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About Your Ship: Norwegian Pearl

15 Night Panama Canal Westbound
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Departs Miami aboard Norwegian Cruise Line – Norwegian Pearl - Featuring The Haven By Norwegian!

Sailing Date(s): April 18, 2014


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	Average Norwegian Pearl Rating



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	Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 30 - 49 Cruise Experience: 2 - 3 cruises Traveler Type: Couple New ship, wonderful food and service. by Marcus from Sacramento, CA Sailing date: Jul 2007 Pros: The food and the friendly, attentive crew. The Norwegian Pearl was less than a year old and in spotless condition. There were many aspects of the cruise that exceeded my expectations. We were upgraded from a mini-suite to a penthouse and got VIP treatment, staff were extremely friendly and responsive, the food was wonderful, and Alaska is beautiful. Ship Details: Dining/Food Food and service in Summer Palace was wonderful. Food quality and freshness at the buffet was very good and much better than my previous experience on another line. Le Bistro was my only disappointment - I found the food less enticing and the service less gracious than in the main dining rooms. Stateroom Quality Huge balcony, bathtub, nice linens, spacious. Air conditioning was weak while in port in Seattle. Ship Staff Quality The staff were extraordinarily attentive and friendly and many routinely went above and beyond expectations. My only difficulties were attempting to exchange some of the complimentary alcohol for bottled water since I don't drink (impossible). I only saw one crew member who didn't smile at me - a bartender at Java Cafe in the mornings. Entertainment & Activities Activities: Beautiful gym, fascinating bridge observation room and behind the scenes lecture by the captain. The marketing of gems and shopping opportunities was more aggressive than I enjoyed; for example, I went to a lecture which promised to discuss upcoming ports and left after about 7 minutes of promotion of the duty free shops on the ship. Entertainment: There was a good variety of entertainment, but the performances did not leave me amazed the way they did on my prior cruise on another line. Read this user's port of call reviews: Cruise Glacier Bay; Cruise Inside Passage, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska; Skagway, Alaska Collapse List of Ports Ports of Call: Cruise Glacier Bay Marjorie Glacier was amazing. We had an unusually sunny day in Glacier Bay National Park and the Marjorie Glacier was brilliant. We saw some bears at the base. We didn't get very close to Johns Hopkins Glacier because of the harbor seals. Don't Miss: Marjorie Glacier. Cruise Inside Passage, Alaska Inside passage is beautiful. This was a relaxing day gliding tranquil waters between islands and mountains. Don't Miss: The views from the ship. Juneau, Alaska Check out Mendenhall glacier. We went canoing near Mendenhall glacier and had a great time. I've never touched an iceberg before. My only gripe was that the shore excursion was shorter, didn't have snack, and transported us in a beat up old van. The scenery was gorgeous though. Don't Miss: Mendenhall glacier. Skagway, Alaska Loved the Eagle Preserve Float & Fjord Exploration. We went rafting through a bald eagle preserve with mountains and glaciers towering on both sides - beautiful. The railroad was also beautiful but a little expensive. Don't Miss: Eagle Preserve Float & Fjord Exploration. 29 out of 29 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 50 - 65 Cruise Experience: 7+ cruises Traveler Type: Couple Stateroom Type: Balcony To all cruise lovers: by A Traveler from Ct. Sailing date: Mar 2009 Pros: 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. Ship Details: Dining/Food Ship Staff Quality 15 out of 16 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 50 - 65 Cruise Experience: First cruise Traveler Type: Couple Excellent service, great staff, ate when by Mary from Aubrey, Texas Sailing date: Jul 2007 Pros: Free style cruising and staff. IT WAS TERRIFIC. The shore excursions were excellent, on time, well planned and plenty to chose from. The daily "newsletter" outlining the events for the day are delivered the night before. That is nice. Always something to do or you can choose to do nothing but sit on the balcony and see the magnificent scenery. Ship Details: Dining/Food Everything was nice, many choices of food and dining. Stateroom Quality Was perfect, couldn't have asked for anything better for the price. Ship Staff Quality Excellent staff. Entertainment & Activities Read this user's port of call reviews: Cruise Glacier Bay; Cruise Inside Passage, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska; Skagway, Alaska Collapse List of Ports Ports of Call: Cruise Glacier Bay Beautiful, spent the whole day on the balcony and walking the deck. It was a "spiritual" experience. The beauty is overwhelming. Don't Miss: Don't miss any of this. Cruise Inside Passage, Alaska Ketchikan, Alaska is a