Norwegian Pearl Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Awesome trip, accommodations were great!                                                                                                                                                                                               .

Enjoyed the concept of free-style cruising however felt that my dining experience especially for dinner wasn't the same quality as other cruises with fixed times.

Food was often cold- had to send back fish several times before cooked to my liking.

However the dining staff couldn't have been more accommodating once they understood what I wanted-even sent out the chef twice.

Also some meats were very fatty-corn beef & steaks .  Found that buffet foods were cooked more thoroughly.

Also felt  dance music later in night in the lounges geared more to the younger crowd and only soft music in other lounges.  Would have like the music for the day 50's -80's & Motown to be around 10 or later.

Overall enjoyed my experience on the cruise.

We are not ones to spend a lot for a vacation but this year we decided to splurge. I can honestly say the trip was well worth the expense! Alaska is beautiful!

We really enjoyed the cruise. It took less than an hour to check in and board the ship and less than an hour to leave at the end. We decided to walk off with our luggage and the process was quick and easy. It was extremely quick to leave and enter the ship when docked. As long as you follow the signs and listen to the crew it's no trouble at all. The ship crew was friendly and helpful. The ship itself, though 10 years old, seemed a little outdated, but was kept clean and presentable. The food was really good, especially the Indian food, pasta and fresh fruit.  We ate at one specialty restaurant  and the food was cooked perfectly. I thought the price was a little steep, but we received four courses. We didn't want to pay extra for soda and we don't drink alcohol so for us the price for the amount of food received was more than fair. The room was a decent size for two people. The bathroom small, but that's to be expected on a cruise ship. I booked a guaranteed inside room rate and when we arrived was given an obstructed view room on the lifeboat deck. It turns out, it was perfect. The view was amazing and the room was mid-ship, mid-deck and very convenient to the rest of the ship. The entertainment was fun. We participated in trivia, game shows, demonstrations, some dancing, and all the theater shows. We tried to keep busy, which wasn't hard as there was always something to do. When not busy, we often visited the library or top deck to see the beautiful scenery, wildlife and landscape. On our first night we took advantage of the spa special and did a stone therapy spa treatment to set the tone for a relaxing vacation.

The shore excursions were also great. Many tours in Juneau were cancelled (anticipated this as much is determined by the weather), but we took a cheap bus ride to the visitor's center at Mendenhall Glacier and ended up seeing a bald eagle and a black bear fishing for salmon. Skagway was hiking, rock climbing and the White Pass Railroad. The railroad takes you to Canada and was great for the first hour or so, but on the way down many people, including us, were bored, tired and cold. It's more of a "once is enough" kind of excursion. Glacier Bay was amazing. Great weather, great sites, great history from the park ranger who boards the ship and narrates what you're seeing. The glaciers were beautiful. In Ketchikan our excursion was riding out in zodiacs and touring the inlets and islands. We were able to steer our own boat and follow the guide as he gave us the history of the region. It was another beautiful day at 72 degrees (very rare for Ketchikan) and the sun was shining bright. By far, this was our favorite excursion as we rode the channels, viewed the Saxman village, held jelly and star fish, got close to harbor seals and saw two bald eagles glide very near our boats. Our last port was Victoria. We didn't make any plans so we set out on foot. After about a 30 minute walk into downtown we decided to take a sightseeing bus to the Butchart Gardens and even stayed for the great fireworks show. The grounds were beautiful.

Overall, I would highly recommend this trip for anyone wanting to see the beauty of Alaska. 

There are two standout areas that made our cruise a most enjoyable one.  The first is the logistics of the cruise.  From initial boarding through printed communication schedules about on-board and onshore activities, dining hours, etc, delivered to your cabin daily, and on through to disembarking, the organizational efficiency of the Pearl is very impressive.  Attention to detail by the Pearl made this cruise truly a hassle free experience. 

The second area is the service ethic of the employees on the pearl.  With no exceptions we found all we encountered to be friendly, engaging and sincerely devoted to assuring that our needs were being met.  Crew members originated from over 60 nationalities and we spent many minutes learning fascinating information about the homelands and the paths that led some to the Pearl.  Interacting with the crew was an unanticipated but thoroughly enjoyable experience for us that enriched our cruise.

The cruise ventures through incredibly beautiful country, the onshore activities at the multiple stops were diverse and plentiful.  Whether we went ashore or stayed on board we never experienced a dull moment.  Did I mention the quality of the food?  Egads!

This is my first time on this line.  There is a differences between the other cruise lines.  One thing I like about cruising is about meeting new people, and I like it where on the other lines you get seated with other cruisers for meals in the dining room in less you specifically request to sit by yourself.   On every meal you where seated just with the party you came in with.  I like the option that you are relaxed about what you wear, no matter the restaurant you choose.  I did find service was quite slow no matter the restaurant.  Also felt the entertainment was low quality.  Our room was the smallest I have ever stayed in.  The positive is I loved the breakfast selection in the buffet, so many options, better than the other lines offer.  The cruise was very relaxing and we loved Alaska.  I think the excursions are very expensive for what they are.  This is my 19th cruise and if you do your research you can visit these ports at a minimum.

