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Premium unlimited wifi not worth the expense

Wellington

Went on the eleven night cruise out of Miami on the Pearl. This was the longest cruise we had ever been on but it went by fast and was never monotonous. We had an inside cabin… (personally would avoid this floor as it’s under the kitchens and dining area and was pretty noisy.)

Food was amazing on buffet and main dinging room Summer Palace. Service was top notch as well although I missed the towel animals and evening turn down room check. Juanta at the buffet area “washy washy” greeter was an absolute angel and we enjoyed her happy smile and genuine hospitality throughout the cruise. Tom Franek was far and away the best talent we have ever seen on a cruise….WOW! I missed the variety of comedians on the Pearl vs. Carnival who usually has 2 or 3 comedians but Tom Franeks  show made up for that. The pearl dance and singing squad  talent show thing was awful we got up and walked out. Deal or no deal and wheel of fortune was fun to watch. 

Ports were all great we went to Aruba, Curaçao, Puerta Plata, Catalina Island, Tortola, St. Thomas and Half Moon Cay (which got cut short abruptly due to the wind although the tendering back to ship was done during the highest waves and the ship didn’t leave until after we were scheduled to leave anyhow. I know a lot of people were angry about having to be evacuated- oh well it is what it is…( perhaps NCL should build a pier like the adjoining Royal Carribean coco cay has). Overall we had a great time and would recommend this ship and itinerary. I will say this was the rudest cruise we had been on but we are used to cruising from New Orleans and Port Canaveral and those cruises we had been on before weren’t so international but I’m not sure if it’s a cultural thing or just the post covid world we live in but the fellow passengers were somewhat lacking manners and I wasn’t the only person who mentioned and observed this. Also lots of people wearing very skimpy thongs which is gross. Wish cruise lines would ban thongs, I don’t go on vacation to be mooned.  Staff and crew were fabulous though. Beautiful Ship.

Great cruise overall

Raiatea

This was my 6th cruise.  I've been on Carnival, NCL, HAL and RCL.  This New England cruise has given me reason to take another look at the other lines again.  Dining room service was slow and below average.  Buffet was poor to say the least.  The staff is clearly trying but they just don't have the numbers or materials to provide good food and service. I'm still trying to figure out how you can have cheese with no taste.  By day 3 my wife and I had given up on the desserts.  They were just awful.  I suspect that NCL is preparing the desserts off site and shipping them in.  Cabin service was marginal as well.  Our steward was clearly working hard but had way too much to do.  1 service per day with no turn down service in the evening.  We barely met him and that was on the rare occasion that we passed in the hall.  It appears to me that NCL has taken the business position to cut costs in all areas.  I suppose this is COVID caused, and I understand that to an extent.  On a different note, the itinerary was terrific. (PEI, Halifax, Portland, and Bar Harbor).  I would suggest booking private tours at those locations and skipping the cruise sponsored excursions. There are some wonderful guides and private tours.  See CYRIL at PEI.   At the end of the day, take this cruise to get to the NS, NE Ports and don't expect much from the cruise itself.

Cruise Norwegian for the Itinerary, the rest is below par at best.

Kelang (Kuala Lumpur)

The October 6, 2023, the New England cruise from Quebec City to Boston began on October 4 with the NCL BOGO air.   The trip began at 6 am on United Air from Colorado Springs to Chicago.  Late start with plane bathroom issues but arrived in time in Chicago for our connecting Air Canada flight.  The Chicago flight loaded and had a delay of 20 minutes, then another 20, then everyone told to deplane, and delay expected to be 1 hour.   Four hours later the flight was cancelled and all hopes of getting to Montreal in time for the 5:30 pm train was lost.  Pleas to Air Canada to get us another flight were ignored, and we were told United must rebook.  Long walk in Chicago airport to United Customer Service only to be told this is on NCL.  NCL emergency reservation hotline was useless.  Told us to find our own way and submit a claim and catch up in Charlottetown.  Air Canada finally sent a new plane, and we were able to fly to Montreal and arrived after all trains at Dorval Station had left.  We had to get a last-minute hotel in Montreal and two $55.00 taxi rides to a hotel downtown.   All hotels near Montreal airport were booked by this time.  Rebooked train for a 7:45 am to Montreal.

