Free style dining
Norwegian Pearl Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
5 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)
Sail date: January 28, 2007
Ship: Norwegian Pearl
Cabin type: Inside
Traveled as: Singles/Friends
Reviewed: 14 years ago
Review summary
Freestyle dining left a lot to be desired. One evening we waited 45 Min. to be seated for dinner (they gave us a beeper - just like Outback or Olive Garden- which is not my idea of carefree dining). Also freestlye dining wasn't very free. Cover charges to eat at most of the specialty restaurants - an average of $20 per person - were compareable to the cost of a restaurant meal onshore. Since meals were included in the cost of the ticket this seemed excessive. Meals in the main dining room were free but the choices were low budget - turkey, beef tips on noodles, chicken, etc. To be fair, a few of the meals were very good - especially the lobster on the formal night. Overall I would prefer regular dining options. The staff was excellent. Friendly, efficient, and helpful. They were the best part of the trip. The Norwegial Pearl is a very pretty ship- it is only a few months old - but it did seem to rock and roll a lot. The sea didn't seem that rough but the was a very perceptable rolling motion, particularly in the cabins. The attempts to extract as much money as they could out of everyone through overpriced drinks, pictures, shore excursions, etc was annoying. Two 4 oz. glasses of wine cost $22. (a 15% tip is automatically included ) on the pool deck.Ports of call
Pros: Could eat at any time
Cons: Cover charges, waiting times, food choices.