Just off Pearl 9 nighter

[Cruzin4aBruzin]

Introduction:

We just returned from the Pearl. All I can say is that I was quite impressed. The ship is beautiful and very elegant. The staff onboard were some of the nicest, most caring people ever encountered on a cruise before. They would do anything that you asked of them, while still smiling. Just to give you some history, this was our 5th cruise on NCL—including the star, the wind, the majesty, and the (gulp!) Pride of Aloha. We have cruised various lines including RCI, X, Carnival, and Costa. NCL is very enticing to us because of the freestyle program. On the Pearl we had a mini-suite on floor 11. This was a very nice room. It had my all time favorite bathroom of any stateroom I have ever been in—it had a full sized bathtub with a three panel glass sliding door, a separate area for the toilet (with glass door) and of course in the centre was a sink. Additionally, the bed was quite comfortable. Fresh flowers were put in a vase by the door everyday, fresh fruit provided and the room came complete with a mini bar (fridge), coffee maker, and our own private concierge Ruth. Interesting to note was that NCL has now moved on to installing flat panel LCD TVs in all the rooms. As for the verandah, is was just like most—two chairs and sliding door.

Food:

The food on this ship was a step above what I am used on a traditional cruise. Firstly, I noticed that plating and presentation were always a priority as the food was always presented nicely. Also a welcome addition was the “action stations” you may have heard about in the garden café buffet (and all buffets on board). Everything is made fresh directly behind where the buffet line is located—chickens roasting on the rotisserie, the grilling of burgers, and the tossing of salad. Every dish seemed as though it had thought put into it and tasted just as good. Also impressive was the selection. Never have I seen such a large display of food present at one time on one buffet on a cruise ship. Usually I have to give in and eat something I am not very fond of, but not on this ship. They had salad, deli sandwiches, soup, chicken, a make your own pasta station, Asian station, grille, specials of the day, and dessert (including an ice cream bar where they serve you). It was never difficult to obtain a seat either, as the place is huge. Something that I personally loved was that you were able to make your own cappuccino, latte, or coffee any time of the day on these elaborate machines they had.

As for fine dining, I believe we managed to try all restaurants except for le bistro, and the lotus garden. First off, the main restaurants—summer palace and indigo—are as good as ever. Granted some nights the choices did not appeal to me as well as some others—i.e.: lobster night and beef Wellington, which is the second night. I had the best beef teriyaki in the Summer Palace that I have ever had in my life. While it might appear that there is a line some nights in these dining rooms, all you really had to do was wait your turn to get to the front of the podium as a bottle neck was created because if there was no waiter to escort you to your table, you had to wait at the podium. This seemed to stress some people out, but I can not really say I was bothered by it. Max wait…10 min? (If any)

Moving on to the specialty restaurants, the blue lagoon was OK—nothing to write home about, but good in a pinch as it is always open. They had decent fried rice and great chili. Mambos and La Cucina are the only special restaurants that have no up charge. Both were excellent. At Mambos, they had fajitas that rival some fajitas I have had on land. La Cucina was also decent. I enjoyed the Land and Sea (Veal tenderloin and shrimps) and Steak Gorgonzola. My all time favorite place to dine was the sushi bar—because I love the stuff. It costs $15 pp, but you may sit there as long as you like and order endless amounts of sushi—my favorite was bbq eel. They also served edimame (soy bean pods) and miso soup with the sushi. For dessert was green tea ice cream. The teppanyaki was also very nice. It was $20 pp, but was nice to have a show with your meal. Lastly, I will mention Cagney’s—the steakhouse. This was excellent. I had crab cakes for an appetizer, clam chowder, and a filet. They also serve you a side terrine with whatever sides you would like to choose for the night. Chocolate Obsession is also excellent as a dessert.

Entertainment:

The guest entertainment on board was excellent, but I can not say I really enjoyed the production shows with the Jean Anne Ryan Co. The best show was with Jeff Trachta. He was a star on the soap opera the Bold and the Beautiful and was a great entertainer. He had an excellent singing voice and could impersonate anyone. Also I really enjoyed the Chicago comedy troop. It was four comedians that did improv and skits—sort of like Whose line—so funny. Additionally, the magician and juggler were very entertaining. They also had a going away show and a guest talent show.

The ports:

Dominica was my least favorite port of call. I guess I just don’t like the pushiness of the people there—buy this, take my tour! Needless to say, we did take a tour to see the waterfalls and botanical gardens. We soon after returned to the ship for an afternoon of fun in the sun.

Next was the port of Barbados. This port was very nice as they have nice stores when you get off the ship. We took a taxi tour of the churches, saw some Green Monkeys, saw Paul McCartney’s Home, Gloria Estefan’s Home, and then ended up at the beach.

Saint Lucia was next. This port was not enjoyable as it rained most of the day. Still yet, we took a tour of the countryside, got some fresh bananas, and saw the Piton Mountains.

Antigua was next and same to say was my favorite port of call. We took a tour to Long Bay beach—which I highly recommend. The sand there is like cake flour and the snorkeling is great—just a nice, picturesque beach. We also managed to see Devil’s Claw—a natural land bridge carved out by the ocean.

