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Pearl Tips and Secrets

g35girl

By g35girl,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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DorothyB

DorothyB

Posted
Posted

Any clues on what amenities (if any) come with a mini-suite? I don't care about butler or concierge but it would sure be nice to be able to order room service from the daily menus instead of being limited to the room service menu.

 

The mini-suites do NOT have any extra amenities - they are just like any regular balcony cabin in regards to amenities. They are NOT "suites"

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jadragnfly

jadragnfly

Posted
Posted

pearl dry sauna free or are they charging as part of spa pkg?

The spa passes were $99 on my recent 5 day Pearl cruise. I purchased then before hand online but I believe they can also be purchased on the ship as well. There are a limited number of passes sold, I heard once only 100.

 

The past gives you access to the thermal suite located inside the spa. On the Pearl, The women's only area includes a sauna, steam room, one person whirlpool, showers, plunge pool and lounge chair looking out towards the sea. The coed area has a large pool, a larger whirlpool and tile lounges that heat up, as well as regular lounges that also overlook the sea.

 

For me it was worth the money, to be able to use the hot tubs without crowds. It is a very peaceful place to relax.

 

pearl dry sauna free or are they charging as part of spa pkg?

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mamasylvia

mamasylvia

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the info, Dorothy. No amenities in a mini-suite isn't a deal breaker, I just wondered.

 

Not being able to get or bring Coke products on board, however, pretty much guarantees we'll never use NCL again. 3 of the 6 adults coming live on Coke or Diet Coke. Not sure how they are going to cope, but I'm sure the first stop at every port will be someplace that sells Coke. (I live on tea, which fortunately we can get anywhere.) Really shortsighted of them, if they wanted to charge "corkage" for 6-packs they could make a fortune.

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allomas1311

allomas1311

Posted
Posted
The spa passes were $99 on my recent 5 day Pearl cruise. I purchased then before hand online but I believe they can also be purchased on the ship as well. There are a limited number of passes sold, I heard once only 100.

 

The past gives you access to the thermal suite located inside the spa. On the Pearl, The women's only area includes a sauna, steam room, one person whirlpool, showers, plunge pool and lounge chair looking out towards the sea. The coed area has a large pool, a larger whirlpool and tile lounges that heat up, as well as regular lounges that also overlook the sea.

 

For me it was worth the money, to be able to use the hot tubs without crowds. It is a very peaceful place to relax.

 

 

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How long before sailing were you able to buy the spa passes? I sail in 27 days and i haven't seen the option to buy passes.

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Halxoxo

Halxoxo

Posted
Posted

Is it worth getting the Thermal Pass for my mom? She's 55 and we are going on the Pearl for Christmas. It would be her Christmas gift, as my parents paid for the cruise as our gift. I want to get her something nice, but I'm between this and buying her something she can "keep" forever. This will be a 10 day cruise so the pass is $199

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mamasylvia

mamasylvia

Posted
Posted

I would hesitate to buy something like a pass for another person unless I was very familiar with their tastes and knew they would enjoy what the pass provides. (Just because she is your mother may or may not mean you have thought about what her tastes are; my husband, after 29 years of marriage, could not tell you what I normally order at any of our favorite restaurants.) If she likes using sauna/thaloassotherapy pool/heated ceramic loungers, then it sounds like a great gift. But I believe items like massages are not included in the thermal pass, in case that was what you were thinking she would like. Hopefully someone who has used the pass will chime in.

 

OTOH, I would not hesitate to select a gift that would not "keep," if I believed it was something the recipient would enjoy. We are blowing a wad of money to take our grown children on a cruise with us next year, knowing we will have little tangible to "keep" but that we are creating memories our children will enjoy long after DH and I are gone.

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Heaven6566

Heaven6566

Posted
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There is much to enjoy in the Termal Suite aside from the spa's and loungers, I found many people would curl up in the private area with a book and I heard the guys were on the men's side watching football. There is a TV in the private area. It was always quiet and relaxing. The medicated steam room was amazing. They offer a variety of hot teas, coffee and water as refreshments.

 

Is it worth getting the Thermal Pass for my mom? She's 55 and we are going on the Pearl for Christmas. It would be her Christmas gift, as my parents paid for the cruise as our gift. I want to get her something nice, but I'm between this and buying her something she can "keep" forever. This will be a 10 day cruise so the pass is $199

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WanderLuster101

WanderLuster101

Posted
Posted (edited)
The spa passes were $99 on my recent 5 day Pearl cruise. I purchased then before hand online but I believe they can also be purchased on the ship as well. There are a limited number of passes sold, I heard once only 100.

 

The past gives you access to the thermal suite located inside the spa. On the Pearl, The women's only area includes a sauna, steam room, one person whirlpool, showers, plunge pool and lounge chair looking out towards the sea. The coed area has a large pool, a larger whirlpool and tile lounges that heat up, as well as regular lounges that also overlook the sea.

