Norwegian Pearl Cruise Reviews - Reviews

This was our 3rd time on the NCL Pearl and we have made great friends with the staff.  They are always friendly and courteous and there to help in any way.  I highly recommend this cruise line and especially this ship!!

LOVED NORWEGIAN PEARL From the moment we stepped onto the ship.  The welcoming aboard was  so genuine by all the crew and officers.  We truly felt like we were one happy family.  I have travelled on so many ships since I was a little girl and can honestly say this has to be my favorite along with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, However,  Royal Caribbean cannot be compared to the welcome we recieved on Norwegian Cruise Lines.  It was by far the best part of the whole cruise. Every crew member and officer was truly helpful and always with a smile on their face.  Some people don't realize the long grueling hours they work per day and to still be pleasant to the travellers aboard ship is   really important to mention.  Besides these two cruise lines  i've travelled on Holland America, Cunard, and others and I've got to say the food, shows, service was excellent aboard Norwegian Pearl.  I will definitely be taking this cruise line before as I have in the past.  The fine service remained the same as in the past.  Thank you Norwegian Cruise Lines for a fabulous vacation.  Ann and Morty

That was my third cruise on "Pearl" but not the best. Room service delivery 45 minutes early, choice not great, smallest cabin ever, no seating space or couch, just a desk chair t, no menu in room. expected a window  Otherwise, staff OK. Quite a change from the previous two cruises but got a tiny pot-hole.

service was very good thanks mainly to Linda Hanley who was very kind, helpful  and courteous.

Armand Cohen

We experimented the Free Style for the first time and it took a few days to get use to it. The Pearl is an "old" ship and was rocking in 4 foot waves; not good for a big ship like this. There were plenty of food and it was good, not excellent. We had an interior cabin which we do not recommend . The service on this Ship was excellent.

It was a cheap price cruise and we had for our money. The deal was OK, but we had better experience with Costa, Royal Car. and Carnival a few years ago.

All the Islands visited were very nice and the water was fantastic.

NCL Pearl is not designed for comfort nor usability.  Staterooms are very small - bed entry blocked by furniture - bathroom very small and darn near impossible to use commode if tall or robust.  Window curtains not properly attached. TV to small to enjoy. Hot water control in shower could be improved to prevent injury from hot water.  Bedside wall lamps could be replaced with small table lamps. Only one bedside stand was provided (steward found another for us).  Deck 13 (Observation area) lacks comfortable lounge chairs (chairs with holes to sit in are very uncomfortable and lack proper support. Some attention to wall coverings (found in forward wall below window material not attached and fasteners lying on floor.  Garden Cafe severely hinders seating of guests and operation of service employees.  At peak eating times getting to and from this area is complete chaos and prone to dangerous conditions especially with older guests and children as well as service personnel. Food lacks variety and shows a trend to favor one ethnic group.  Stir fry would be nice. Blue Lagoon should be removed or changed.  Food lacks attention (Fish and Chips should not be a hand full of french fries and one piece of fish overcooked and dry along with untasty cold slaw and other entrees ordered by our guests.  Our compliments to NCL's staff.  At all levels service and attention to guests needs and comfort was their goals especially our room steward and those at the Garden Cafe.  The nightly entertainment was a disappointing part of our cruise and to others we talked to.  To sell  lottery tickets during these nightly gatherings should have not happened and lacks professional standards.  We have compared NCL to two previous cruises on Celebrity Ships.  Lastly - NCL's program on life jackets was lacking content and importance.  Visual aids could have added much more needed information.

This was my first cruise, as it was for many of the people I met on the ship, and in many ways it was a good learning experience for future trips.   This was also my first trip to Alaska.  As far as the cruise goes we had an inside stateroom and I was really pleased with it's size and space.  The same for the bathroom.  The shower was the size of a standard shower, there was plenty of room in the bathroom  for drying off and dressing, and décor was very nice. In the bedroom section there was room enough to store our belongings as well as room to dress and get ready in the mornings.  The crew and staff was excellent!  Everyone was very friendly and helpful, willing to stop whatever they were doing and take a few minutes to talk to you. The shows were fun and entertaining, and the one show featuring "Oh What a Night" was so good I would pay to see in future.  The food was as good as expected, but be prepared for crowds at the  floor buffet (especially at breakfast) and plan according.  Getting on and off the ship went smoothly except at the first port, where everyone tried to get off at the same time.  I would suggest waiting to depart the ship by 30-60 minutes after docking unless you have a shore excursion scheduled.  

For those looking for the Alaskan experience I would suggest a different cruise or trip.  On the inside passage the towns we stopped at were all about the shopping, and other then Glacier National Park the places we went to looked and felt like any other small Western town.  In the open ocean we were able to see whales on two different days, a few otters and seals, and I saw a few bald eagles while on land.   Once there I realized that we were too far south and west for any real snow or ice, and the ship traveled too far from the shore to clearly see if any bears or other animals were along the coastline.  We did take one of the train rides inland at Skagway, 40 miles round trip by train, which allowed us to see more of the landscape; however, we only stopped at the turn around point and were not ever allowed to get off the train which was confining and made picture taking difficult.  I plan to take a train up though the middle of the state, probably to Fairbanks,  on my next trip and hopefully this will allow me to see and experience more of Alaska.

