better than expected

Item: Norwegian Pearl
Rating: 4.9
Author: Paris87541

Norwegian Pearl Cruise Review

Paris87541

Contributor Level: Second Mate

193 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 8

Helpful Votes: 84

Overall rating:

4.9 out of 5

9 Night Caribbean: Dominican Republic (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 09, 2023

Ship: Norwegian Pearl

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 9619

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 months ago

Review summary

This cruise was awesome, we have cruised ncl, rcl, carnival, celebrity n msc, and this by far was the best cruise we have done in a while, and we did a ncl in May and did not have half the same experience as this one, the food really made it, and the layout of the ship was very easy to navigate, we were worried that with it being a older ship it wouldn't be as nice as the others, but it turned out to be even better.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

We had a selected time of 10:30am, but we had to wait till about 12 to get on ship, I would have rather have came at a later time than to have sat there.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Omg I was so shocked how good the food was, everywhere even the buffet, and I just did ncl escape in May and food was night and day. We ate all day because everything was great.

Garden Cafe / Kid's Cafe

5 out of 5

Food was excellent daily, this is the smallest buffet I've seen on a ship but boy was it efficient, we went there every other day gor lunch n twice for breakfast. And enjoyed it all. There's something for everyone. They of8real ice cream and sherbert plus the soft serve machine which I have never seen on a cruise. They also have a outdoor mini buffet on the back of the buffet in the am, for grab n go so more continental, and at lunch that same back buffet and the 1 by the pool offer hamburger. Hotdogs, salad, dessert as well, so it takes pressure off main buffett.

Moderno

5 out of 5

Great Brazilian steakhouse

O’Sheehan’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill

4 out of 5

Good for late night snack, the breakfast is decent as well.

Lotus Garden Asian Restaurant

5 out of 5

Omg the food here was so good, could not believe it was complimentary we ate here 3x, wish all ncl ships had this restaurant.

Indigo Main Dining Room

5 out of 5

We ate dinner here most nights and it was always good. Never once had a bad meal.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

They offer 2 pools n 6 hot tubs, 4 of hot tubs are for everyone, others in haven area. Hot tubs and pools of course were crowded but I love that they keep hot tubs open till midnight so we would go at 10 when it was empty. Did not use gym but it was small but functional

Jogging / Walking Track

5 out of 5

This was typical track, nothing special

Hot Tubs

5 out of 5

Nice they had 4 main ones, always crowded but they stay open late so def go after 9, when they're empty.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

The et was OK def no big Broadway shows, it was more game shows throughout ship and live music. There was a comedian who was funny and performed 3 nights, but the highlight was the last big show on the last night called legends st sea, it was impressive.

Bliss Ultra Lounge

5 out of 5

Great spot for karaoke and the bowling alley is in here as well

Stardust Theater

5 out of 5

Nice theater, aisles a bit tight, they do have servers to get drinks which was a plus.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Everyone was friendly and accommodating, they only clean room 1x a day during work hours (8:30-5pm), so just ask for extra towels so you'll already have them.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

This place was clean. Clean. They were always walking around picking up after everyone.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

We had a inside which we prefer, the bathroom was big for a cruise, 1 could be in shower while other getting ready. The shower was biggest I've been in it had a normal glass sliding door, not the encapsulated one that most cruise li es do. The only drawback to room is the bed meets you at door when you come into room.

Ship tip

Try everything especially all the restaurants such a variety. At the buffet for breakfast they have 3 omelet stations so Don't go to the one right at start of buffett.

Thumbs up