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Review / Pearl 11nt Panama Canal / Dec 8th - 19th

Tarheel_Cruiser

By Tarheel_Cruiser,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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Tarheel_Cruiser

Tarheel_Cruiser

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First of all, I cannot overemphasize how fantastic the crew of the Pearl was. I wish I could have given a “Hero Card” to every one of them. Special praise goes to our cabin attendant "Elme" … she was a joy every time we saw her. The very first day she called me “Sir Gary” … I said please don’t call me sir … her reply was “Yes sir, Sir Gary”. The itinerary was amazing too. Every port was thoroughly enjoyable.

 

I will try to be as fair as possible with this review as our preferred cruise line is RCI. Any comparison will be to RCI’s Radiance class because they are very close in size and passenger capacity. We chose NCL because the Panama Canal has always been on our bucket list and RCI no longer cruises there. When we saw the 11-night itinerary and perks NCL offered, we jumped on it. We chose the UBP and Pre-paid gratuities. We also bought the 6-meal dining package.

 

Let me start with our cabin. We stayed in an aft facing balcony cabin on deck 10 (10168). This was picked for the unobstructed view of the canal. I had originally booked one on deck 9 but after reading some posts here on CC about the larger balconies on deck 10, I called and switched. Thank you CC! I also read that the balcony cabins on NCL were smaller than those on RCI and when we first walked in it appeared to be true. But after looking closely, they are shorter but wider. My opinion is that the space is the same and I prefer NCL’s wider stateroom. We had ample storage space which is a good thing because DW tends to overpack. The layout of the bathroom was great and no clingy shower curtain. I thought the coffee maker was a great feature that NCL provides. NCL wins here hands down! Elme made towel animals every night and DW loves them. Oh … did I mention the crew was great?

 

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The ships public spaces. I won’t go into a lot of details but, even though most public areas were pleasing to the eye I never got the WOW factor that we experience on RCI ships. One area in particular that I must mention is the Bliss Ultra Lounge … how tacky! It looked like a bordello with bowling alleys … complete with beds … yes, beds. I actually did get a WOW when I first walked in there. On the flip side, we really, really enjoyed the Thermal Suite. We purchased this after reading some comments here on CC. The Thermal Pool and heated tile loungers were the best! The men’s area had a hot tub and sauna which were great too. Bathrobes and towels were provided. But overall RCI wins here due to the overall decor.

Ship pictures: Click here

 

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Now about the food. I know … I know … food opinions are very subjective but here goes. We ate in every specialty restaurant and the Summer Palace MDR. For the most part, we weren’t very impressed. The food in the specialty restaurants were typical of food in RCI’s MDR. However, I really did enjoy the Lamb Chops in Le Bistro and Teppanyaki was amazing. I must also say that the staff was great and the service was awesome. We didn’t experience long drawn out meals either (as some have posted) … everything was well timed. IMHO, RCI wins here.

 

Did I say the Pearls crew was fantastic!

 

Entertainment. JC Sanchez was our Cruise Director and he and his staff were very good. He’s one of the few CD’s that I’ve seen that got out and mingled on a regular basis. Funny in his own unique way too. Most production shows in the Stardust theater were just okay but two really stood out … The Four Seasons Tribute and the Legends in Concert were outstanding. There was also a 1969 Throwback Musical in the Spinnaker Lounge that was also very good. But RCI wins here because IMO their production shows are very elaborate and very entertaining.

 

Embarkation went very smoothly and the check-in staff were very friendly and efficient. Debarkation got behind very quickly. Not sure why but the line just stalled and never moved. I know it wasn't customs because the "walk-off's" got off just fine. We were scheduled to debark at 8:15 but our color wasn't called until almost 9:00. Once called, it was quick and easy.

 

Overall, this was a great cruise and we had a fabulous time. Did I mention that the Pearl’s crew were just great? Never saw a frown and they always greeted us warmly. Might just try one of NCL’s larger ships in the future. I must also mention that the leader of our CC roll call (Quattro Romeo) did a fantastic job coordinating everything. She was awesome.

 

Ports. We booked all our excursions through Shore Excursioneer except for Roatan where we used Victor Bodden’s "Best of Roatan" tour.

 

Cartagena, Columbia. We did the CARTAGENA PRIVATE CITY SIGHTSEEING EXCURSION. We went to the fort, monastery, and tours of both the old and new parts of the city. Our guide (Ben) was great.

