New to NCL - Questions re: NCL and the Pearl

[Miss JAD]

Hi,

We have sailed on Carnival (many years ago) and most recently Princess, Celebrity and MSC. We really liked Celebrity Reflection and have another cruise booked for next Spring on that ship. We are in our late 30's amd early 40's, no kids.

 

I have a few questions regarding the Pearl. We are interested in taking the partial Panama transit cruise Dec 2015.

 

1 - based on my description of us above do you think the NCL pearl will be a good fit for us. We like to lay by the pool during the day when not in port and have stuff to do at night. It looks like NCL has quite a few entertainment options.

 

2 - I see that NCL has a beverage package. Celebrity runs promotions frequently were you can get the beverage package included. Does this happen with NCL?

 

3 - Is there a good time of year to watch for sales/promotions?

 

4 - Any thoughts on the partial Panama cruise. This cruise will be for a Birthday and I would like to go to some different places from the many caribbean islands that we have already been too.

 

5 - What is the food like in the main dining room? We really enjoyed the food on Celebrity (preferred it over Princess and MSC).

 

6 - When booking with NCL - What how much is the cruise deposit?

 

Please offer any advice you have for someone deciding to cruise with NCL and on the Pearl. The cruise we would like to take is before Christmas so I am hoping that there won't be many children.

 

Thank you for your help.

[Susie51]

As you can tell by my signature, I have cruised with NCL several times including the Pearl. I have cruised with - X- twice. The food in the MDR is much better on X. Much better late evening activities on NCL. The pools on X are better, but there seem to be plenty of lounge chairs around the pool on Pearl. We did not have a lot of chair hogs on our cruise. NCL production shows are good and the dancers seem to be better than on Celebrity.

[nets33]

1 - based on my description of us above do you think the NCL pearl will be a good fit for us. We like to lay by the pool during the day when not in port and have stuff to do at night. It looks like NCL has quite a few entertainment options. DH and I are mid-40's no kids. We were on the Pearl about a year a go and enjoyed it very much. We're doing another trip on her in December.

 

2 - I see that NCL has a beverage package. Celebrity runs promotions frequently were you can get the beverage package included. Does this happen with NCL? I have not heard of any promotions for the beverage packages from NCL.

 

3 - Is there a good time of year to watch for sales/promotions? We typically book 12 to 9 months out and have found that rates stay pretty consistent. Rates may drop closer to a sailing date if the ship is not sold out. NCL may run "sales" where there is a lower deposit, no idea if there is consistent timing for this.

 

4 - Any thoughts on the partial Panama cruise. This cruise will be for a Birthday and I would like to go to some different places from the many caribbean islands that we have already been too. I did a Carnival Cruise that had one day in Panama and we did a partial trip on the canal. It was interesting for the adults, my nephews were bored silly after the first lock. I enjoyed the scenery but recall it being very hot. Very hot! Some of the longer cruises (10 to 14 days) go to some different islands if you're looking to see different ports.

 

5 - What is the food like in the main dining room? We really enjoyed the food on Celebrity (preferred it over Princess and MSC). DH loves to cook and I love to eat. We enjoy going to nice restaurants in our area and have found selections on all the cruise lines we've been on (Carnival, Princess, RCI and NCL). Food is a very much a perception of the eater so it really depends on what type of food you enjoy. On our recent Oasis of the Seas the dining room food was great but DH and I were disappointed that there were not pool deck BBQ's that we always enjoy on NCL.

 

6 - When booking with NCL - What how much is the cruise deposit? We usually use a future cruise booking so I can't provide much insight on this. I do know that a cruise deposit for a suite is more than a "standard" room.

Edited May 30, 2014 by nets33

[mizLORInj]

I love the Solstice-class Celebrity ships. But I'm a fan of NCL too.

 

We have found the food on NCL in the dining rooms to be comparable. Keep in mind everyone has their own tastes though.

Are you the one who was also asking about Coral Princess?

IMO either ship is a good choice.

[Redbarnphotog]

I have only cruised NCL, and going on my 2nd Pearl sailing next week.

