ParrotGurl

Thanks guys! Really helps ... Hubby was wondering if one coffee maker is 'better' than others, like there is on the Pearl.

Hey, I've been wondering this same thing! My husband isn't a big drinker, but loves his coffee, espresso, cappuccino, frappucino, etc ... we've been trying to find out what is included in the drink package, as he'd prefer not to have to pay daily for these 😄

Like I'm gonna remember all that stuff from 17+ cruises taken over a 20+ year period of time?!!? Hell, I don't even remember EXACTLY how many cruises we've taken, let alone the dates, cabin numbers, etc.

Thanks for this thread! I've yet to book a GTY and enjoy the experiences of all the nicely upgraded rooms 😊 I think our upcoming cruise will be a GTY room... But can't we all just be nice to each other and skip the profanity, jkgourmet? I thought DalesWife's question was valid and 'she' asked for no lectures ... If we can't post something nice let's not post at all! ... We are talking about relaxing vacations here people! ☺️

Dinner menu is also always displayed outside MDRs all day long.

Yes, but only after breakfast or lunch is over, not while they are being served. So if you eat breakfast or lunch there you have to ask for the dinner menu inside.

hello! I wanted to get any feedback on the main dining rooms. Do they serve the same menu on both at the same time? We are a party of 12 and I am trying to plan ahead. What are the differences?

Just got off the Pearl this past Sunday.

In Summer Palace they serve NY Strip every night and in Indigo they serve Ribeye every night. The Lobster (which comes with NY Strip I believe, I just asked for 2 Lobster tails instead of the steak) is served in both Dining rooms on the same night (usually the day that you embark). Prime Rib was only in Summer Palace on Thursday night.

The left side of the Starter/Entree menu does NOT change from day to day, only the right side. As far as the dessert menu, the first 3 desserts change daily but everything from the Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cake (which is so amazing I can't put it into words lol) down, stays the same every night.

Make sure to make reservations to the dining rooms, as they get really crowded (you can make reservations for a party of 10 or more). The service while I was on board was excellent, but I will say a bit on the slow side, so take that into consideration when planning your evening, as one night we missed the show because we spent about 2.5-3 hours in Indigo. We caught a

later show and the staff was fantastic, so no harm done ��

Also, Summer Palace is open for lunch on embarkation day and is usually not crowded because most people don't know about it. It's nice to eat there (especially with a big group) instead of fighting the crowds at the buffet. They will also give you a preview of the dinner menu if you ask ��

Happy Cruising! Let me know if I can give you any more info. I have a thread titled "just got off the pearl" incase you want to check that out too.

Thank you so much for sharing the info. It might sound crazy to others but i may change my cruise :( My boys are 7 & 5 and it makes a huge difference to them unfortunately. We LOVE the slides on Epic but wanted to try another NCL ship (have also been on RCI). They actually don't the rock wall or other sports...i am so bummed!

I completely understand! Not crazy at all. If I had young ones traveling in my group I'd definitely be concerned about what is aboard to entertain them! Hope everything works out for you, let us know how it goes!

Did any of the bars have 2 for 1 Happy Hours?

I didn't see any 2 for 1 specials, but there were 4.95 Margaritas on the last day of the cruise. The drink specials for each day are listed on the bottom of the second page of each days dailies 😄 I had seen on dailies from earlier cruises that there were 2 for 1 Martinis I believe.

Sorry to say, but from talking to the crew, the slide is coming down due to the fact that this is the only ship they will be using for charters from now on (and that means less kids) and that it spends half the year in Alaska. :(

There is still Rock Climbing, Soccer, Shuffle Board, Golf Driving Cage, XL Checkers and XL Chess.

I do agree that it should be posted somewhere on their website though that the slide is gone. It was a surprise to us when we got on the ship, and my husband was sad that there wouldn't be a slide to use (he's young at heart lol)

OP -- Do you have the names of the Captain and officers ? I am booked on the Feb 3 cruise, so I assume most will still be there.

The captains name was Hamermin (spelling?).

I think I have a pic somewhere with all the names for the Guest Services Manager, Hotel Director, Food and Beverage Manager, etc. If you're interested let me know and I will post it :)

I didn't realize the Pearl had a Big Screen for movies? Is this out on one of the decks and huge like Carnival has or is this just a big screen TV type thing. More details please!

Yes, as was mentioned it is inside in the atrium. It's two stories high, and has a lot of comfy chairs and couches on the first floor to relax on and enjoy he movie, also a bar. The second floor (which has a glass railing overlooking the screen) has Moderno, a Bar and Blue Lagoon. So you can sit anywhere in those areas along the rail and see the movie.