The train ride is three and a half hours.  Many stops.  Not scenic in my opinion.  Coffee and snacks were available for a steep price. 

Finally made it to Quebec City by 11:30 and checked into Sainte Anne Hotel.  The hotel is a great location in old Quebec, blocks from the Chateau Frontenac hotel and close to the hop on hop off buses and many restaurants.  Great location I highly recommend.  The hotel room was quaint but not something for anyone with disabilities.  Steps in room, slanted walls to hit your head but I still liked the location.

We missed our scheduled food tour, the train ride and one night at the hotel in Quebec City.  We have filed a claim with NCL travel insurance.  

Beware of rogue taxi drivers, we were scammed by a Taxi ordered by hotel, and he didn’t accept credit cards nor give receipts.   We had this problem in Miami also.  I should have known better. 

We elected to board the NCL Pearl at 1:30 deciding to enjoy more of the city.   That turned out to be a good decision and short lines and quick embarkation.  In the past we have been there at 11 and had long waits.  Our room was ready by 2:30 and the luggage arrived by 4 pm.  The safety drill was an easy process.  The ship was clean, the staff friendly and all was well.

This cruise came with triple points, 12 pack of water plus 2 small latitudes water and Bogo airfare.

In Canada only one bar per floor is allowed in Canadian waters.  

On the first night we ate at Lotus Garden.  Always great food and no line.  My suggestions would be the hot and sour soup, calamari, fried pot stickers and combination fried rice   We would visit Lotus again on last night.  Always good and the music from the Magnum bar below was great.

Charlottetown port was cancelled due to hurricane Philippe and instead we went to Corner Brook.  We all got refunded our scheduled excursions.  We had no excursions in Corner Brook and just walked the port.  Corner Brook turned out to be an uneventful port but ok.

Our first specialty dining was Le Bistro.  Great food and service.  I highly recommend the pork chop.  My husband had the steak, and it was great.  Escargot had been better on previous visits. 

Next port was Sydney.  Cute port with the giant fiddle and shopping.  No excursion planned, more walking and shopping.  Many sculptures, pretty flowers and a good walking and shopping place.    

On to Halifax lighthouses, sculptures, and lots of walking.  The sunset was beautiful.

Portland port was our day for a lobster roll.  Many places are close to cruise ship.  We ate at the Porthole on the water. Lots of walking again.  Cute town.  We had planned to do the mail run which was next door but changed plans at last minute.

Our second specialty meal was at Moderno Churrascaria.   It was ok.  Service was slow, no pineapple was ever seen, and our waiter ghosted us.  The manager stopped by to check, and we informed him we would like some coffee.  Disappointed in service and selections.  I will not go there again.  This was our second experience, and neither were stellar.  

Our last stop was Bar Harbor.  This was our favorite.  We rented an electric Gem car.  We paid $325 for a full day.  We made reservations for Cadilac Mountain.  The park was crowded with several cruise ships in port.  It was nice to get off the beaten path and explore.  The foliage was dull compared to other visits to Acadia National Park but still beautiful.

We ate in the Indigo MDR, O’Sheehan’s, Great Outdoors, room service and Garden Café.  All were ok.  We have been on six NCL cruise and felt the Garden Café was lacking with choices.   I did have a crepe in the Garden Café and it lived up to the hype.  The Chicken wings in O’Sheehans’s are sad compared to the fried version.  The bar service was good.  Mostly get your own drink or wait. 

The entertainment was good.  We didn’t do the shows and missed the comedian, but the live performers were all good.  Bliss proved to be another form of entertainment watching karaoke.  Some performers were as good as the paid employees, and some were not but it was good entertainment.     

Once a day cleaning service was no big deal.  Our room steward, Bruno was great.  He has a great personality and was friendly and helpful.   We had a coffee pot, ice bucket, robes and refrigerator cleared from day one.  He had 22 rooms and worked very hard.

The Pearl is in good condition.   They are constantly painting and cleaning.  

Customer Service people have a difficult job, but they are not the friendliest people.   I ended up visiting several times.  Their accounting of refundable credit versus nonrefundable credit is had to follow on their app. As we disembarked, we were pulled from the line to obtain an overpayment.   At any of my visits they could have refunded but waited until last day.  FYI your shareholder credit cannot be used in Casino, and we ended up buying needless gift shop stuff to use up.  