As I expected I don't believe there's a better deal for the price; however, come prepared to spend some cash unless you plan to sit and do nothing else on the ship or on shore.  The ship offers some really nice events and/or packages onboard but they are costly for many people, plus a lot of activities are planned involving onboard shopping and in the shops in port.  Be sure to ask prices for anything not included in your trip package (and make sure you know what is and isn't included in the package) or you will end up like I did with 5 bottles of water at $4.50/per on your bill.  Besides that, I one thing everyone seemed to do was over pack. 

I would recommend this trip to anyone looking for the cruise experience and not wanting to head south in the summer; however, if it's Alaska you want to experience I would suggest looking into the cruise/land packages offered by the cruise lines or plan a different method for exploring the interior of Alaska that will take you more northeast.

Everything was managed well and organized, It was very entertaining and the shows were great. Crew was friendly and helpful. If there were problems, they were not apparent to guest.

We booked the cruise to celebrate my 60th birthday and was looking forward to the trip.  We enjoyed the ship, food was very good but the activities seem to be lacking for us anyway.  I was disappointed their was only one gift shop and did not care for the selection.  Plus I thought you needed a magazine or newspaper selection.  I had massage  and it was very good; other then that we did not participate in any of the events.  We don't gamble, or play game shows and I thought pictures should be included with the cruise unless your  specifically wanting portraits taken.  You could also update TV channels.

The weather was good and sites were awesome, but I don't believe we would choose this cruise again.

It was hard to connect w other people, because the age difference.  Even though we are middle aged we felt like we were the "youngest" on ship.

Staff was friendly. 

This was an open dinning cruise and I didn't like it.  We went on one that you had the same waiter and the same people at the table and we eat at the same time every night.  I like that because you had a different menu every day.  On this cruise you only had the buffet or the 2 restaurants that serve the same thing each night.  The buffet the food did not look appetizing and a lot of pasta dishes and they just didn't look good.  Oh yea you could go to the top sliders by the pools but you had to deal with the food being cool the buns being dried out.  I can't eat any kind of fish so it made it very had for me.  I also like my food hot when I eat it and at the buffet or the top slider by the time you found a table your food was cold. Also on our other cruise we didn't have to pay for any soda's on this one you had too.  On the day you boarded the ship If you didn't buy a soft drink package per person of 6.50 a day plus tax. That gave you unlimited soda's for the cruise.  But that was over 100.00 for 2 people for 7 days who can drink that much soda in 7 days.  Just to much money when it does not cost but about 10 cents per glass. The 2 restaurants were good for 1 meal each if you like what they had on there menu. Their were 7 other restaurants on the ship that you had to pay for your meals at. As far as the stateroom was wonderful The activity were great too. The ports of call I liked.  Also before you book a cruise ask how much tax and port fee are because I thought I was paying 1 price and then they added almost 950.00 is taxes and port of call fees.  I was not happy about that either. When you post a price it should be for every thing.  The staff of the ship was great and the weather was GREAT not a day of rain and they say it rains in Alaska at least once a day.

Sites were breathtaking (glaciers), staff was very pleasant and professional. Learned a lot of things that I didn't know previously. Juneau is the only capital of a state (USA) that you cannot drive into. It must be by ship or air. Food was excellent with great service, would highly recommend to anyone seeking a little adventure (excursions).

This was our 1st cruise and our Honeymoon!  There were Choc. Straw berrys and Champaine delivered to our room.  The food in the specialty restaurants was way above a 5 Star restaurant.  Joined a basketball team on board for the entire cruise, we had great games.  Very relaxing, inside cabin was comfortable, the crew was excellent.....the captain walked around onboard and visited with us.  Alaska was amazing, I would do again and highly recommend.  We did 3 excursions.....a hike, a kayak trip and zip line.  All were wonderful.  I would rate our cruise a 10.  Thanks Norwegian Cruiseline.

Awesome I really enjoyed it.  The itinerary was good, love the ports and the glaciers was  awesome. The shows on the cruise were very good.  We enjoyed  the  food in all the different restaurants aboard the ship...

The entertainment was excellent, the food was very good in every venue I experienced, the staff was wonderful. I was very disappointed with the final destination, Victoria, BC. The best part of the excursion to the Butchart gardens was the bus ride through town. By the time we reached the garden it was dark and not at all enjoyable. We were told on the way home that they have fireworks on Saturday night but that was over for the season when we were there.

The Alaska adventure you cannot go wrong....However I did not care for the lack of service we received on the Norwegian Pearl. With the free style dining the service was not very good. We had to ask for water and refills each night. One night we ordered iced tea and waited 30 minutes for the tea and had to ask for refills of that as well. In each free style room it was the same each night. There is no accountability with the service on board. It was the inside passage an date we needed not the pearl per say. I have not had good experiences with Norwegian an will not use them again . I have used Cruises only  for 20yrs and have had great service with our travel agent Thomas.

