Norwegian Pearl Cruise Reviews - Reviews

The cruise was great!  The only improvement I would say would be the menu in the main dining room. We've cruised on carnival several times and thought the menu was better with them. We had lobster and escargo and I was looking forward to having that on this cruise.  The food in the main dining room was fantastic!  we ate there as often as we did in the dining room.  Ronnie and Donnie at the 13th deck pool bar were great!!  Also our room steward Marvin was fantastic. 

This was our 13th cruise with Norwegian, and we're rarely disappointed with any aspect of our cruises.  The Pearl is an older ship, and parts of it show its age, but it has been updated, so there are no complaints there.  As usual, the staff is exemplary, and the entertainment was unfailingly top-notch.  We especially enjoyed Chip Romero, Dan Bennet, and Chris Pendleton; the acrobatic team's show, Angels, was beautiful; and the amazing Uptown gave a high-energy show that had us all dancing in the aisles the last night of the cruise.  JC Sanchez, the cruise director, is to be ommended for putting together such a talented lineup.  We took shore excursions in all ports except Costa Rica, since we had spent quite a bit of time there in the past and the shore excursions offered repeated experiences we had already had.  That being said, we enjoyed our excursions in Aruba and Colombia, and the ferry crossing of the Panama Canal was a bucket list experience!  There was some lack of communication,  however, between the tour operator and the ferry crew, and after an almost hour-long bus ride from the place we were tendered to the ferry port, we were kept on the bus for at least another hour while the ferry arrived and discharged its previous passengers. Our tour guide was most apologetic.  Quite a few people requested a refund because of the inconvenience, but we decided we finally got our money's worth and didn't ask for a refund. We enjoyed the food aboard ship, eating at the buffet every breakfast and lunch.  The two main dining rooms gave us delicious dinners, and we give Le Bistro and La Cucina rave reviews for wonderfully-prepared meals. All in all, this was a most enjoyable vacation, and we look forward to our next cruise on Norwegian.

Favorite excursion was the Ocean to Ocean train ride.  The observation deck at the Gatun Locks was very informative and enjoyable.  The newly refurbished Pearl is quite nicely decorated and clean.  This is our 18th cruise and we found the level of service and entertainment less than expected!

Not the best cruise I have been on, service was not as good as I have had on other Norwegian cruises but I was told it was a whole new staff. The weather did not cooperate and some excursions were cancelled but that is not the fault of Norwegian. Still had a great time.

The cruise it self was enjoyable, the food was not what I have experienced on previous cruises. The shows were not big productions as before but OK. Cabin boy was very attentive and helpful. The medical personal was more a first aid station and after treating patient stated, "if  you want to see the  doctor, come back after 4 PM", this was after the accident at approximately11:30/12:00 noon.

The cruise ship was very nice.  Staff was attentive and helpful.  The food was pretty good.  We did not eat in the high end restaurants.

The only thing I would say needs improvement is the number of free activities.  We had 2 full days at sea and not enough to do.

We have been on 23 other cruises and the customer service and quality of food left a lot to be desired.  The cabin was fine and our cabin steward was nice but the rest was just ok.  I've never been on a ship that didn't have some sort of broadway production and the shows were horrible, a comedian, a musical duo and a magician, nothing more.  We are looking at another cruise for June and it won't be on this ship and hopefully not on Norwegian.  

the vacation was the ship, loved the multiple bars. Entertainment could have been better, food was outstanding.

would suggest buying the beverage package

Everything from the service to the food was wonderful! The entertainment staff did an excellent job on the days we were at sea to provide many fun and exciting activities. Our steward, Marlon, was excellent and checked on us everyday to see if we needed anything or if the room was okay. The only disappointment to my boyfriend was the large crowd and seemingly small space for the outside amenities, it was difficult to find a place to layout on the sundeck, and you had to race to get in the Jacuzzi,which we finally made it in at about 8:30-9:00 PM. Overall, the cruise was wonderful and all staff were accommodating. If you are a drinker, do yourself a favor and buy the drink package, trust me, it will be worth as the cheapest you'll pay for a drink is the drink of the day which was around $7.95.

I would recommend the cruise . The one stop at Cozumel was a great way to just enjoy time at sea ! The food was good and the staff were very attrntive.  Clean rooms and a clean ship was a bonus.

 Myconcetns were the activities! Shows were excellent but the choice of murning afternoon and evening deck activities were not. Othe than the cruise director the enthusiasm by cruise activity personel felt put on.

 MY REAL CONCERN ARE THE MUSTER SAFETY DRILLS.  I HAVE BEEN ON OTHER CRUISE SHIPS THAT HOLD THE DRILL WOTH LIFE JACKETS AT THE ACTUAL DECK AND BOAT WE WOULD EVACUATE. ON.  ITIS CONTRARY TO SAFETY TO HAVE 300 people report to a large room listen or not to a digital voice telling us what to DO! I CAN TELL U NO WHERE IN ANY OF THE MANUALS AS A TRACHER AND SAFETY COORDINATOR WOULD THERE BE A ALL CALL TO A ROOM THEN MOVE A MASS OF PEOPLE TO AN EVACUATION ROUTE! I FELT VERY UNSAFE AND FRUSTRATED BY THIS PROTOCAL AS A RESULT I WILL NOT TAKE A CRUISE WITH NCL EVER AGAIN.  . 

