Balcony

Suite

Inside

Outside

Norwegian Cruise Line

Family Cruises

Gay & Lesbian Cruises

Romantic Cruises

Cruises for the Disabled

Fitness Cruises

Gourmet Food Cruises

Miami

Seattle

New Orleans

Tampa

Boston

Los Angeles

Vancouver

Amsterdam

New York (Manhattan)

Rome (Civitavecchia)

San Diego

Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)

Barcelona

Venice

Quebec City

San Francisco

Southampton

Ketchikan

San Juan

Caribbean - All

Alaska

Mexico - All

Caribbean - Western

U.S.A.

Belize

Panama Canal & Central America

Caribbean - Eastern

Caribbean - Southern

Costa Rica

US River

Mississippi River

Panama

France

Europe - All

Netherlands

Mexican Riviera

Bahamas

Canada & New England

Europe - British Isles & Western

Europe River

Bermuda

USVI

Mediterranean

Europe - Western Mediterranean

Jamaica

Italy

Rhine River

Belgium

Thames River

Seine River

South America

Europe - Eastern Mediterranean

Croatia

Ireland

Spain

Baltic Sea

Columbia River

British Columbia

Transatlantic

Portugal

Douro River

Norway

Scotland

Nicaragua

Denmark

Germany

Sweden

Cruise to Nowhere

Pacific Coastal

Norwegian Fjords

North America River

Excellent

Very Good

Average

Poor

Terrible

Norwegian Epic

Norwegian Breakaway

Norwegian Getaway

Norwegian Escape

Norwegian Dawn

Norwegian Gem

Norwegian Star

Norwegian Pearl

Pride of America

Norwegian Jewel

Norwegian Sun

Norwegian Sky

Norwegian Spirit

Norwegian Jade

Norwegian Bliss

Norwegian Joy

Norwegian Encore

Norwegian Prima

Norwegian Viva

Overall good cruise - some big differences from pre-covid

Wellington

We chose this cruise because it was so inexpensive (our airfare was as much as the cruise); only going to places where walking distances or long bus rides to excursions.  Husband uses a rollator for serious back issues.  We tried to get spots on snorkeling at both Harvest Caye and Cozumel (HC was sold out on the first day NCL took reservations online.  Cozumel was cancelled due to the weather; tour operator did not want to take his vessel out in the conditions - rain, winds and rough seas.  Upon request, NCL did refund our advance payment in cash, although they tried to add it to the shipboard credit we already had of $200 and there was no way we could spent $400.  We are not drinkers and that was about all that was onboard to spend money on!!    

At least this itinerary for NCL is ABSOLUTELY designed for a younger crowd who likes to drink and party, fortunately for us,, our room was unaffected.

There is NOTHING NCL could do about the weather.  They were very helpful when we asked questions.

NOTE:  Heard many comments from disillusioned people who had purchased the unlimited drink package learned after they booked that it was not in affect for the NCL privately owned island of Harvest Caye; a few said they were going to complain to corporate with documentation with no such disclaimer.  The cheapest alcoholic drink was about $9 with added gratuity.  Soft drinks were $4.00 with added gratuity.

We booked a deluxe balcony cabin and were shocked at how small the room was.  One side of bed was 8" from the wall with a nightstand touching both.  The end of the bed was 12' from the wall.  Other side of the bed was touching the loveseat that was squeezed between the bed and the other wall.   Bathroom was so small that I do not know how anyone over 5' could sit down on the toilet regularly.  Shower was ample and the wash station was between the 2.  Deck was exactly as wide as the width of a lawn chair.  This was OK when I turned it sideways and put my feet up on the other chair to read.

We had been warned by our travel agent that the shows were on the 'adult' side and that we may be offended so we did not go to them.  The one we did go to, the audio was so loud that we changed seats twice trying to find a 'happy' place; not to be so we left, as did a few others we noted.  

We talked to numbers of people who were frequent cruisers on NCL and to a person, they said this one was just a foul ball from the beginning.

We have cruised in excess of 20 times so we are not newbies.  We got what we paid for.

Was not what I was hoping for

They usually only have one bartender working at each bar. This means long lines all the time! Maybe it's their way of making sure people don't get to drunk? Either way it's frustrating to purchase a drink package and wait 30 minutes anytime you want one.

The restaurants are no better. I think they need more staff or better management. We waited over 45 minutes before our appetizer even arrived. Then at Lotus, the Asian restaurant we only saw our server 2 times total. We ordered a drink when we sat down and never received it the entire meal. After the meal we sat for 15 minutes waiting for our empty plates to be cleared and offered desert. But no one ever came back so we just left. It just seems like they need way more staff, and better attitudes. 