Tortola was the last port of call. I would have liked to spent more time there, but the ship left at 1pm. We went to a beach in the morning—Cane Garden Bay. It was OK, but not really a snorkeling beach.

Other comments:

The rock climbing wall and tennis courts were very nice. I also enjoyed the water slide. The bowling alley looked fun, but I didn’t want to spent $5 pp on a game—that money was better spent at the bar. As for some things I was not a fan of: I miss the large atriums NCL! What gives with the two story atrium with the tacky large screen TV? I say bring back the multi-story atria of yore. I also noticed that they have done away with the captain’s cocktail party? I do not approve of that. Also, there were never any midnight buffets, except the chocolate buffet in the Garden Café. Bring back the elegant gala buffets!

Please let me know if you have any inquiries about the Pearl. She was a great ship and cruise and don’t hesitate to sail aboard her.

[dwrist]

Thanks for the review. It is getting harder and harder being patient until April.

 

ps--I like your screen name. My mom, who is now gone, had a favorite saying to anyone picking a argument or would disagreed with her---"are you cruising for a bruising".:)

[marilynbn]

Cruzin4abruzin- I agree with you about the atrium. We arrived back on the Jewel on Sunday as well! The jewel has the same atrium as the Pearl and I too prefer the big atrium with glass elevators, like on the Star.

 

We saw the Pearl sitting there waiting to parallel park at the dock on Sunday morning! Seems you guys arrived late (8:30am or so) and missed your opportunity to dock easily :rolleyes: .

 

I have already booked a cruise on the Pearl for next New Years but the itinerary is slightly different from yours and goes to Samana instead of Dominica. I loved the Jewel and look forward to the Pearl! Marilyn

[OceanDreaming2]

It's getting closer -- our 2/2 sailing on the Pearl. Thanks for your review. Did they offer the Murder Mystery dinner? Did the CD and staff keep you busy? Was your mini-suite an aft? We were in an aft balcony but upsold to an AC penthouse! Were the seas rough? I can't wait!

[familyof4cruising]

Thank you for your review!

 

In Antigua how far was Long Bay Beach from the ship and is there a fee to get in? Is it a good beach to take kids?

 

What time were the first passengers allowed to get off the ship when you arrived? How long did you stay on board? We have a 3:50 flight ( because of the noon arrival adviced by NCL) and I do not want to head for the airport until necessary.

 

Do you have any of the Dailies?

 

Did you see Jeans being worn in the dining rooms?

 

How often was Karaoke?

 

Thank you so much for the review- 30 days left!

[tdcjerry]

Great post, the wife and I will be on the Pearl for back to back cruises in Feb. and March for 14 days. We will going on the five day western and than the nine day southern. We were on the Jewels first cruise 8-05 in the Med. and it was great. I see you had a mini suite, we just got a upsell to a penthouse on deck nine foward, from a BC cabin. Do you know anything about Bulter service? is there a cost? We have all the same ports and plan on doing some scuba diving and shopping. Eating at Cagneys is what i'm looking foward to the most, i have a list for reservations at all prime resturants on the first day of the cruise.

[packercruising]

Could you speak more to the length of the cruise? 7 days is never enough and it seems like 9 days would be perfect. We hope to try it next year. I have read that the time it gets into Miami is different. Why was that?

[Dolfan-Neil]

Thanks for the great review.

 

Like others we are trying to plan our specialty restaurants out. I have one simple question though, what nights were the optional formal?

 

Thanks again for the great review. We can't wait, next month tomorrow we'll be boarding and are getting quite excited as this will be my fiance's first cruise (I've done a few before but not for 8 years)

[tuffy88]

Thanks for the review. We are on the 2/2/07 Pearl 9 day cruise. Yours was the 1st. Ours will be the 3rd. One question: Are the elevators enclosed on the Pearl? We liked the ones on the Star looking out as one went up or down.

 

Charles

[Royalco]

Question. What time did the Pearl arrive back in Miami? My itinerary lists the time as 12noon. Secondly, What time were you able to board when you left

Miami? Thanks for your help.

[cruzbums]

Thanks for the great review.

 

Can hardly wait till July when we will set sail on the Pearl.

 

Happy cruising!

[lizard14]

Thanks for the great review Cruizin! We are just getting ready for the next 9 nighter leaving this Friday! Your post just upped my excitement level - especially since we're also in a mini-suite on deck 11!

 

My husband wanted me to ask you a question. We've been on ships where they keep the air conditioning incredibly cold in certain areas. He wants to know if you noticed the ship being kept too cold in certain areas (ie the main dining rooms).

[hadleys9538]

Thanks so much for the great review! I'm more excited than ever. Was curious when the show times are in the evening. I'm trying to plan my dinner reservations around them (as well as our reboarding times while in port). Also, were there actual days set out in the dailies that stated they were formal, etc., or has that all been done away with. I really dont want to bring formalwear with us, but I also dont want to feel underdressed. Thanks! Cheryl