Food was good. Uptown performers were good. It was my husband's first cruise. We booked a stateroom with balcony. Very disappointing,  rust running down. 

Limited entertainment, reruns 

Jamaica is way overrated. Once you get off the beaten path the poverty of that island will overwhelm you. NCL (pearl) is a great ship with so many friendly workers. I would suggest the all inclusive beverage package, but the food is 5 star. I will diffently be booking another cruise on Norwegian...

Food and drinks were excellent even the buffet food.

The Casinos should have a walled section for either Smoking or Non-smoking.  Continuing to cruise with only open smoking casinos will will a show-stopper for me.

This was our third cruise on the pearl and the food and service was top notch.  We never got off the ship, and it was restorative and delightful.  Highly recommended

My favourite part of the cruise was the Ferry excursion through the Panama Canal.

Generally, however the on-board organization of excursions left a lot to be desired.  The crew in charge did not speak English clearly and it was difficult to understand directions and instructions.  All excursions started in the Starlight Theater.  A less than perfect venue for people with mobility limitations

The "Scenic tour" of Cartegena was nothing more than a shopping tour.  The Guide appeared to be more interested in getting us to the next market than explaining or showing the landmarks of the city.

Overall I do like the freestyle cruising presented by NCL. 

I was more impressed with last year's experience on the Getaway than I was with the Pearl.  Although the Getaway had double the number of passengers everything seemed to run smoother.

The food and Beverage aspects of the cruise were excellent

The direct contact crew, as ever, were excellent.  the management left a lot to be desired.  I had a couple of issues and nobody contacted me to address my concerns.

My overall experience was such that I'm not sure I would go back to NCL. 

Overall the cruise was good. We visited several ports and although we did not get off the ship in some of the ports, having visited them numerous times with various cruise lines, we were impressed that the ship could go through the Panama Canal, with only 2 feet to spare on each side!! We loved Cartagena, although it was extremely crowded. Our guide told us the reason being that it was a holiday weekend and many people from all over Colombia flock to Cartagena. Entertainment was good although the sound system in the Stardust Theatre could stand some improvement (or maybe the engineer running sound). Food was generally good with the exception of the Italian Restaurant La Cucina. My wife had a cold lumpy risotto with a fried chicken breast on top and my veal scaloppini was dry and tasteless were it not for the sauce. Stateroom was ok except there was no switch near the beds to turn off main lights so we had to get up to do so. They had a hypnotist, Nadeen Manuel, perform several shows and she was exceptional; they should keep bringing her back. One thing we missed from other cruises was a real piano bar where you could sit around the piano and sing.  They did have an adult kareoke so that kind made up for it, But a Piano Bar would have helped. The deal we got through was great and we will continue using them for future cruises.  We told many guests on the ship, who were skeptical of using an online booking service, that it is definitely worth it. At least it was for us!

Our cruise was much enjoyed   Ports were great, harvest caye amazing.  Panama Canal was a bit confusing, we didn't book an excursion that day.  And didn't realize only those who booked would be allowed to tender off.  Those who hopped off came back with some pretty neat experiences.  Make sure to make the most of the cruise, get off!  

The staff was very good, our cabin boy made the cutest animals each night.  The cabin was spotless.  Dinners were good, the food comes out a bit slow.  It was tough making the shows.   

We have cruised many different lines, I would say Norwegian perfected the exiting.  It was a great time, good food, good entertainment and nice ports.  

My favorite part was Aruba, and the Canal, and the room was great.  Cut backs with the dining and menu changes where a disappointment.  Stopping at Colon area felt unsafe, and there was nothing to see at Porta Lemon Costa Rica. We went right pass some islands on the way home which would of been much nicer stops.

Majority of the cruise, from check in to final departure was quite disorganized and with minimal appropriate communication from NCL. Initial check in took approximately 1 hour and was stopped for luggage check but security had no idea what he was looking for.  Lines were too long and sluggish. Once onboard the cruise director and his staff were obnoxious and consistently interrupting the cruise with over enthusiastic interruptions to play bingo, but raffle tickets, etc. Perhaps they should stress passenger satisfactions and decrease the constant sales gimmicks.  The majority of the entertainment was very good, with the exception of one performer who was panned by all passengers I spoke with.  The ship bands (Avalon and Future Perfect) were very good but when they weren't playing on the deck the DJ would quickly come on and blare extremely loud rock and rap at a volume that was near painful (turn down the speaker volume please) so that people can speak to each other without yelling.  Also, the frequent pool deck interruptions of very loud yelling from assistant cruise directors leading college spring break like play-by-play of beer pong and hairiest leg contests was disruptive.  Please continue the games if you wish but you need not yell at full volume into microphones so that every one is immersed constantly. Discussions with other passengers agreed with the above assessments.  Finally, the lines to exit and renter the ship at ports were far less organized and took far longer than previous cruises I have taken.  State room acceptable and food was routine although I did not find the cleanliness to be up to previous cruises on other lines. Discussions with other passengers agreed with the above assessments. While certainly not totally unacceptable the cruise was far from standards I have experienced on other lines and I would be unlikely to repeat this cruise.

I loved the dinners in the Summer Palace restaurant- our server Dragan made it even more entertaining for us!!! He's an asset to any company!

Yes, I'm already recommending this cruise to everyone!