great port. Full of history and has maintained its culture. Wish we could have had a longer time there. The excursion on the catamaran into the Misty Fjords was EXCELLENT. Great would do this all over again. Saw beautiful scenery in the Tongass Rain Forrest, seals, and lots of bald eagles. Don't Miss: Don't miss any of the ports and in particular Glacier Bay. Juneau, Alaska Great. In Juneau, we took the Whale watching trip. We experienced a rare site. The whales were Bubble feeding. We saw in excess of 20 whales on this trip and many seals and bald eagles. Don't Miss: The Whale watching trip. Skagway, Alaska Skagway, nice town, enjoyed the train ride. Great back country scenery. Would not do the added bus trip to the Yukon. It was ok, but wouldn't do this excursion again. Not worth the cost. 11 out of 11 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 30 - 49 Cruise Experience: 7+ cruises Traveler Type: Family w/older children Stateroom Type: Balcony "Very disapointing" by A Traveler from Philadelphia, Pa Sailing date: Nov 2009 Pros: 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 Details: Ship Quality Ship was clean Dining/Food Food very bad for a cruise, even in specialty rest. Stateroom Quality Balcony room small but clean. Ship Staff Quality Bar waiters very pushy for buckets of beer. resturant staff very slow and not too friendly. Entertainment & Activities Thank god for Sharkbait. Children's Programs The 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. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 30 - 49 Cruise Experience: First cruise Traveler Type: Couple Stateroom Type: Balcony Think twice about taking a cruise! by Karen B. from Nashville, TN Sailing date: Apr 2009 Pros: 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 Details: Ship Quality Clean ship, but sometimes you couldn't get there from here sort of thing. Dining/Food Best food, but be aware of the time schedules and some have charges. Stateroom Quality Very 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 Quality Excellent staff and organized Entertainment & Activities Lots of activities, but be aware that you will be charged for some. Read this user's port of call reviews: Belize City, Belize; Cozumel, Mexico; Great Stirrup Cay (Cruiseline Private Island), Bahamas; Roatan (Isla Roatan), Bay Islands, Honduras Collapse List of Ports Ports of Call: Belize City, Belize Did 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, Mexico Great 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), Bahamas Not much to do. Snorkeling was poor. Roatan (Isla Roatan), Bay Islands, Honduras Poor 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. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 18 - 29 Cruise Experience: 4 - 6 cruises Traveler Type: Singles/friends Stateroom Type: Balcony Picture perfect views everyday! by Rachelle S from Pittsburgh, PA Sailing date: May 2009 Pros: 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 Details: Ship Quality Dining/Food Stateroom Quality We 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 Entertainment & Activities Read this user's port of call reviews: Juneau, Alaska; Ketchikan, Alaska; Skagway, Alaska; Victoria, British Columbia Collapse List of Ports Ports of Call: Juneau, Alaska We 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, Alaska The 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. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 30 - 49 Cruise Experience: 2 - 3 cruises Traveler Type: Couple Great Family Excursion. by A Traveler from NH Sailing date: Feb 2007 Pros: New & Clean. Lots of restaurants. Excellent pool area. Crew is polite, pleasant, helpful, and they smile! 5-night family trip. Choosing 2 adjoining balcony rooms meant 2 bathrooms. This allowed us to all get ready quicker for all the things to do! Tons of great food choices. The on-board theatre was something to look forward to each evening! We had peace & quiet each night (not much noise from nearby cabins.) We were mid ship... deck 10. Ship Details: Entertainment & Activities 8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 30 - 49 Cruise Experience: First cruise Traveler Type: Singles/friends Ship Review by Heidi from Rehoboth, MA Sailing date: May 2007 Pros: Free style dinning. Read this user's port of call reviews: Cruise Glacier Bay; Cruise Inside Passage, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska; Skagway, Alaska Collapse List of Ports Ports of Call: Cruise Glacier Bay Cruise Inside Passage, Alaska Don't Miss: Skagway Juneau, Alaska Skagway, Alaska 7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 30 - 49 Cruise Experience: 2 - 3 cruises Traveler Type: Couple Stateroom Type: Oceanview It's ok, but I am done with NCL....... by Alex V from Boston, Mass Sailing date: Dec 2010 Pros: Clean ship, some atcivites here and there Cons: Too crowded, too many kids, medicare food, lousy crew, bad disembarkation process The ship itself is fine, but the food, crapy night life, the uhappy misreable crew, the embarkation and worst of all the disembarkation process, places you visit (Samana, is a dump! St. thomas is