I chose this ship because it was one of the newest and we went in the getaway and enjoyed it. We knew it was a “sister ship”but thought it would look a little different and have it’s own personality however it was exactly the same as the getaway. The in room decor and carpet seems old. Our carpet was stained and not cleaned well. Actually our balcony floor was filthy and our cabi steward forgot to make up our room a few nights. I actually had to leave her a note 3-4 days to remind her to bring coffee towels and ice. Actually one ,or if we didn’t even have coffee cups so we could not make our coffee. The restaurants were good overall. Forget about getting a drink at any bar during sea days. This is not an exaggeration at all.... trust me. You can’t get into the main pool area cause it’s so small and there are over 3000 people sitting around it. We sat in the adult only area quite a bit however the cooling spray area water was sooo cold no one could get in it. Too cold. Shows were good, the new rock club was awesome and we went 5 out of 7 nights. I liked the two main shows and did a few wine tastings ( not free) and were good. The new harvest caye stop in Belize was awesome!!!!! We had a good time in costa maya, there is a new adult only pool area near the dolphin area. Was awesome. You had to pay either $15 per chair or order $15 worth if food or drink from the waiter. Was worth the money and would do it again. Was quite but the view was amazing. First time gettin on a shop in New Orleans and was quick, easy and we were on the ship by 1130am. Was very cool cruising out on the Mississippi River. Took over 6 hours but the first hour was cool. Getting off the ship was awesome. They have a service that will take your bags directly from the ship and bring to airport for you and also deliver boarding passes directly to your room the day before leaving. I thought this was awesome and it allowed my husband and I to see the sights of New Orleans for a few hours before our flight home. This is a great service!!! Overall a great trip just a little aggravating with the bar service. If you don’t drink, this is the trio for you. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the trip destination and the Crystal reputation. We have been on other Crystal trips and this is the first time we did 3 back to back trips, total 45 days! Embarkation was a piece of cake. Bags we shipped were in our room when we arrived and the bags we brought arrived shortly thereafter. We are hoping the same for disembarkation. The Captains Larsen and Willheim are the best, with rough seas when we had them. They are cautious on all conditions. The rest of the crew are equally praised in every area of the ship. The wait staff are amazing from the Maitr’d down to waiters. It is amazing how they remember names and faces. They anticipate your every need. We are fortunate to have a Penthouse on deck 10. The butler and housekeeping staff all work well together. Because the seas are rough today, our housekeeper wanted to go out and do windows on the veranda. We told her to take that off her list today due to sea conditions. Read Less

Like some people, I read negative reviews before I read positive ones. Given, that I have already made a selection, I want to see what I failed to notice when I first made my choice. I read the previous negative reviews of the Symphony, and they were rubbish. This was the best cruise I have ever sailed. The ship was impeccable and up to date. The wifi service was flawless. The staterooms were roomy and well-appointed. The public rooms were beautifully adorned. The staff was cheerful and attentive. One-fellow passenger quipped, I have never seen such a happy crew. The shows were perfect, and the food was divine. My only complaint was that I wish they had a later dining option. The dining rooms all close at 9 pm, and this bumps against the shows, which are typically at 7:30 and 9:15 pm. Also, the absence of towel origami was a big positive. The ship and the passengers reek of class, and that made for a very pleasant experience! Read Less

