Norwegian Pearl Review

4.0 / 5.0
2,401 reviews

Dollar Tree Present in a Tiffany Box

Review for the Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Pearl
User Avatar
Trishkite
10+ Cruises • Age 70s

Rating by category

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

Additional details

Sail Date: Nov 2018
Cabin: Family Inside

This was our first NCL cruise - we have been on 41 cruises. It was a promotion through our local casino. As we read about the ship we actually started to get excited. The specialty restaurants were enticing, the spa looked wonderful and, we love the countries that we were to visit. Besides, it was a Casino at Sea so we planned to have fun in the casino.

Our first warning was the embarkation. When we got to the terminal at 11:30, people were still disembarking. We found our Casino at Seas line at 11:50 - zipped right through security because of our scooter. Only one couple was ahead of us. We got on board at 1:50! Crazy.

The ship was beautiful, the service (especially our room steward) was wonderful and the shows were great. But, that's where it stops. The menus were great but the food was mediocre at best. The Moderno Brazilian Restaurant's signature meat (Sirloin roast) was dry, tough and inedible. Cagney Steakhouse was good ... a step above Longhorn but not as good as a Ruth Chris (which Carnival's steakhouses are comparable). My biggest disappointment was Le Bistro, the French restaurant. Though the food was good, it was not French. Menu was French but not the food. I ordered their most expensive ($24.95) item (a shrimp dish). I've had more flavor and bigger and more tasty shrimp at Olive Garden, and trust me Olive Garden is not all that great. The main dining rooms also disappointed. Who fries stuffed mushrooms caps? Everything was just blah. The buffet was actually better than the main dining rooms.

Cabin Review

Family Inside

We had an inside handicapped stateroom - referred to as a family stateroom. It was beautiful and well maintained. The room steward was wonderful and she anticipated all of our needs.

Port Reviews

Costa Maya

We have been going to Costa Maya since the cruise lines and Diamonds International first started to develop the area in the early 2000's. It was our favorite. We walked to town, now you can rent a golf cart. It is still an area that you can explore without having to take an excursion.

Roatan

This is another area we have been to many times. Coxen Hole is a real town but the port area is really sealed off from it. You have to really wind yourself away from port area to explore. Once again, excursions are the only way to experience area.

Harvest Caye

This is a great port if you want to hangout with the people from the ship and float around in a pool. You have to do excursions to get ANY flavor of Belize. We have been to Belize many times and were excited to go to a new port, but it was very disappointing.

Cozumel

We have been to Cozumel many times for the past 18 years. Kimchee Mayan reserve and Chaukanaab (?) park are wonderful. There is much to do in Cozumel. When we got home I pulled a list of shore excursions from Carnival cruise we had done in late June. For the ones that were the same or similar, NCL ran about 20% more.

4 Helpful Votes
previous reviewnext review

Find a Norwegian Pearl Cruise from $419

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.