 

For me it was worth the money, to be able to use the hot tubs without crowds. It is a very peaceful place to relax.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

There is much to enjoy in the Termal Suite aside from the spa's and loungers, I found many people would curl up in the private area with a book and I heard the guys were on the men's side watching football. There is a TV in the private area. It was always quiet and relaxing. The medicated steam room was amazing. They offer a variety of hot teas, coffee and water as refreshments.

 

Thanks @Heaven6566 and @zscfan for the details and pictures - I'm debating getting one of these for my upcoming cruise. A couple of questions (please forgive me if these are abominably stupid, I don't have much spa experience):

 

-How large is the hot tub in the co-ed area/was it normally very crowded?

-Were you able to use the single hot tubs in the women's area or were they normally crowded?

-Am I understanding correctly that there are both a hot tub and cool water (thelassotherapy??) pool in the co-ed area?

-Is there bar service and/or could I carry a drink in? (relaxing in a private adults-only area sounds lovely, but I'm thinking I will want a glass of cool champagne while lounging on a ceramic heated chair).

 

 

And a random non-spa related Pearl question:

As a solo cruiser, do I need to make reservations for the dining room or can you always walk up? I don't mind waiting for a table, but I'm not clear if the dining rooms can fill up/be unavailable to walk-ups the way the specialty restaurants can.

 

THANKS so much to everyone for the incredible tips. I'm looking forward to my first experience on NCL.

Edited by WanderLuster101
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ikoolu

ikoolu

Posted
Posted

we spent 16 days on the Pearl - Panama Canal -

first best vacation ever =

we had spa passes - i think maybe once we had to wait for a lounge chair to look out front and most of the time we had it to ourselves

 

the hot tub it huge with these high speed water falls that provide instant massage - the therapy pool is cool- hint take a towel for a head rest- they don't care

 

i would get a bucket of beers every day - just ready - swim - take a steam etc the staff was very cool and did not complain -

 

best view on the ship

 

we always get the spa pass - nobody uses it - its a great place to get away from the crowds when you need too - huge separate gym areas with whirlpool tubs- great shows - i would rather spend my money on this that tours or booze

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Kierste

Kierste

Posted
Posted (edited)
First time on NCL and on the Pearl. Regular RCCL cruiser with 10 cruises. If I chose to eat in one of the restaurants can I sit with a group of strangers like on RCCL? Any tips for the best restaurants without any additional charge?

 

You can ask if anyone has requested to be seated with strangers, it may be an option, but most people chose to dine with their own traveling companions.

 

The mdrs all serve the same menu so your choice which ambiance you want for the free venues. Other than O'Shehans which has its own pub fare and special nights like prime rib.

Edited by Kierste
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Ken Greco

Ken Greco

Posted
Posted
You can ask if anyone has requested to be seated with strangers, it may be an option, but most people chose to dine with their own traveling companions.

 

The mdrs all serve the same menu so your choice which ambiance you want for the free venues. Other than O'Shehans which has its own pub fare and special nights like prime rib.

 

Which are the better choices for the extra cost restaurants

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Prujam

Prujam

Posted
Posted

The spa was our best money spent. I never spent any time on the female side and hubby did not spend any time on the male side, so cannot speak to those sides, but the joint section was not busy at all! I found some of the stone loungers to be so hot that they burned, and others not working.

 

I agree with others that you should use a towel for a headrest on the lounger bubbler.

 

We did not care for the orange water, but there was regular ice water in the side areas.

 

We will buy this every Cruise now, think it's totally worth it.

 

 

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SuperCrewBear

SuperCrewBear

Posted
Posted
Going on the Pearl on Jan 29th; never been on a NCL cruise ship. What are the must sees and must not sees?

 

The Bliss Lounge is "interesting"! The best description I can give is "bordello". Ha Ha I think they might be redoing it during the coming dry dock - you'd better look quick!

 

Bowling is interesting too - we bowled a game during an at sea day heading to Alaska last May. Fun. There are four lanes total - two on either side of the Bliss Lounge - I hear that one of the two sets of lanes will be removed during the dry dock. What I REALLY don't understand is why the bowling alley wasn't open very much at all. Odd. You'd think since it's just sitting there unused when it's not open that they'd never close it - it's not like they can use it for anything else. And just one guy was running it when we were there - not a huge staff investment.

 

The Spa is well worth it and I wouldn't miss it - I think it's only if you have the pass though...

 

The only extra cost meal that we had that I thought was worth it was at Cagney's - the others...meh...no better than one of the MDRs. (That's always subjective...just my opinion - you may love it all.) My favorite food otherwise was at Lotus Garden - one of the no extra cost spots. They would bring you things from the Sushi Bar and I enjoyed that - had the combo twice in 10 days. O'Sheehan's had great chicken wings and fish & chips.

 

Just sitting and watching where we were heading from the Spinnaker Lounge was interesting - very quite and no disturbances from others. Nobody was talking either - maybe in whispers to each other. I remember early mornings and late evenings (not quite dark) there would be maybe a dozen people sitting here and there just watching where we were going. Very relaxing.

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