Delightful but rushed!

Norwegian Pearl Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 42

Overall rating:

4.2 out of 5
Norwegian Pearl

7 Night Western Caribbean (New Orleans Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 25, 2018

Ship: Norwegian Pearl

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

We had an amazing time with friends and enjoyed the activities and wonderfully friendly staff! Our biggest complaint was that our only time with cell signal was while we were in a port, and even then, not until we left the boat sometimes! It would have been nice to be able to call the kids without having to pay the ship's rate of almost $1/minute! And the tenders were not organized well at all!

Embarkation

4 out of 5
Although we had a predetermined time slot to check in and board the ship, we still had several long lines to navigate. But the staff were all friendly and kept people moving as best they could.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
The Garden Cafe buffet was a great place for breakfast and quick snacks. The food changed slightly each day. There were two staff members that sang and played the guitar as they sanitized hands and smiled at each guest! Our favorite spot turned out to be the Indigo main dining room. The food was really excellent and we ate there 3 times for dinner!

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
We watched a few of the shows and really enjoyed the acrobats, while the Legends show was just a disappointment. We used the jogging track several times, and in spite of the massive winds on one side of the ship or another, enjoyed the sounds and view of the ocean! The rock wall was never open when we weren't at port, due to high winds, so to my disappointment, we never tried it. The pools were very crowded and we didn't attempt to share them or the overfull hot tubs.

Mandara Spa & Salon

4 out of 5

I received a massage twice while on the ship and thoroughly enjoyed each one. The first one I bought the recommended oil and soothing gel because it actually took away my sea sickness! Otherwise I did not appreciate all of the attempts to sell their products and get me to sign up for something similar to botox. Those were wasted moments for sure.

Entertainment

4 out of 5
The acrobats were amazing and deserved to be somewhere of a more prestigious venue! The 'Legends' show was a disappointment as we could barely recognize the songs being sung!

Children's Programs

No kids with us on the ship

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
There was not a service person we found that did not greet us with a smile or offer assistance when needed!

Ship Quality

4 out of 5
Yes, everything was clean and kept that way.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Ports of call

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5
Loved this port! We did a private tour excursion with just the 4 of us and had a wonderful time learning about local culture!

Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

5 out of 5
We rode dune buggies and had a blast! Even though the ship tenders were horribly slow and it took us 1 1/2 hours to leave the boat, our tour guide waited and accommodated us with a later start date and absolute friendliness!!

Harvest Caye, Belize

3 out of 5
We attempted an excursion, but missed our ferry when it was not clearly spelled out that we needed a separate ticket to get to the village from the Norwegian resort area! I double checked later, and there was NO mention in the daily ship flyer that we needed to do this ahead of time!

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

5 out of 5
Absolutely the best excursion we took! We visited the Mayan ruins and enjoyed an authentic lunch, margaritas, and amazing time at a lagoon!

Disembarkation

3 out of 5
Not very well organized. But I highly recommend getting yourself off the boat and not waiting for someone else to carry your luggage! We skipped past so many people and went straight through customs by doing it ourselves because we avoided the line!
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