The casino is smokey.  Different information from different employees.  One told us to use room card to use credit but in fact it did not work, and another contradicted what the other said.  We just walked away from the Casino, their loss.  Slots are tight, never won a dime.

The cruise was good.  The airline problem would have happened whether NCL booked, or we had. I blame Air Canada.   This is why you fly in a day or two early.   I would reverse the process and go out of Boston had I known the issues getting to Quebec City but I’m glad we at least got one day in Quebec City. 

The flight home was uneventful, and we were home by 5 pm.  

NCL did a nice Military recognition in addition to the 10% discount and gave my husband a nice keep sake medallion.   NCL still gets my loyalty, and we are now Platinum.  Better weather and air service would have made this trip outstanding.

New England Cruise Quebec City to Boston October 6, 2023

Fair warning, this is a LONG and DETAILED review.  I read lots of reviews but at 55, I have found to take most of them with a grain of salt.  Everyone is different so you need to take away from reviews specifics that apply to you.  I do not take any stock in reviews that make negative comments for things that are completely out of control by nature and certain things.  People who complain that a cruise is bad because the weather did not cooperate, and an itinerary change had to be made due to safety are just "complainers" who complain just because they are generally negative people.  This is an honest and direct review of the NCL Pearl and my trip to Canada/New England but again, this is my perspective and although I am a huge stickler on friendliness and cleanliness, I am as easy going as can be.  When I/we go on vacation, we leave the negativity behind.  After all, even when things are not going 100% to plan, we still are on vacation and NOT working or dealing with normal everyday life stress, so we just relax, unwind and enjoy it.  A bad vacation day beats the best workdays.

We flew into Quebec City the night before the cruise.  The day of the sailing, we went to the pier at 1130am to get checked in.  We had completed the online check in and from the moment the bags were taken at the curb till the time we walked onto the Pearl, it was less than 15 minutes.  It was unbelievable how fast the check in process was.  Within 30 minutes of the cab dropping us off, we were perched at the Martini Bar having a drink.  The Pearl is the smallest NCL ship we have sailed.  We have been on the Getaway and the Encore but wanted to sail this itinerary and decided to try a smaller ship and an inside cabin for the first time.  The Pearl is in absolutely amazing shape for being an older ship.  It is as clean and up to date as could be and we were very, very impressed from the moment we walked on.  As soon as we stepped aboard, we were welcomed with the normal, amazing friendliness and smiling faces of the crew.   In the martini bar, my wife had a lemon drop and I had a Strongbow cider.  Great start.  Once done we worked our way up to explore the ship.  We found ourselves at the Sky-High Bar and each had a Bushwacker.  (Yes, have one.)  

When cleared to enter our cabin, we were delighted to find that the inside cabin was just perfect for us.  We spend almost no time in the cabin except for sleeping and getting ready and on the two prior cruises we had a balcony cabin and spent maybe five minutes on the balcony.  Rather than spend the money on a balcony we don't use, we tried the inside cabin and were delighted by how well it worked but even more so, how much less the cost was.  Our cabin attendant Fulgencio was great and took very good care of us the whole trip.  The Pearl underwent a renovation back in 21 (I believe) and the cabin was modern, up to date and very comfortable.  The bed was incredibly comfortable.  We have decided that with inside cabins being much cheaper and the fact that we were so comfortable, we will be booking these from now on, especially since it means cheaper cruise fares which means more cruising.  

First night we ate at Lotus Garden.  Food was great, service was great, and spectacular night.  The food portions are not huge which allows you to indulge in many different dishes if you like.  It is complimentary (except for the sushi) and it was superb.  Each day for breakfast, we could not get ourselves out of bed in time to have breakfast in the main dining room, so we hit the buffet each morning.  We used either the main buffet or we went to the slightly smaller one on the back deck.  The aft deck seating area is absolutely amazing.  What a great way to start the day each day.  