You'll spend all day waiting on drinks and food with Norweigen Cruise Lines. Seriously

Very poor service 

Let’s start by highlighting the positives…hmmm. Well most of the crew was pleasant. The attendants at the buffets were great. Food was extremely mediocre. We ate at the buffet because of the kids. The room was nice. My blanket was dirty so I took it off the bed and requested a new one. Most dishes were bland and overcooked. Fish tasted like cardboard, chicken was dry and very little flavor. Very few options available to choose from and it appears to be either Indian/Asian cuisine or burgers, fries, hotdogs, and burgers. The ship just seemed so boring. We were traveling with kids 13 and 12 but not a whole lot to do with everyone together. The island in Stirrup Cay boring. You have to pay for every activity. It took almost an hour to get from the Stirrup Cay  island back to the ship. The ride was only a few minutes long but it still took that long. I’m just not enjoying this cruise.

Below expectations 

Just cruised on the Pearl for 3 days to the Bahamas. My biggest complaint (aside from the hard to use app, which isn't really the ship's fault) is that the bed was way too firm and the pillows way too soft. Entertainment was average. Typical lounge music wasn't the best, but bingo nights were a lot of fun. There's a good variety of dining options. The quality of that food though is debatable. Could have been better but I've also had worse, and given what I paid for the cruise I didn't really have high expectations in the first place. The staff were rather pleasant as well and always smiling. I especially appreciated the kindness of the staff at the terminal provided my late arrival on embarkation day. I think they sensed I was having a bad travel day and took extra care to make sure I started my cruise on a good note.

Overall, it was a good for a quick, affordable getaway, but it didn't necessarily blow me away. I may cruise again if they have another sale.

Decent given the price 

We chose this cruise to enjoy a bit of fun in the sun with our kids, ages 10 and 12. We’ve cruised on Norwegian, Royal and Disney on cruises between 4-17 nights in the past and while this was a pleasant cruise it didn’t stand up to Royal or Disney in terms of genuine and warm customer service, food quality and options, entertainment or kids programming. There was nothing really wrong with anything Norwegian did but nothing really great either. 

We were surprised to have never met our room steward and our room was either serviced very late or even not at all on one day. They were never really present in the corridors and never left towel animals much to our kids dismay. 

My 12 year old son could only go to Splash Academy with kids from 3 years old an up and therefore the programming was completely not applicable to his interests. He went once and refused to go again. My 10 year old really enjoyed the games they played however! It was also either inexplicably not open when the ship was in port or if it was open the parents had to accompany their children. The sports court closed at 5pm which also felt early. Also the pools were so chilly the kids didn’t want to swim. 

We went to O’Sheehans, Moderno and the two dining rooms for meals. All were fine but not amazing. It is unfortunate that continental breakfast room service now incurs a  $9.95 fee so we brought a flask to fill with coffee or hot water from the buffet in order to enjoy coffee on our balcony. Also smoked salmon is only available in the main dining room breakfast; not on the buffet. 

The free at sea bar package is great but be prepared to wait in lines at the pool bars. There were never enough bartenders and one of the pool bars only opened at 2pm. The waiters were few and far between. The ship overall felt sparsely staffed in terms of waiters in the dining rooms, O’Sheehans, cocktail lounges and around the pool. The beverage options were however very good. 

Overall we had an enjoyable time but will probably not sail with Norwegian again, as we found the overall experience better on other cruise lines.

Good but…

The ship itself is well run by captain and crew. One can feel confident that they are safe, that the crew are competent. The service staff below management level are mostly genuine, friendly and helpful. Stunningly, the upper level staff, particularly the “customer service” staff were almost uniformly arrogant, condescending and officious. The internet manager in particular was a complete jerk. If an employee of mine spoke to a customer as he did, they would have been canned on the spot.

We had an interior stateroom and it was brilliantly laid out with lots of storage and a well sized bath. Suitcases fit under the bed which was larger than a queen .. More like an “rv king”. We were well pleased with our room and it's placement on the ship.

Ship interior design is what i'd call "vegas opulent". The interior was reasonably well maintained but showing wear and tear despite having been refurbished in 2021. The ships exterior showed quite a bit of rust and the gaudy exterior vinyl graphics were pealing. The  glass, which surrounds most public spaces was super clouded from the accumulation of salt and grunge. It appeared not to have been cleaned in a very long time, making it difficult to see the sea and ports of call.