Overall one of our best cruises, the real rating is 4.5 stars due to a bout of food poisoning and the filthy condition of our stateroom on arrival and the lack of response from the Hotel Director. The service of the staff outshine their managerial staff. I think if it had been a short cruise it would have been our first and last time on Crystal but with 19 nights the good times well and truly outshone these early mishaps. Anyway onto the review: My wife and I are an Australian couple in our 40's who are early retirees and now wander the globe with no home base. We have progressively added more cruises to our itinerary over the last couple of years. We booked this cruise to celebrate my wifes birthday and to help us relocate to our next destination - South America. After booking this cruise early we booked several other cruises and this became the final leg of a 6 cruise 91 days at sea odyssey! I am pleased to report we ended on a high (despite 2 major hiccups - more to follow). This was our first Crystal cruise and we also tried Seabourn and Viking for the first time in the months preceding. We spent several days in NOLA beforehand (2nd visit), loved the WW2 museum. Embarkation: 2 parts to this experience. Firstly, we boarded at a makeshift terminal but this was no issue and the process was very good as we were met by an abundance of on ground staff and quickly ushered onto the ship where processing was very quick. A glass of champagne and into the dining room for the first off many excellent dining experiences. We then self toured the ship and this is when our first major problem occurred. We passed our room and thought we might drop our hand luggage off (still 60 minutes until rooms were ready), we noticed our luggage was in the room so asked a passing stewardess if this meant the room was ready reiterating that we did not want to rush them and were happy to wait, she replied it was. We entered the room and immediately noticed bits of rubbish on the floors in both the bathroom and room so we left assuming the cleaning had not been completed. We returned at the designated time and found it in the same condition, our stewardess arrived and we pointed this out and she assured us it had been vacuumed but would do it again. She left and as we started unpacking we noticed the air conditioner was not working, we also noticed rubbish in several drawers and in the cupboard, that the hair dryer had not been packed away, we also began to notice that we could not breathe properly and I started having an asthma attack within 30 minutes. We called her back and she noticed the broken a/c, we also noticed there was dust on every surface. She attempted to clean up but after the drill we noticed the hallway was also dusty and difficult to breathe in (we noticed that repair work was constant in the ceilings on this level and the one above for the entire cruise but never received an explanation). We immediately went to Concierge who were apologetic and offered to move us rooms. We waited until 7.30pm for the room to be ready (I didn't mind as requested a deep clean). We were told it was an upgrade, seemed exactly the same to me. The concierge was apologetic but I requested an explanation as to how a cabin could be inspected and be made available but none was forthcoming, I also requested to speak to the Hotel Director but was instead sent a letter and chocolates, this is nice but a telephone call or meeting should have occurred. An email to guest relations was also unanswered. Luckily my asthma attack only lasted 2 days and didn't destroy our cruise experience. Ship: noticeably older than our recent experiences on Seabourn and Viking but nevertheless a lovely ship. Very impressed by the amount of space (enhanced by the fact the ship was only half full). Enjoyed all the available spaces on the aft decks, walking availability via the promenade and the upper deck, loved paddle tennis and table tennis. Crows nest bar was gorgeous, enjoyed the Cove, loved the dedicated movie cinema, great library with a wonderful dedicated librarian. The theatre was an intimate venue with no line of sight problems as encountered on her competitors. We are not pool people on cruise ships although we did like the design of the pool deck with couches, loungers, tables etc providing a good variety of lounging choice. One glaring problem is the showers are a long way from the pool and hence no one used them, we noticed many people come straight from jogging and gym workouts and jump straight into pool and jacuzzi in sweaty gym wear, also heard multiple guests complaining of stomach upsets while in the jacuzzi - so did not even contemplate using pool or spa which was a shame on such a hot cruise. Overall we love the size and design of this ship. Cabin: We booked an oceanview guarantee and were assigned an E1, which I have discovered is a one category upgrade after the above incident we were moved to a C1 (apparently a 2 level upgrade). There was no difference in the cabins themselves and in fact the location of the upgrade was at the very rear of the ship as opposed to the other which was mid, I later found out our first cabin had a slightly obstructed view (we never noticed). The cabins are probably Crystal's weak point, they are not bad but in comparison to Seabourn and even Viking they are small and basic. The bed was very comfortable, the TV system excellent (except no access to daily menus), the small sofa and desk were typical of major lines. Storage was sufficient but well short of Seabourn and Regent. The airconditioning was very basic and a little inconsistent. The cabin overlooked the promenade. The bathroom was small (very narrow) but the double sinks were nice. The shower doubles as a bath with a curtain, water temperature and pressure were excellent. We noticed the toilet often needed multiple flushes, probably just the age of the ship. Our room attendant was excellent! Dining: Phenomenal. The restaurant managers were great and our experiences were always excellent. This was the best food we have had at sea. The dining room for dinner was superb with great service, interesting menus, tasty food with great presentation. Unlike on the other lines we were treated very favourably, we found preference was often given to more mature passengers on those lines but the staff on Crystal gave us the 5 star treatment. We loved the fact service was always professional but the staff could still be personal and funny. Umi Uma was first class Japanese, simply surperb. Prego was very good but it did depend on what you ordered, too many dishes were "deconstructed". We also loved the variety and casualness provided by the 2 other major restaurants, Churrascaria and Silk. There was plenty of variety and choices for lunch with the main restaurant (the best choice but not as good as at night), the grill (we tended to use more for snacks), the buffet (good without being great), Silk (only ate once). A special mention for the room service, this became our go to option for breakfast, we never had to pre-order, we simply called and it was always there in less than 30 minutes (often much faster), it was always correct and it was always hot, easily the best we have encountered. We had a special breakfast for my wifes birthday in the mdr and it was incredible, really got her special day off to a grand start. Unfortunately, we had one major miss when I suffered food poisoning after my second dinner at Silk (on night 4), 24 hours holed up in my bathroom, followed by another 2 days to fully recover. At this point I thought I was cursed and that Crystal was trying to kill me. The maitre D was very professional on follow up and the F&B manager did chat to me (after I enquired why officers do not follow up on major issues) and assured me they had reviewed it. The coffee bar was a nice place (not a patch on Seabourn Square in feel but much better offerings food and drink wise) and was a nice casual place to grab a snack or late night dessert. The bars were excellent and I think the bar tenders made some of the best cocktails we have tasted. The ship had an extensive G&T menu and Manhattan Menu, I did my best to try each one. Wines were good and we never encountered any resistance if we wanted something different. Table service was good. There was regular canapes and late night snacks being offered. Entertainment/Activities: Another highlight. We tend to find the small luxury lines struggle with entertainment but that cannot be levelled at Crystal. The cruise finished with a special Carnerval group in Rio that was exactly the same as you would witness at the Samba clubs. We had a huge variety of guest acts including: motown group, comedian, comedian ventriloquist, classical pianist, violinst, modern pianist, Broadway siblings (phenomenal); trumpeter and singer, modern vocalist/piano - truly something for everyone. Add in several production shows which were good without being great with the exception of the Imagine/illuminate show which was exceptional. Neil Lockwood did Elton impersonation and own show. Add to this the phenomenal nightly exploits of Mark Farris in the piano bar, you also add latin dance performers, encore presentations, singer from Brazil, guitarist, there was nightly live music for the ballroom dancers, nightly classic piano and violin and a young duet couple - phew! How did we see so much of it? Enrichment involved several lecturers, covering a wide array of subjects from economics, history of places we visited, ocean sailings,geopolitical and military talks etc. Most were excellent however my wife did feel that the lecturers were all mature American white males and there could have been more diversity as we noticed on Viking. Further to this there was art classes, knitting classes, trivia, bridge, ipad and photography courses, golf sessions, wine tasting etc etc etc. My only nit pick would be we like some of those silly activities and games (baggo, putting etc) we noticed on Seabourn and Regent. Also a minor complaint was that Crystal hands out discount coupons as prizes, this is no prize simply an incentive to spend which was even more crass in that they were next to impossible to use due to multiple caveats (we refused to accept them), the CD was clearly embarrassed when the subject was mentioned. Speaking of the CD, we had Russ who has apparently moved from a long standing position at Azamara (apparently well loved by guests there). At first we found him mostly absent but as the cruise progressed had many interactions with him and found him to be one of the most personable CD's we have come across and seemed to know a large amount of passengers by name. He also produced 2 daily shows on the TV which were a lot of fun. If all that was not enough to keep you entertained there was 2 daily fitness classes, paddle tennis, table tennis, daily movies in the cinema (amazing popcorn), the extensive library with books and games and daily puzzles. White night was a great event and it might have been good to have another party event or 2. Oh, I have forgotten the great magic castle show and also dancing lessons! Service: Exceptional, best we have encountered at sea. Great blend of professionalism and joviality. The staff seemed content relative to other cruise lines. Service was very consistent which I hypothesise is due to the many long standing senior staff as they were very visible and active. The officers had mostly changed over at the start of the cruise and this seemingly had no negative impact. Fellow passengers: mostly American and mature which was not surprising given it was a long cruise originating from the US. The cruise was clearly not a popular sailing and was broken into smaller segment at a later stage this did see more passengers from Brazil joining at later stages. The atmosphere early in the cruise felt quiet and uptight but loosened considerably over the course of the sailing. We found the crowd to be more fun and sociable than Viking but not quite as diverse as Seabourn and Regent. We will continue to cruise on a variety of lines including the main stream brands but will always remain on alert for good deals on Crystal and will probably become our favoured brand for luxury experiences. Read Less

