Norwegian Pearl Review

4.0 / 5.0
2,401 reviews

Pearl pleaser. Freestyle or not. What they don't tell you.

Review for Alaska Cruise on Norwegian Pearl
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sunnysides
First Time Cruiser • Age 100s

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Sail Date: Aug 2009
Cabin: Mid-Ship Mini-Suite with Balcony

Up front I want to say that this was a far better cruise than my last experience on a different cruise line. First of all, our cabin and the entire ship were immaculate and kept that way. No strange smears on surfaces and no funny odors anywhere on board. No diesel smell either.Second, the food was good, but more about that later... Third, this cruise was far more relaxing than those on the "party" ships. Although the ship was fully booked, rudeness was not apparent and passengers were unfailingly polite. No loud parties late into the night below decks. The nightlife was confined to the clubs and entertainment areas. No hogging of chairs or spots in the hot tubs either - a surprisingly well-behaved bunch. BUT.... Planning and booking this cruise was an experience I do not want to repeat. It was more difficult than planning and booking a trip for our extended family to China! The cruise line representatives online and by phone seemed pleasant and eager to help, but they were simply not knowledgeable about the ship or the cruise. As a disabled traveler, I needed to know what the measurement of the stateroom door widths are. It took forever to get back what amounted to a vague estimate of widths (27-29"). Fortunately, it seems that all staterooms are able to accommodate a powerchair. Manual wheelchairs did not fit.We booked 2 staterooms; one a balcony, another an inside on a bottom deck. Powerchair fit both doors, if a little tight. Hallways were more than adequate although linen and room service carts semi-blocked the way. Stewards were always watchful and always moved them with alacrity. It was also extremely difficult to get information regarding airport transfers and shore excursions that could accommodate a powerchair or scooter. Airport transfers for personal mobility devices(PMD's)require a special request both to NCL and to the transfer representatives at the airport. Lift gate buses are available!Rain gear all around is a must for this cruise! Soda cards for everyone are a good idea as soda is not free anywhere on board. NCL listed most shore excursions(everything except 2 of the more than 30) as being unable to accommodate disabled individuals. However, I directly contacted the tour vendors whose web sites said they were accessible and the tour vendors were more than able and glad to provide lift-gate vehicles to their sites. It took many e-mails and phone calls to Alaska to get this issue resolved.You cannot depend on the access desk or the reservations representative to do this for you. You need to call vendors and coordinate NCL confirmations yourself. Keep all e-mails between yourself and vendors and NCL. On board, the shore excursion desk was unable to confirm a lift gate bus until I produced my copy of the confirmation from NCL. Once the reservations and accommodations were confirmed, our trip went smoothly. All ramps in all ports are easy to navigate: there is no tendering. In Seattle the ramp is roofed against rain. Because Alaska is still part of the U.S., ADA requirements are in place and curb cuts and ramps are readily available on all streets and most shops and restaurants. When you board, you will be met by one of the staff and escorted to a lunch area. Ask to be taken to the Summer Palace. It is indoors and the service and food are better than the buffet on deck. Our balcony mini-suite on deck 11 had adequate, almost spacious, room for three adults(4 if they shared the extra double bed). It was immaculate and well-designed for efficient use of space.Ask the steward to empty the fridge as soon as you arrive to avoid any charges. The emptied fridge will come in handy for left overs, snack, treats and cold drinks. The balcony was private, very roomy, clean and kept free of salt spray. A woolly blanket is provided for chilly balcony days. The chairs and table were stable and comfortable. It was an awesome place to watch whales and other sealife in addition to bears on shore. Because I do not need my powerchair for short distances, we were able to book a regular stateroom. You will need to bring a 10 foot (plug-compatible-with-your-device)extension cord to charge your PMD because there is no room for it beyond the foyer/hall in your stateroom. A power strip for other devices like cameras, video, and cell phone can be handy as there is only a single outlet. There was no lip at the stateroom door, but there was a small, 2-3 inch lip, into the bathroom. I did not find this a problem.I especially like the separation of toilet from the rest of the bathroom. There was a stable shower bench as I had requested when we first booked.However, the shower/tub combination was higher than usual. It came to mid- thigh on me and I needed help to use it. Accessible staterooms with balconies are available, but only across the rear. For your best scenery viewing, choose a stateroom on