Ship needs some updates and better staff to client ratio

Norwegian Pearl Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

lefayestuckey

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 41

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Alaska Glacier Bay (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 05, 2016

Ship: Norwegian Pearl

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 11042

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

Le Bistro was by far the nicest place to eat. The furnishings were really showing their age, i.e., carpet that was torn or pulled up, deck railings that were old and battered, musty odors in parts of the ship, older TV sets, pillows that didn't smell very fresh, shower doors that are quite outdated.

We had booked 4 staterooms for a family reunion, and while the cruise was fantastic, the food service (especially la cucina where we waited over 1 1/2 hours to be served, even though we had a 530 reservation and I got my cocktail as they were serving the dinner), was not really worth the upgrade in price (if we had not chosen the specialty dining package).

We are getting ready to book another family reunion next year with my husband's family, and we will not be considering using this ship based on the issues stated above. We may consider NCL, but not this ship.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

La Cucina service was terrible. Don't think they were set up to serve us, as no one came to take our order for over 30 minutes, then after 1 1/2 hours, we asked for some attendance. The head waiter gave us a free bottle of wine and got our order. Very disappointing experience, although Le Bistro was just the opposite.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

We heard "Legends" was great - the ballad singer was wonderful and enjoyed his history of Skagway and magic show was a big hit.

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Our 10 year old grandson said it was just a bunch of mats on the floor and wasn't at all what he was expecting based on the video we showed him. The younger kids seemed fine with it.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Our stateroom attendant was very friendly, but we have cruised on other cruise lines where the staff was falling over themselves to introduce themselves, show us how to use things in the room, and were not rushed. There didn't seem to be enough staff on board, and they all seemed overworked and tired, although they were all polite and gave a (tired) smile.

Ship Quality

1 out of 5

Definitely needs upgrades, refreshing, new linens, new carpet, just about a complete re-do.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Curtains were torn, electric outlet was difficult to find, hair dryer holder was coming out of desk, safe was problematic to use, drawers were hard to open and close, shower door was difficult to close, pillows did not smell very good, day bed was pretty ratty looking and had old foam on it. Just not a wonderful cabin due to it's age and wear and tear.