This was my first trip with NCL. The ship, Norwegian Pearl was well appointed , spacious and well maintained. We had a mini-suite with balcony that was roomy with plenty storage and really quiet. Very comfortable beds and easy to control A/C. The cabin attendant was very friendly and efficient often leaving towel sculptures that were fun.

The dining options were adequate though the buffet restaurant(Garden Café) was always crowded, noisy and frequently messy. The serving staff at the buffet were most unfriendly although always efficient. I was refused a fresh orange at breakfast time as these were used for fresh made-to-order O/J that cost a lot . I quickly learned to pick up an orange later in one of several fruit bowl locations and keep it in the cabin. We tried Le Bistro one night for a surcharge of $20 per person and were very disappointed. It was very pretentious with two supercilious female greeters who reeked of insincerity. Our food selections were at best underwhelming . Tough chewy grilled double lamb loin chops masquerading as Roast rack of Lamb. Breast and leg of duck were both tasteless and poorly plated. Ice cold cheese served with water crackers !!. The starters were OK but overall it was a second rate meal. Service was again, robotically efficient and totally void of warmth or genuine hospitality.

The entertainment was varied and pretty good but why oh why do they find it necessary to crank up the volume so high. Some classical music would have been nice . Read more