For lunches, we either visited the buffet, went to O'Sheehan's or were out at port.  O'Sheehan's has an amazing Reuben and Fish sandwich.  The walnut carrot cake is also fantastic.  All the food on the menu was good, but those were our three favorite items.  For dinners, we ate at the Summer Palace with new friends one night, and Indigo two nights.  All three main dining rooms visits were great.  The food was good, and the service was even better.  We also had one specialty dining visit to La Cucina which was our favorite meal of the trip.  The food was absolutely incredible.  Yes, the service was brilliant, but holly cow, was the food good.  There was hardly anyone there the night we ate, so we had almost the whole restaurant to ourselves.  We spent a lot of time in almost every bar.  Not that you can screw up cocktails, but anything and everything we tried was exceptional.  I recommend the Mango Meltdown, The Pain Killer, The AMF (just ask the bartender what that stands for), the frozen mudslide, the Rum Cake martini in the martini bar, and of course as mentioned before, the Bushwacker.  

The Pearl is in fantastic shape for being older.  You would certainly not know it.  We very much liked the smaller ship compared to the mega ships we have been on.  A little more intimate.  The whole ship was super clean.  There are crew members cleaning ALL the time.  All the public bathrooms were immaculate and there was never a spec of dirt/trash anywhere.  We have been building this trip up with anticipation for almost two years.  It was to celebrate our 30th anniversary and it did NOT disappoint.  If anything, having been on two mega ships with such success before, we were prepared for it to maybe not be as good.  That was definitely not the case.  This entire trip from start to finish was absolutely brilliant.  We would absolutely sail the Pearl again and definitely want to take the Canada/New England itinerary again in the future.  

If you get hung up on some of the negative reviews, take them with a grain of salt and consider that a lot of people just cannot get out of being negative.  If you are considering taking this trip on this ship, do it.  You will not be disappointed.  If you read that the buffet is too small and too crowded, then consider those folks did not explore eating in the main dining room or using the aft buffet.  The aft buffet was NEVER crowded, and we spent a lot of time back there.  Plus, the views are breathtaking.  If you read people complaining that the gift shops are small, well, those folks suck.  Seriously, you do not cruise based on gift shops.  Besides, if you want to shop, get off the ship in port.  I will say that being honest, I do have one negative thing about this cruise.  The entertainment is well below anything I/we would consider good.  That said, we did not go on the cruise for entertainment.  Shows are not our thing.  We did overhear several performers singing and, in our opinion, they were below average karaoke performers.  One gentleman singing in the Atrium two nights was absolutely terrible.  But that is the only negative thing I can point out.  Even with that, it did not take away anything from out trip.  The only other thing that was disappointing was the ship does not get college football on TV.  They get 24 hours of soccer and rugby, but no college football.  That was a bit of a letdown, but again, nothing to put a mark onto the trip. 

NCL has always treated us right and we will absolutely be back again soon.  They are the only ones that still include the drink package most times when you book as a bonus, which I am not embarrassed to say we take FULL advantage of.  We save up our drinking until vacation time, so we get our milage worth.  The most important aspect that makes NCL so great is the crew.  There is no way that they could be any more friendly or accommodating.  

I hope that this review was helpful and gave you some peace of mind if you are going to or have booked a trip with NCL and/or the Pearl.  Enjoy.

Absolutely Amazing.

Family Get-together

Party of 5 with 3 cabins. We were all to have 2 for 1 fares, with a Specialty Restaurant, 150 minutes WIFI/Internet, and $50 shore excursion credit. Unlike the other 2 cabins, we only received the 2 for 1 fare. Spoke with Guest Services and they had to get with HQ. Never got back to me. Went to Guest Services again and they stated HQ said they wouldn't do anything because it was our responsibility to make sure everything was correct. I showed them my invoice and asked what FreeDin &Disc50 in the Blue Box on page 1 meant. No one could or would explain it. I spoke with a very arrogant HQ staff member who would not explain why we did not get the same amenities as the other 2 cabins. Would not address this or the info in the Blue Box. Kept stating it was our responsibility to make sure everything was correct. I asked to speak with a Superior and she said, again in an arrogant tone, that this was as high as I get.

Entertainment was very poor, except for the Funky Roots band, which played mainly later in the night and at smaller venues where it was hard to get a seat.  The Legends were absolutely terrible, especially the woman who played Tina Turner.

NCL did have their act together on embarkation.  Very little wait and seats available until your group was called.  Not much wait getting off the ship.

Purchased two Specialty Restaurants and they were very good.  Buffet was okay.  No Seafood Night, which you would expect on the Northeast Coast.

