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Planning to take a cruise and wanting to make a change?
If you are moving on from your current cruise line and trying to decide on a new one…here is some (hopefully) helpful information on the Norwegian Pearl.
After our disastrous experience with Carnival during Christmastime last year, my kids had sworn off Carnival Cruise Lines for good. The only cruise line they had ever had experience with, our previous trip had given them no cause for a desire to travel with them again this year. Late into port and not docking in St. Kitts had soured their expectations.
After checking out different cruise lines for our Christmas vacation, and their many amenities and itineraries, we finally decided on the Norwegian Pearl.
Our first adventure with Norwegian, we were excited to see the differences between this cruise line and Carnival and Royal Caribbean.
From the very beginning, there were some marked contrasts.
Check In Our first personal interaction with Norwegian was at the cruise terminal. We found the check-in lines to be quite lengthy (stretching out of the building and around the corner) and had to sit in the terminal for quite a bit of time before being allowed to board. This had never happened with our past experiences, but to be fair, we were first-time cruisers…so we had no status. Back of the line anyone?
Accommodations With our past cruises, we had always booked the more affordable rooms…interior cabins and occasionally, a room with a porthole or picture window. This time, we decided that a bit of splurging was in order. Though we still booked the interior room for our children, my husband and I opted to spoil ourselves with a Mini-Suite and balcony. Our room was spacious with a sitting area that afforded us the capacity to enjoy time together as a family away from the crowds. As we sailed away from Tampa, instead of enjoying the festivities on the main deck with people we did not know, we played our own music and enjoyed drinks in our stateroom, hanging on the balcony and watching the Tampa scenery go by in the waning daylight. Without the feeling of claustrophobia that I sometimes felt in the interior rooms, I have to admit, I don’t know if I can ever go back to not having a balcony!
Food There were a few restaurants that were available for dining by reservation and an additional charge; Le Bistro (French, $20 per person), Cagney’s Steakhouse (Seafood, Steakhouse, $30 per person), La Cucina (Italian, $15 per person), Teppanyaki (Japanese Hibachi, $25 per person), Sushi Bar (Asian, a la carte pricing), however, we opted to take our dinners at the main restaurants, Summer Palace, Indigo and Lotus Garden. All were very good and the service impeccable. Our breakfasts and lunches were usually taken at the Garden Cafe and the Great Outdoors in the rear of the ship. Occasional lunches, snacks and late nights were enjoyed at O’Sheehan’s Irish Pub…the fish and chips were amazing!
Drink When we booked our cruise, Norwegian was offering a few perks that we could take advantage of with our booking. The Ultimate Beverage Package was included for both my husband and oldest son which included wine, beer, liquor and cocktails. We also had a $100 on-board credit for one of our rooms which we were able to utilize for a Soda Package for my youngest son. There were many bars throughout the ship and we found that with the Ultimate Beverage Package, we were not cut off at fifteen drinks like on Carnival. Our wonderful ship steward also graciously gifted us with a few bottles of champagne in our stateroom.
Entertainment Award winning entertainment was offered nightly in the Stardust Theater and shows featuring passengers as contestants were offered in the Spinnaker Lounge. The Not So Newlywed Game and Dance Clash were two of the game shows where passengers both competed with each other giving the audience comical diversions. Bliss Ultra Lounge, a trendy nightclub-like hotspot offered live performances, karaoke and even bowling lanes while H2Glow and White Hot parties on the pool deck gave passengers the ability to dance the night away under the stars. One of our favorite places to hang out, however, was the Piano Bar on Deck 6. Requests were taken by the performer and it was quite the experience when the entire bar joined in on the sing-alongs.
Other forms of entertainment along the upper decks consisted of the rock climbing wall, basketball and soccer court, jogging track, shuffleboard, chess, golf, swimming pools and hot tubs.
First-run, barely released movies could be found in the cabins on one of the TV’s movie channels or on the giant LED screen in the atrium and a game room and library were available.
My favorite thing on this ship, however, was something I had never seen on another…and maybe it was just because I didn’t know to search for it. My son was wandering around and came upon a bridge viewing room. A large picture window allowed passengers to look onto the bridge and observe the crew performing the operations necessary to sail the giant vessel. The room also contained some memorabilia and a model of the Pearl.