This was our first Alaskan cruise and first time on Norwegian.  We typically cruise with Royal Caribbean and Disney.  Staterooms, common areas, dining and service is pretty comparable, although Disney wins in the attention to detail in the service slot.  Great cruise overall, I had seen bad reviews regarding food however we did not have a bad meal, and Cagneys was great.  Only complaint regarding dining was that on days in port when people returned from excursions the restaurants filled up and we were turned away ( not specialty restaurants, just the regular ones).  I guess that is the downside to the freestyle dining, but that is still a small issue.  My only real complaint was the hard sell from the esthetician after a facial, I foolishly gave in and found after returning home that I was charged more than double the going cost  for the Elemis products purchased on the ship.  Very disappointed I that but it is a lesson learned.

The 8 days were so relaxed and yet they went by so fast. We wish it lasted longer on Norwegian Pearl. We loved the food & the shows on the cruise. Great itinerary with enough time for shore excursions on the Ports of call. I wish it included more days and more ports of call or sail day. It would be great if this was a 10 day cruise with Anchorage & Sitka in the itinerary!

Overall enjoyed with Family but needed more time in Victoria BC as there is so much to explore.

Also didn't have too much activity on Deck which is usually fun in other Cruise line.

There was less choice for Veg Food and Dinner timings were Early.

Barely any please to eat late night after party in Spinakle

Staff was very friendly

First, the food and the scenery at the ports and around the ship made up for the short comings of the staff and the experience that went with the staff.  So, what could have been a great trip turned into a good trip.  The cabin steward did exactly enough to keep the room functional, but nothing extra.  This was a departure from expectations based on previous cruises where they really shined.  The wait staff was fairly slow to respond, and the onboard billing was inaccurate, so we had to consistently challenge the billing accounts daily.  There also seemed to be an abundance of young kids that were not managed by parents or staff and were running and tripping all over the place causing havoc left and right.

The scenery and shore excursions throughout Alaska were top notch though and in the end made the trip overall worth it. 

Overall enjoyed with Family but needed more time in Victoria BC as there is so much to explore.

Also didn't have too much activity on Deck which is usually fun in other Cruise line.

There was less choice for Veg Food and Dinner timings were Early.

Barely any please to eat late night after party in Spinakle

Staff was very friendly

It was a great experience and enjoyed so much we will go on this cruise again! We spent a lot of time busy on the ship taking advantage of the activities. All the staff were helpful and always there to make the day better. Once on shore our excursions were great. 

This is our 3rd cruise with NCL, our 2nd on the Pearl.  They never cease to impress with their commitment to service.  The itinerary is a bit of a weakness, as the spectacular views can be obscured unpredictably by weather, and the ports are nothing too special (as well as being very brief visits).  Still, this has been on my list for a long time, and was worth doing once in my life.

Really enjoyed my time on the cruise.  Just some areas in my opinion that needs improvement:

1.  Happy hour times were a bit confusing... I was not able to find which bar had the specials on which days.  Also, it was unclear if the happy hour specials were during time of departure or from 4pm-6pm.  When I asked at the bar, they said that it was from 4pm - 6pm eventhough we left Ketchikan around 1pm.  Another day, I asked at 4pm and they said that 4pm-6pm is only for days at sea.

2. Restaurant entrees were only mediocre.  The options were nice but very few choices were great quality food.  Lasagna for example seemed dry and old.  Burger also seemed old.

In my opinion, things that I loved that would make me ride NCL again:

1. Freestyle dining - not having to worry about making your dinner time is a major plus

2. Entertainment - all the shows and game shows were a lot of fun.  It was also a good blend of adult shows as well as family shows.

3. Garden Cafe - The Garden cafe offered more variety and better quality food than the Summer Palace or Indigo.  The Indian food, especially, was outstanding.

Thanks for a great crusing experience!

The trip was fantastic and the places we sent were terrific. The ship was very clean, the staff were wonderful. The entertainment was very good and the shows were terrific. 

If you have special dietary needs, this cruise is the one for you. I need to eat gluten free and I was amazed at how diligent the staff was to make sure that my needs were met. They were awesome!

Joelle Tellis is amazing. Her guidance resulted in a great cruise for my 

me and my grandchildren ages 16, 18 and 23.

Embarkation in Seattle was the BEST and quickest I've ever experienced.

I liked my other cruise lines better, was not very informative about what was going on until the last two days, confusing on what floor to get off for the excursions wasn't announced the first two days

The ship was beautiful, the staff was fantastic, and the food plan was exceptional. However, the activities were boring and very expensive. Some ports were had very short stays. The worse part was the gambling room! It was so smoky and smelly! They need to make a separate room for non smokers!!!!

The entertainment was the best thing on the cruise. If you are going to make us pay extra for dinners, at least make them outstanding. There was lots to eat, but mostly buffet style. I miss the dinners I had years ago. The tours that we picked were pricey, but a good experience. So if you want middle of the road dinners, way over priced drinks ($10+ per drinks), beautiful scenery, good service and tours that are pricey, then cruising is the way to go. About the drinks... even if you get their drink package $54 per day per person they add 18% on that for about $64 per day. so the drinks cost $448 per person for the cruise. So buy the upgrade perhaps and get at least one drink package included if the cost is lower than extra $448. Our drinking bill was $350 for two of us. We drank as much as we wanted to using the drink of the day and bottles of wine and we still didn't even pay as much as the $448 for one person. Bottom line unless any packages are included in your room price they are way over priced.