Norwegian Pearl Review

NCL Pearl to Panama Canal

Review for the Panama Canal & Central America Cruise on Norwegian Pearl
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okpaddy
10+ Cruises • Age 60s

Rating by category

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

Additional details

Sail Date: Nov 2018
Cabin: Obstructed Oceanview

The staff were very friendly and helpful. I understand that many of my fellow cruisers were delayed in the terminal before they were allowed to board. I arrived to the terminal at my assigned time of 2:30 and spent less than twenty minutes in line before being checked in. Once on board I found the staff to be cheerful and helpful. My cabin steward was extraordinary and made my stay much more comfortable than some previous cruises. I would like to complement the kitchen and wait staff, especially in the main dining room. The ability to insure a gluten free menu and offering pre-ordering expanded the gluten free options available. The mix of passengers were interesting and pleasant. There were the general variety of entertainment options, however I felt the lack of a production show to be somewhat surprising. The ship's singers and dancers normally provide one or two production shows on a two week cruise. The traffic flow was never a problem, and transiting the ship from top to bottom and end to end was mostly without congestion. I was pleased with several of the ports, but was disappointed with the stops in Columbia and Costa Rico. I have visited Costa Rico previously, but from a different port and enjoyed it very much. The Panama Canal was interesting and enjoyable. The casino staff were friendly and I enjoyed seeing PaiGow poker offered along with craps and a nice variety of slots. The TV's in the casino bar could be upgraded for those wanting to watch sporting events. I would definitely sail on this lovely ship again without hesitation.

Cabin Review

Obstructed Oceanview

Cabin OK

Very nice cabin, if somewhat oddly shaped. There was a fair amount of unusable space around the desk area. The shelving around the closet area was very useful and made up for the lack of drawers. A functional room and comfortable. The best asset was the exceptional service provided by our room steward.

Port Reviews

Harvest Caye

Pleasant enough, but I would have preferred stopping at Belize city instead. Harvest Caye was a "canned" experience. Visiting Belize city would have allowed for interaction with local people and culture.

Falmouth

Jamaica is always interesting, and sometimes and adventure. Be aware of your surroundings and use common sense.

Cartagena (Colombia)

Found very little of interest and the locals trying to sell souvenirs were aggressive .

Puerto Limon

Explored on our own and didn't find much of interest. Local souvenir hawkers were aggressive and offered very little of interest or quality.

Costa Maya

A pleasant little port of shops. Another "canned" experience not unlike the private islands. It was a pleasant walk and a few of souvenirs were worth the effort.

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