Norwegian Pearl: 9-night Western Caribbean from NOLA, Embarkation December 5, 2017

Norwegian Pearl: 9-nightWestern Caribbean from NOLA, Embarkation December 5, 2017

About us: DH and I traveledalone from the Houston, TX area. Happily,DH is enjoying full retirement since the beginning of 2017. Our sons, daughters-In-law, and 4 younggrandchildren (so far) show almost no interest in cruising… What is wrong withthem??? This was our 24thcruise with NCL (and we have cruised a few other lines along the way).

Our trip:

Houston to NOLA: We left home on Monday morning, December 4, at6:100am, driving to New Orleans… a 6-hour trip with a stop for a quickbreakfast and a fuel stop.

Parking at FultonPlace: Wereached 901 Convention Center Blvd for our parking (I had prepaid our 10 daysof parking, many months ahead). It was onlya brief (about 1/3 mile) walk over to the hotel (about 5 minutes). DH had to return on Tuesday to get our“Cruise Parking” receipt, since we arrived and parked a day early!

Embassy Suites byHilton (New Orleans Convention Center): We reached our hotel at 315 Julia St, NewOrleans, 70130. Check-in was pleasantand quick.

Room: Wehad a 1 King Bed 2 room on the 4th floor. Nice and quiet! We found the beds comfortable and the roomwell equipped.

Staff werealways pleasant and helpful!

Amenities: We enjoyed drinks and potato chips, pretzelmix, and celery sticks at the Evening Social. Breakfast provided a somewhat limited selection of the usual standards,but it was good, and we didn’t intend to eat much anyway.

Monday afternoonand evening in New Orleans, LA: We took a strollto the French Quarter and enjoyed just waking around the lovely old buildings.

On Tuesday,December 5, after breakfast, we returned to our room, packed our bags, and wentto the lobby.

Getting to the CruiseTerminal:

We leftthe Embassy Suites at 9:30ish, via a taxi (flat rate $24 = tip). IF we had known where we would be droppingoff our luggage, we would have simply walked the very short walk down JuliaStreet. We dropped the bags near thestairs/elevator area next to the Mall Parking Lot! We tipped the porter and headed into theterminal for check-in. Not a very longwait to get through security, and we were led to the Suites and Haven lounge(which is entirely too small).

Boardingwas based upon; 1) Haven/Suites (separate waiting area), 2) Ambassador/PlatinumPlus/Platinum, 3) guests needing assistance (Wheelchairs, etc.), 4) Gold, 5)Silver, 6) Bronze....or whatever!

Embarkation: Around 11:30amwe were guided toward the gangway. Therewas a ship’s photographer offering to take everyone’s pictures in front of a“green screen” (they use as neutral space for their chosen backdrops). We scanned onto the Pearl and made our wayonto Deck 7.

NCL Pearl: We had last been on the Pearl for a partialPanama cruise April 2016, and had thoroughly enjoyed it. This cruise was our fourth on the Pearl. Ourfirst impressions onboard, this time, not much had changed! NCL employees were available upon enteringdeck 7. Someone said, “Garden Café isopen.” Nobody escorted us to Cagney’s ondeck 13, where we enjoyed a peaceful and delicious lunch. Afterwards, “Stateroomsare available” announcement was made, so we made our way up to deck 14.

Our Stateroom: H4:14508… the Passion Flower Courtyard Suite(2 bedroom). We had originally booked aBA balcony on deck 10. Then, one day inAugust, I got crazy and upgraded us to an AFT Penthouse. (It was wildly more expensive than if we hadjust booked it originally, but like I said, I got crazy!) Happily, on September 29, I was checking NCL’swebsite and saw that even more OBC was included for a new booking, so I investigated,and sure enough, we were be able to upgrade to the H4 for about $200 more (but,we made up for that with an increase to our Non-refundable OBC). Woohoo, ano-brainer (additional) upgrade to provide our first time in THE HAVEN!!!

Location:Deck 14 Port-side

Bed: We both found the bed to be rathercomfortable. The pillows are different than either of us are used to sleepingon, but we easily made do. (Choices were never offered, nor did we ask!)