Poor Guest Services, Travel, and Entertainment

I'm a 66 YO solo cruiser who hasn't sailed since the start of the recent pandemic. My last cruise was aboard the Coral Princess in Feb '20, sailing from Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina. I booked this cruise for several reasons: 1. I haven't visited New England and Eastern Canada since the mid-70s, when I toured the region with a special needs group; 2. I wanted to sail from a port city I didn't need to fly to after a 6+ hr flight; 3. I haven't sailed NCL since it changed the name from Norwegian Caribbean Lines to Norwegian Cruise Lines, and I sailed on two of NCL's ships when it was the line formerly known as the Norwegian Caribbean Lines during the 80s; and 4. I wanted to try NCL's FreeStyle concept to see if was a good fit for somebody who prefers structure for dining hours and fixed table numbers. What I discovered was that the "jury is still out for deliberation" as far as the dining part is concerned.  

This sailing was also the first time I cruised with a travel companion (I'll call her MC for this review), whose cruise ticket was paid for by my family, who was concerned that as a solo cruiser, I got short shrift treatment whenever I asked for shared tables and I ended up eating alone at large shared tables--not a good look when somebody looks the way I do and here I am dining alone as if I were Bruce Wayne and the only other person near the table is butler Alfred. 

Pre-Embarkation:

I stayed at the Boston Marriott Copley Place two nights before the sailing. It was a pleasant stay at a nice hotel. Travel companion MC arrived a day later and had a room several floors higher than me. 

Embarkation:

The embarkation process was relatively easy, starting first with port security whose staff didn't yell at pax the way TSA staff does. Then pax are called to check-in desks to do the check-in and get our key cards. Because I was using a walker, me and MC were in a special needs queue instead of the general population corral. After receiving our keycards, we did our embarkation photos and then we walked up a long gangway to the ship's embarkation deck (Deck 7). Surprisingly, the cruise line decided to do the muster station assembly process just after pax embarked on the ship, so I went in the direction of the assembly point for my cabin (Lotus Garden Cafe) while MC was directed to a muster station  that was different from me (the Pearl Casino). 

The Ship:

The Pearl is a beautiful vessel with a great service staff who were well-trained to provide service with a smile. There were many public rooms and bars, especially on Deck 6, where bars seemed to run into each other until you got to the Casino. The Guest Relations Desk was on Deck 7 in what was called the Crystal Atrium, along with the Shore Excursion Desk and the Cruise Next shop. The Guest Relations Desk staff provided guests services with a smile every time. The Crystal Atrium had a bar next to it and this was the place where many trivia contests and other games were conducted by the cruise staff. MC participated in many trivia contests, especially the Progressive Trivia, whose questions got harder as the cruise continued to its conclusion. MC and I perused the Library, which was only open in port, but it was also open on non-port visits. I wish the shelves were open rather than kept under lock and key, IOW (in other words), I preferred RCCL's Voyager, Freedom and Oasis Class libraries along w/Celebrity's two-deck high libraries to the Pearl's Library.  

Cabin:

I had a Club Mini-Suite (Category MA) on Deck 11, mid-ship, starboard side. The cabin came with an OK-sized balcony equipped with two loungers and a small table. There were lots of light switches and electric outlets, the latter being important and accessible for easy charging of my electronics. MC had an inside cabin opposite mine. I'll say one thing about the cabin doors: they were painted a beautiful green with a shutter design to the front of the doors. The key cards worked on touch sensing so that there was no need to insert and remove the key card from a slot. Room attendant Kameron Ali provided great service to me and MC, even though the luggage was late arriving to my cabin. 

Dining:

There were two MDRs (main dining rooms): the Indigo and the Summer Palace. As described by CC's cruise reviewer regarding this ship, the Summer Palace was a little hard to get to, but that wasn't really the case because there was a dedicated elevator for accessing the MDR from Deck 7. I wanted to dine at Indigo because of the description (blue and purple decor--fave colors), and because it was easier to get to than Summer Palace. However, as the cruise progressed, MC and I discovered that the Summer Palace had better service. With respect to the food quality, MC wasn't impressed with it; I told her that when you cook for nearly 2500 pax, one gets banquet quality food. If you really wanted higher quality food, then you book premium cruise lines like Princess, Celebrity, Oceania, Regency, and Holland America. Food quality aside, what was more impressive was the level of service in the Summer Palace--outstanding! 