 

What I'm afraid of here is that you are going to go into an NCL cruise comparing everything to X. If you do that during your cruise, you could be super surprised and impressed or sorely disappointed depending on your experience.

 

FWIW I love NCL and I love the Jewel class ships. But I prefer a more relaxed "freestyle" atmosphere.

 

 

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[Linda the Book Lover]

We have sailed on Carnival (many years ago) and most recently Princess, Celebrity and MSC. We really liked Celebrity Reflection and have another cruise booked for next Spring on that ship. We are in our late 30's amd early 40's, no kids.

Since we are older but enjoy a good time I will say there is plenty to do, when you want to do it, and you will not be able to do it all.

 

I have a few questions regarding the Pearl. We are interested in taking the partial Panama transit cruise Dec 2015.

 

1 - based on my description of us above do you think the NCL pearl will be a good fit for us. We like to lay by the pool during the day when not in port and have stuff to do at night. It looks like NCL has quite a few entertainment options.

 

We loved the Pearl and stayed up doing things until the "wee hour hours". Since our Pearl trip was to Alaska at the beginning of the season we did not do much pool sitting. We did however lounge in the spa for part of the day reading and jumping in the water. We loved the shows and met new friends after the late night shows. Our Panama Canal trip on Princess was fun especially the balcony breakfast that they offered at a extra charge.

2 - I see that NCL has a beverage package. Celebrity runs promotions frequently were you can get the beverage package included. Does this happen with NCL?

 

NCL ran a beverage package promotion a few moths ago. It was the first time I saw it offered. We usually go with the wine package offered on board.

 

3 - Is there a good time of year to watch for sales/promotions?

 

There is always something going on.

 

4 - Any thoughts on the partial Panama cruise. This cruise will be for a Birthday and I would like to go to some different places from the many caribbean islands that we have already been too.

 

We loved our partial Panama Canal cruise. We didn't mind the turn around and back to the port of embarkation. We actually sailed during my birthday....which can last up to a month of celebrations. Let's just say every year I live is a blessing to be thankful for and I really celebrate my birthdays!

 

5 - What is the food like in the main dining room? We really enjoyed the food on Celebrity (preferred it over Princess and MSC).

 

We ate most dinners in the specialty restaurants. Which reminds me that there is a special for those usually when the excursion bookings open.

 

6 - When booking with NCL - What how much is the cruise deposit?

 

Depends on the cabin. We usually have a cruise reward.

 

Please offer any advice you have for someone deciding to cruise with NCL and on the Pearl. The cruise we would like to take is before Christmas so I am hoping that there won't be many children.

 

We also took a Christmas cruise. I missed our adult children and now that we have grandchildren I doubt we will do a holiday cruise again. We had a great time and to tell you the truth the ship was packed but we didn't notice any child issues (they all seemed to be having a great time at varying age groups). Everyone seemed to having a great time. We booked private excursions with another couple so I can't tell you if the holidays made a difference with excursions.

 

Thank you for your help.

[Miss JAD]

Hi everyone,

 

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I think we will like the Pearl. Now I just need to watch for sales and convince DH. I wasn't the one asking about coral princess. I like trying new ships and we are easy going travelers. Every experience is new and exciting.

[Oldgoat61]

We sailed on the Pearl last Oct. on a full transit of the PC. I think a partial transit would be just fine. The locks at either end are basically the same.

I am actually considering doing the partial transit in Mar of 2016.

 

The Pearl is one of our favorite ships, not to big, not to small. As one poster mentioned, freestyle is the way to sail IMHO. No set dinner times, tables, or table mates, and a lot of choices to dine, and a very relax feel throughout the ship.

 

If kids are an issue, Dec might be difficult. But, generally the longer the cruise, the less kids you will encounter.

 

Hope this helps!:D

[Redbarnphotog]

I think the Dec 10 Pearl Panama Canal is our next cruise....after Alaska next week (Pearl) and Bermuda on the Dawn in October.

 

My mom wants the Panama Canal part, I just want a cruise!!! I like that it's not two full weeks, and it's RT from Miami where I can get better airfare rates.

 

 

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