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"Very disapointing" by
A Traveler from Philadelphia, Pa Sailing date: Nov 2009Pros: The Sharkbait Show Cons: Everything else Not impressed. I have cruised Royal Caribbean and Celebrity in the past and NCL and the Pearl doesn't compare. You are nickle and dimed for everything on the ship. Dining rooms too small, they force you to pay for surcharge resturaunts. Service very slow. I will probably never book with NCL again. Ship QualityShip was clean Dining/FoodFood very bad for a cruise, even in specialty rest. Stateroom QualityBalcony room small but clean. Ship Staff QualityBar waiters very pushy for buckets of beer. resturant staff very slow and not too friendly. Entertainment & ActivitiesThank god for Sharkbait. Children's ProgramsThe girls were very nice. thought the child activities program was included but ended up paying 6 dollars a day for that also.  12 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
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  Excellent Ship by
Ed and Deanne from Columbus, Ohio Sailing date: Oct 2009Pros: ship design and variety of activities Cons: No complaints Excellent overall experience on the Norwegian Pearl. Nice fitness center with a great view on the front of the ship. Bowling and tennis is also available for those who wish to work off all that wonderful food. Ship QualityThe Pearl is very well designed which made finding your way around easier than other cruise ships I have been on. Dining/FoodThe buffet line is wider and subdivided into separate stations which provided quick and easy access to your food. Stateroom QualityVery nice and comfortable beds. Ship Staff QualityPar with other cruise lines. Entertainment & ActivitiesComedian on board was hillarious. 3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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A great cruise by
A Traveler from Dallas, TX Sailing date: Sep 2009Pros: Free style cruise Cons: Poor customer service at boat's gift shop This was our first cruise and we enjoyed free style cruising. The Pearl is beautiful and staff were great. Plenty of food anytime you are hungry and non-stop activities to keep you entertained on the boat. Lots of options for off shore excursions as well. Very well organized. An older crowd in their 50-60s and families. Ship Quality
Dining/FoodMain dinning room had little variety. Some of the restaurant's food were not ideal, such as Sushi. They did have lobster a couple of nights. Chocolate tasting night was great! Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff QualityMost of the ship's crew were excellent. A couple went above and beyond to help out. But the Gift Shop's staff had very poor customer service. I purchase a faulty item and wanted to exchange it. I asked several staff to help, but was given different answers why it can't be exchange. It was very frustrating. Entertainment & Activities
5 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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I'd do it again! by
JMZ from Cheyenne, WY Sailing date: Aug 2009Pros: Lots of wildlife and choices. Our experience was wonderful. My dad needed a wheelchair and the environment was very accomodating. We saw whales, dolphins, seals, sea otters, puffin, kittywaite, seagulls, bald eagles, among other animals. The onboard entertainment was also wonderful! Ship Quality
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Juneau, Alaska
Ketchikan, AlaskaDon't Miss: The green and white fish stand on the wooden pier had the best fish of the trip! Skagway, Alaska
Victoria, British ColumbiaDon't Miss: Butchart Gardens 3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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wonderful cruise by
beverly bond from aurora co 80011 Sailing date: Jun 2009Pros: staff was wonderful Cons: smelly bathroom and smoky smelling room alway had to look for ice,and beg forcoffee,creamer, sugar we enjoyed the cruise very much. the only concerns we had were the 2 suites we booked both were very strong smelling of smoke and the bathrooms were very smelly/unclean of which we asked them to clean but that only happened if we asked. we do enjoy and early morning coffee and like to sent on the balcony and drink coffee but the 1 packet was not enough and it seemed like i always having to look for someone and beg for more coffee, creamer and sugar. i also asked for another blanket and i would get one then when they came in and cleaned they would take it so then i would have to find someone again and get another so a little unnerving . Ship Qualityvery nice other than above info Dining/Foodwould liked to have had flavored creamer for coffee that was a big bummer plus a little more selection in the dining rooms would have been great also, Stateroom Qualitythey were great Ship Staff Qualitywe went to eat pretty much the same dining room and tried to sit in the lea's area she was great. Entertainment & Activitiesi didn't find a lot of entertainment on board for seniors 4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Picture perfect views everyday! by
Rachelle S from Pittsburgh, PA Sailing date: May 2009Pros: I loved the views from our balcony, the cleanliness of the ship and the great food. Cons: Honestly, I can't think of anything I would change or do differently. I've been on 6 cruises and by far, this was the best. The staff were nice and accomodating, the shows were great, the food was delicious and the views were better than I could have ever imagined. I highly recommend it to anyone in any age range! Ship Quality
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Stateroom QualityWe decided to get a balcony and it was worth every penny. The shower/tub was a nice upgrade and not having to share the view was the best part. We woke up several mornings, made a pot of coffee, grabbed a blanket and sat outside on the private balcony to enjoy the early morning views. We even enjoyed a few sunsets that were absolutely breathtaking. Ship Staff Quality
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Juneau, AlaskaWe saw several humpback and orca's too. The excursion comes with a money back guarantee if you don't see anything.
Don't Miss: Whale watching! Ketchikan, Alaska
Skagway, AlaskaThe views were better than expected; looked like a post card in every shot. We even saw a black bear climbing the mountain.
Don't Miss: 4 hour train tour into the mountains Victoria, British Columbia
9 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
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Think twice about taking a cruise! by
Karen B. from Nashville, TN Sailing date: Apr 2009Pros: The food and food choices were the absolute best! Cons: Felt like a prisoner on a schedule! If your in the market for a vacation...please look into something other than a cruise. On the first day you could check in at 12 pm. to get on the boat, but you could not get to your room until 2pm. and your luggage was not delivered until 7pm. So if you had medication or anything that you needed... forget it unless it is packed in your carry on. This was called freestyle cruising, but the only thing free about it was when you could eat, use the pool or go to a few shows that didn't cost anything. They don't tell you that you MUST pay for your water $4.50 each unless you get it from the tap, soda $2.50 each unless you buy the $6.25 a day glass for refills, alcohol at $7 + up (and you cannot buy it by the bottle and take it to your room to save money, they confiscate it right there til you leave the ship), automatic 15% gratuity added to every bill you make, $12 per day gratuity per person added to your stateroom bill, only 2 small pools (one for kids & one for adults) and not enough chairs for everyone so there's never a place to lounge unless your there very first thing, and don't take any kind of on shore excursion that is over 3 hrs. because you will not have time to spend in the port. When you do get to go shopping in a port - it's not like going on a vacation to an island where you will fiind bargains. These people are oriented to the cruise line and prices and they are NOT cheap or reasonable for the average person on a limited budget! We did play bingo, but it ranged from $20 for 4 paper cards - one paper with 3 cards for each game - on up to $160 for an electronic bingo card. All 4 games took 40 min. and you were done. The casino was decent and you did win some depending on what you played and of course if you knew when to quit. Plenty of kids zones though. They seemed to have the best time. There is more that I could warn you about I'm sure, but at the moment I've hit the highlights. All I also know is that at the end of a week I received a bill for $756 and $113 of it was shopping at their shops and the casino took cash so that was't included. This was for 3 shore excursions, transportation to the boat, 2 games of bingo and a few drinks. So be prepared to spend lots of money if you go on one of these!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ship QualityClean ship, but sometimes you couldn't get there from here sort of thing. Dining/FoodBest food, but be aware of the time schedules and some have charges. Stateroom QualityVery small room and bathroom. Nice balcony. 3 times they made up the room and we got no washcloths, also dirty tissues on the floor when we checked in. Ship Staff QualityExcellent staff and organized Entertainment & ActivitiesLots of activities, but be aware that you will be charged for some.
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Belize City, BelizeDid the mayan ruins and the old belize river. Nice boat ride (boat was in poor shape). Saw some wildlife. Great guide on the way to and including the ruins. She was like a historian. Very well educated. Could climb a mayan temple
Cozumel, MexicoGreat port for shopping. Did the submarine ride. Not too good unless you just want the experience of going on a small sub.
