In summary; the NCL Pearl is an older vessel. Smallish by today’s standards. However, NCL still commands a premium price for its services. Staff and food are generally good but entertainment is lacking. The Boston to Bermuda Cruise is no longer the great value that it once was. We will likely explore other options for our next journey.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
Fast, smooth process but the Agent(s) somehow managed to misprocess the Room Keys of many customers. This resulted in delays while Boarding and again when the keys failed to work on the Ship. Extremely frustrating.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Buffet, Cagney’s Steakhouse, Indigo and Summer Palace all featured excellent food and service. La Cuchina was just horrible. Low Grade Steaks were poorly prepared. Blue Cheese Ravioli? Yuck. Tutti Frutti Canoli? Tasted like Grandma’s Fruitcake. Ugh.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Not much going on.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Ice Bucket was mostly really good except when forced to play 1970’s Disco. Just horrendous.
Carl Strong is a great comedian.
Aerial acrobatics (?) are not my cup of tea Zzzzzzzzzz…..,
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Friendly and efficient. No complaints.
The Cruise Director was a train wreck. Her thick, heavy accent coupled with her rapid cadence and misplaced laughter made any and all announcements unintelligible. Audience participation shows that she hosted were a confused mess as nobody could understand what was expected.
Important ship wide announcements could not be deciphered.
She seemed pleasant and charming enough. Just needs some additional training and experience in public speaking.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Older ship. Well maintained and clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Club Balcony Suite. Good sized room with plenty of storage. Full size shower!!! However, water pressure is terrible. Almost impossible to rinse shampoo and soap.
Quiet room considering it’s proximity to the Mid Ship Elevators. Minimal noise from above.
VERY EXPENSIVE for what you get.
Ship tip
Don’t book early. NCL changed our Itinerary AFTER we booked and paid for our cruise. A third night and day in Bermuda were changed to a day in Bar Harbor, Maine IN NOVEMBER. NCL did grant a fare reduction after the price dropped but only AFTER we contacted them. The refund was given in the form of a Future Cruise Credit which we may be hesitant to use. Customer Service was a big negative.
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