Living/Dining areas: Sleeper Sofa, Coffee Table and End Table. 4 chairs w/Dining Table. Floral Bouquet, Fruit Bowl, Plates, napkins,and silverware.

MasterBathroom: 8’ 10” x9’

MasterBath: 16’ 2” x 8’ 10”

Shower = 5’3”x 2’ 4”

Sink:Double sinks and a vanity area

Storage: Wehung everything we wanted (but we took all the hangers from the 2ndbedroom. Everything else fit nicely inthe drawers and cabinets in the room. There are two small safes in the bathroom cabinets area.

SecondBedroom: Looked to be about the size of an Inside Stateroom. Sofa sleeper could sleep two people and aPullman is tucked along one wall. The entire area measured 6’ 9” wide x 14’

2ndBathroom: Standard cabin sized bathroom with sliding door shower… measured 7’ x4’

2ndBR Storage: There is a small dresser, some shelves, and limited hanging space…measured 16” deep 4’ 10” wide

Electricaloutlets: I found 1 in each bedroom, one in2nd bathroom, 2 in the main bathroom, 2 in the “living room”

USBPorts: 2 in each of the bedrooms (on the lights over beds).

Coffee/Teamaker: Nespresso machine did seem to brew very hot. Selection of Regular coffee, Espresso, andDecaffeinated. Tea choices: Chamomile,English Breakfast, and Jasmine Green. Three different sizes of cups and saucers.

Barset-up: In the refrigerator there were 2 each of the following: Bacardi,Dewar’s, Grey Goose, Jim Beam, Tanqueray, Heineken, Pepsi, and Mist Twist. Also, 1 each: Red Bull, Canada Dry Tonic,Walnut Crest Cabernet Sauvignon, Frontera Chardonnay. Assorted drinking glassesin the glass-front cabinet.

Our“Suite” Champagne was Duc de Valmar and we were left one 1 Ltr bottle ofAuqafina. We had to ask for our PlatinumPlus waters (1 Ltr bottles) and Sparking wine, which were delivered the secondday.

Balcony: Nice-size (6’ +6” x 9’ 2”), with a smalltable and two chairs…loved it! Weenjoyed some spectacular views during our 9-day “week.”

RoomSteward: Ahmed was efficient, welcoming, quick and thorough.

Concierge:Kadek Astawa

Butler:Renato Vasquez seemed to take a while to warm-up to us. After that we had good vibes throughout thecruise.

The HavenCourtyard is lovely,with multiple types of seating (some covered) around the pool and hot tub. There is an elliptical and a treadmill in thesmall workout room. Climb a set ofstairs up to deck 15 and enjoy a fantastic deck with more lounge chairs and seatingwith a panoramic view. Towels and pillowsare provided in each of three locations.

*** Meet and Greet (Meet and Mingle) DH decidedhe would go along, so we met quite a few people, but we spoke longest with MoodylL and NLH Arizona… greetings to Linda and Nancy!

Restaurants:

As partof our Haven amenities, Breakfast and Lunch were included at Moderno. This is a nice perk for those in a suit,because it offers a quieter experience overall. …I had pre-bookedour evening Specialty restaurants at 100 days.

Cagney’sSteakhouse Deck 13 Mid: We enjoyed an SDP meal here on our fourth evening. We returned for our Platinum meal on the eighthevening. Food was fantastic both times,we loved our prime rib!

GardenCafé Deck 12 Aft (Buffet): We picked up some snacks and/or ice cream here a fewtimes during port days. Everythinglooked good and mostly fresh, except some of the pizza (which was still prettygood)!

GreatOutdoors Deck 12 Aft (Buffet): We never got food here, as it was mostly closedwhen we were in that area.

IndigoDeck 6 Mid (Main Dining): Did not visit.

LotusGarden Asia Deck 7 Mid: We ate here on the first evening. Service was particularly slow, but our foodwas hot, fresh. Pot Stickers, Springrolls, Special fried rice, Sweet and Sour Pork, and Kong Poa Pork were allquite good. We also enjoyed, the Red BeanTriangles with Macha Green Tea Ice Cream.

La CucinaDeck 12 Aft: We enjoyed our 2ndPlatinum meal of salads and pastas, plus Tiramisu.