I thought of several titles for this review:  golden corral of the seas, stone soup cruising. Hell on the high sea .. All apply. This was our first and, god as my witness, our last cruise. Should we cruise again, it will certainly not be with ncl who relentlessly push you to make ridiculously overpriced upgrades. That is baked into every..single..aspect of the experience. What you pay for the cruise is like the stone in stone soup. Literally everything is an add-on. One that blew our minds was that our limitless drink package didn’t include water .. There’s a water “package” for that. We were surprised they didn’t have the “air package” for those who wished to breathe.

Also, the upgrades had such complicated conditions that it would take an attorney to figure out how use them without incurring more unintentional charges .. A well planned gotcha in every upgrade, always intending to create an unintentional error and hence another charge. 

There’s precious little to do aboard ship other than drink and eat. The food was absolutely terrible. Literally nothing we ate over the 9 excruciating days was something we would return to a restaurant for on land. A friend in the food distribution business told me there are about a dozen quality levels for every item you buy. Ncl is buying level 1 .. A level below hospitals, schools and prisons. The beef in particular was inedible. 

There are a number of “specialty dining” restaurants that were not included in the “complimentary dining” that were only slightly better in quality but extremely expensive.. Of course there was a “package” for that but it to came with so many “gotchas” it was mind boggling and hence, we never got to use the meals that came in our package.

The entertainment was mediocre at best and just awful at worst. In the main theater, they had such things as wheel of fortune .. I kid you not. Even the swimming pools were clearly designed not to be enjoyed .. Cold, salt water pools that were 5.5ft deep .. Too deep to stand in, so they stayed empty most of the time even when at sea and surrounded with throngs of passengers with nothing else to do. 

We got rushed off the ship at the end due to their bizarre colored rather than numbered departure grouping system. I jumped up and left my phone in a dining room in the main atrium. It had my name, email address and phone # on the case as well as a return tracker provided by my rfid passport folio. It’s been 20 days since i reported it to lost and found and i’ve only received an email at 10 days that they had received my form .. Nothing since then. I was able to track it on “find my” for about a week as it ran around the caribbean. Suffice to say that’s $1300 i’ll never get back. They have made no effort to find it and given that nothing goes onto or off of that ship they don’t screen, i’ll just assume it was stolen by crew. Keep in mind, it was my phone!! Kinda hard to do without. The most infuriating thing is that you cannot speak to anyone in the lost and found department .. In fact you can’t speak to anyone at ncl about anything other than sales .. You know .. To book your next “dream” cruise. Worst customer service imaginable. The company is absolutely terrible in every way. Their website is uninformative and difficult to navigate as well. 

I wouldn’t set foot on another ncl ship if they paid me. One reviewer suggested they send the pearl to davy jone’s locker and we’d second that. Nine days of our lives we’ll never get back.

Bad experience, worse company

Went on the eleven night cruise out of Miami on the Pearl. This was the longest cruise we had ever been on but it went by fast and was never monotonous. We had an inside cabin… (personally would avoid this floor as it’s under the kitchens and dining area and was pretty noisy.)

Food was amazing on buffet and main dinging room Summer Palace. Service was top notch as well although I missed the towel animals and evening turn down room check. Juanta at the buffet area “washy washy” greeter was an absolute angel and we enjoyed her happy smile and genuine hospitality throughout the cruise. Tom Franek was far and away the best talent we have ever seen on a cruise….WOW! I missed the variety of comedians on the Pearl vs. Carnival who usually has 2 or 3 comedians but Tom Franeks  show made up for that. The pearl dance and singing squad  talent show thing was awful we got up and walked out. Deal or no deal and wheel of fortune was fun to watch. 

Ports were all great we went to Aruba, Curaçao, Puerta Plata, Catalina Island, Tortola, St. Thomas and Half Moon Cay (which got cut short abruptly due to the wind although the tendering back to ship was done during the highest waves and the ship didn’t leave until after we were scheduled to leave anyhow. I know a lot of people were angry about having to be evacuated- oh well it is what it is…( perhaps NCL should build a pier like the adjoining Royal Carribean coco cay has). Overall we had a great time and would recommend this ship and itinerary. I will say this was the rudest cruise we had been on but we are used to cruising from New Orleans and Port Canaveral and those cruises we had been on before weren’t so international but I’m not sure if it’s a cultural thing or just the post covid world we live in but the fellow passengers were somewhat lacking manners and I wasn’t the only person who mentioned and observed this. Also lots of people wearing very skimpy thongs which is gross. Wish cruise lines would ban thongs, I don’t go on vacation to be mooned.  Staff and crew were fabulous though. Beautiful Ship.

