So sad---Just back from the Pearl - Loved it - LONG

[lvcruises]

We just got back from the Pearl...hard to come home.

 

We live in Charlotte, NC so we drove to Miami. We left 3/27 and stopped in GA at a LaQuinta. Got to Miami Saturday afternoon and stayed at the LAQuinta East by the airport. You can leave your car there for free and they take you to the port for free. They had a couple shuttles going at 10 am and 11 am Sunday morning. We had to get back from the port on our own. I booked Supershuttle....will not do that again. Will take taxi next time, the wasted time was not worth the savings.

 

Embark was the easiest I have ever had. I'm sure most of that was due to how early we arrived. We got checked in and got our room cards. We were then sent to the seating area. I guess because we were in a mini-suite it was a different area, not the main big sitting area. They were a little late getting everyone off the prior cruise so we didn't get on until close to 12. I think we were the first 12 on the ship. Got our Welcome aboard bubbly and went to the buffet. We were totally impressed with the food and the selection. Everything was great. We wondered around the ship stopping at the restaurants for samples and getting the feel for the ship. We were allowed to the room at 2:15. Loved the mini-suite 11656 an aft room. The layout is great. The bathroom setup is great and the shower with tub gives you so much more room. The balcony off the back is really nice too. We had CC people on both sides of us, that was nice since. It's like having friends on board since we got to talk on the boards before hand. Only real issue with the room is the noise from the great outdoors late at night and early morning... chair scrapping on the deck. We made reservations for Mambos that night and really enjoyed....so much food and it was all really good. Went to the show that night and made an early evening of it. It was a full ship, little over 2800...over 600 were under the age of 18. I was really surprised except for a few times... they were very well behaved and you realy didn't know there were that many on the ship. College age were not an issue.. didn't see any really issues there either.

 

Monday- Sea day. We had our Meet & Greet at 11...NCL did a really nice job. It was at the LeBistro, they had coffee, tea, juice and pastries for us. I think 5 or so of the crew staff showed up.... They do watch the CruiseCritic boards. One of them has 3 loggins that he uses. They want to make sure we are happy, asked that if there were issues we would let them know so they could correct it. About 30 of the 50 showed up. Nice to put names with faces, meet some really great people, made some new friends and had a great time getting to hang out with them. Had lunch at Indigo...it was wonderful. The Latitudes party was at 1:15 around 900+ on the ship, so it was full. Had pleny of wine, beer and rum punch. At 4 they had the Martini tasting. My DH and I shared one... good thing too... they were so strong. I decided I really don't like Martini's...except for the chocolate one:D. Second city was funny.. we enjoyed it. We had dinner at Cagneys. Service and food were great...so was the company "IRBCH".

 

Tuesday- Roatan. If you are coffee people like us you will like to know you can buy ground coffee here. At the pott there is a coffee shop and they sell it. We bought 2 bags...FYI had it this AM 4/6 and it is very good. We did the Jolly Roger Snorkel and Gumbalimba Park. This was a very nice excursion. The catamarine was a nice size.... the crew was great. The reef was large but there weren't a lot of fish that day. A few people saw a large turtle. The water was chilly when you first got in but you got used to it. After we snorkeled..they served lunch and had an open bar. The food was very good....chicken, slaw salad - no mayo, rice & beans and fruit. Rum punch, soda, water and beer to drink. We then sailed to Gumbalimba Park. We had a really nice time here, lots of birds, the monkeys were great. No issues with them bitting. There is a swinging bridge...only 5 over at a time. They do have another stationary bridge if you don't like heights... they call it the "chicken bridge" I was proud to be a chicken. This really was a great day... Roatan is very nice. We had dinner in Summer Palace. Lobster night.. had a small lobster tail. All the food was good... our waiter was over worked and not very outgoing. He wasn't rude or mean.... just not overly friendly. Service was quick until it was time for dessert. To many people at different stages in their meals I think can take a toll on them. We got our dessert and then went to the Sea Legs show... I enjoyed... others thought it was corny.

 

More to come later

[Traveller20074]

It's hard to come home isn't it? I'm going through withdrawal :(

 

we did the Jolly roger snorkel too. It was fun, but not enough time with the moneys! That...and it was a little rushed when we went. I felt rushed anyway, maybe it was just me.

