Norwegian Pearl Review

4.0 / 5.0
2,402 reviews

Cruise Review from an NCL Newbie (by a Carnival Oldie)

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Pearl
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Dr. Jack Daniels
First Time Cruiser • Age 60s

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
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Fitness & Recreation
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Feb 2010
Cabin: Mid-Ship Inside
Traveled with children

Background Info: I sailed with my wife and 17 year old daughter and it was our 1st ever on NCL. This was the 10th cruise for my wife and I (8 Carnival & 1 Royal Caribbean) and the 8th cruise for DD (all on Carnival). I will do my best not make this a Carnival vs. NCL review, however, given my past cruise history some comparisons are inevitable.

Pre-Cruise: We flew into Miami International Airport on Thursday night arriving around 10:00 p.m. Normally, we fly in the morning of the day before our cruise but decided to fly out at night to save some money and not have to get up at 4:00 am to get to the airport. We took a taxi to the Intercontinental West Miami Hotel (about a 15 minute drive from the airport and $25 w/tip). The hotel was very nice (definitely worthy of the 4 star rating) and had an excellent workout facility for use at no charge. I booked the room online using a website in which you find out the name of the hotel only after you book for $125 including taxes (send me an e-mail if you want more details). We requested a late checkout of 1:00 pm since we did not get to sleep until after midnight. Around the middle of December I realized that I had screwed up by only booking the hotel for one night when I actually need a room for two nights. So I went back to my trusty website and booked another 4 star hotel.

This time it was the Intercontinental at Miami Center. A little more expensive as I paid $150 for Friday night. The hotel was a short walk to the Bayside Marketplace which is an outside mall with a nice variety of stores and attractions. We spent a couple of hours walking around and had lunch at a nice little Cuban restaurant there and enjoyed empanadas and Cuban sandwiches. It was a very relaxing way to spend the afternoon. Later that day, I found a local liquor store for some last minute shopping. The next morning we caught a cab to the port. It was only about a 10 minute ride and cost $15 including tip.

Cabin Review

Mid-Ship Inside

Cabin IA

Small but lot of shelving for storage. Sandwiched between two deck of nothing but cabins. Great for sleeping (dark and quiet).

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