Le BistroDeck 6 Mid: We enjoyed one of our SDPand our Platinum at Le Bistro. Ourreservations were for 5:30 on the third and fifth evenings. The escargot and the mushroom soup arefantastic! DH had steak and I had salmon(both delicious) on our first visit. For the second visit we had Salmon and Coqau Vin… excellent!

O’Sheehan’sDeck 8 Mid: We enjoyed the Old Fisherman’s Seafood Basket on the second night,which was very good. We also had lunchesof great sandwiches during a few port days.

SummerPalace Deck 6 Aft: We did not visit during the cruise.

Food comments: Occasionally,some of the food looked “dried-out” at buffet tables. Yet, overall, we found the Garden Café and GreatOutdoors to serve sufficient variety for the main-stream palate. We appreciate the wide variety of freshfruits and vegetables, fresh and varied breads, and multiple varieties ofmeats, pastas, rice dishes, etc.

Bars:

I had a planto follow regarding the UBP. That meant that I would try most of the “Drink ofthe Day” and also try drinks I ordinarily would not think of ordering! With that in mind, on Tuesday = ThePainkiller. Wednesday = Bahama Mama.Thursday = Moscow Mule. Friday =Signature Mai Tai. Sunday = Long IslandIced Tea. Monday = Rebellious Fish.Tuesday =The Painkiller. Wednesday = Bahama Mama…

Other drinks(included in UBP, that I also enjoyed): Bacardi Mojito (yum), Basil CucumberTwist (Yum!), Bushwhacker, Mudslide, Miami Vice, Peach Colada, Mango Colada, Emperor’sNectar (YUM!), Mango Meltdown (A favorite!), Matador. DH mostly stuck to Gin and tonic, Negroni, PerfectMargarita, red wines, Bloody Mary, and a Johnny Walker Black on the Rocks.

Magnum’sChampagne and Wine Bar Deck 6 Mid: Great place to listen to the musical group (orsingle) performances.

MaltingsBeer and Whiskey Bar Deck 6 Mid: (same as above)

ShakersMartini and Cocktails Bar Deck 6 Mid: (same as above)

PearlClub Casino Bar is on Deck 6 Forward (sort of): Never ordered a drink here, butdid walk through on a few occasions.

CrystalAtrium Bar and Java Café are on Deck 7 Mid: DH found some of his best Negronihere.

Saki BarDeck 7 Mid (near to Teppanyaki): Did not order here.

BlissUltra Lounge is Deck 7 Aft: Did not order here.

O’Sheehan’sand Bar Deck 8 Mid: A good place to sit and watch activities in the atrium.

TopsidersBar and Grill are on Deck 12 Mid: Unfortunately for us, the bar area is also aSMOKING section on one side. Each time we visited, it was either closed orpacked!

GreatOutdoors bar is Deck 12 Aft: Each afternoon we tried, it was packed.

SugarcanesMojito Bar is Deck 13 Aft: Was not open when we were wanting a drink.

Sky HighBar Deck 13 Mid (overlooking pools): Popular place, difficult to find a seatwhen we visited.

SpinnakerLounge is Deck 13 Forward: Nice bar for drinks during shows and otheractivities. Lounge is good for findingsome quiet space when not in use otherwise!

Shows:

– I lovedthe costumes, the sets, and the performers, as well as the bands. Everything was well-done and done remarkablywell!

Otherentertainment: The comedians … quitefunny and enjoyable. The music andentertainment on the pool deck was nice, although, we did not hang-out theremuch.

We playedBINGO on the first afternoon and twice the final day. Although pricey, BINGO provides a fun diversion for us,occasionally. Luckily, I won the "Bingo Queen", so we got to play for considerably less on this cruise!

Wewatched parts of other activities, but didn’t hang around long. The more crowded and noisy those events were,the less I enjoyed them. Especially whenI got shoved, bumped, and/or had my feet stepped on.

The poolwas almost always crowded!

Noteworthy on thePearl: The fitness center offers a wide variety ofequipment. Finding the best timing to use them is everything!

TheCasino was okay, smoky to me, but tolerable when I used “quick-pace” to make myway through to the other side.