Fitness Center/Spa Though I didn’t use the gym, I did take a peek inside. Offering the standard weight machines, treadmills, stationary bicycles and ellipticals, it was lot smaller than I anticipated and my son confirmed that it was often crowded. While exploring one day, we ventured into the Mandara Spa and was offered a tour of the facilities. Though not my kind of thing, the most intriguing aspect was the Thermal Suite based on the concept of Turkish Baths and included heated ceramic lounge chairs, a Thalasso Therapy Pool, hot tubs, steam room, sauna, and tropical rain showers.
Sun Decks Last year, our biggest complaint with Carnival was that passengers were allowed to reserve and hold lounge chairs. There were never enough chairs available for passengers although many were chained up and pushed to the side. Finding two seats together was hard, finding five for the entire family…impossible. We found Norwegian to be the complete opposite…there was plenty of deck space and plenty of chairs at all times. I have to admit though, my favorite place to take in the sunshine was on my balcony.
Communication Like Carnival, Norwegian provides an app which guests can download from App Store or Google Play. This app allows passengers to pre-book onboard activities, dining reservations, shore excursions, entertainment as well as view vacation itineraries. The communications feature allows passengers to chat and message each other while onboard, view their account and see what is happening on the ship at all times. A charge of $9.95 per person is charged for use of the communications feature, however, it is well worth the price in order to stay in touch with each other…quite handy since our two rooms were not near each other.
Ports of Call The itinerary for this cruise was Tampa (departure), At Sea, Harvest Caye, Belize, Costa Maya, Mexico, Roatan, Honduras, Grand Cayman, At Sea, Tampa (arrival). We enjoyed our Christmas Day in Harvest Caye relaxing in the sun on our beach chairs. The next day, the biggest surprise was in store for us. Having never checked the map for the location of Costa Maya, I was pleasantly enlightened that it was closer to Belize’s border than to Playa del Carmen, reminding me of my time in Ambergris Caye. So much like the old Mexico that I remembered, we enjoyed both relaxing at the beach in the town of Mahahual and checking out the beautiful, modern port, filled with many activities, shopping and restaurants. Our third port was the most anticipated since we had been wanting to go to Roatan for some time. Sadly, since we were unable to disembark as early as anticipated due to the tendering process, our time in Roatan was limited. West Bay Beach, however, was unbelievable and definitely awakened our curiosity for more of the small island. Our last port, Grand Cayman, was fabulous. A place that we are extremely familiar with, we were excited to not have to worry about trying to figure out what we would do. But, for anyone else, Cayman is full of amazing adventures!
Punctuality Overall, Norwegian stayed on schedule. Our only glitch during the cruise was the tendering process in Roatan. Our arrival in Tampa was another story. Last year, we thought our arrival into Port Canaveral was extremely belated (four hours)…that was until this time around. A heavy fog descended upon the port of Tampa on Saturday, preventing ships from setting sail…a bummer for those departing that day. Our ship was instructed to speed up and attempt to sail into port on Saturday night instead of Sunday morning. Hoping to make it in during an anticipated clear window, we were halted when the fog did not lift as expected. The Norwegian Pearl and three other ships remained off of the coast until the heavy fog dissipated, allowing us all to sail the remaining distance back to Tampa…twelve hours late. Though phone lines were opened for guests to make changes to their travel arrangements and to contact family, it was nearly impossible to get an outside line. Since our travel arrangements could only be done through a secured computer terminal, standing in line for hours to use one of only seven computers available was not an option. After explaining our circumstances to Guest Services, we were told that wifi access would be complimentary using my personal device. Upon our departure, however, we found that we had been charged $80 for an hour’s usage. After our return, I contacted Norwegian and the charge was reversed.
Upon our return and a some time had passed, I looked back on our first experience with Norwegian.
Although there were some negative experiences, I do have to say that we enjoyed our foray with a different cruise line. It was nice to discover a new ship layout and a new overall product.
Was it worth the change? Absolutely.
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Norwegian Cruise Lines
- https://www.ncl.com
- Ship Name: Norwegian Pearl
- Itinerary: 7 days, departing Tampa. Ports of call, Harvest Caye, Belize, Costa Maya, Mexico, Roatan, Honduras, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands