Pearl Review 9 nighter *wow* what a beauty

*Hated to leave the pearl to return to snow covered Chicago*

We have just returned from a fantastic cruise on the Pearl. We stayed pre cruise at the Holiday Inn Miami Int'l Airport. It's your typical average hotel. A bit tired looked but affordable and close to the airport. They offer a free shuttle to the port so it's really worth looking into if you don't want to spend lots of money on hotels.

Arrived at the dock around 1:30. We were not prepared for the Miami dock workers who approached to take our bags and thought they were scammers. They kept saying, you take care of me and I"ll take care of you. They were not wearing identification and we didn't know if they were with Norwegian or what. This was only my second cruise and my previous Holland America cruise porters were much more professional and did not act so aggressive and wore clearly labeled clothing etc. Several people on our shuttle were also skeptical of the dock porters. It all turned out fine but threw me at first.

The Pearl is a real beauty. She is easy to navigate and is all lush and crisp. The colors grow on you and I enjoyed the unusual couches and cushions.

We headed up to our mini suite cabin on deck 11. It was bigger than I expected. They had a small bud vase with orchids in it and a fresh fruit bowl that they replenished every few days.

The bed was really comfortable with 4 pillows. I slept great on it and I'm a picky pillow person. The bathroom is nice and the shower tub combo is very spacious.

The cabin has plenty of storage space for all your items so I didn't really make use of my shoe holder. There are two plugs at the desk and an awesome hair dryer for you ladies so leave yours at home. There is a small 4 cup coffee maker and a large makeup mirror on the desk as well.

The balcony is larger than I expected and we hosted a small gathering with 6 adults on it and we all fit with room to spare. I loved the curtain between the sofa and bed because you could close it to make the room really dark for perfect sleeping. I'm a light sleeper and have to have noise in the room so I would turn the TV to the music channel, close the curtain to block the tv light and all was bliss.

*remember to bring hair conditioner* they don't provide any and their shampoo really strips your hair dry. I didn't try their lotion as I prefer my own. The only negative thing about our cabin was it's location under the gym. Every once in a while we could hear the pounding of the treadmill but it didn't last long. Keep that in mind when booking.

*continued below*

*continued below*

More, more ;)...

Paul

*wanted to add that there is a child lock located high on the sliding doors for all you worried parents out there. I will post pictures of the cabin at a later time.

We have several relatives with us on our cruise and between us we tried most of the restaurants except Cagney's. Le Bistro was the most flamboyant and luxurious. Summer palace and Indigo were simply delicious. The service was fantastic and the variety was refreshing. Mambos served a divine Santa Fe egg roll and fajitas.

The most surprising and welcome eating establishment was the good ol' Garden Cafe. We ended up eating every breakfast and lunch meal there. The food was above and beyond what we experienced on Holland. The relatives that were with us said that it was the best they had compared to their previous 7 cruises on other lines. The service and attention to detail was flawless. The wait staff cleared tables with lighting speed and were very friendly and professional. The magical coffee machines with cafe lattes and cappuccino's are located next to the kids eating area. Don't miss those!:D Remember to bring your own travel mug as their tea glasses are very small. We loved having our own mug for coffee on walks and iced tea after tennis in the afternoon. *It's a good thing*

The only food complaint is that almost all the desserts are bland. I think that's a good thing when trying to avoid the cruise 10lbs but I would have loved a real gooey dessert now and then.

**continued**

*On Board Activities**

There is never a dull moment on this ship. I almost need a vacation from this vacation. There are very interesting shows, lectures, fitness events, games, arts n crafts, art auctions (of course) spa lectures and gambling.

It felt like almost too much and some really popular things overlapped and reminded me of trying to run to my classes back in college. Of course some activities turn out to be duds. We went to the first gem lecture and they give you raffle tickets which doesn't happen till the end of the lecture but by then you are nodding off and then you don't win the darn thing anyways!! If you miss some of the more mainstream events they do broadcast them the next day in your cabin.

I've decided to avoid all port shopping talks and gem "guess the fake emerald " talks in the future. For me they just don't hold my interest but to each their own eh?

Here is a quick breakdown of what we did.

Spa Tour--- you must do this. This spa is like a day in heaven (more details in next posting)

Margarita tasting class ** fun but skimpy on the samples* not worth 15 bucks. Save your money and buy full size margaritas.

Sushi making class ** great fun * highly recommended by relative who went.

Art Auctions * Interesting to watch bidders and to learn about the artists and free champagne is nice too

Slot challenge * relative won in this event by pure luck and got 500 cash and assorted prizes which made up for Northwest Airlines losing his luggage ( which he never got the whole cruise)

Ship N Males ** lots of laughs but recommend they get a real male stripper to teach them how it's done.

Quest Adult Games * relatives said this was a laugh a second show.

Second City ** you can't go wrong with this group put it on your must see list at least once.

Rock climbing * you must pump up and attack this wall * have a celebratory drink afterwards. My mom attempted and though she only scaled roughly 12 feet of wall, she thinks she conquered mount everest. Go for it.

Some of nightly entertainment was hit or miss. The musical numbers are on the verge of being lame with the exception of the Geisha show. The set designs and costumes are beautiful but the story lines are disjointed. I felt a little odd watching them sing "Naughty Girl" to an older crowd. There just isn't that *wow* factor with the exception of the acrobat couple. The crowds would go wild when they came on stage and I don't know if that's due to their talent or because they broke up the predictability of the dance shows.

*continued**

The on board shopping is rather dull. It didn't feel like they had enough merchandise. The jewelry selection didn't intrigue me either. In the long run this saved me lots of money!:D

The ports are stunning. I loved every single island and wanted to jump ship and never return to the rat race. Some of the locals are so poor but man they are the luckiest /richest people alive to be living in such beautiful places. I'll give more details on the ports in a later post as my eyes are falling down on me.

*continued*

Great review and info. Keep it coming. Will you give more info about what you did on the islands? Counting down till April 13. Thank you.

Redshoe ~

Great, detailed review.

Haven't tried the Margarita tasting but Martini tasting is wonderful;)

Enjoying every minute of your cruise, thanks:)

Loved reading your review! Will be on the Pearl myself very soon. Thanks!

Here is what we did on each island.

Dominica - took a private tour with Levi of Bumping Tours. Let me just say that this guy is awesome. He is so funny and informative and super nice. We hit all the highlights of the island (except the emerald pool we decided not to do that one based on time) I highly recommend Levi because of his professional and informative tour. Not to mention how easy on the eyes he is. He had a chef prepare some local dishes and even had us try his special home made hot sauce which was *hot hot hot* and delicious. We had a picnic at one of the stops and meet some hilarious local people running the drink stand. We had such a great time telling jokes and sharing stories. If you want to take a tour-get in touch with Levi and have the time of your life. You won't regret it. Tell him Candice sent ya:)

The island has not been touched by commercialism so don't expect fancy resorts and high end lifestyles and that is what makes this island so special. I bought some sulphuric mud cream from the vendors. It healed a cut on my face in one day. It's ten dollars for three packs which will last a long time. We also bought vanilla, local made baskets and a coconut bird feeder.

Barbados- got off the ship around 10am- shopped in the little terminal shops then grabbed a taxi. This is where it got dicey. Our first taxi didn't want to take us to Rockney beach and passed us off to another cab who kept insisting we should go to Blue Monkey Beach which I ha never heard of. As we were walking to the cab the other cabbies started asking how much he got out of us and were we going to the monkey. First clue there eh?

Twenty bucks later and off we went. Blue Monkey Beach turned out to be a bar/restaurant where there is obviously some kick back thing going on. Charged 15 bucks for two chairs and umbrella which was ok except the beach sucked. You were constantly pestered by vendors with jewelry, jet skis - glass bottom boat tours, weed etc. It was not peaceful unless you were in the water away from them. Don't let the cab drivers talk you into this beach.

We went back with a different cab drive who was much better and tried to undo the bad impression of the first. He was pointing out all the highlights of the island and was just an all around nice young guy. You could just feel the honest vibe from him. I asked for his business card and will post that info on the Barbados board if anyone wants to hire a nice cab drive who loves his island and wants to show it off in the best light. Lots of high end resorts and much more developed island. Expensive too ! I didn't buy any items from this island because we spent the whole day at the beach. I would like to go back to this island on a land based stay to explore more of it.

St. Lucia- Hired Herod for private tour for this island and let me warn you first- if you never get car sick, take along something for it anyway because this island is all about up and around and down and hairpin turns so even those with iron stomachs can get woozy on those curves.

Herod is the bomb! He gave a fantastic tour with food snacks all the way. Pointed out the highlights of the downtown area then headed out. First stop was a banana plantation where little boys ran up with bunches of bananas. Herod bought some for us to taste and they were out of this world:D I have never tasted bananas so sweet. They were nectar of the gods. He said their bananas go to the UK because of the monopoly of chicquita and dole in the states. I wish we could get theirs.

We then went to the botanical garden, the volcano and various scenic stops along the way. I loved seeing the fishing villages and women wash their clothes in the running creek. It's a much simpler way of life and in many ways I envy that. There is lots of poverty but also such a sense of community there. You would see elders gathered on a front porch talking, children hanging out the windows yelling to one another and the women walking around town with laundry or other goods balanced on their heads.

Herod gave us johnny cakes and fish cakes at Bib Mama's stand at the botanical garden and they were excellent. I don't even like fish and I found the fish cakes delicious. Johnny cakes are like sweet fried biscuits but sweeter and more dense.