Great cruise overall

Raiatea

This was my 6th cruise.  I've been on Carnival, NCL, HAL and RCL.  This New England cruise has given me reason to take another look at the other lines again.  Dining room service was slow and below average.  Buffet was poor to say the least.  The staff is clearly trying but they just don't have the numbers or materials to provide good food and service. I'm still trying to figure out how you can have cheese with no taste.  By day 3 my wife and I had given up on the desserts.  They were just awful.  I suspect that NCL is preparing the desserts off site and shipping them in.  Cabin service was marginal as well.  Our steward was clearly working hard but had way too much to do.  1 service per day with no turn down service in the evening.  We barely met him and that was on the rare occasion that we passed in the hall.  It appears to me that NCL has taken the business position to cut costs in all areas.  I suppose this is COVID caused, and I understand that to an extent.  On a different note, the itinerary was terrific. (PEI, Halifax, Portland, and Bar Harbor).  I would suggest booking private tours at those locations and skipping the cruise sponsored excursions. There are some wonderful guides and private tours.  See CYRIL at PEI.   At the end of the day, take this cruise to get to the NS, NE Ports and don't expect much from the cruise itself.

Cruise Norwegian for the Itinerary, the rest is below par at best.

Kelang (Kuala Lumpur)

Fair warning, this is a LONG and DETAILED review.  I read lots of reviews but at 55, I have found to take most of them with a grain of salt.  Everyone is different so you need to take away from reviews specifics that apply to you.  I do not take any stock in reviews that make negative comments for things that are completely out of control by nature and certain things.  People who complain that a cruise is bad because the weather did not cooperate, and an itinerary change had to be made due to safety are just "complainers" who complain just because they are generally negative people.  This is an honest and direct review of the NCL Pearl and my trip to Canada/New England but again, this is my perspective and although I am a huge stickler on friendliness and cleanliness, I am as easy going as can be.  When I/we go on vacation, we leave the negativity behind.  After all, even when things are not going 100% to plan, we still are on vacation and NOT working or dealing with normal everyday life stress, so we just relax, unwind and enjoy it.  A bad vacation day beats the best workdays.

We flew into Quebec City the night before the cruise.  The day of the sailing, we went to the pier at 1130am to get checked in.  We had completed the online check in and from the moment the bags were taken at the curb till the time we walked onto the Pearl, it was less than 15 minutes.  It was unbelievable how fast the check in process was.  Within 30 minutes of the cab dropping us off, we were perched at the Martini Bar having a drink.  The Pearl is the smallest NCL ship we have sailed.  We have been on the Getaway and the Encore but wanted to sail this itinerary and decided to try a smaller ship and an inside cabin for the first time.  The Pearl is in absolutely amazing shape for being an older ship.  It is as clean and up to date as could be and we were very, very impressed from the moment we walked on.  As soon as we stepped aboard, we were welcomed with the normal, amazing friendliness and smiling faces of the crew.   In the martini bar, my wife had a lemon drop and I had a Strongbow cider.  Great start.  Once done we worked our way up to explore the ship.  We found ourselves at the Sky-High Bar and each had a Bushwacker.  (Yes, have one.)  

When cleared to enter our cabin, we were delighted to find that the inside cabin was just perfect for us.  We spend almost no time in the cabin except for sleeping and getting ready and on the two prior cruises we had a balcony cabin and spent maybe five minutes on the balcony.  Rather than spend the money on a balcony we don't use, we tried the inside cabin and were delighted by how well it worked but even more so, how much less the cost was.  Our cabin attendant Fulgencio was great and took very good care of us the whole trip.  The Pearl underwent a renovation back in 21 (I believe) and the cabin was modern, up to date and very comfortable.  The bed was incredibly comfortable.  We have decided that with inside cabins being much cheaper and the fact that we were so comfortable, we will be booking these from now on, especially since it means cheaper cruise fares which means more cruising.  

First night we ate at Lotus Garden.  Food was great, service was great, and spectacular night.  The food portions are not huge which allows you to indulge in many different dishes if you like.  It is complimentary (except for the sushi) and it was superb.  Each day for breakfast, we could not get ourselves out of bed in time to have breakfast in the main dining room, so we hit the buffet each morning.  We used either the main buffet or we went to the slightly smaller one on the back deck.  The aft deck seating area is absolutely amazing.  What a great way to start the day each day.  

