Must Do's on the NCL Pearl W. Caribbean Sailing

[luddite]

Belikin at the first available shop where NCL tenders----3 clams.

200 yards to the left where the Carnys tender, out of a cart, 2 clams.

Easy decision. AND, you can see that awful montrosity TV screen from the Carny ship!!:eek:

[Music City]

Music City: SOLD! All my favorite things and even better they are being offered at great prices... THANKS!!!

 

We were there in November and I said something about heading back to the ship. An American ex-pat who was giving a massage on the beach nearby walked across the malecon to the bar/restaurant, gave some orders in Spanish then returned and said a taxi to take us back to the ship would be there in just a few minutes. Once we were in the taxi I asked how much the fare was and the driver replied $4. I asked if it was $4 per person and he said, "No, $4 total."

[coka]

I can hardly contain my excitement about my upcoming NCL Pearl cruise... Does anyone have some Must-Do's? This will be my first NCL experience. I love food and drink, good times, new experiences, etc...

 

Our cruise is of the Western Caribbean. Anythings of honorable mention in Roatan or Costa Maya?

 

My Personal Must-Do's: see Sharkbait's performance, see Oh What A Night tribute, dance late night in Bliss combined with bowling as it is right there too, my personal favorite when you want to escape a crowd or interior dining...the buffet for dinner around 8-9pm ish and take your meal outside to the Great Outdoors, walk the promenade at sunset, walk the entire upper outdoor decks at sunrise before all the loungers are set up...you feel as though you are the only person on the ship and you have it all to yourself, Attend Dancing With The Stars and Quest shows if they have it on your sailing, bring along some white for the white hot party although not necessary. OH...2 for 1 martini specials in the Star Bar...keep in mind you will get two of the same martini. Try at least one tasting whether it be the wine, martini, margarita, or pub crawl (I only did one and I am still recuperating).

 

Must Do While visiting Roatan and Belize: Apply bug spray. If going to beaches you will need it to protect from no see-ums. In Belize wear a hat while walking through the forests to get to the river for your cave tubing. Try the Honduran Beer that comes in the green can. Definitely see more than just what is at the port of Roatan, Belize, and Costa Maya...although one can enjoy the big pool at the CM port. If you want an inexpensive massage...see the gals on the non-swimming beach behind the shops. Thirty bucks for 50 minutes!

 

Have an excellent trip and I hope you come back and tell us all about it!

 

coka

[OceanDreams]

Coka .....

 

Do you remember if the White-Hot Party was outdoors or indoors?

 

OceanDreams

[Barb Nahoumi]

"The Liar's Club," is a definite Must Do.

[coka]

Coka .....

 

Do you remember if the White-Hot Party was outdoors or indoors?

 

OceanDreams

 

All four times I was on the Pearl they were held in Spinnaker's Lounge. The only outdoor WHP I have experienced on the ships were on the Sky and the Epic.

 

coka

[Lib0007]

I keep seeing this "Major Tom's Tubing Excursion" being mentioned around the boards I'll have to look into it.

 

 

I highly recommend Major Tom's tubing . . . he is a top notch guy and runs a great operation.

[Turtles06]

We are doing this same itinerary next year on the Star out of Tampa, so suggestions for the ports (Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya, Cozumel) are much appreciated! (I have of course been doing research on the Ports of Call board.)

 

We are particularly interested in snorkeling in Roatan, and possibly in Cozumel, so any recommendations would be great.

 

In Belize, I think we will probably opt for Mayan ruins. I'm hoping NCL offers the excursion to Lamanai (we typically avoid ship tours, but I think there's too much risk of being late on this one, given the tender and the river boat and the overall length of the trip.)

 

Probably a beach day in Costa Maya...

 

Thanks in advance for any recommendations (and thanks to those of you who have provided them above)!

[CruisingPiper]

Piper: We are sailing on the 30th of this month!!! Less than 23 days now.

 

Lucky you! I track the Pearl via the Krooze Cam website and watch her in every port. I will be thinking of you while on your Western knowing that we won't be far behind.

 

Have fun!

[2FLGuys]

I highly recommend Major Tom's tubing . . . he is a top notch guy and runs a great operation.

 

Libby can you tell me more about his operation or more importantly how we can book with him?

[Lib0007]

Libby can you tell me more about his operation or more importantly how we can book with him?

 

 

 

sure . . . cave-tubing dot net

 

this is a great excursion!! you will have a blast . . .

