Norwegian Pearl Review
CRUISE NUMBER 6 WITH NCL JUST AS GREAT AS THE FIRST!
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We have cruised 6 times, all on NCL, since January 2009. Two of those have been with our children, and 4 have been for our anniversary. All of them have been great, regardless of the occasion. We have discovered that the best ships in the fleet are the Jewel Class Ships that are just the right size with just the right amenities. Our favorite ships are the Pearl and the Jewel, because they have hands down the best crews ever, and we really like the ship layout on both. Our least favorite is the Epic, because the rooms are poorly designed on it, and it is over crowded and has lost some of the freestyle freedom (because of the over crowding)that we love so much on all of the other ships.
We really love the service in all stateroom classes, having stayed in everything from a family suite/penthouse to a porthole room, but the extras like the butler & concierge services and the free movie loans in the penthouse class have really sold us on the penthouses! We have been guests in every type of hotel and resort, but we have NEVER received the kind of service in any of them that we receive in an NCL penthouse! The pampering for the entire family is indescribable!
The food is always excellent on NCL cruises, especially in the specialty restaurants. Our favorites are Cagney's and Le Bistro. The specialty restaurants are worth the extra cost!
Cabin Review
Penthouse with Large Balcony
In six cruises on NCL, this is the quietest area we have ever stayed in and the most gargantuan balcony we have ever seen! The room layout was great and kept us from tripping over each other. The balcony was not as private as we have enjoyed in the past, because the room is all the way forward on the bow, and the walls between balconies slopes downward toward the bow, but we actually liked this, because we enjoyed meeting the people in the penthouses around us, and coming into and out of port was something of a social.
One thing that you need to know about these forward rooms is that there is a water tight door onto the balcony that is very heavy and can be difficult to unlock, and passengers in these rooms are cautioned about opening balcony doors while underway due to heavy winds on the bow. One more thing everyone needs to be aware of is that there is much more motion on the bow than on other parts of the ship. If you are prone to motion sickness / sea sickness stay away from this location!!
All in all, this was fun, onetime experience, but we will stay closer to mid-ship and/or stern in the future.