 

Look forward to more of your review :)

[Senior Sea Dog]

WE are sailing in that same cabin(11656) in late May/June to

Alaska. Wondering if "Great Outdoors " will be an issue with the chilly/cold temperatures. Will it even be open?

SSD

[Don Haynes]

It will be open and busy. Its a great place to sit outside and watch the wonderful scenery as you sail by. It will take rain to shut the Great Outdoors down.

[terrymtex01]

Can't wait to read more of your review. I LOVE coffee and I didn't know that about Roatan... Can't wait to go back and buy some... yummmmmm.

[lvcruises]

Thanks everyone for you posts. I you have any questions I will try to answer them.

 

Wednesday- Belize. We took the Lamanai & New River tour, this meets at 7:45 in the Stardust Theater. We were on the first tender over to Belize. This tour has you in a bus for 45 mins each way, on a boat that is covered for about 1 hour each way, a little more going since they keep stopping to see birds and show you other sights. We heard howler monkeys and saw 1 croc. A warning... Please... if you have toddlers and infants think twice about doing this tour. It was about 95 degrees when we got to the ruins... they guides were concerned about the adults, dehydration and heat exhaustion can be an issue. They supplied lots of water but its even hard for adults to know when it hits much less small children. Its very humid so we were all sweating. They had a nice lunch ready for us when we got to the park. Chicken, beans and rice, slaw not made with mayo, a coconut dessert and plenty of drinks. The ruins are impressive. You stop at 3 sights, 2 you can climb on, one is so high up there is a rope to use up and down. My DH did climb it but I did not. The path all around the park is very uneven, rocky with lots of tree roots. We had a child fall and scrap his knee pretty bad. We made it back to the port and were not the last tour to arrive. That night we went to LeBistro for dinner... it was very good. I had the filet it was so tender.. everything was really good even the onion soup. We had 3 dessert...the chocolate fondue, crepe suzete and some strawberry(I didn't like it) the other 2 however were awsome! Went to the comedy show- Bill Hildebrandt, we enjoyed him... actually saw both shows. Then went my DH bowled 2 games with friends. We had a great day. The seas were really rough this night, we actually had quite a few rough nights but this was the worst.

 

Thursday - Cozumel. We did the Explore Cozumel by Jeep and snorkel. The surf around Cozumel was very rough, we were really glad we didn't have a boat snorkeling tour... the word SEASICK comes to mind. On this tour your first stop is to snorkel and you do it from the shore.. my DH snorkeled but I did not. They take you their facility to get the equipment, its very crowded and took sometime to get every ready to go. You then have to walk across the street to get into the water. My DH enjoyed it and got some nice pictures. The rest of the tour was nice... a neat way to see Cozumel. The beach area on the coast was under red flag so you didn't see many people in the water, got some great pictures of the surf and coast line. We stopped at a restaurant on the beach and had a buffet lunch of local mexican food. It was very good. Nice tour. Did some shopping afterwards.... Word of warning.. We learned this the hard way... let your credit card company know that you are out of the states. They declined our purchase so my DH had to hurry back to the ship to get cash. Not fun! The show this evening was Sharkbait... they were

[lvcruises]

Finishing up Thurday.. Timed out on me..

 

The show this evening was Sharkbait... they were so funny. The best show on the ship. Don't miss them. We ate at La Cucina Italian for dinner after the show. Again the seas were really rough... it was really hard on Sharkbait. I think this night was the worse. Dinner was really good we enjoyed everything we had and service was good.

Friday - Sea Day. We slept in and my DH went to the buffet and brought breakfast back to the room. We ate at the Garden Cafe for lunch... we had the chicken wings, potatoe skins, I had the hamburger(well half of it...it was huge) my DH had the meatloaf. Everything was good. We did the Margarita & Guacamole Tasting... Best Guacamole I have ever had and the drinks were good too! Then ran to the Mojito tasting....OMG I now love Mojitos...the strawberry one is so good. You get for tastings and 1 full drink with this one...full one was a cucumber mojito... a little strange... not my favorite. My DH decided at this point he was gonna do the Whiskey/bourbon tasting with one of the guys we had meet. They were snookered by the end of it. Five good shots for different Whiskey's I tasted them...didn't like them. We did the future cruise presentation and signed up for one. Went to the show - Garden of the Geisha.. mainly for the acobatic they are awsome. Tried to go to buffet for lunch... word of warning here... since the chocolate buffet was this night.. they closed the buffet at 8ish. We did not see that in the daily... it was there we just missed it. Ate at the Garden Cafe again...this time we were not as impressed. Neither serve or food was all that great. Oh well... 1 meal out of many that were great so I can live with this.