We chose this cruise based on homeport, itinerary and time of year. To add some context it was our 4th cruise this year, princess - 19 days, Holland America- 15 days and Celebrity - 12 days. Given the per diem rate and our previous experiences on Crystal we had high expectations some of which were met and some not. Crystal exceeded our expectations in the areas of enrichment, learning and specialty restaurants. Plenty to do and see. The food and service at the sushi bar,Umi Uma, Prego was first rate as was the food. Charrascuria is a novelty, service was very good but some of the meat was tough. Silk and trident grill were great for lunch. The soloists in crystal cove and avenue saloon were very professional and enjoyable. The production shows and guest entertainers were same as any other line - we’d seen a lot of them elsewhere. Service in crystal cove, silk bar and avenue saloon was exceptional. Good job! There is self serve laundry and free wifi. All inclusive and the pours were almost too generous. Disappointments were more than we expected for a 5 or is it 6 star line. The market place buffet (only open to 1:30 daily) was just plain minimalistic, minimal choice, poorly prepared and self serve (ick) regurgitated leftovers. Better choices on all three other ships. The Waterside dining room was just awful. In the centre of the room with a low ceiling there was lest than 6 inches between tables whether it be 2 or 4. No engagement with the waitstaff, no one ever came and asked if your food was good. If you wanted a different wine other than what the sommelier had in his had it was a big ask. No flowers on the tables, no decorations at all even though it was a Christmas and New Years cruise. A little sprig of holly would have perked it up. The only cheese available for omelets were cheddar or Swiss and the only berry jam was strawberry. They used to have the best cherry jam ever. The food was inconsistent- poultry was tough and stringy, lots of veal dishes, interesting sides - not cohesive at all. Expected more elegance and finis. Suspect they are still trying to sort out open sitting but in the mean time it’s worst dining experience in a very long time. The bistro was basically ritz or water crackers and aforementioned cheese and desserts including a chocolate waterfall (self serve with lots of kids on board). There was no lido (buffet) after 1:30 pm , no dinner or afternoon snacks. Smoking was permitted in the pool area port side, on aft of decks 7,8,9,10 and in the connoisseur club on deck 6. Maybe time to rethink - couldn’t get to avenue saloon without cutting through the smoke. Depending on the wind the pool area was stinky. It could just be rethought to accommodate both the smokers and nons. In the casino, obviously a different ownership, you need3d to sign up for a card, long line, then they gave a questionnaire wanting additional personal info - trashed that. The casino was well run but drinks were scarce. Deck chair hogs - need I say more - and shade was at a premium. Our previous experiences with crystal always lead us to say it was the ultimate experience - after this trip we don’t think we will return. The value for money just wasn’t there. Not even an uptick in the quality of champagne on New Years . Read Less

