Norwegian Pearl Review
Rating by category
Additional details
This was our fourth time travelling with Norwegian and for the first time we came back a little disappointed. Service, food and cabin were fine but we were particularly disappointed with the entertainment on the ship. We felt the groups and singers round the ship were nowhere near as strong as others we've been on and while the "specialist" entertainers were mixed to say the least.
Some were excellent - The Quintessence Aerial duo and The Barricade Boys - some were ok, and some just poor. In particular the woman singer was dreadful and I wasn't impressed with the comedian Tim whose act was very dated and consisted of making members of the audience do stupid things. Also a lot of the acts did two or even three shows during the cruise.The game shows seemed tired and ill thought out.
And there were some odd things about the ship itself. Who thought it would be a good idea to put four lanes of bowling in the middle of a lounge?!!? And why was the trivia usually held in the Atrium where there were never enough seats and you had to compete with people visiting guest services etc.?
Cabin Review
Oceanview Porthole Window
A really quiet cabin!! Not too close to lifts or disembarkation areas and little or no noise from engines.
Port Reviews
Puerto Quetzal (Antigua)
Antigua was very nice. We usually do things ourselves but had been advised to take a ship's tour on this occasion as the roads are not great and you may be delayed returning. Pleased we did as the tour arrived an hour after we should have sailed!! Being a ship's tour they waited of course!!
San Juan del Sur
Very slow to tender people off the ship. A small town with a few bars and a so-so beach. Not much else!
Puntarenas (Puerto Caldera)
The five stars is for the trip we went on with Odyssey Tours. Just the two of us, taken to see some fantastic wildlife and interesting places. And it was still cheaper than the ship's tour!
San Diego
Spent three days here before the cruise. What a lovely city! Zoo, Balboa Park, Coronado, old town, Gaslamp district all great!
Cartagena (Colombia)
What a great city! Clean and friendly. The old town was great but SO hot 40 degrees and 100% humidity. Locals were saying it was the hottest day for years. Again we booked a mini bus with three other couples when we left the ship and had a great tour round.
Grand Cayman (Georgetown)
Got a good tour round the island and finished at Royal Palms on Seven Mile Beach where you pay $2 to access all their facilities. Money well spent. Lovely beach, pool changing rooms and a nice bar and restaurant.