I would definitely recommend this ship and itinerary for couples looking for a weekend getaway. There were some kids on this ship but it didn't really seem like there was a lot of appropriate activities for kids. Make sure you leave time in your schedule for the live shows, you will most likely be impressed and entertained.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Embarkation was fine once we got to the terminal. The signage is not great for drivers coming to the terminal, our taxi driver got lost and I can totally see why, there is really no signage saying NCL PEARL THIS WAY.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We had one dinner in a specialty (Moderno) - this was included in our Free at Sea package, the food was ok. Not great, definitely not worth the listed price. Some of the meats were ok, some of them were really not good. Service was fantastic. Venue/location was ok, had a table that overlooked the pool area but the windows were fogged so we could not see anything.
Second night we ate in the MDR - food was very good, service was very good, MDR venue was very well done and very clean.
Third night we dined in Lotus Garden - this is also a complimentary restaurant, but it is small and fills up quickly. Food was ok, about on par with what you would expect from a local Asian restaurant.
We had lunches in the buffet, selection was ok, food was about as you would expect from a buffet. If you have time, eat in a dining room. It was nice to have the buffet adjacent to the pool area, we ate our lunches outdoors.
Bar/drinks - we had the unlimited beverage package, I think we got our value out of this. Bars were sometimes busy but not too bad. If you knew where you look you could find a bar with no line. The lounge bars definitely get busy in the evenings. Drinks were good, bartenders friendly.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Pools were nice. They seemed small but were never overcrowded. Only one pool deck, 2 pools and 4 hot tubs. Hot tubs were very crowded after noon.
Fitness center was ok, sort of cramped and too hot. Hardly any ventilation. Use the ourdoor running track instead.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We attended several shows, both in the theater, lounges, and pool deck. The live music was fantastic. Ice Bucket did great shows, as did Matt. The Legends in Concert was a letdown, Tina Turner was good but the rest were not really good.
Children's Programs
Did not bring children
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Wait staff was always excellent. Our room steward got the job done. Only saw him once or twice but the room was cleaned as expected.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The ship was definitely clean. This is an older ship, and smaller, so its a little different and sometimes odd in its design. There were many cases where we thought we could get somewhere but ran into a dead end. Ship still is in good overall condition though, definitely not run down.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Room was very good. We had a Club Balcony Suite aka Mini-Suite, it was a little bigger than a normal cabin, the bathroom was the biggest upgrade, it had a full shower area which is a lot better than the phone booth showers in most rooms.
Ship tip
Get to the pool deck before noon, or you might not get a chair.
This port stop was skipped due to bad sea conditions. NCL needs to build a pier here, right now all they can do is tender and that is more difficult in rough seas.
Disembarkation was pretty bad. We got in line at the appropriate time, but we stood in line for about an hour. The face scanning process for disembarkation was not working right. They had all the cameras pointed towards the sun, so the cameras could not see anyone, and this resulted in it taking 1-2 minutes per person to scan them, instead of seconds.
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