We picked this cruise because we’d never taken an ‘all-inclusive’ type cruise and this one was a short 7N from New Orleans which is close to us. I’d seen the various pricing sheets showing how close in cost a cruise on a Line such as Crystal was to a ‘standard’ Line such as Celebrity, which we’ve cruised 20+ times and wanted to see if they were true - it’s true! At least for the shorter 7N cruises. We loved this ship and the entire Crystal experience. I will be giving my opinion about this cruise by comparing it to our Celebrity experiences. I won’t cover the ports - it was a Western Caribbean and been to all of them. Spent most of the time on the ship. So here goes. Embarkation: With barely 800 passengers, it’s not nearly as crowded as our previous cruises. The larger ships handled the 2000+ well, but this was better than nice: as we walked into the terminal, they asked us if we were suites or standard SR, and gave us a number. When called (waited about 10min), we walked onboard and checked in there. Given our keycard, gave them our paperwork and charge card and that was that. 5min max. Handed a drink as we walked further in and off to a lunch in the main dining room, not a buffet. And was introduced to ‘Crystal’ Dining - wow. Will talk on that shortly. Ship: very elegant but low key. Lower ceilings than other larger ships which gave all the common areas a more intimate feel. Many bar and seating areas. The Avenue Bar is like a pub with wood paneling and lovely pub bar. Pianos and live music in most of the bars. The ship has a nice and inviting game/card room. We played lots of bridge and had classes. Was never crowded in any of the common areas. the Palm Court on the top deck forward was unbelievable. Elegant-great bar-seating for groups and couples. Windows with all around views. The place to be at sea. Ship has a true Promenade Deck. Wood and fully wraparound. Great walking and jogging or standing and just viewing the sea. Loved it. Shopping: All was very high end, so for us, not needed. Beautifully laid out, but only a small section for ‘oops, I forgot something’ type items. Didn’t use any of the stores, but nicely laid out. Standard Lines such as Celebrity have more day-to-day items and clothing and lots of sales and ‘buy 2 and get 3’ type sales. Crystal didn’t have any big sales pitches and everyone going through piles of clothes and stuff. Dining: Here is the major plus. the Marketplace ‘buffet’ is only called that because of it’s layout but it was outstanding in choice and quality. I love the Celebrity buffets but this blew me away. The main dining in the Waterside was fantastic. No set time and no reservations. You walk up, ask for a table for 2 or 4 or whatever and you are seated. Great quality and options. I love lamb and it was so tender, I almost didn’t need a knife. Great fish and steaks. All high quality. the entrees and appetizers were relatively small so I could try multiple dishes. The Grill was well beyond a hamburger/hotdog grill. It had many salads and sandwiches, including a Ruben I’d die for. Each bar had snacks and the Bistro was a great place for pastries and light snacks and coffees and expresso-styles. Loved all of it. Specialty Restaurants: You get a least 2 dinings at these restaurants. Each we tried was unique. We loved Prego - Italian and outstanding steaks and fish. Umi Uma was Japanese and our favorite. Great choices. Silk was Chinese. It was nice, but I thought the Marketplace choices were better. Entertainment: I was mainly concerned that a small ship would have mediocre main entertainment. I was wrong. It was excellent. Not as fine as the larger Lines, but the theater is smaller and you are very close to the singers and dancers. Fun. Excellent quality. They had a magician from the Magic Castle in LA that killed it with up-close slight of hand. But one of the weak areas was activities during in port times. It was almost nonexistent. Not a big issues since we can entertain ourselves, but if you are not going to spend all day ashore, it’s very quiet. Nice, but quiet. Service. A+. Excellent ratio and well trained personnel. They were always working to meet your needs and wishes. Never went ‘dry’ with servers coming up to check. Not obtrusive, but always available. Room steward was a charmer. Very attentive and went the extra mile. We had a very bad night and day returning to New Orleans with 50+kt winds and huge waves. She came in to check us and would have got us meds if needed. The entire staff was fantastic. My experience was Celebrity also had great service, but Crystal just had more staff per passengers so more overall attention. Drinks: I wasn’t sure if the all-inclusive drinks would be that handy (I enjoy a few drinks but don’t get the packages on other ships), but it was just great. It was so nice having a glass of wine and a server walking up and asking if I needed a refill. Good quality cocktails. Smoking: I’m a non-smoker and was concerned because the Crystal website shows more than a bit of smoking areas. But it was fine. the outside smoking areas were mainly on the very stern of a few decks and didn’t interfere with me and gave the smokers a nice place. One inside smoking bar for cigars was available. Again, I was concerned because on a Princess ship, whenever you walked even semi-close to the bar, there was smoke all over the place. But this had a double-door set up and it wasn’t an issue for me. Ports: Not going to discuss ports. Standard ones on a Western Caribbean and only did one tour and wandered a few ports on own. One issue: it appeared Crystal had lower priority for the docking and anchoring locations compared to all the other Lines. In all cases, the docking and anchoring locations were further from the main port facilities. One port we anchored and the other three ships docked. Disembarkation: Returned to New Orleans about 5 hrs late: big winds and waves (10 on the Beaufort scale! With 50+it’s winds). Stayed in SR all day and night. Docked at an alternative pier in NO and they had shuttles to the main terminal. All-Inclusive: I’m not going through what the actual costs were, I just say, I paid for one photo (yup, did the come aboard shot) and one tour. That was it. This was truly all-inclusive: Quality drinks, wine, soft drinks; two specialty dining venues; Gratuities; Laundry room with iron; Specialty coffees and snacks; Room service; unlimited Wi-Fi on multiple units. What cost: tours; Laundry/dry cleaning; ‘upscale liquor’, but what I drink wasn’t. Yes, I know nothing is ‘free’ and paid for in the overall costs. But I ran the numbers comparing this cruise to a standard large cruise line costs by adding the additional charges for gratuities, drink packages, unlimited WiFi, 2 specialty dining. The difference would be about $450 for two people. But since I’m Elite Plus on Celebrity, and I wouldn’t get the drink package and pay a smaller amount for unlimited Wi-Fi, the different approach $950. Was it worth it? You Bet! Don’t know if this is similar for longer and more ‘exotic’ cruises. Read Less