Sat- Great Stirrup Cay. Slept in again... started to pack. Had read about how packed the tender was so we took our time. Got to the island a little after 11. I have to admit... RCCL's private island is much better. We did have a nice time.. went to the left after we got off the boat, climbed over all those rocks and found a quiet little beach. Hung out there for a little while until others started showing up. Headed back for lunch. Their lunch setup leaves a lot to be desired. They have to had you everything so it takes forever. Food was decent. Walked to the lighthouse... boring and very hot. Swam a little to cool off, then headed to the ship. We ate in Indigo for dinner and it was great. Waiters were very friendly, quick service. Went to see Bill H and Sharkbait show... again very good.

All in all this was a great cruise... we really like NCL and the Pearl is a beautiful well maintained ship. Crew was great.. Garfield and Luna were always on top of things, room was always made up and turned down. Had 5 nights of towel animals, took care of any requests we made of them, like emptying our refrigerator the first night. I hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did. We made some great friends and just had a wonderful time... went by to quick.

[windsorcruiser]

Thank you for such a detailed review. We are on the 4/12 sailing and can't wait to go.

We were looking into the Jeep/Snorkel excursion. What was the Jeep part of this like? We don't snorkel but thought it would be a fun way to see the island.

[mbarnaby99]

Thanks for posting the review. I will be on the Pearl in May and this makes me even more excited to be there.

[Cruz-On]

Glad to see you had a wonderful vacation!

[Hikini]

Thanks for your posts. We are going to be in a mini suite on the 9/13 sailing to AK on the Pearl. I'm at the stage where I can't soak up enough info - bring it on! This will be our 5th NCL cruise to AK but first on the Pearl.

[lvcruises]

Thank you for such a detailed review. We are on the 4/12 sailing and can't wait to go.

We were looking into the Jeep/Snorkel excursion. What was the Jeep part of this like? We don't snorkel but thought it would be a fun way to see the island.

 

We enjoyed the jeep part, got to see alot of Cozumel that way. It is a stick so we were lucky to be paired with another couple that could drive a stick. The backseat is small and it is hard to get into. My DH would jump in from the backside of the car, we had the top down on it. I had to crawl out from the passenger side, very small opening. It was a little rough. Food was good and the beach area was nice. We paid $69 doing it from NCL. We had 2 couples that did it on their own, they were on RCCL and it was not offered....they paid $80 each. NCL had the better price.

[jan6182]

Thanks for a great review... so excited for the Pearl this Sunday!

[lvcruises]

I forgot to mention the beds.... We have never had a twin converted to a queen that was so comfortable. All the other cruises we have been on you have to be careful about that middle split between the 2 twins. We didn't even know it was there on these beds. Whatever it is they use is wonderful and so are the sheets and pillows.

[windsorcruiser]

We enjoyed the jeep part, got to see alot of Cozumel that way. It is a stick so we were lucky to be paired with another couple that could drive a stick. The backseat is small and it is hard to get into. My DH would jump in from the backside of the car, we had the top down on it. I had to crawl out from the passenger side, very small opening. It was a little rough. Food was good and the beach area was nice. We paid $69 doing it from NCL. We had 2 couples that did it on their own, they were on RCCL and it was not offered....they paid $80 each. NCL had the better price.

 

 

Thanks for the information. There are three of us and two can drive stick. It sounds like a good adventure.

[mbarnaby99]

I forgot to mention the beds.... We have never had a twin converted to a queen that was so comfortable. All the other cruises we have been on you have to be careful about that middle split between the 2 twins. We didn't even know it was there on these beds. Whatever it is they use is wonderful and so are the sheets and pillows.

 

This is great to hear. I will be on the Pearl for two weeks next month. I always have a problem when the beds are put together with the middle split. Thanks for the info.