Ports: 

The ship visited several ports: Bar Harbor, Maine, Halifax, Nova Scotia; Sydney, Nova Scotia; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; Saguenay Bay, Quebec; and Quebec City, Quebec. I took shore excursions in three of the ports: Halifax, Sydney and Charlottetown, PEI. I skipped Bar Harbor and Saguenay Bay because of the tendering: the boats are hard to board in choppy water, and even worse when a special needs person like me uses walkers for stability. 

Bar Harbor, ME: no excursion for the reason(s) cited above:

Halifax, NS: I did the Highlander Experience, which involved going to a citadel on the highest point of the city. The guide was dressed in Scottish Highlander Regimental uniform, complete with a kilt and a bearskin hat. The guide described how regimental officers and noncommissioned staffers lived and worked in the barracks; how drills and training was conducted; what daily life was like (hard and boring); and pay was very low for noncoms (1 shilling a week). There was a a rifle shooting demo (very loud) and tour group members were offered a snack (it was a free beverage of one's choice but the food had to be bought by the tour member). I chose the excursion because it was interesting and it was short, compared to a long bus ride around the island, and I didn't need my legs hanging down for 7 hours straight--they needed to be elevated. I got lots of exercise walking around the gravel surface of the citadel. There was a shop there and I bought a few souvenirs. 

Sydney, NS: MC and I did the Baddeck and Alexander Graham Bell Museum. I chose the tour because it was short and didn't have a long duration as other tours offered. The bus guide was excellent and told stories about how Cabot Trail hikers sometimes did a marathon of the trail; there was a Gaelic College across one body of water that was crossed by  a short ferry ride; the museum itself was fascinating with lots of figures and the devices developed by Alex Bell. His story had a familiar ring to me because I am hearing impaired, and Bell himself had a similar issue. He worked with students who had those problems. His father created a Visual alphabet system for helping deaf people understand how sounds were enounciated using visual aids. MC and I took different paths at the museum: while I did some exploration, she took my phone to take photos of the museum's setting: a beautiful lake with a lighthouse across the water. 

Charlottetown, PEI: MC and I took a short, 90-minute bus tour of the city, and the guide told everybody on the tour what life was like on the island: agriculture, aquaculture farming, and tourism. The tour ended at the terminal, which held the largest souvenir shopping place under one roof I've seen in a while. I bought some magnets while MC opted for treats like Cow Chips (not what you think--they're pieces of potato chips coated in chocolate). I had a few that day. 

Saguenay Bay, Quebec: No shore excursions taken

Quebec City: MC and I had a one-night stay at the Hilton Quebec City hotel before each of us departed the city for our respected homes (she in Maryland and me in Virginia). The hotel was very nice and had 21 stories of rooms. The food prices were rather high, especially for dinner. 

Disembarkation: Relatively easy, but the wheelchair assistance program needed an overhaul: the newsletter said to go to the Maltings Bar on Deck 6 if you wanted w/c assistance, and that's where MC and I went; a few minutes later, I was told to go to Magnums Bar for the actual pickup by the w/c pushers. When I was asked if I needed w/c help, I said yes I did but why didn't I check-in w/the person in charge? I answered there was no indication of a a place and a person in whatever lounge people were gathered with whom to check-in. The person shut her mouth after that reply, indicating that she was dumbfounded about discovering that her program needed improvement, especially with better signage and communication with special needs folks and their families. 

Bottom line: 

Would I sail with NCL again? Yes and Maybe. Yes because of the service provided to guests with a smile; Maybe because I wasn't convinced yet that FreeStyle cruising was for me, especially the dining part. I prefer a set time and a set table number with an associated dining steward who got to know their guests' needs during the sailing.