A cruise to Alaska on any cruise line is a fabulous trip! The sights are breathtaking and the shore excursions are a lot of fun. We would recommend an Alaskan cruise to everyone! The Norwegian Pearl, however, is completely run of the mill.  Nothing awful but also spectacular here.  The food is so-so unless you upgrade to the specialty restaurants.  The entertainment was good, but the activities were limited.  We purchased a "Romance Package" which was a nice treat and a great value. With that being said, we will be choosing a different cruise line next time.

Great cruise.  Weather was fantastic.  Norwegian Cruise Lines needs to work on getting people off ship in a timely manner at the ports.  Upstairs casual dining area had a tendency to get overcrowded at times.  Shows and entertainment were great.  Enjoyed most of the shore excursions.  Staff made us feel very special.  Good variety of food and choices of things to do on board.  Glacier Bay was fantastic.   Watched whales for 2 hours as we were coming into Juneau.  If you like to look at beautiful scenery, this is the cruise for you.

This was my second cruise to Alaska with Norwegion Cruise Line.  Everything was really wonderful.  The food was very good. You didn't have to go very far to find something to eat. It was everywhere. And it was excellent.  The employees were the best.  If you needed anything at all, they were there to help you.  The entertainment was first rate. There was always  something to do or to go to, or just relax and people watch.  Freestyle cruising is the way to go.  And what can I say about the scenery.  It is awsome!!  And I probably will go on another Alaskan cruise.  It is a fabulous journey.

The Alaskan sights were beautiful and I am glad I had a chance to see it.  The cruise ship on the other hand was something else.  We had a great concierge who met all of our needs.  I had an aft penthouse suite that was too far from everything but I booked it for the first time to try to get a better view during cruising.  I became sick due to my neighbors smoking on the balcony and two days before embarkation I became sick from second hand smoke.  Needless to say, I also could not used my balcony.  The other concern I had was with the staff and no one would assist us with using our coffee maker until the second to the last day of the cruise. We asked every day and no one would help.  The other problem was I noticed that in the Garden Café, you had to beg the staff ( in aft area near outdoor bar)  to clean a table because nothing else was available and they would pick up the items and NOT wipe the table.  This was very disappointing while I could see senior staff standing around just chatting with each other while customers walked around the area looking for a table to sit down and eat at during meals.  It appears that staff was busy pushing beer sales and nothing else.  The other dining experiences on the ship were quite better that the garden café.  The entertainment was nice and usually cabin staff in the hallways were always nice and pleasant.  We had another staff assigned to us who never told us his name or provided a card to contact for help.  Only one phone worked in the cabin and we did not ask for help since no one assisted with the coffee maker and we asked everyday.  For these few reasons, I will rate this cruise three stars and that a longshot.

We had not cruised for over 20 years, and were taking our daughter's family that included a 21/2 year old. We sought adjoining rooms so that we could share baby sitting during naps and evenings and it worked well - including the trundle bed for the baby.

Food was exceptionally diverse and high quality - my daughter is vegan and she was grateful for the extensive offerings, many of Indian cuisine. The ship met our needs for this trip, but since we did not experience the pools, deck chairs and saunas we could not evaluate them as amenities.

The crew was very friendly and helpful and we felt appreciated for taking their ship. We also noted the efforts to reduce infection and virus by having guests receive a small antiseptic spray on entering dining facilities and boarding the ship. It was not a turn-off and we appreciated their inobtrusive efforts to reduce health problems from arising.

The entertainment was ok, but lacked a greater variety of performances as most were music/singers or comedy. All of the lounge/bar acts were singers, so more variety with dancers, acrobats, jugglers, etc. for children would have been a better mix.

The highlight was the day through Glacier Bay to see the magnificent ice formations, and we appreciated the knowledgable environmentalist speakers that were brought aboard to explain and enhance our experience.

Our cabin attendant, Jovi, was always willing to serve and help, and he took great pride in providing us a clean, well appointed stateroom. He went out of his way to engage our granddaughter and he made everyone feel appreciated.

The toddler program for our granddaughter was ok - the cruise mates running this program were nice and friendly - it is just that the events were not that interesting and engaging for children that were over 2 years of age. The play area for them could have been a little larger and had some more variety of toys and games for them to play with.

All in all, it was a very good experience and we would recommend this voyage.

Alan

My wife and I are frequent cruisers.  The experience aboard the gem was one of the best cruises we have been on ever.  The staff aboard the ship was one of the friendliest and efficient crews we have had the pleasure to sail with.  They greeted you, asked how your day or cruise was going, and actually listened to your answer.  The service was attentive but not overbearing, pleasant but very efficient.  We appreciated that we were asked if we wanted a drink but only once not repeatedly.  The entertainment was first rate - the onboard singers and dancers were excellent and the additional performers were superb.  We especially enjoyed Oh What a Night and Piano Man Jim.  The itinerary was well thought out and we actually arrived early in most places.  We loved the Glacier National Park rangers narration of our visit to the park.  We did not use any specialty restaurant, spa treatments, or the shore excursions desk so we are not able to add that to the review.  The NCL Pearl was really a gem.