He then took us to a nice beach at a local resort to swim for a hour. The beach is located between the two pitons and the beauty is almost overwhelming. We didn't want to leave and enjoyed ourselves tremendously. You can rent snorkel gear for 11 bucks. My aunt/uncle did that and said the fish were beautiful. They were very pleased with what they saw.

Sadly it was time to go and we all feel into a deep depression which Herod calmed with his home made rum punch. Let me tell you it's out of this world. One of those punches felt like 10 cocktails. I was in love:D. I've got to get that recipe.

As we headed back to the ship Herod made one last stop at a small bakery and bought 5 loaves of the local bread which was similar to French bread but denser and had a whole wheat honey taste. We devoured it and that helped to soak up the rum punch in our tummies. Herod is wonderful and if you are looking for a great private tour guide he is your man for St. Lucia. Funny, informative, professional and articulate and has a great love for his island and it shows. You can't go wrong with him and the food alone is worth it. His tour price includes all the entrance fees and food goodies. And excellent bargain.

I bought banana ketchup and other spices and local artwork and one of those two headed dolls for 5 dollars. Expect some vendors on your different stops and their prices are much cheaper then the same crafts sold at the terminals. The doll I bought was selling for 20 in the stores.

*Antigua* we decided to just have a lazy beach day on this island. We went to look at the little shops outside the cruise terminal and they were the best we had seen so far. There was a lot of variety and unique artist there. I loved everything I saw. I picked up more spices, a few paintings a coffee mug from the pottery shop. We stumbled on a little travel shop who offered taxis to beaches. We told them we wanted a quiet beach where we wouldn't be pestered and that wasn't too far because of our time restraints.

They suggested Valley Church Beach and it was delightful. There were 4 cruise ships in port and they said all the well known beach would be crowded with lots of vendors. It was like a top secret beach that had not been discovered yet. The water was beautiful and the sand was powder soft. The owners of the land are building a small bar/restaurant which is charming. They rent lounge chairs for 3 dollars. There are palm trees on the beach which provide shade. Our cab driver (a gorgeous young man) told us he would sing with the local band there and got up to sing a Shaggy song and sounded just like him. It was a blast.

The only other people there were a group of 20 or so from the Norwegian Dawn and the establishment served a plate lunch with drinks for them. Since we came there on our own we bought a plate lunch for 12 dollars. Fantastic food. I don't know that they will have food every day or if it was a one time thing for the group

Chatted with the bartender and he said that the ocean salt water is healing and that the locals don't wash the salt water off after getting out of the ocean. He even said that doctors will recommend a swim in the ocean if your feeling unwell because it has healing properties. I tried to do that but couldn't. I'll work on that !

I'll post the contact info for the taxi/travel service on the Antigua board if you want a great price and local recommendations. They were much cheaper compared to other cabs. Try the Valley Church Beach, you won't be disappointed.

Tortola- We were scheduled to do the Virgin Gorda Highlights but canceled once we found out that our son (3 yrs old) wouldn't enjoy the hike and wouldn't be able to do the boulders. It's an expensive excursion and geared for older children and fit adults. I was disappointed but look forward to doing that trip in later years. We have been to Tortola before so we just wandered into town and hit the stores. Bought t-shirts, Pursers rum, housewares and mango tea and spices from Sunny Caribe. Love the mango tea

My favorite parts of the cruise were the sea days. It forced you to just enjoy the rocking motion of the ocean and to slow down a bit. I loved sitting on our balcony and brought along five books to read but never finished even one because the view of the ocean was too compelling. I decided that I could read those books any time but would only have the ocean for a few days.

I poured over the packing tips before our cruise and found that these were the best *items* I brought-

highlighter pen- for marking items on the dailies.

hair conditioner- a must have

two swim suites-

your own laundry soap in a zip lock and dryer sheets- self service laundry is awesome but they only sell tide. If you prefer your own brand bring it and dryer sheets.

travel mugs- look for short fat ones because the spouts on the drink/coffee stations are down low and a tall mug won't fit under the spout well.

lanyard- I know it looks touristy but it's such an easy way to keep up with your sea pass card.

sunblock and more sunblock- that sun is intense and you go through it more than you think.

medicines- over the counter meds are a must. Our child caught a head cold the last few days and the on board meds are very expensive. Be sure to pack any cough/cold/allergy med that you might need. Especially since you go through all sorts of air extremes and pollens on the various islands.

bath puff net sponge thing- they provide shower gel which doesn't lather up very well so those net puff ball things work great. You can find them for 99 cents at any Walmart type store.

bring lots of digital camera memory because it's very expensive on the islands and the photo lab on board charges 20 bucks to burn your memory onto disk and you run the risk of the disk not working. Stock up on memory because you take more pictures than you realize.

binoculars for whale watching. We saw lots of whales from the ship as we pulled close to the various islands. Also great for bird watching also.

tote bag for your towels and beach items if heading towards the beaches.