Overall,we had a wonderful vacation, consumed some fabulous food and drinks, met somegreat people (special greetings to Shanna, NLH Arizona and MoodylL), saw some fantastic shows and performers, andenjoyed the lovely islands.

Some pics:

Our 6 Ports ofcall: (We booked allwith NCL because of Platinum Plus 15% discount, paired with $50 per Port ShorExCredits)

Cozumel, Mexico: We decided to takethe PASSION ISLAND BEACH DAY… Carryingour snorkel gear, bug spray, sunscreen, hats and water, we headed to the pier Once we walked the pier, we found our tourguides. Pictures cannot truly describehow lovely this pristine island is (although, the water was too murky fromrecent storms for snorkeling). Locatedon the North end of Cozumel, our boat ride took 30 or so minutes. Nice pier, great sand, beautiful trees,lounge chairs, covered tables, palapas, swinging lounge beds, games, music,food and drink (unlimited), plenty of sun or shade spots! Highly recommend!!!

Georgetown,Cayman Islands: We chose to do the SEAWORLD OBSERVATORY SHIPWRECK… Carryingour snorkel gear, bug spray, sunscreen, hats and water, we headed to the pier. At the port, we found the guides area to line-up. We were led to the boat, loaded-up and got underway. Lovely coral and fish. Good short trip!

Roatan, BayIslands, Honduras: For Roatan we hadpre-booked the MAYA KEY PRIVATE ISLANDRETREAT.

Unfortunately, this was canceled due to weather!

Santo Tomas deCastilla, Guatemala: For today, we went on our pre-booked QUIRIGUA ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORER. Carrying our day bag filled with bug spray,sunscreen, and bottles of water, we headed to our meeting place in the StardustTheater. Around 8 am we were led down to Deck 4,scanned off the ship and headed to our gathering place near the pier. We boarded a bus for an approximately 30 minute ride to the site. Great Staelas and a nice pyramid to explore some. Great info given by the guide. Wet cool weather made it muddy, but bearable. We do recommend this for those who like Mayan history!

Harvest Caye,Belize: Carrying our day bag filled with sunscreen andbug spray, and a couple of adult-sized inflatable rafts, we headed to deck 4 todisembark, but were held-up there for about 20 minutes waiting for clearance. The walkway to the island is covered and is nolonger a walk than many, many ports!

Oncewe walked past the front entrance, we found the information booth and checkedinto Beach Villa #2. Joining us for theday were MoodylL and NLH Arizona. (Thankyou, ladies, for sharing your day with us).

We didnot order any food, so I did not pay attention to the prices. Drinks ranged from $4.00 for juice on up,with the average adult beverage being $9.50 to $15.00.

Weenjoyed our pre-booked LUXURY BEACHVILLA, and also the STAND-UPPADDLEBOARDS!

We especiallyenjoyed the space, the ability to open-up (or close-up) the villa. We opened it up and let the breezes flowthrough (it was a particularly cool day for there, but the water felt warm). The hammock and Adirondack chairs wereconstantly in use by the four of us. Theday seemed to keep getting cloudier and windier.

I did NOT notice any terrible odors like somehave mentioned previously.

We didn’tcare for the people who kept wandering past the “security” roped-off areas. Security was rather relaxed that day.

Highly recommend the Luxury Beach Villa (especially if you have Platinum discount and ShorEX Port Credit)

Costa Maya,Mexico: For ourfinal port day, we had pre-booked CATAMARANCRUISE & SNORKEL. With our snorkelgear loaded in our favorite shore bags, we headed to the port. Under the huge palalapa, we signed-in and were guided to a big "train-like" ride which took us to the pier, where we boarded the big catamaran for the day. Sea was rather rough, but the crew were fun and knowledgable. After about 30 minutes we arrived at our site. Three groups were formed. Unfortunately, between the large groups and rough sea, it was not the best snorkeling trip we've done... mostly coral and some sealife. Water, rum drinks, beer and soft drinks were available on the return to pier trip. We were put into taxies (included with our wristbands, which taxi driver removed) and returned to the port. Although this was not our favorite excursion, we still would reccomend to others to try.

