Norwegian Pearl

Orginally Posted by : Jackie Vernon

Our extended family sailed on the NCL Pearl doing the 9 day Southern Caribbean itinerary 3/16 – 3/25/07. We arranged the flights, cruise, and hotel through Norwegian. Upon arrival in Miami, the cheerful NCL rep found us immediately and led us to our transportation. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott Miami Oceanfront. The hotel was right on the beach, clean, and had a nice pool. There weren’t a lot of restaurants within walking distance, but we took a taxi to South Beach, where we had dinner and people watched. The rooms were a bit small, and for us I think we would rather have the convenience of staying closer to the pier. In the morning, our transfer arrived on schedule and we were ready for the adventure to really begin. The only thing we were disappointed with the pre-cruise arrangements was the lack of baggage handling. We schlepped our bags up and down the steps of the hotel, etc. and when we did get help everyone had their hand out – even though it says porterage is included in the hotel rates.

Embarkation was extremely efficient. There were very few lines (even thought the ship was full), and within 30 minutes of getting to the pier we were onboard. We were even more surprised to find that our room was ready immediately, and after coming back from the embarkation lunch, our luggage was already starting to arrive!

My husband and I booked a BD balcony cabin. It was smaller than most other lines, but very new and clean. The only downfall to this category is that the balcony was sort of obstructed. It was enclosed with metal all around it, and you really couldn’t enjoy the view without standing up. If we had to do it over again, I would have moved up to a BC cabin. The kids and parents were across the hall in category J cabins. The interior cabins were also very nice but on the small side.

Now, for the ship. She is gorgeous. There were so many great places to hang out. We loved the Spinnaker lounge, with very comfy sofa beds and chairs. This is where they host some of the events such as the game shows, etc. The Bliss Ultra lounge was also really a neat place. We enjoyed bowling as a family. We didn’t do the after hours scene there, but it looked like it would be fun. Many times we also relaxed with a cup of tea or snack at the Blue Lagoon, where you could overlook whatever was going on in the atrium.

Entertainment was also very good. We like the fact that there was always something going on. My son loved the Nintendo Wii on the big screen. We liked the fact that the shows were different – such as the BMX bike themed show and the Second City performance. Sometimes after you have been on a number of cruises they all seem the same, but these had an attitude (in a good way).

We found the food to be excellent, and loved Freestyle cruising. We never had a problem getting in to the specialty restaurants with the six of us. We liked the option of ditching the formal nights (although some people still did dress up). It’s hard to say what our favorite dining venue was, because they were all good. The Shabu Shabu was fun – where you cook in a soup pot. The kids especially enjoyed that. We also really liked Mambo’s for Mexican. The buffet had many good choices for all meals as well. We also found there to be excellent availability of food at all times.

Service for the most part was good. Our cabin steward was very efficient – and we liked the dials on the outside of your room that you could to say when you were ready to have the cabin made up. Also, my son thought the staffs in the kids club were fantastic. They even delivered to him a hand made card when he didn’t go one day, telling him that he missed him, and detailing all the upcoming events! In the dining room, the service was spotty (it’s difficult when you don’t have the same person every night).

Finally, the wonderful ports of call. The itinerary is great – 5 ports in 9 days leaving out of Miami. We visited Dominca, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, and Tortola. It was very convenient – we walked right off the ship in each port with no tendering at all. Highlights included a catamaran ride/swimming with the turtles in Barbados. We also loved the Virgin Gorda Baths snorkeling excursion (from Tortola). We wished we had more time in that port.

Disembarkation was very easy. You could stay in your room until you were ready to leave. It was so relaxing to have a leisurely morning on the balcony before a long day of travel. They also had the “walk off” option if you wanted to carry your own luggage, which my parents did.

Overall, this was one of the best cruises we have taken. The ship was beautiful, itinerary wonderful, food and entertainment fabulous. There really was something for everyone. My parents are die hard Celebrity fans, but even they had a hard time finding fault with this ship, other than the smaller rooms.