Pictures: Click here

 

Panama Canal. This was the primary reason we booked this cruise and it did not disappoint. Our aft facing balcony gave us the perfect unobstructed view.

Pictures: Click here

 

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. We did the HIGHLIGHTS, RAINFOREST, CITY, RIVER CRUISE, BANANA PLANTATION AND SHOPPING EXCURSION. The rainforest part of this excursion was awesome. The wild monkeys were all over the place and we got some awesome pictures. Our guide was the best.

Pictures: Click here

 

Roatan, Honduras. Used Victor Bodden’s BEST OF ROATAN EXCURSION. I highly recommend this tour. You can customize it to suit your desires. One thing that is a must do is Victor’s Monkey Business. Interacting with the monkey’s and birds was awesome!

Pictures: Click here

 

Belize City, Belize. We did BELIZE ALTUN HA MAYAN RUINS, CAVE TUBING AND SIGHTSEEING EXCURSION. This whole tour was awesome! Our guide, Roberto Botes, is Mayan and possesses a wealth of knowledge on the Mayan culture. He is also a great Cave Tubing guide. He personally took us through the caves. Can’t speak highly enough of him.

Pictures: Click here

 

Costa Maya, Mexico. We did the COSTA MAYA CHACCHOBEN MAYAN RUINS AND BACALAR KAYAK EXCURSION. We had to walk four blocks from the dock security area to the Native Choice offices … why they couldn’t meet us at the dock security area is a mystery to me. The tour itself was kind of ho hum after the ruins in Belize and the Bacalar part was a waste because we couldn’t kayak due to high winds. However, our guide Rose made up for it with her knowledge of the Mayan culture in Mexico which is somewhat different than Belize.

Pictures: Click here

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Lorey2007

Lorey2007

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Thanks for the wonderful pictures & review we'll be sailing on this same itinerary in March. We're also in a aft cabin on deck 10. Are you by any chance going to post the Dailies or could you could email them to me? I would love it if I could get them.:)

 

I hope they get rid of those ridiculous beds in the Bliss with the drydock. My preferred line also has been RCL but the NCL cruises we've taken were all great. I'm glad you had a great time.

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Tarheel_Cruiser

Tarheel_Cruiser

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Thanks for the wonderful pictures & review we'll be sailing on this same itinerary in March. We're also in a aft cabin on deck 10. Are you by any chance going to post the Dailies or could you could email them to me? I would love it if I could get them.:)

 

I hope they get rid of those ridiculous beds in the Bliss with the drydock. My preferred line also has been RCL but the NCL cruises we've taken were all great. I'm glad you had a great time.

 

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

 

I will try to get the dailies scanned and posted here tomorrow.

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Tarheel_Cruiser

Tarheel_Cruiser

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DID you remain on the ship in Panama? We are considering staying on and have a thermal spa day on the return.

Thank you for the wonderful review.....

 

We stayed on the ship for the entire transit. The ship docked at Colon late but long enough to go out and get some local souvenirs. Taking advantage of the spa while anchored in Lake Gatun is an excellent idea ... we did. BTW ... the Thermal Suite was never crowded. :)

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spidybabe

spidybabe

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During drydock the Bliss Lounge will have a whole new look. We sailed in the Gem in June with the New Bliss, and it is totally different

We sailed on the Pearl in August and also loved the crew, so much we are taking this cruise for New Year's

Happy holiday

Safe sailing

 

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Lorey2007

Lorey2007

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We stayed on the ship for the entire transit. The ship docked at Colon late but long enough to go out and get some local souvenirs. Taking advantage of the spa while anchored in Lake Gatun is an excellent idea ... we did. BTW ... the Thermal Suite was never crowded. :)

Where were you able to get your souvenirs just in the port terminal area?

 

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ladyconky

ladyconky

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Thanks for a great review, Gary. We agree with all your comments having the UBP and 4 speciality dining meals. We were actually most pleased with Summer Palace MDR enjoying all the meals we ate there. Our only disappointment was in La Cucina where we ate possibly my worst ever Italian meal. How can anyone not cook a lasagne?

Our only negative really has to be the air-conditioning which we found to be uncomfortably cold! We turned up the heating in our cabin and opened the balcony door to allow the hot air in to alleviate our goose-bumps! I had to wear a cardigan or wrap in the evenings except when we were dancing of course!!

