Norwegian Pearl Review

4.0 / 5.0
2,401 reviews

June 2016 Alaska Cruise on NCL Pearl

Review for Alaska Cruise on Norwegian Pearl
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California78
2-5 Cruises • Age 40s

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Sail Date: Jun 2016
Cabin: Owner's Suite with Large Balcony
Traveled with children

We chose this cruise for our annual family vacation. It was our second cruise with NCL, and the first to Alaska. We stayed in the Pink Diamond Haven Suite (10504), which was fantastic with it's two balconies (double-long port-side and forward balconies). We were able to see whales and dolphins clearly off of both balconies, and the visit to Glacier Bay from the privacy and comfort of our forward balcony was breathtaking and relaxing. The Haven on the Pearl is not as impressive as on the bigger ships, and the service in the Haven was lacking... it took 20-30 minutes to get a drink (if any service was given at all). However, it was perfect for our two boys to have a private swimming pool with a glass-enclosed ceiling, especially on the days when it was very windy and cold at the main pools. We spent several hours in the Haven during sea days and hardly saw another person there.

Food: We only ate in the main dining room, the Summer Palace, one evening. The food was good, but nothing to write home about. As suite guests, we ate breakfast and lunch in the Moderno restaurant. The food there was amazing, but got old after having the same menu for 7 days for breakfast and lunch. Le Bistro, La Cuccina, Cagney's, Moderno, and Teppanyaki were VERY good for dinner, and service in these restaurants was impeccable. Although all the specialty dining was superb, our favorites had to be La Cuccina and Teppanyaki. The lobster in both of these restaurants was mouth-watering and tender, and the service and show (Teppanyaki) made for memorable evenings with the family. We did not eat at the buffets or other complimentary dining, so no reviews about that.

Excursions:

Cabin Review

Owner's Suite with Large Balcony

Cabin H3

We had the Pink Diamond Owner's Suite with Large Balcony. The suite was beautiful, and the two balconies made the Alaska scenery even more accessible. The suite had a bottle of champagne upon embarkation, and the steward kept the fridge full with mixers, sodas, and water (still and sparkling) throughout the week. We also had our choice of three bottles of liquor for the trip and the option to have breakfast delivered to the in-suite dining room and set up complete with white linen table cloth. We did this on the day we had to be off the ship for an early excursion. The butler, concierge, and room steward were always of great service, and they knew the names our four family members and greeted us by name after day one.

Port Reviews

Glacier Bay

Gorgeous!! The National Park rangers that come onboard to give a guided tour over the ship's intercom made the visit educational and fun.

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