Norwegian Pearl Review
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This was our first cruise. We chose the seven-day, Western Caribbean itinerary out of Miami. We were travelling as a family of four with two young boys 9 and 5. We had booked a mini-suite (11526) through the NCL website. The reservation process was fairly straightforward and we had no issues using the website.
We decided to fly in a day early into Fort Lauderdale. The cost of the Southwest flight into Fort Lauderdale when compared to flying direct to Miami was significantly cheaper. We used SAS transport to get from FLL airport to Marriott Biscayne Bay in Miami. SAS was recommended on one of the cruise critic boards and the service did not disappoint. Laurence, our driver, was awesome and gave us a lot of good information on what to do in Miami.
The hotel was nice, right next door to some inexpensive dining. Next time I would consider staying in South Beach since the distance to the port of Miami from both locations is about the same. We visited South Beach in the evening and it was a very happening place although it may not be all that great for young kids.
Cabin Review
Mini-Suite with Balcony
We had booked the mini-suite with balcony on the port side. The suite was very nice. We had ample storage space. The bathroom was a decent size too. The balcony was large with about a 4-foot high railing. I was worried about safety for my curious five year old but I thought the balcony was safe and the door to the balcony takes some effort to slide open. The suite had a queen-sized bed with a convertible sofa. There was also a curtain partition between the bed and sitting area for privacy.
We had read some reviews about noise in the cabin from the deck above. We did not experience any of that. I think our suite was below one of the less trafficked areas. We met a family who was in 11572 and 11574 and they told us that they were below the kids club and they heard thumping noises all day. I think it is very important if you book on deck 11 to make sure that you are not below one of the highly trafficked areas.