For lunches, we either visited the buffet, went to O'Sheehan's or were out at port.  O'Sheehan's has an amazing Reuben and Fish sandwich.  The walnut carrot cake is also fantastic.  All the food on the menu was good, but those were our three favorite items.  For dinners, we ate at the Summer Palace with new friends one night, and Indigo two nights.  All three main dining rooms visits were great.  The food was good, and the service was even better.  We also had one specialty dining visit to La Cucina which was our favorite meal of the trip.  The food was absolutely incredible.  Yes, the service was brilliant, but holly cow, was the food good.  There was hardly anyone there the night we ate, so we had almost the whole restaurant to ourselves.  We spent a lot of time in almost every bar.  Not that you can screw up cocktails, but anything and everything we tried was exceptional.  I recommend the Mango Meltdown, The Pain Killer, The AMF (just ask the bartender what that stands for), the frozen mudslide, the Rum Cake martini in the martini bar, and of course as mentioned before, the Bushwacker.  

The Pearl is in fantastic shape for being older.  You would certainly not know it.  We very much liked the smaller ship compared to the mega ships we have been on.  A little more intimate.  The whole ship was super clean.  There are crew members cleaning ALL the time.  All the public bathrooms were immaculate and there was never a spec of dirt/trash anywhere.  We have been building this trip up with anticipation for almost two years.  It was to celebrate our 30th anniversary and it did NOT disappoint.  If anything, having been on two mega ships with such success before, we were prepared for it to maybe not be as good.  That was definitely not the case.  This entire trip from start to finish was absolutely brilliant.  We would absolutely sail the Pearl again and definitely want to take the Canada/New England itinerary again in the future.  

If you get hung up on some of the negative reviews, take them with a grain of salt and consider that a lot of people just cannot get out of being negative.  If you are considering taking this trip on this ship, do it.  You will not be disappointed.  If you read that the buffet is too small and too crowded, then consider those folks did not explore eating in the main dining room or using the aft buffet.  The aft buffet was NEVER crowded, and we spent a lot of time back there.  Plus, the views are breathtaking.  If you read people complaining that the gift shops are small, well, those folks suck.  Seriously, you do not cruise based on gift shops.  Besides, if you want to shop, get off the ship in port.  I will say that being honest, I do have one negative thing about this cruise.  The entertainment is well below anything I/we would consider good.  That said, we did not go on the cruise for entertainment.  Shows are not our thing.  We did overhear several performers singing and, in our opinion, they were below average karaoke performers.  One gentleman singing in the Atrium two nights was absolutely terrible.  But that is the only negative thing I can point out.  Even with that, it did not take away anything from out trip.  The only other thing that was disappointing was the ship does not get college football on TV.  They get 24 hours of soccer and rugby, but no college football.  That was a bit of a letdown, but again, nothing to put a mark onto the trip. 

NCL has always treated us right and we will absolutely be back again soon.  They are the only ones that still include the drink package most times when you book as a bonus, which I am not embarrassed to say we take FULL advantage of.  We save up our drinking until vacation time, so we get our milage worth.  The most important aspect that makes NCL so great is the crew.  There is no way that they could be any more friendly or accommodating.  

I hope that this review was helpful and gave you some peace of mind if you are going to or have booked a trip with NCL and/or the Pearl.  Enjoy.

Absolutely Amazing.

Family Get-together

Party of 5 with 3 cabins. We were all to have 2 for 1 fares, with a Specialty Restaurant, 150 minutes WIFI/Internet, and $50 shore excursion credit. Unlike the other 2 cabins, we only received the 2 for 1 fare. Spoke with Guest Services and they had to get with HQ. Never got back to me. Went to Guest Services again and they stated HQ said they wouldn't do anything because it was our responsibility to make sure everything was correct. I showed them my invoice and asked what FreeDin &Disc50 in the Blue Box on page 1 meant. No one could or would explain it. I spoke with a very arrogant HQ staff member who would not explain why we did not get the same amenities as the other 2 cabins. Would not address this or the info in the Blue Box. Kept stating it was our responsibility to make sure everything was correct. I asked to speak with a Superior and she said, again in an arrogant tone, that this was as high as I get.

Entertainment was very poor, except for the Funky Roots band, which played mainly later in the night and at smaller venues where it was hard to get a seat.  The Legends were absolutely terrible, especially the woman who played Tina Turner.

NCL did have their act together on embarkation.  Very little wait and seats available until your group was called.  Not much wait getting off the ship.

Purchased two Specialty Restaurants and they were very good.  Buffet was okay.  No Seafood Night, which you would expect on the Northeast Coast.

Poor Guest Services, Travel, and Entertainment

Filters

1-10 of 2,401