However, we loved the Pearl, ALL the staff were fabulous, the itinerary was great, especially the Panama Canal which exceeded expectations.

We met some lovely, like-minded people who helped to make our holiday memorable.

It is hard to believe that 24hrs after dsembarkation we were back in the South of France, turning on the heating and getting used to single figure temperatures again. BRRRRRRRR!

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Tarheel_Cruiser

Tarheel_Cruiser

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Thanks for a great review, Gary. We agree with all your comments having the UBP and 4 speciality dining meals. We were actually most pleased with Summer Palace MDR enjoying all the meals we ate there. Our only disappointment was in La Cucina where we ate possibly my worst ever Italian meal. How can anyone not cook a lasagne?

Our only negative really has to be the air-conditioning which we found to be uncomfortably cold! We turned up the heating in our cabin and opened the balcony door to allow the hot air in to alleviate our goose-bumps! I had to wear a cardigan or wrap in the evenings except when we were dancing of course!!

However, we loved the Pearl, ALL the staff were fabulous, the itinerary was great, especially the Panama Canal which exceeded expectations.

We met some lovely, like-minded people who helped to make our holiday memorable.

It is hard to believe that 24hrs after dsembarkation we were back in the South of France, turning on the heating and getting used to single figure temperatures again. BRRRRRRRR!

 

Thanks Lorna! It was a pleasure cruising with you and glad to see you made it back home safely. Try to stay warm. :D

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EllieinNJ

EllieinNJ

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G ary, thanks so much for posting the dailies. They were very very useful for booking our specialty restaurants, if all the itineraries and entertainment will be the same for our cruise in March. I know entertainment can change, but this lineup looks nice. Do you possibly have the menus for Cagneys and Le Bistro? I have them from our September cruise on the Jade, but wonder if the menus are the same. Also, would you remember if they served prime rib the first night in the MDR? We had it on the Jade and it was delicious so don't want to do a specialty that night or any other night it was served. Ellie.

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Tarheel_Cruiser

Tarheel_Cruiser

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G ary, thanks so much for posting the dailies. They were very very useful for booking our specialty restaurants, if all the itineraries and entertainment will be the same for our cruise in March. I know entertainment can change, but this lineup looks nice. Do you possibly have the menus for Cagneys and Le Bistro? I have them from our September cruise on the Jade, but wonder if the menus are the same. Also, would you remember if they served prime rib the first night in the MDR? We had it on the Jade and it was delicious so don't want to do a specialty that night or any other night it was served. Ellie.

 

Hi Ellie,

 

I'm sorry ... don't have any of the menu's. I had planned to go down to the dining reservation desk and take pictures of them but never got around to do it. As I recall, the MDR did have prime rib on the first night.

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Lorey2007

Lorey2007

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We had to leave the terminal area and go into the town. It was a hike ... especially when the ship was late docking and we had only an hour to get back. :eek:

OMG thanks so much for the dailies!!! Two other cruisers previously had promised to post or email me dailies it looks like 3 times a charm again thanks so much. Thank goodness I have all my Christmas stuff done so I can study these.

 

Did you think the area was safe & did you happen to notice if there were any taxi's to get to town DH has a bad ankle not good for a hike.:(

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Tarheel_Cruiser

Tarheel_Cruiser

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OMG thanks so much for the dailies!!! Two other cruisers previously had promised to post or email me dailies it looks like 3 times a charm again thanks so much. Thank goodness I have all my Christmas stuff done so I can study these.

 

 

 

Did you think the area was safe & did you happen to notice if there were any taxi's to get to town DH has a bad ankle not good for a hike.:(

 

 

You're so welcome.

 

It's probably a quarter mile walk to the town and I didn't see any taxis until I got there. If the ship stays on schedule you should be just fine because you'll have 3 hours at Colon. We docked very late and had 1 hour to get out there, get our stuff, and get back onboard. I didn't see anything to make me feel uncomfortable. It appeared to be safe.

 

Merry Christmas [emoji3]

 

 

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Tarheel_Cruiser

Tarheel_Cruiser

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Thank you for your review. I'll be sailing in March and are wondering if you know if they had any pictures for sale of the Pearl and or sights while sailing the Canal? Thank you & Merry Christmas!

 

They did but as I recall the pictures of the Pearl going through the canal were only out for a couple of days. I think those pictures were selling for $7.95.

 

Merry Christmas! 😀

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