Overall, and not in any way because of the Pearl or her amazing crew and staff, we were getting a little itchy to get home on the 7th day. Maybe 7-day cruises will be better for us, and the cool and cloudy weather didn't help, but we still had a great time. The Pearl also has an Alaskan itinerary, which we will look into! Arrivederce and Bon Voyage!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
I didn't print a thing, just had my cruise reservation on my smartphone. We were on the ship in about a half-hour, just needed the reservation number and our passports...
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The Pearl is an identical twin to the Gem, so we knew what and where we wanted to eat immediately. We had dinners in 3 specialty restaurants (Le Bistro: truly excellent food and service! La Cucina: Same, but family style, so less elegant Cagneys: I rate Cagneys as the best dining experience I've had aboard any vessel!)...
The main dining rooms were efficeient and had a great variety, and at most any time you wanted to eat. The pool grills were slightly less well received; I was always limited to franks and burgers, and salads which were always fresh, but not very exciting or flavorful. Overall, the daily grill party experience on Princess Line is more to my liking...
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Strangely, there were few days when a live band or any outdoor activities were going on at the pool. Otherwise, cruise entertainment is always top-notch! And I won the sexy legs contest! (well, I won Mr. hairy legs, but I won dammit! Lol...)
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Always great! Funny fiddle with comedienne Chris Pendleton is not to be missed. Our cruise director Simon left us with a memory we will always have: his announcements about the shows always ended with his Woo-Hoo call...
Children's Programs
No children accompanied us...
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Great all around... as it should be!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
As I said, Norwegian can always be counted on for clean, wee-appointed ships and staterooms.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin was a small one, but the design was very efficient, and we were very pleased with the overall comfort and ease of use. The beds were very comfortable as well...
Ship tip
The cruise we took is 80% older crowd - too many walkers, scooters and wheelchairs if you're not prepared for that.
NOT at all happy that our drink plan was not accepted on an island owned by Norwegian. Everything costs a lot, except the pool chairs. $5 for a locker you'll use for 2 hours? Just leave your stuff onboard, all you need here is your bathing suit and your (stuffed with cash) wallet...
BEAUTIFUL beach and Mahahual is an amazing town. BUT be prepared to be accosted every ten feet by folks wanting your money for trinkets, art, massages, and dining. I mean it - every ten feet. It got REALLY tiresome, and became difficult to stay polite, but was still worth it to go...
What was the holdup? We left the ship right in the middle of the time listed for self-assist people, around 9 AM. We stood on the gangway line for almost 20 minutes with all our bags, for no apparent reason that was seen or given by announcement. Disembarkation should have been handled a little better...
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