Don't Miss: Shopping Great Stirrup Cay (Cruiseline Private Island), BahamasNot much to do. Snorkeling was poor.
Roatan (Isla Roatan), Bay Islands, HondurasPoor area. Went snorkeling and was made to follow the guide in the water. Gumbalimba park was ok. Cool monkeys.
13 out of 17 people found this review helpful.
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To all cruise lovers: by
A Traveler from Ct. Sailing date: Mar 2009Pros: none Cons: free-style dining I would like to take this opportunity to offer feedback on a (Norwegian
Cruise Line) NCL vacation from, which my husband and I just returned. We
consider ourselves experience "cruisers". This vacation was our 10th cruise.
We have cruise on a variety of cruise lines i.e. 3 on Carnival, 2 on
Princess and 4 on Celebrity. We have a level of expectation for quality and
service based upon our past experiences. ( This is why we love to cruise.)
Because my husband and I were vacationing alone, we decided to try the less
formal type of experience that NCL so highly advertises. Unfortunately the
NCL "free-style" cruising translated to "NO STYLE" cruising. We gave up all
the personalized pampering and service that you automatically receive on all
the other cruise lines. The food selection and quality in the main dining
rooms was inferior and tasteless. If you wanted anything approaching quality
food, you were forced to pay a cover-charge of $15 to $25 per person for the
"Specialty" restaurants. (Is this NCL's way of increasing their profits?)
Cabin service was totally lacking also. We repeatedly had to call reception
for service.
Unfortunately our experience with NCL was disappointing, to say the least,
and will NEVER be repeated. NCL's marketing for "free-style" is deceiving
and definitely not what is advertised.
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15 out of 16 people found this review helpful.
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So Much Fun! by
Amy V. from Houston, TX Sailing date: Mar 2009Pros: Food, Bliss Night Club, Friendly staff, large variety of food options, easily to get around, very clean and pretty Cons: Room size, price of drinks, weak drinks This cruise ship was completely beautiful! Everything looked new and exciting. The colors of the decor are amazing. It was very easy to get around and we rarely got lost! The ship is huge and there is always something to do. Ship Quality
Dining/FoodThe food was very good! Even the buffet always had something good to eat. You really needed reservations for all of the other resteraunts though. Stateroom QualityThe rooms were very small and when people were over, it was difficult to get around each other. Ship Staff QualityThe people on board the ship were very friendly and always made our drinks stronger when we asked. Entertainment & Activities
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Belize City, BelizeCave Tubing was fun but the guide made us stay all together and I would have liked to be more free.
Cozumel, MexicoBeautiful!
Great Stirrup Cay (Cruiseline Private Island), BahamasI hated this place. It was completely crowded and there was not a place to sit. It was very small and the ocean was packed with people. I stayed for about 10 minutes nad went back to the boat
Roatan (Isla Roatan), Bay Islands, HondurasWe were taken to a private part of the beach where we did the sea spi adventure. The beach was wonderful and not at all crowded.
Don't Miss: Sea Spi Adventure 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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A wonderful cruise! by
A Traveler from New Jersey Sailing date: Feb 2009Pros: Freestyle dining Cons: the windy day we had at sea! The ship was beautiful...clean...big...comfortable...activities for all...we traveled with another family, 4 children ages 13 - 15 and everyone had fun! Food was very good and very plentiful! Staff was lovely!
All in all, a great week with NCL!!! Ship Quality
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Belize City, Belizespent the day cave tubing...fun
Cozumel, Mexicotoo commercial
Great Stirrup Cay (Cruiseline Private Island), BahamasNot enough lounge chairs...we took a ten o'clock tender...by the time we got there, all the lounge chairs were taken...
Roatan (Isla Roatan), Bay Islands, HondurasFosters! Fabulous beach and lovely lunch
1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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