Thanks for the review! We leave on the Pearl this Saturday and it will be our first cruise on her. We're very excited!

Thanks for the detailed review.

Some more pics:

Enjoying the review and the photos. Thank you.

Keith

Thanks for the review! We leave on the Pearl this Saturday and it will be our first cruise on her. We're very excited!

Deck 11, port side, forward, the bridge viewing room.

*** Meet and Greet (Meet and Mingle) DH decidedhe would go along, so we met quite a few people, but we spoke longest with MoodylL and NLH Arizona… greetings to Linda and Nancy!

Sorry for the scrambled text! I cut and pasted it from Word and it apparently did not pickup the spacing correctly. Next time I know to review before submitting.

Really enjoyed meeting you two and hope we can cruise together!

We really enjoyed our time with you and hope to see you again in the future.

Deck 11, port side, forward, the bridge viewing room.

We agree it is a great place to go, but did not do it this time.

Enjoying the review and the photos. Thank you.

 

Keith

You are welcome. And, thank you!

Thanks for the review! We leave on the Pearl this Saturday and it will be our first cruise on her. We're very excited!

Have a great cruise and we hope you have fun!

Have a great cruise and we hope you have fun!

Thank you! It’s our kids (7 & 9) first cruise and they are thrilled!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

You said you had lunch at Cagney's first day, (Suite privilege) then mentioned breakfast and lunch for Suite guests were at Moderno's. Is just the day of embarkation different? Want to know where to head to if no one directs us after boarding. thanks

You said you had lunch at Cagney's first day, (Suite privilege) then mentioned breakfast and lunch for Suite guests were at Moderno's. Is just the day of embarkation different? Want to know where to head to if no one directs us after boarding. thanks

Yes, we had the SUITES privilege, and yes, it was confusing with nobody telling us before we were led toward the ship, and then left on our own to find our way! Luckily for us, we had been on the Pearl (and in suites) on previous cruises, so we knew to head to deck 13. There, the host/hostess will seat you in whichever restaurant they are using that day. (For our cruise, it was Cagney's only on the first day, and Moderno for Breakfast and lunch throughout the rest of the cruise.) The Concierge did not seem prepared to handle the HUGE crowd for Suites and Haven at the port! We hope that you are better guided than many on our cruise were that first day. I think, perhaps, they were a little short-handed for our embarkation!

I hope your question and my reply help others! Safe travels all!!!

Thank you! It’s our kids (7 & 9) first cruise and they are thrilled!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I'm sure they will have a great time, and hope that you do also!

Safe travels!

Grand Cayman pics...

Great to read a review of Pearl. I noticed there isn't much about this ship. Thanks!

Additional Cayman pics:

Great to read a review of Pearl. I noticed there isn't much about this ship. Thanks!

We are still working on it today. Came home and had company through yesterday, followed by a dental appointment. So, just now catching up! More to follow...

About the Pearl...

They have been updating the Spinnaker Lounge, so is was closed for the first 4 days, with work on furnishings still to be completed when we ended our cruise.

Therefore, many of the events were held in the Stardust Theater the first few days, which we found uncomfortable for some things (like BINGO).

We spent quite a bit of time in the Haven area, or our suite, since this was our fifth time on the ship, but not in the Haven ever before. We find the layout of the Jewel Class ships comfortable and easily navigated.

The atrium and most public spaces throughout the ship had been refreshed during the last drydock. On sea days, the atrium was constantly packed, as was O'Sheehans.

The "washy washy" group are quite fun and talented!!!

The crew overall seemed about as great a group as we have experienced onboard NCL!

We did not see many of the shows, since I could not seem to get my internal clock to cooperate with the schedule. But, we did enjoy the comedians (Anthony Padilla) and "Funny Fiddle" Chris Pendleton (MUST SEE!). Singer Laura Wright is very good! Legends in Concert and Chris John Show are good. Performers onboard (throughout ship):Avalon, Guitar and vocals with Lace, Piano and vocals with Lewis, and the Pearl Showband.

..Pictures of ship and ports to be added as we get them re-sized appropriately for posting.

We are leaving on the Pearl on the 30th for a New Years Cruise and have been looking for some time for a good recent review like this. Thanks for the thorough review!