This is our third cruise on Crystal and Symphony. Our first was 22 years ago from Istanbul. Our second was February 2017 Singapore to Hong Kong. Both were amazing. We chose an easier quick trip out of New Orleans with our daughter and her spouse. We both had suites, we decided on the new Seabreeze suites which were just redone in 2017. They were very nice woth a large shower with excellent water pressure... Anyway the ship was superb, from the staff, the AMAZING speciality restaurants and the fabulous entertainment. I even had time for the casino. Keep in mind everything is inclusive, all liquior, wine, WiFi, grautuities. This time there were children on the ship and the staff seem to handle well. We are in 9051 and as I said it was very nice. We have taken over 45 ocean cruises and three River Cruises and Crystal and Silverseas remains at the top of our list. You cannot go wrong with this cruise line. Good luck and keep cruising. We loved it! Read Less

Our honeymoon was wonderful on the cruise. It was our first cruise and we really don’t have anything to complain about. Many thanks to our wonderful room steward, 1 Gede is his name. The crew on there is absolutely so kind and selfless. Thanks carnival dream. We didn’t have our children there but we definitely will for next time. I wish they’d continue porting out of New Orleans,Louisiana but that’ll give us chance to try something else there. The food was great and I like how the tips are automatically drawn so we don’t have to worry about cash on hand. The shows were excellent and hilarious. Alex our cruise director has such a vibrant talented personality. The ship had problems getting the anchor up and made up the time for it. The fellow guests were all so friendly. Of course you’ll have one or two who complains about just about anything but hey, grateful cruiser here and I would do it again with the dream. Read Less

We chose this cruise with the recommendation from my brother. We traveled in a group of 7 people (1 child age 12) The spa package was awesome to be able to relax without children around. Our cabin was kept very clean every day, the entertainment was wonderful Comedian K-Von kept us in stitches and the acrobatic act had us mesmerized. We visited Cozumel, Harvest Caye Belize, Costa Maya, and Roatan. The weather was beautiful... all in all, I think we walked 5 miles a day (working off that cruise food). Thank goodness we got the drink package. Bartenders Rayon Duncan and Ele De la Cruiz were the best in the Martini and Cocktail Lounge. There was a $10 blowout sale on the last sea day great for last minute gifts. Embarkation and disembarkation was a snap. We have placed deposits for 4 more. Can't wait for the next time with Norwegian. In Costa Maya, we heard other people on Royal Carribean and Carnival complaining about their food... So glad we chose Norwegian. Read Less

We chose this cruise not for the itinerary or the ship or the cruise line, but because a group of friends was going on this cruise. We left from New Orleans and hadn't been there so spent 2 days prior and 2 days post cruise. It was fun, saw lots of sites and even went on a Swamp Tour! Check in for the cruise was smooth and only took us about 20 minutes start to finish. Pretty good! We hadn't been on and NCL cruise for quite some time and we were surprised at how nice the ship was. We were on the Pearl and it had been refurbished in 2017 so I'm sure that helped. Our cabin was on deck 9 forward and was perfect in every way. We were close enough to the stairs/elevators but not too close (if you know what I mean). The room was big enough for the 2 of us, the bathroom was comfortable (shower doors - no sticky shower curtains), a place to sit that wasn't on the bed, and a very nice balcony that we did use through the cruise. We only ate at a specialty restaurant once and it was fabulous. We ate at the steak house. All other evening meals were eaten in the main dining room at about 8:30pm each evening with a reservation to ensure we didn't have to wait for a table. We thought the entertainment was quite good. We went to the main show every evening. I love stand up comedy and there were 2 comedians on our particular cruise - so that was perfect. The other variety shows were also quite good. I'm always surprised they can dance on a moving ship without falling over..... Read Less

Chose this cruise because sailed from New Orleans and we had family there to visit. Also so many ports on eastern and southern routes had been devastated last year by the storms. Cabin 11542 was very good. Plenty of space and comfortable bed. Balcony was tiny but fine for 2. Couch in sitting area was hard as a rock though. Overall staff was very friendly. Bartenders were a little slow to respond, especially if they saw you had a soft drink package and just wanted a free refill. Many kids. OK with us, but probably spring break families traveling that week. Food was typical in main dining room. Excellent in specialty dinning restaurants. Best buffet on lido deck of any cruise so far. Need some servers on lido refilling coffee and tea for passengers and fewer cleaning tables though. Great experience overall. Would definitely consider this cruise again. Love the leisurely dress code and dining times. Recommend this cruise. Read Less