*things that didn't work so great*

shoe bag holder. I had the 24 pocket shoe bag which was too long and too big for the cabin. I didn't find a great place to hang it so it was not necessary to bring it. Smaller ones might work great but there was plenty of storage built into the room.

fewer clothes. We only had two suitcases for three of us but still we didn't need that many clothes especially with self service laundry on board.

too many paperbacks--when will I learn that I'm not going to ready all those books and they have a good selection in the library.

duct tape- sewing kit- never had a need but you never know.

*last but not least*

My number one tip for the Pearl is to do a day pass at the spa. For 15 dollars you are handed a slice of heaven. You can use the sauna, steam room, therapy pool, hot tub, warmed tile beds, Japaneses plunge pool and you have a front row view at the ocean. It was my favorite relaxation time. I would wake up at 6 or so to watch the sun rise, take a walk around deck 7, enjoy a cup of joe on the back deck then head to the spa at 8 am. I practically had the place to myself each morning.

My friends had various spa services and said the hard sell of products ruined the atmosphere for them. My aunt said she barely laid down on the massage table and they were pushing products on her. Not good:( After hearing several people say that I decided against getting any spa procedures and stuck to the day pass.

When you have a day pass no one bugs you. You can ask the staff to show you around and teach you how to use all the machines. It's really the total best bargain on the ship and you can go as often as you want during your day or even stay there all day! :D

Great detailed review! I especially enjoyed your descriptions of what you did at each Port of Call.

Can you use the spa multiple times in one day if you just pay the $15 daily fee or do you have to pay for the whole week pass to be able to go in and out as you please?

Great detailed review! I especially enjoyed your descriptions of what you did at each Port of Call.

I agree. Awesome review and soon I'll be there!!!

Paul

What a gret review! Thank you SOOOOOO much for taking the time to post it and for all the great details. I was so envious as I read it! :)

Do they offer any kind of deal for a full-cruise spa pass as opposed to just a day pass?

Would you think it more worthwhile for us to buy 5 or 6 day passes on our 10-day cruise, or for the whole cruise? It can add up to some bucks ... but I want to be able to use it.

Thanks again!

Loved your review! Especially the tip about the spa pass- that sounds like a great deal. Can't wait - leaving soon...

The spa charges $15. for a day pass or $90 for the nine day with unlimited use. Worth every cent!

Thanks for the detailed review. I really appreciate the time you took to describe almost every aspect of your cruise. We sail on the Pearl in October...I'm really looking forward to getting on that ship! :-)

Fantastic review. Very helpful for my trip this Friday on the Pearl. One question:

"He then took us to a nice beach at a local resort to swim for a hour. The beach is located between the two pitons and the beauty is almost overwhelming. We didn't want to leave and enjoyed ourselves tremendously. You can rent snorkel gear for 11 bucks. My aunt/uncle did that and said the fish were beautiful. They were very pleased with what they saw."

What was the name of this fabulour beach? We're planning on a kick-back beach day in St Lucia and this place sounds perfect!

I originally thought I would buy a week pass but quickly learned to do it day by day as events allowed. The spa is open from 8am-10pm and if you have early shore excursions planned you might not make use of the spa every day so it might be better to buy your pass on a daily basis.

If you buy a day pass you can go as many times as you want in that day or even stay all day. My aunt stayed there from 8am till 2 pm just hanging out. I saw many people in there reading and just chilling.

I found it to be the best buy on the ship. For the price of a cocktail you get serenity.

The beach is located on the property of the Jalousie plantation resort even though the beach is public (I think all beaches are) they have a guard there and they let you pass when you tell them you are going to the beach. Here is some info on the beach/resort

The Jalousie Plantation, operated by SunSwept Resorts, is located on the quiet southwest coast of St. Lucia. The resort is just five miles from the historic town of Soufriere. Nestled on a hillside in the shadow of the majestic Petit and Gros Piton Mountains, the resort offers stunning sunset views of Jalousie Bay.

here is a link to their website with pictures so you can start drooling over your wonderful day there.

http://www.thejalousieplantation.com/Content/41.htm

Thanks redshoe, that beach looks just perfect. Drool is right!

Hello, Do you have the contact information for Herod in St.Lucia, that sounds like a wonderful day!! Thank you for the great review, we are going on the March 30th sailing, can't wait :)

here is the email contact for Herod. If you want a private tour make sure to ask for him personally because he does have a few staff members who do them and sometimes he's has big group tours so make sure to request him personally for "private" tours.

However if there are just two of you -you can pair up with other travelers for a little group tour. As long as you have Herod you can't go wrong either way.

hstanislas@hotmail.com and his website. http://www.*****.com/

He is a really nice guy.