Free at Sea is a Scam

Norwegian Pearl Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 60

Overall rating:

2.6 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Pearl

4 Night Bahamas & Key West (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 08, 2020

Ship: Norwegian Pearl

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 8130

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

very disappointing... the Free at sea promotions were a scam, the exclusions were not transparent but buried in the fine print Free internet means 100 min for 1 guest Free Drink package means no water Free specialty dining means 1 meal Free excursion means a $50 credit

Embarkation

1 out of 5
We weere turned away from the VIP area, waited in line with everyone else, when got to the counter they said you are supposed to be in VIP, so they had to walked us back to VIP, we were placed in a waiting area for about an hour then we boraded enmass

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5
The main dining areas the wait was terrible, one night we left after waiting an hour for food and drinks, the food was marginal at best, forget asking for a medium steak or burger, all were cooked the same well done, bread and pastry were not fresh, selection of juices were poor...the drink package did not include water

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5
The pools and hot tubs were not handicap accessible. the hot tubs were overcrowded. people were placing loungers everywhere blocking movement, again difficult for handicapped. people were vaping by the pool even though it is not a designated area. seemed like no one was enforcing the rules.

Entertainment

4 out of 5
the comedian Alex Oritz was really funny the legends show was good, especially the Michael Jackson impersonator

Service and Staff

4 out of 5
The concierge was great and easy to find, he was a problem solver We found 1 waitress that was fabulous, so we kept requesting her section the housekeeper assigned to our room was great, he knew our names day 1 and was always super friendly

Ship Quality

2 out of 5
some decks were not handicap accessible from convenient points on the ship

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5
the large balcony was tiny, 2 chairs and a lounger but there was maybe 18 inches between the rail and chairs the shower tub was very difficult to get into but good water pressure the TV had poor programing, who is watching the channel showing just the bow of the boat? the internet sucked in the room the highlight was the bed, maybe a legit King and very comfortable

Ship tip

stay on an upper deck near the middle of the ship, bring an empty metal bottle for water

Ports of call

Key West, Florida

4 out of 5
best stop, lots to see, take the trolley tour (on/off), its half the price if you pay on shore

Great Stirrup Cay (Cruise Line Private Island), Bahamas Did not visit port

we were rerouted to Nassau because of rough seas which was disaapointing because I wanted a beach day. We didn't realize there is no dock and you have to be ferried by boat to the shore

Freeport, Grand Bahama Island

1 out of 5
really nothing to see, just overpriced trinkets for sale near the dock. to be fair we didn't take a tour of the island but at this point we had no interest as did most of the ship as the pool was the most crowded it had been, even at sea

Disembarkation

1 out of 5
VIP was a joke, we walked to one end of the ship to a meet an escort who walked us back to the middle of the ship and she left us at the door, so waited for an hour in line with 1000+ people to get luggage and go thru customs. We never experienced this on Royal carribean or Reagent
Was this review helpful? 60

11 Comments

Cruisers4Lyfe     2 months ago

Thanks for sharing

javawoody    3 years ago

Interesting review

66gt350ps    4 years ago

Amazing how customers do not eead the full infonon each special promotion. We always do and it is not fine print. It is true with all kinds of businesses. We enjoy cruising in NCL and onlybtake promotion items that make sense for our use

cruisereckoning    4 years ago

So sorry for your disappointment. I hope you will cruise again, maybe try a different cruise line.

15mustang    4 years ago

When we book interior rooms we watch the bow cam on tv. Great way to check the weather.

CruzeFan    4 years ago

Sounds like cruising isn’t for you, since you didn’t seem to enjoy much of anything. It’s always important to read the details on any purchase you are making. The details you complained about are clearly listed when booking, if you read what you are agreeing to. Hopefully this was a good lesson for the future to always read the details or your going to be upset a lot when purchasing cell phone, Cable & Internet service, a car, a house, etc.

terriesanchez    4 years ago

No information is buried. It took me minutes to check your info. Maybe you should have done the same!

terriesanchez    4 years ago

$50 USD Per Port Shore Excursion Credit: $50 USD per port shore excursion credit is per stateroom. Credit has no monetary value and is non-refundable. In the event a port of call or excursion is missed, for any reason, no refund or credit will be issued.

terriesanchez    4 years ago

The Premium Beverage Package does not include room service, package sales, ship specific promotions or beer buckets, designated Super Premium brands (subject to change), bottled wine, mini bar purchases, bottled water, fresh squeezed juices, select Lavazza coffee beverages, energy drinks, vending machines, wine stations or spirits, cocktails, draft or bottled beer and glasses of wine over $15 USD. Two (2) beverages per person per transaction.

terriesanchez    4 years ago

Internet package is based on number of nights. 100 minutes per stateroom for 3-6 Day Cruises. 250 minutes per stateroom for 7-11+ Day Cruises. Offer will be applied to the first guest in the stateroom.

terriesanchez    4 years ago

Specialty Dining Package 3-4 Nights...1 meal...$44.95 per person... gratuities $8.99 per package 5-6 Nights...2 meals...$79 per person... gratuities $15.80 per package 7-8 Nights...3 meals...$99 per person... gratuities $19.80 per package 9-10 Nights...4 meals...$114 per person... gratuities $22.80 per package 11+ Nights...5 meals...$129 per person... gratuities $25.80 per package

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