PREAMBLE: A little about us: We are a multi-generational family of 5. My parents (in their 70s), my wife (age undisclosed for my safety), my 16 year old son, and myself (pudgy 50 year old male clinging desperately to the thoughts of his youth). This is the second cruise for my wife and I; the first cruise for everyone else. We sailed on the NCL Jewel in 2015 in a non-Haven aft penthouse suite. For this cruise we booked a Garden Villa (14500). We are not fancy people, but we needed at least two suites because of the multi-generation..maybe three cabins if my wife and I wanted some alone time, so the three bedroom Garden Villa made sense from the standpoint of space, and was not crazy financially when you consider two or three suites as the alternative. If you have specific questions about the Garden Villas, I would be glad to answer any questions I can. They are really fantastic and come with many perks..many of which are service related don’t show well on a chart..If you are in a garden villa and you need/want something..you get it. Day 1: Arrived at port around 10:30. We were immediately directed to Suite Waiting room. We received a briefing from the concierge (Yahira), and were escorted to Cagney’s for lunch around 11:30. Lunch was excellent, and by the time we were finished, the rooms were ready for us (12:30ish). We were met at the suite by Roberto, our butler. Roberto was fantastic and noticed our room cards had been keyed incorrectly. He quickly had our cards re-programmed while we explored Garden Villa 14500- The Horizon Suite. He returned about 10 minutes later with the cards programmed correctly, and proceeded to show us how to use the stereo and various buttons in the suite (lights, blinds, etc..) as well as inquired which 6 liquors we would like for our room bar setup. The refrigerator was stocked with water and various soft drinks for the duration of the cruise at no additional charge. Roberto also asked if we would like to have “mixers”- Juices, etc. to mix with the liquors, and promptly brought orange and cranberry juices in pitchers for us to mix with the Vodka…and he brought new pitchers of juice daily to insure we never ran out. We milled around the suite for the afternoon getting settled, checking out the hot tub, and unpacking. The room was amazing. Large. Clean. Well stocked with everything you could need..and the view of the pool deck is amazing. During the course of the afternoon, Roberto checked on us to insure everything was satisfactory, and the concierge (Yahira), and our room Stewardess (Alma) also came by to introduce themselves and insure we were comfortable and had everything we needed. The level of service in the Garden Villa was much better than the penthouse suite we stayed in on the Jewel a few years ago..much better. Which is something that should be mentioned. We saw Roberto and Yahira several times a day, and Alma came to clean the suite and perform turndown service (which takes a while in a three bedroom suite). There is also a courtyard attendant assigned to the suite, so, while you were relaxing in the room, it is common to have one of them “pop in” unexpectedly..this took some getting used to on my part. We decided not to go to the preview show in the evening, and spent our time unpacking and preparing for dinner at Moderno’s at 6:30. Moderno’s in a carnivore’s dream. The service was excellent, and the food was outstanding. We truly enjoyed everything about the meal, and eventually staggered back to the suite after dinner to sit in the hot tub and watch the scenery on the Mississippi river pass by. It was an extremely enjoyable evening. Roberto did stop in and ask if we would like to have anything delivered before breakfast. We settled on sliced fruit, Danish, and coffee-which he brought promptly at 7:00 AM every morning…He was amazing. DAY 2: In the morning, we woke to the pre-breakfast items that Roberto had brought. He also had taken the liberty to open all of the curtains in the living/dining room to present a bright and cheery room to begin the morning. After pre-breakfast (don’t judge), we managed to muster enough strength to scamper down one floor to Moderno’s for breakfast..which is a fixed menu that doesn’t change during the week..but has plenty of choices that are all excellent. Service was fantastic all week. We explored the ship most of the morning, and returned in the afternoon to find that Roberto had brought snacks, and Alma had been in to service the suite. Yahira had come by to insure our dining and excursions were in order and confirm times. She was very efficient, but a little hard for us to warm up to..just a personality thing..your mileage may vary. My 16 year old son had decided he was going to put Roberto to the test, and ordered the first of many desserts and room service orders of the cruise..I have never seen that kid eat so much..I am not sure if I should be impressed.. or concerned that he may have a tapeworm or something. In any case, he kept Roberto busy every day, but they quickly developed a camaraderie that was fun to watch. We ate at LeBistro this evening, and it was delicious as usual. The service was great (I found the service to be slow on the Jewel a few years before-but no problem on the Pearl). After dinner, we relaxed in the suite for a bit, and then headed out to the variety show for the evening. They were entertaining, and we enjoyed the show. After the show we had a couple of drinks and then headed back to the suite to sit in the hot tub and enjoy the sea air before bed (We are not much for the party scene, and the suite is a little captivating-I wanted to spend time there). DAY 3: Cozumel. I really am not a fan of this port. A little too commercial for me. We stopped here on the Jewel in 2015. We didn’t have excursions booked because of the ferry issue on the mainland. There were 6 ships in port, so it was very busy. We took a small tour of the island with a local vendor and then returned back to the ship to relax in the suite and catch some sun on the private sun deck. The afternoon passed with relaxation, and we prepared to eat dinner. With no specific dinner plans, we sort of ventured out in the evening to catch some music and ended up at O’sheehans for a quick bite to eat and a couple of drinks before the show..which was Dan Bennet (comedian/Juggler). He was funny and talented. We returned to the suite in good humor and relaxed for a while before I struck out to find the casino. An hour in the casino netted me a substantial winnings of $.75 (yes, that is a decimal point). I considered that a success, and returned to the suite to relax with my family and celebrate my new found wealth. DAY 4 We followed our usual pre-breakfast/breakfast routine, and then headed to our excursions in Roatan. My son and I had decided to go scuba diving, while my wife, mom, and Dad went on an island excursion. The diving was fantastic with 100 foot visibility. There was a lot to see- including two sea turtles and a large sea ray- a majestic sight to see. After the excursion, we returned back to the suite to find Roberto had set out sandwiches for us..much appreciated. After we ate (again), we showered and relaxed in the hot tub while exchanging stories of the day and prepared for dinner-which