[2FLGuys]

I can hardly contain my excitement about my upcoming NCL Pearl cruise... Does anyone have some Must-Do's? This will be my first NCL experience. I love food and drink, good times, new experiences, etc...

 

Our cruise is of the Western Caribbean. Anythings of honorable mention in Roatan or Costa Maya?

 

Thanks for all the great ideas and advice... Does anyone have any other Must Do's while on the ship?

[terrymtex01]

My Personal Must-Do's: see Sharkbait's performance, see Oh What A Night tribute, dance late night in Bliss combined with bowling as it is right there too, my personal favorite when you want to escape a crowd or interior dining...the buffet for dinner around 8-9pm ish and take your meal outside to the Great Outdoors, walk the promenade at sunset, walk the entire upper outdoor decks at sunrise before all the loungers are set up...you feel as though you are the only person on the ship and you have it all to yourself, Attend Dancing With The Stars and Quest shows if they have it on your sailing, bring along some white for the white hot party although not necessary. OH...2 for 1 martini specials in the Star Bar...keep in mind you will get two of the same martini. Try at least one tasting whether it be the wine, martini, margarita, or pub crawl (I only did one and I am still recuperating).

 

Must Do While visiting Roatan and Belize: Apply bug spray. If going to beaches you will need it to protect from no see-ums. In Belize wear a hat while walking through the forests to get to the river for your cave tubing. Try the Honduran Beer that comes in the green can. Definitely see more than just what is at the port of Roatan, Belize, and Costa Maya...although one can enjoy the big pool at the CM port. If you want an inexpensive massage...see the gals on the non-swimming beach behind the shops. Thirty bucks for 50 minutes!

 

Have an excellent trip and I hope you come back and tell us all about it!

 

coka

 

Coka.. we saw the "Oh What A Night" tribute this past May on the Star. It was FANTASTIC. One of the best shows we have seen at sea. What ship did you see them on? I would love to see them again.

[lemstar]

The bridge viewing room on the 11th deck, port, at the bow of the ship is very cool.

[macfamily]

We just got off last Sunday (1/9). Really enjoyed Sharkbait, Oh What a Night, and Second City. Did a Victor Bodden tour in Roatan, the ship's Lamani ruins tour in Belize and Maya Chan beach resort in Costa Maya. Were very happy with all our choices! My husband did the ship's behind the scenes tour on the last day at sea. It cost $55 pp so I wasn't wild about going. He came back and raved about it so I wished I'd done it too! Took about 3 hours and it was a small group so you got lots of opportunity for asking questions. Did the margarita tasting and they keep dishing up guacamole and chips for you and the margaritas were tasty! Almost didn't need dinner that night! Having beautiful weather the whole time was priceless! Enjoy your cruise!

[wibeachbum]

We have done this itinerary on the Jewel.

 

I agree that the Great Outdoors is great for breakfast. I wouldn't want to cruise on an NCL ship that didn't have one. Sitting out there is a highlight for me.

 

We've done snorkeling at Tabyana Beach with an NCL tour. It was the best snorkeling we've ever done. We also took a Victor Bodden island tour with our teenage kids which was great. Did the zip line and iguana farm. The last two trips we went to Maya Key which is a very relaxing day. Use bug repelant before you get off the ship. I had no problems until our fourth visit to Roatan. Once you realize the no see'ums are biting it's too late for the spray and I really got bit up.

 

Costa Maya is easy. We took a cab to Mahahual. Did the beach massages and drank beer.

 

Belikan Beer in Belize has been mentioned. Last trip it was raining in Belize and we had been there twice before so we didn't feel pressure to do anything. We sat at the Wet Lizzard Bar right in the port area and drank Belikin Beer and people watched from the second floor along the railing. We had fun!

[4guysatsea]

We just got off last Sunday (1/9). Really enjoyed Sharkbait, Oh What a Night, and Second City. Did a Victor Bodden tour in Roatan, the ship's Lamani ruins tour in Belize and Maya Chan beach resort in Costa Maya. Were very happy with all our choices! My husband did the ship's behind the scenes tour on the last day at sea. It cost $55 pp so I wasn't wild about going. He came back and raved about it so I wished I'd done it too! Took about 3 hours and it was a small group so you got lots of opportunity for asking questions. Did the margarita tasting and they keep dishing up guacamole and chips for you and the margaritas were tasty! Almost didn't need dinner that night! Having beautiful weather the whole time was priceless! Enjoy your cruise!