the starboard side of the ship. Glacier Bay up CLOSE and personal from your balcony is a sight not to be missed!! Whales and seals abound equally on both sides, but bears and waterfalls are only on the starboard side.You will need binoculars. Now, about the food.Make reservations for dining rooms and speciality restaurants on the FIRST day for best selection. See the Maitre d', Martin. Friendly attendants made sure you used the hand sanitizing stations found outside every eating area and throughout the ship.Those who did not use it were followed by an attendant with a spray bottle to ensure good hand sanitizing etiquette.I liked this because a little Norovirus can ruin the whole cruise. The food was good with many fresh fruit and vegetable selections especially in the Garden Cafe. Bring your own tray because there are none available and this limits you to either a plate or a bowl, but not both. Disabled seating is reserved at one table near the back by the Great Outdoors, but if you can get to any other seat the chairs can be removed. The Garden cafe was great for breakfast with a HUGE selection of choices!Everything was well-prepared and replenished frequently so it did not dry out.It was a good place to eat if you had an early shore excursion as it was a quick in and out if you needed it. The main dining rooms also have good food with impeccable personal service. Menus are the same in all dining rooms and change daily. Unless you make reservations for the specific dining room (Summer Palace or Indigo) with the maitre d', you are likely to wait in line to eat. If you are disabled, beware of the single elevator to the Summer Palace. It was out of service after our supper one evening and we had to wait over an hour for it to be fixed. ALSO< there are no accessible restrooms in the area. If you are stuck in an emergency, ther is no way out. This is true throughout the ship except in the buffet eating areas. The wine selection is very good and varies by price. A wine deal is offered for six bottles from a limited selection. If you are a beer drinker, a "helmet" of beer is a good deal with six for the price of five and you can keep the helmet (a plastic NFL replica). You can stash the beer in the mini fridge in your suite, no problem. We ate in 3 of the speciality restaurants and found that the extra price was not worth it. The food in the dining rooms was just as good. Cagney's steaks were average and overdone. LeBistro's French entrees were oily and over sauced. The Lotus Garden was not as good as regular N.Y. takeout. Very disappointing, but you can check it out for yourself. Be sure to make reservations early. The casino is worth a go on day 1 only after that the winning go way down.Entertainers were amusing and about right for a cruise ship. There was one outstanding comic and an instrumental duo was quite good. The trio in the Summer Palace could not seem to get past Sound of Music medleys. The public areas are done in 80's teals and plums with exotic shaped furniture. Bliss is decorated like an over the top bordello...with bowling alleys and slots. You have to see it to believe it! However, there are pleasant and quiet window seats throughout the ship where you can stay warm and dry and still watch the sea life. All outdoor decks except 14 & 15 are easily accessible with automatic doors in many places and no lips to be found anywhere unlike many other ships. There is a very interesting "Bridge viewing room" at the inside front of deck 11 on the port side. You can watch the entire bridge including navigation/radar instruments and follow ship communications with other vessels and the shore.This ship was very smooth even through a severe thunderstorm that spawned a deadly tornado near Seattle. You can feel the difference in speed as the ship moves faster at night, but this was never a problem in either stateroom. Shipboard shopping was fantastic. We were one of the last cruises of the season and there were many clearance sales going on both on board and ashore. Onboard they talk a lot about alexandrite and ammolite. The ammolite was way way overpriced and even the best quality looked like a mood ring stone. The alexandrite was also overpriced and not well -designed. Forget the artwork: it is all reproductions of high editions. Save you money. Same for inch-of-gold offerings. The freebies involve a frantic treasure hunt through the ports often with surly clerks who do not want to hand out free stuff. You may use your cell phone, but at $2 per minute you want to be quick. Don't forget to use the Internet Cafe for your airport check in and baggage check on the last full day. Some airlines have a $5 surcharge on bags checked at the airport. Do not hesitate to book this cruise, but if you are disabled, do your homework and double check the triple check.

Cabin Review

Mid-Ship Mini-Suite with Balcony

Only one plug in stateroom. Bathroom razor plug works razors only. Specialty restaurant food no better than dining room. Long waits for regular dining rooms unless you make reservations. ONLY ONE ELEVATOR TO SUMMER PALACE!No way out in case of emergency. No accessible restrooms in area either!

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