Johnstradamus Cruise Review on Norwegian Pearl on Dec 23, 2017

Reviews: 7

Helpful Votes: 90

Review summary

Overall this was a great cruise. We travelled as a family of 9 spanning 3 generations for a Christmas week vacation. NCL did a nice job meeting the vast majority of our needs. It’s fair to note that in the past year we have also sailed on Carnival twice and this review will compare experiences a bit. Embarkation: New Orleans port was a bit confusing and we drove around a bit trying to drop off our bags. Staterooms: We has obstructed view staterooms on deck 8. Location was fantastic and overall the room was very nice. Dining: We found the food to be great. We ate in 3 specialty restaurants with Le Bistro being our favorite. No one had a bad meal all week. Also, O’Sheans pub late night for wings and other snacks was a nice change from Carnival’s limited late night offerings. Entertainment: This is where I think Carnival does a better job. The evening shows on NCL were good, with the high point being the show with the Michael Jackson, Madona, and Elvis impersonators. But that was it. Activity around the pool was practically nonexistent and the music played there was downright depressing. Also, there was live music frequently in both the Atrium and at Magnums, but none of us thought it was very good. To be clear, none of this ruined our time but we definitely noticed it. Bar Service: On Carnival we all had the Cheers package and on NCL we all had the UDP. NCL wins this point. No signing for anything and you could get multiple drinks with 1 card which was a huge benefit cruising with a family of 9. Also we had a couple of great bartenders who always too great care of us. Seek out Wilmichael in Maltings or Chadney in O’Sheans and you won’t be sorry. Overall ship appearance: The recent refurb was successful. The Pearl is a beautiful ship that projects sophistication and elegance. Disembarkation: Best ever. We got in line to carry off our own bags at about 7:10. The line started moving on time at 7:30, and we were pulling out of the parking lot at 7:45. Extremely smooth. Overall this was an outstanding cruise with a few small details that could have been better and several other things that far exceeded our expectations. I would definitely sail NCL and the Pearl again.