Norwegian Pearl Review

4.0 / 5.0
2,401 reviews

Pearl is lacking in almost every aspect

Review for the Panama Canal & Central America Cruise on Norwegian Pearl
User Avatar
dutchyvet
10+ Cruises • Age 70s

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Apr 2014

If you are disabled, handicapped or have a special need think twice before "pearling"...37 night..four cruises back to back and with almost 400 other Aussies onboard this crew had NO IDEA! Immigration and disembarkation were disasters particularly in San Diego (crew admitted they did lots wrong.,) elderly in queues for up to 1 and a half hours.....on a wet deck...queue from front to rear of ship. Took them 40 minutes to pull the handicapped and disabled out of the queue...when previously asked one staff member refused! yep- refused to assist a disabled passenger!...Long letter of complaint to Head Office. Wheelchair bound passenger left on wharf missing a tour and the list went on. One disaster after another. Had a disabled cabin and yet....passengers totally ignore handicapped seating in both garden cafe and Stardust Theatre. Crew do NOT police this and claim they cannot ask offenders to move on. Why have rules if you don,t police them? Avoided mandatory life raft drill (5 of us) knowing we were not on any list and we were right! These guys (Administration and Guest Services) have no idea how to run a ship.

Demographics of age of passengers not even glimpsed I would suggest. 1500 "spring breakers" would have loved the queues and got drunk! however.... Best week was the one I spent ill in my cabin! Through or continuing cruising passengers with tours not given desembarkation preference over those going home and the list went on and on. NEVER,NEVER again Norwegian and in particular Pearl. Cold meals, argumentive staff, the cattle pen that was the Garden Cafe and poor facilities for the handicapped I,m afraid left me very cold and it wasn,t the climate. I doubt Norwegian have ever dealt with passengers doing four cruises back to back. There were exceptions of course and they were seen to in the right manner and in the right light and credit given where due.

Demanded a return of the 12$ per day service fee due to all of the above and duly received same. Note that this fee is a "discretionary" fee. Most other lines have removed it or you can remove it on boarding.,it is NOT mandatory or compulsory contrary to what Norwegian might like you to think. Aussies tip who we feel deserve it - not as a matter of right..call it a service fee or whatever does not make it right. They also have to stop offering every complainant a free bottle of wine..that does not cut it with me ---solve the original problem--you cannot wash it away with a free bottle of wine! Must cost them a fortune in give away free wine! Food problems, language problems, poor comedy acts and it went on and on. I think you have my message by now.

Cabin Review

no dramas here, convenient cabin and cabin steward above excellent...might be as he had a final week to run on his contract but I don,t hink so. Nice genuine guy. Maitre D Chandra also above excellent.

previous reviewnext review

Find a Norwegian Pearl Cruise from $419

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.