Trial Run of NCL's FreeStyle Concept (Jury's still out for deliberation)

We chose this cruise due to itinery for a reasonable deal. We stayed 3 nights in Boston at the marriott on arrival which was good. On ship the buffet was poor quality and lacked choice so we ate in the various dining rooms which was excellent and staff lovely. The shows were OK but not great. Entertainment in the individual bars were better. Our only complaint was one out of our 3 trips to Peggy's cove. This was not our original choice and was a replacement. The bus was late leaving and it was an hour drive there and back... No stops for photos and only gave us 40 minutes at the cove.... The trip should of been 3 hours. This wasn't long enough for site seeing and for people ordering food... So bus was late leaving again and then took motorway back and arrived after 5.30pm deadline for boarding. We went immediately to excursions desk... Waited 15 minutes for it to open. We spoke to dale who failed to understand the problem and insisted the trip was on time... We were not impressed with his service as he promised to investigate and come back to us.... He never did... Which we found even more frustrating. Our final night was in the hilton in quebec before flying home to heathrow. This wouldn't be our 1st choice in the future.

Excursion dissapointed 

We (3 couples) chose this cruise for the canada/new england/fall foliage itinerary. The norweigen pearl is in great shape and the stateroom was comfortable and adequately served (once per day.) service on board was very good, a friendly and helpful staff by and large. Meals in the main dining room were very good, as was the specialty restaurant, la cucina. I didn't enjoy the teppanyaki dining: very loud and under-ventilated.

Getting on and off the ship was a breeze. Entertainment was uneven. The cast of singers and dancers were energetic and their shows were entertaining. The comedian was meh. I enjoyed the casino.

This was our 22nd cruise and the first time i needed to go to the infirmary. Here begins my cautionary tale:

I walked in with a sore throat, i walked out with a bill for over $3,000!!!

The medical center experience was outrageous. Day 2, i went to the clinic with a sore throat (bacterial infection.) i was required to have a covid test with the understanding that a positive result would require me to quarantine for the rest of the cruise. I agreed, because it was the right thing to do for my travel companions and the other guests. Negative for covid. Then the doctor began recommending a series of not-medically-necessary tests, medications, and therapies. Without knowing the costs, i consented because i felt lousy, and well, she is a doctor. The next day, a bill for $3,047.91 was presented to me. Then i understood that i had been viewed as a revenue source rather than a patient. No one in management on board ( other that the captain) has any control over the medical center. I met with the customer service manager who told me so. I am not the type who bashes businesses on the internet, but i do want to warn others who might be victimized as i was. I am in contact with ncl guest relations and have asked to speak to the medical execs of the corporation. So far, no one has addressed my concern but i will post updates here.

Might have been 4 stars, but for the nightmare I experienced in the medical center (see below)

This was our second trip on the Pearl. Previous trip was some years ago before the refurbishment. Since then things have changed. The entertainment requires some serious makeover. Karaoke most nights in the Bliss Lounge with only a handful of people was a let down. Best performance was by the Seaside Duo wherever they performed it was packed. The shows were average, we have seen much better on Norwegian. The Entertainment manager didn't seem to be as outgoing as normal - time for replacement!

The food was what we expected, we went to the Asian, le Bistro, la Crucina and Cagneys.

The biggest problem was the US customs. Everyone had to present themselves for passport inspection, unfortunately it was extremely poorly organised. We were in group 2 and we're called about half an hour into the process, other groups were called at about 15 minute intervals but we hadn't moved an inch! It took over 2 hours for us to be seen, and there were another 5 groups after us having been called at random intervals without any understanding of the delay. People were queuing right through the shops and as far as the theatre about half the ship's length.

Canada cruise Norwegian Pearl

Always wanted to visit Nova Scotia so we chose this cruise for our 50th Anniversary. Our primary issue was the VERY LOUD games and music from the public areas below O'Sheehan's and the Lotus Garden restaurants.  Decided to dine often at the very quiet dining room at the rear of the ship. Excellent service and meal choices. O'Cagney's Steak House was also excellent. No Irish beer at O'Sheehan's.

Some of the disembarkation at a few of the ports could have been handled better. We often stood in line for hours so our time in port was very limited. People who held excursion tickets were allowed to disembark first. We chose to hire private auto tours . We saved a lot money but were always last to disembark at ports.The entertainment was ok but not great. We only booked one excursion on the last day. A tour of Boston and enjoyed the tour very much. Had visited Boston 50 yrs ago on our honeymoon so the tour brought back many good memories.

Very LOUD games in public areas below were very annoying during dinner at Lotus Garden and O'Sheehans

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