoy this port. We all went to Paradise Beach and had a great time. They have free wi-fi so bring your phone if you want to check email. The beach is nice and the kids loved the water toys. We left there and ate lunch at Senor Frogs and the adults liked the yard beers and the kids got a kick out of yard sodas. The food was as good as always. We did some shopping around the port area and found a few good deals.

 

A hint to those traveling in larger groups. Cozumel has many passenger van taxis and this saved on the fare to Paradise Beach and back.

 

GSC:

We enjoyed the island but it was very crowded. The tender operation was very well run.

 

Ship:

 

The ship itself is very well maintained. I did not like the layout of the ship. There are to many dead ends. At times it felt very crowded on board. The pool area was packed on sea days. My wife and I used Spa day passes on one sea day and that helped to get some relaxation. The spa is very nice.

 

Our eight year old enjoyed the kids club and went four evenings. She especially liked the pajama night. The staff at the kids club is great. The teenagers all tried the teen club and it was essentially worthless. I checked it out and agree. Compared to RCCL it was not even close. They still had fun. They enjoyed bowling, ping-pong and the hot tubs. All four of the teenagers liked Sharkbait and Second City.

 

Overall:

 

We enjoyed the Pearl and would consider booking with NCL again. I think my family would prefer to cruise with RCCL. They enjoy the larger ship layouts more.

 

I enjoyed your balanced review. One question: could your cave tubing experience be the result of low tides? I'm not sure if this is a salt water or fresh water excursion? :confused:

 

DT

[jlmza2350]

I enjoyed your balanced review. One question: could your cave tubing experience be the result of low tides? I'm not sure if this is a salt water or fresh water excursion? :confused:

 

DT

 

No, it was a fresh water river. Parts of the river was deep enough to enjoy, other parts not so much.

[judyf]

Nice review, thanks for sharing, I plan to go cave tubing in Oct. hope the water level is up by then.