allright, tortola it's ok and the prviate island is nothing to brag about), surrounded by tons and tons of kids (Good luck trying to use any jacusi during your trip., unless you want to spend additonal $100.00 dollars for less crowded jacusi) and it's not exactly you thought it would be............... By the way I am not picky person at all and very easy going NCL pride itself as free style, all that really means is you don;t have a set time for main dining room that's all and nothing else! Comparing this with Celebrity cruises or Royal Caribean, and well you set yourself up for dissapointment., Ship Details: Ship Quality hip itself is laid out well. No compalin about that. very collor full and nicely decorated. over all looked very clean Dining/Food Main bufffet is mediocare to say the least!! there is nothing there that makes you want to go there! no exotic fruit or pastries, always out of crossants, afternoon buffet is even worst (all you can get is hot dog and hamburger bascially!) bunch of resturants all requiring reservation and payments from $10 to $25 dollars per person. (After you have coughed up 2500 dollars excluding air fare, you are not exactly lin a mood to pay additional money for food....................... Main dining room is good but very limited selections, Le bistro resturant is good, but at $25.00 dollar per person, well it ain't exactly a bargain. Stateroom Quality decoration is basic but fine, size of a room is a typical of any cruise ships. Beds are exceptionaly comfportable. T.V is very small. Majority of channels are dedicated to NCL advertising. The only channels you could get were : ESPN2, CNBC and E and that's about it! No pay per view option, NO DVD. Ship Staff Quality Pittyfull! with an exception of some people here and there, the crew looked misreable, not exactly there to help you or even pretend. For get about any one of them going an extra mile for you. Just about the worst part is the disembarkation process! instead oif having people situated in different locations directing traffic, they had one short girl standing at the door trying to answer questions. Hint: Check as late as possible! no point chekcing out early because it will take you some time any way. Entertainment & Activities Good entertianments pretty much has a cost associated with it (Wine tasting, beer tasting,pub crwaling, etc) lot's of seminars to seperate you from your money (buying craps that you don't really need), bliss lounge which acts as a night club plays meiocare music and despite signs for 18+ audiance, it was full of teenagers and kids. By the way instead of having multiple tenders ready after another to take you to an island, they will only use two, which will take you some time before you get on them, unless you want to wake up early and be first in line. Children's Programs For kids this is probably good cruise but other than that for two adults there are better otions out there. Read this user's port of call reviews: Road Town, Tortola, B.V.I.; Great Stirrup Cay (Cruiseline Private Island), Bahamas; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.; Samana, Dominican Republic Collapse List of Ports Ports of Call: Road Town, Tortola, B.V.I. It's ok, may be better if you had more time. Don't Miss: N/A Great Stirrup Cay (Cruiseline Private Island), Bahamas Very small (reminds of you some of small beaches in New England) Don't Miss: Nothing to miss Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. Nice island but you probably need more time to enjoy it. Don't Miss: N/A Samana, Dominican Republic Poor, poor place! the water fall is ok but I won;t go crazy over it, beaches are full of people traying to sell you crap Don't Miss: Nothing 9 out of 12 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful? Overall Rating: About the Reviewer: Age: 65+ Cruise Experience: 2 - 3 cruises Traveler Type: Family w/older children Stateroom Type: Inside on a scale of 10 this cruise was a 5 by A Traveler from Seattle, WA Sailing date: Feb 2010 Pros: we didn't sink Cons: nickle and diming The staff was not very friendly and had a difficult time communicating - especially on the phone. It seemed lke they were constantly selling something rather than affording us to have a relaxing time. The excursions that we went on were not worth the $ and were really rushed. The food was very average compared to Holland America. Ship Details: Ship Quality Dining/Food specialty restaurants are not worth the $. One of the 2 that we visited charged an extra $10/person and promised a free marguarita which turned out to be an oversized shot glass filled with ice and some liquid. This was an out and out lie on their part. Stateroom Quality the stateroom was smaller than the bathroom and the beds were not comfortable. Ship Staff Quality most could barely speak English and didn't seem to care alot about their jobs. Entertainment & Activities with the exception of a singing group and a comedian the shows were mediocre versions of Las Vegas performances. 7 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Did you find this review helpful?
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