Ok, so my dear husband provided his tech savvy-ness and hopefully these are actually readable!

Wow those are tiny! Let me work on getting them readable! Sorry

Sorry it took so ling to get these up! I've been busy all day ... the real world is no fun! Oh to be on a ship laying by the pool!!

Enjoy the Dailies!

Did Nacho and the rest of that staff do "Fountains" ?? I was laughing so hard at that.

Yes!!! Soo funny!! I laughed uncontrollably!!!! They stole the show :D

Just remembered that I forgot to mention the Crew Talent Show. Definitely check that out. Our whole family loved it!

Thank you so much for all the info. We are so excited to be going on the pearl. We leave Feb. 3 but after we booked through NCL we realized it is half charter and half not. Never have been on a cruise like that I just hope it doesn't mess anything up for us non-charter people. It will be just nice to get away for a little bit with no kids.

Happy Cruising to you! You'll have to let us know how the charter goes, I have been very curious what it would be like if I'm not part of the charter. I'm sure you will enjoy just being able to relax!! I know I did :)

Did Archie say if he was heading to another ship? His contract may be up and time for his off-contract time.

 

Archie and Nacho were amazing in December.

He said he was going to another ship, but we can't remember which one! If anyone remembers I will let you know!!

Told you I would forget something!

I did forget to mention my obsession with the Chicken Wings at Blue Lagoon. They were amazing!!!! If you get them right when they open at 11:00 or late at night when they aren't busy, they come out really fresh and crispy. AMAZING hehe. We had a contest to see who could eat the most and I think my dad ate close to 100

The Spinnaker Lounge has amazing views during the day (if you want to be inside) and super comfy couches to look out from.

They took the slide down and it won't be coming back. I'm not sure if it's going to be a stage or just more space for lounge chairs. It was under construction while we were on board.

We did a meet and greet for our cruise and the Captain invited the group to a bridge tour, which was really cool if you've never done it. The views are amazing (obviously) and on either side of the bridge by the controls there is a small section of floor that is glass bottom so you can see straight down to the ocean. Really neat in my opinion. So if you have a meet and greet for your cruise, you may want to check it out.

NikePeanut - I don't gamble, so I only walked through the casino.

Ttyl!

Hey there!

We were in Oceanview Cabin 5554. Three of us shared the cabin, and were comfortable. I have pics and will try to figure out how to post them later!

The entertainment was Fantastic! We had the cast of "Oh What A Night", "The Second City", Comedian Rick Star (I think that's his name, will have to check) and Chip Romero (comedian/magician). "Oh What A Night" was quite possibly the best show I have ever seen at sea, and "The Second City" had me rolling on the floor laughing. There was also the NCL Pearl production cast, but they did not impress me at all ... I skipped their last show cause the first one was so bad! Not sure how much the entertainment will be changing the next few months as the ship is chartered most of the weeks until it heads back up to Alaska.

Our Cruise Director Archie was great too, but he left on Sunday the 12th, so not sure how much of the activities will change. His team was very high energy though, and if you happen to have Nacho as the Assistant Cruise Director or Morné (spelling?) as part of the Cruise Director Staff, they are both FANTASTIC!!

I do have all the Dailies and will post those later today or tomorrow (again if I can figure out how lol)

I have a couple pics of the Menus, but got distracted and forgot to take them every night. Lobster was the first night (I think that's always the case) and Indigo had Ribeye on the menu every night and Summer Palace had New York Strip every night (and for lunch on embarkation day). We did La Cucina our last night on board and it was fantastic. Their Maître De, Ferdinand, was so accommodating and provided us with a complimentary bottle of wine because my husbands meal has just a little cold and had to be warmed up a bit. I will say that the service seemed a bit slow in all the dining rooms, but the waiters and waitresses were all so wonderful that it didn't faze me a bit. Just plan accordingly, cause we did have to catch a later show one night because we took to long in the restaurant.

We didn't do any drink or wine packages, but we did get a few free drinks here and there.

This was my first time cruising NCL, so I can't compare the Pearl to other ships, but I did feel that the vibe was very relaxed and while there were 'parties' the crowds were nothing like they were on other ships I have been on.

I'm sure I forgot to answer a few things. I will realize what they are as soon as I post this lol. Will try to get everything posted soon! Let me know if I missed anything or if I can answer anything else!!

Hi there all!

Just got home from the pearl yesterday, it there's any info I can provide you, feel free to ask, I'll do my best to answer!!

Most grateful! We leave in the morning, and I think that finalized our last bit of unfinished planning!! Thanks so much!

Happy Cruising Everyone!

Is it free to snorkel at Sunset House? We have our own gear, just need access to the water. :)