[Host Kewlguy]

Thanks for the review. We'll be on Pearl for the 4/19 Panama Canal repositioning cruise. Looking forward to it. :)

[rubrrick]

Thanks for the review. We'll be on Pearl for the 4/19 Panama Canal repositioning cruise. Looking forward to it. :)

 

Tony...........you have piqued my interest in sailing once again with NCL. I thing that the Pearl would be a good choice. I'm working my way around the website.........and trying to get a better feel for the Owners Suites (AA). Maybe someone has pictures.........or better yet.......a thread that they can send me to.

 

You leave for the Panama Canal on the 19th while we leave for the Mexican Riviera on the same date.:)

 

Thanks,

 

Rick

[Host Kewlguy]

Tony...........you have piqued my interest in sailing once again with NCL. I thing that the Pearl would be a good choice. I'm working my way around the website.........and trying to get a better feel for the Owners Suites (AA). Maybe someone has pictures.........or better yet.......a thread that they can send me to.

 

You leave for the Panama Canal on the 19th while we leave for the Mexican Riviera on the same date.:)

 

Thanks,

 

Rick

 

Hi Rick. This will be our 6th NCL cruise and we've enjoyed our previous 5. NCL definitely treats their suite guests "extra special." I will forward the information you're looking for.

[Pa Cruiser43]

We, too, just returned from the Pearl. It was absolutely wonderful. Our first cruise was two years ago on the Sun, and I was a bit worried that this cruise would not live up to the fantastic time we had in 2007. But, we loved this cruise as much, if not more than the first one.

We ate at Mambos, Le Bistro, and Teppanyaki in addtion to the cover-free restaurants, Indigo and Summer Palace. The food was great everywhere we ate. Even the buffet at lunch or breakfast was good. We did especially enjoy Le Bistro.

The crew was wonderful. The entertainment was good - we especially enjoyed Sharkbait and the comedian Bill. Second City was just okay.

The cruise director Simon was quite a character and a lot of fun.

We took shore excursions in Roatan, the Jolly Roger Catamaran and Gumblimbima Park, and in Belize, the Altun Ha and Old Belize River tour. We enjoyed both excursions.

In Cozumel we explored on our own, had lunch, and did some shopping.

Great Stirrup Cay was fun. We walked to the lighthouse (and beyond), did some exploring, had lunch, and enjoyed the beach and water.

We purchased the Honeymoon/Anniversary package and felt that it was well worth it. We met some really nice people at the champagne and cake party. It would have been nice to have met them sooner!

I was just sorry that we did not make it to the CC Meet & Greet. We had intended to go, but just got involved elsewhere and didn't make it. I would have liked to meet some more people early in the cruise. All the people we met and talked to were really great fun.

I can't wait to go again. Next time we want to take our son and daughter-in-law. I know they would love it too!

[Traveller20074]

OH, I am so jealous!!! I was looking at that. that's a long one! I am STILL having difficulty adjusting to home...and cooking...and cleaning...and...I wanna go back. *sigh*

 

 

Thanks for the review. We'll be on Pearl for the 4/19 Panama Canal repositioning cruise. Looking forward to it. :)

[rubrrick]

Hi Rick. This will be our 6th NCL cruise and we've enjoyed our previous 5. NCL definitely treats their suite guests "extra special." I will forward the information you're looking for.

 

 

Thanks for the information Tony!!

 

Does anyone know what goes with a Courtyard Villa?? I'm told that my DW and I would enjoy that style suite better than the Owners Suite.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Rick

[Hikini]

Hi Rick. This will be our 6th NCL cruise and we've enjoyed our previous 5. NCL definitely treats their suite guests "extra special." I will forward the information you're looking for.

 

When you say "suite" guests, does that include mini suites?

[njhorseman]

When you say "suite" guests, does that include mini suites?

 

 

Mini suites do not get the suite benefits...priority embarkation, butler and concierge service, breakfast and lunch at a restaurant like Cagney's, etc.

 

A more accurate designation for "mini suite" would be "deluxe balcony cabin."

[debshomespun]

I am always SAD after we return from our cruises. It's called Post Cruise Depression, and the only way to cure it is to book another cruise ASAP, and GO! We had a lovely time on the NCL Pearl. Only NCL ship we have been on. Going on the Dawn in little over 6 months, and can't wait to be on her for the 14 night repo cruise!