was room service from Cagney’s for my wife, son and I. My parent’s went to the buffet, and enjoyed it quite a bit. Dinner was great, and we prepared for the show that evening- the acrobats. They were amazing, and I would recommend attending this show if at all possible. The rest of the group relaxed in the room, and I went out with some friends I met while diving. It was a great night that grew along the way and ended up with about 8 couples and several stragglers dancing until midnight in Spinnaker lounge. Thank goodness for the unlimited drink package (although I was cursing the unlimited drink package for the headache the next morning). I stumbled into bed and watched the back of my eyelids until 7:00 AM..Time for pre-breakfast. DAY 5 Pre-breakfast and breakfast out of the way, we prepared for a beach day at Harvest Caye, Belize. This is a very beautiful private island owned by NCL. We hit the beach and pool for hours before walking around a bit..and then back to the ship for lunch at Moderno’s. As others have mentioned, you cannot use your ship card for anything on the island, so be sure to bring cash or credit cards for ANYTHING you may want…drinks, food, etc.. The afternoon was spent relaxing in the hot tub and suite. Dinner was at Lotus Garden and it was delicious and well served. The show for the evening was a comedian (Kavon). He was really funny. After the show, I made a quick appearance at the White Hot party and then it was time for bed (still recovering from the drink inspired dancing the night before). DAY 6 Our frenzied pre-breakfast/breakfast itinerary was followed by preparations for excursions. My wife, son, and I went to the Mayan Kingdom- A water/adventure park, while my parents took another island tour. The Mayan Kingdom was a blast. It is a series of zip lines and water slides that had something for all ages. We rode all of the zip lines and water rides (almost no lines at any of the rides) and then settled at the relaxing pool while my son did the zip lines again. We felt this excursion was a great value, and we all enjoyed it. We returned to the room for snacks and then sun/swimming in the Haven lounge- the first (only) time we had visited the Haven all cruise. We were alone in the Haven, and enjoyed the warm swimming pool. The Haven butler was quick with drinks. It was really quiet and relaxing. Nice. The evening show was “Legends in Concert”. It is a high energy show that featured impersonators of Elton John, Tina Turner, and Elvis. Elton John was not that great, Tina Turner was pretty decent, and Elvis was incredible. Just like in the late 60s and early 70s, Elvis stole the show. After the show, I stopped by the casino for an hour or so and walked away with a cool $5.00 in profit..another successful outing. Time for the hot tub and bed. DAY 7: Yep, eating again. Our usual eating pattern went something like this: Pre-breakfast, breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack…It was exhausting, and I feel I lost 3-4 pounds just from the effort of eating it all. Eating is a form of exercise, isn’t it? Day 7 is a sea day, and we spent a lot of the day as a family just talking, people watching, catching some sun on the private deck, and playing games in the suite. My wife and I did the behind the scenes tour of the ship, which was interesting and recommended if you would like to understand what it takes to keep this small city running. Because we liked the tour, Yahira arranged for a private tour of the bridge for my family. It was a short 15-20 minutes, but very interesting and informative…Nice touch Yahira. My wife and I had reservations at Cagney’s for dinner, my parents hit the buffet again, and my son begged me for a reservation to Moderno’s. Which Yahira handled for us. Where does he put all of that food?…even the waiters at Moderno’s were impressed..or scared..I am not sure which. The show was sort of a recap of the comedians and was alright…but not spectacular. Time to pack and prepare to leave the ship in the morning. DAY 8: One last pre-breakfast/breakfast. Roberto was meeting us in our suite at 8:45 to escort us off of the ship. At the gangway, He and Yahira handed us off to someone from the port who literally parted the sea of people like some sort of gruff Moses, and walked us through lines of people straight to customs (barely broke stride at customs). This is a serious perk, and one that wasn’t unnoticed by the sea of people we passed. They were not celebrating our good fortune. The whole process took about 15 minutes from leaving our suite to arriving at a private mini-bus that NCL had reserved for us to take us to the airport. I feel this saved us about an hour or so of waiting in line, and was much appreciated A quick drive to the airport, and we were heading back to Illinois by 10:00 AM (rented a car at the airport to drive home). Final Thoughts: It is difficult to not love the Garden Villa. You are really treated special from the first moment you arrive to the last. Everything is done to insure you are not waiting in line for anything. There were several times that Yahira would meet us at our suite and walk us to where we were going. Using her elevator key to insure the elevator was not stopped at floors along the way…and that is what I mean by service that you will not necessarily see on a chart. It is special service that no one else on the ship has. It makes you feel special, and protects you from spending time on things that are not enjoyable. The suite itself is amazing, and will definitely spoil you. Even with 5 of us sharing the suite, it never felt crowded..ever. In fact, it always felt spacious. Plenty of space for everyone to do their own thing..and plenty of space to spend time together comfortably. As frequent cruisers can attest, space is a luxury on a cruise ship. This suite has a lot of space. It is also well positioned mid ship, so you are pretty close to wherever you need to go. As I have mentioned before, the service is incredible. It is hard to quantify the value of the service with this suite. It definitely has a positive impact on the quality and quantity of relaxation. The Pearl itself is in great shape, and very clean. Nice ship. During port days, we saw many ships. I have to say the Pearl looked better than all of them..except the Disney Magic. The staff in general seem happy, but are not “all smiles”. They are very efficient, however, and we found service to be much better than we did on the Jewel several years ago. Negatives? There were a few, but they were minor. So minor, in fact, that I feel petty mentioning them, but here they are: • The binoculars in the suite would not work properly • I could not figure out how to use the player piano in the suite • We once had to wait about 10 minutes to be seated for breakfast (no one at the check in counter) • The windows could use a good cleaning • I gained 4 pounds • My body is older than my mind Really minor issues that didn’t affect the enjoyment of our cruise-especially considering all of the surprises and fantastic service. In conclusion, if you are considering a Garden Villa. Book it. You will not regret it. We didn’t Would you like to know anything else? Please ask. I will be glad to help were I can. Thanks, Read Less