The behind the scenes tour sounds very interesting. I wonder if they would have given you a break since they did not sell too many. Is this the only day they offered it? And what time was it at? Thanks for the tips.:cool:

[macfamily]

Behind the scenes was offered only on our last sea day which was Friday on the Western Caribbean itinerary, but watch the dailies for info in case it changes? It started at 10:00 am. I doubt they give any breaks if not many sign up! More likely they would cancel it!

[GORDONCHICK]

NCL is known for their pretzel rolls, and you can make little sandwiches with them. But the long ones like these:

we sliced them down the middle length-wise and used them for hotdog buns! Yummo!

[2FLGuys]

So I've recently heard that some ships have "secret" doors or if not secret atleast somewhat hidden if not looking for them. I understand some of these doors take you to decks/balcony's at the front of the ship where you can find some pretty awesome views. Any of these secret doors or other lesser known things/rooms on the Pearl?

[GORDONCHICK]

So I've recently heard that some ships have "secret" doors or if not secret atleast somewhat hidden if not looking for them. I understand some of these doors take you to decks/balcony's at the front of the ship where you can find some pretty awesome views. Any of these secret doors or other lesser known things/rooms on the Pearl?

 

The only one I can think of is the door to the bridge viewing area. I know it was on the starboard side, and I think deck 11, all the way forward.

 

I think it's the Carnival ships that are known for their secret doors to secluded deck areas, but I could be mistaken.

[watchdiva]

I can hardly contain my excitement about my upcoming NCL Pearl cruise... Does anyone have some Must-Do's? This will be my first NCL experience. I love food and drink, good times, new experiences, etc...

 

Our cruise is of the Western Caribbean. Anythings of honorable mention in Roatan or Costa Maya?

 

Have dinner "al fresco" at LaCucina - incredibly romantic and glorious with the sea breezes blowing and the sound of the wake. The outdoor seating is limited to 6 tables that are surrounded by windbreaks (in the form of "hedges" which also block those lounging at the Great Outdoors in the evening from seeing what you're eating! Soft music was piped outside...

 

The concierge (who suggested it) said that it was something "new" that the Pearl was trying out and later during dinner one of the ship's photographers came along and took photos to send to Miami so that they could have a visual on the Pearl's latest innovation!

 

In Roatan - you can zipline on Central America's longest, most extreme zip (Pirates of the Caribbean), you can snorkel directly from the beach (Roatan is located on the World's second largest barrier reef and is known as a haven for divers and snorkelers) or you can just take a non-ship sponsored tour of the Island and enjoy the beautiful vistas.

[4guysatsea]

Have dinner "al fresco" at LaCucina - incredibly romantic and glorious with the sea breezes blowing and the sound of the wake. The outdoor seating is limited to 6 tables that are surrounded by windbreaks (in the form of "hedges" which also block those lounging at the Great Outdoors in the evening from seeing what you're eating! Soft music was piped outside...

 

The concierge (who suggested it) said that it was something "new" that the Pearl was trying out and later during dinner one of the ship's photographers came along and took photos to send to Miami so that they could have a visual on the Pearl's latest innovation!

 

In Roatan - you can zipline on Central America's longest, most extreme zip (Pirates of the Caribbean), you can snorkel directly from the beach (Roatan is located on the World's second largest barrier reef and is known as a haven for divers and snorkelers) or you can just take a non-ship sponsored tour of the Island and enjoy the beautiful vistas.

Dining al fresco does sound glorious!!! Only 11 days until we are burning up the dancefloor!!! I wish we could do the zipline. Sounds like quite an experience. But we will be experiencing something even more epic when we visit the children and deliver the donated supplies to Greenfield Children's Home on Roatan.

[TravelGirl10]

:D Soon I cant wait ...less than 14 days and I will be on this gorgeous beach ...with a drink/massage/tanning/and then of course shopping ! Thanks for the beautiful pics. Last time I was there in May 2010 (Costa Maya) there was a terrible storm so couldnt get off ship but watch out this time ...here we come!

[4guysatsea]

Only 9 days until we board the ship. The suspense is killing me. Any other must-eats. My friend told me I could order a banana split in the dining room. I am used to ordering two of everything when I can't decide, but will the speciality restaurants allow that sort of glutton behavior?