Nowegian Pearl

Norwegian Pearl Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 52

Overall rating:

3 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Pearl

11 Night Panama Canal & Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 29, 2016

Ship: Norwegian Pearl

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 11104

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

My favourite part of the cruise was the Ferry excursion through the Panama Canal.

Generally, however the on-board organization of excursions left a lot to be desired.  The crew in charge did not speak English clearly and it was difficult to understand directions and instructions.  All excursions started in the Starlight Theater.  A less than perfect venue for people with mobility limitations

The "Scenic tour" of Cartegena was nothing more than a shopping tour.  The Guide appeared to be more interested in getting us to the next market than explaining or showing the landmarks of the city.

 

Overall I do like the freestyle cruising presented by NCL. 

I was more impressed with last year's experience on the Getaway than I was with the Pearl.  Although the Getaway had double the number of passengers everything seemed to run smoother.

The food and Beverage aspects of the cruise were excellent

The direct contact crew, as ever, were excellent.  the management left a lot to be desired.  I had a couple of issues and nobody contacted me to address my concerns.

My overall experience was such that I'm not sure I would go back to NCL. 

 

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
The sink had a restricted drain flow that was never fully cleared. And I know the cabin steward reported it.

Ship tip

Find another Ship

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

1 out of 5
Ridiculous Airport...Find another embarkation port.

Cartagena, Colombia

3 out of 5
Don't take the scenic tour....it isn't!!!!

Colon, Panama

3 out of 5
Take the Ferry excursion through the Panama Canal...excellent!!

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

5 out of 5

Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

5 out of 5

Harvest Caye, Belize

5 out of 5

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

5 out of 5
Was this review helpful? 52

2 Comments

glomarrone    7 years ago

Sorry to hear about the embarkation problems.

MrChocoholic    7 years ago

What do you want them to do, have a separate meeting place for people mobility issues and THEN separate into group by SHOREX? You chose a bad tour of Cartagena, mine was excellent. Not ONE shopping stop. I thought Colon was great, that place rated a "smiley face." On the other hand I thought Costa Maya was a total waste of money and time. I had to GET OUT of that place and its artificial EPCOT-ambience and go climb a ruin. As for MIA, whatchagonnado? Your alternative is FTL which is near Port Everglades, homeport of Holland-America, Princess and RCCL. Perhaps you should have re-considered your flight arrangements and choice of cruise line. I'm curious if your experience on the same cruise I took in November is anything like mine. Check my videos and compare.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6D7uj1nR3c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO9NrFlItA0&t=59s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcnEhzY52oE&t=265s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rHlexxSUMM&t=25s

 

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