We only traveled Carnival before and decided to look for a new cruise experience. Cabin (see below). Dining: 1. Buffet, Breakfast was ok. Juices very sweet, tasted like fruit drink instead of juice. Bacon consistantly tasteless and greasy. Good fruit choices. 2. Main Dining: Steak was not cooked to standard. Lobster not available, even a la carte. Servers were very accomodating . Maître d' consistantly interested in dining experience. Entertainment: Excellent juggler/comedian, clever humor and routines, had me tearing up in laughter. Very good aerialist show. Average dancer routines not reflective of genre music styles. Service: Crew very helpful and some very entertaining. Shore Excursions: Costa Maya Party Bus & Beach Break overblown, dull. Value for Money: Prepaid gratuities headache, still tangling with them over issue of adjustments, pending.. Charged for use of room bar we did not use. Overall: Would recommend if cruise price is a bargain to the buyer. Read Less

My friends says “let’s go on a cruise” one that he had just been on 4 weeks prior. He has been on numerous cruises and sailed with many other cruise lines. He found his favorite and invited me along to experience my first cruise. I was planning on taking a vacation anyway. The value of cruising with Norwegian is greater than taking a beach vacation somewhere. My expectations were pretty high when I got there and they were exceeded by the end of the cruise. The crew was very kind and knowledgeable. The entertainment was wonderful! The food and waitstaff was impeccable. Thank you for the trip of a lifetime. One that I won’t forget. This may be my first cruise but it won’t be my last. It’s great to be apart of the Norwegian family. As Vincent said while we were on the cruise “I’ll sea you when I sea you!” Read Less

The Pearl was one of the cleanest ships we have been on. The crew was very friendly. They were always smiling and saying hello many times before we said anything. We felt very welcome on the Pearl. The cabin steward was on top of everything. Our cabin was spotless. Cagney's Steakhouse had the best steak I have ever had! The service was top notch. The shows were entertaining. While some of the singles acts weren't our style, we could go some place else and find one that was. Harvest Caye is great. We could just walk off the ship, stick our feet in the sand and relax. We took an excursion on Roatan to the Gumbalimba Preserve and Animal Sanctuary. What a treat to have our picture taken with the birds and then the monkeys. We like cruising on the smaller ships. Coming out of NOLA has always been easy for us to access. Read Less

We live about 3 1/2 hours from New Orleans, so it is an easy morning over and back home without need for flights and hotels. First time on the Pearl and the crew has been well chosen and well trained. Smiles, greetings by name everywhere, great food, even won a game of BINGO! My daughter and son in law were in an Oceanview right around the corner, but staff helped them with priority luggage tags and disembarkation so we could all get off together without any delay. One of my daughter's bags was missing, but the shore team looked for it everywhere and found it in the wrong area. One could see that they took it seriously and were trying their best to make us happy. Even with the 10 minute delay, we still got out of the parking lot before most people were able to get off the ship. My daughter and I had SPA passes and the first visit, the thermal bath was cold, but it was working by the next day, the first sea day. Unlike NCL ships in the past, there were plenty of heated lounge chairs, and towels and robes were constantly restocked. It was never crowded. My daughter loved the sauna and steam rooms. Suite guests can have breakfast and lunch in Moderno and every single visit we received excellent service. I order bacon, "Not too crispy, please." It was always perfectly done, but not crisp, just the way I like it. The hostess always greeted us by name. I drank some tap water on Roatan (bad choice) and was very sick for about 30 hours, but our butler brought me chicken soup, tea and toast and checked on me a couple of times with sincere concern. Best service ever on NCL. Came home and booked Transatlantic. Read Less

We cruise often. This is my first Norwegian cruise. My husband has taken many NCL cruises. I didn't know what to expect. I was pleased with the layed back style. We didn't feel rushed getting ready for supper. It was nice not having a specific time to be anywhere. The Summer Palace dining room was very nice. The staff there was very friendly and called us by name. The food was good and they were very attentive. We ate at Cagneys. The food there was wonderful! Embarkation was not so good. We sat in a room for a long time, and it seemed like the workers were confused on what was going on sometimes. The cruise ship we were getting on did come in late, but it seemed really unorganized. The singing/dancing shows were like most others. The juggling/comedian was ok. His jokes were old. He was still talking about Bill Clinton and Monica. The engaged couple who did the acrobat acts were really good. The Legends show was great! Elton John, Tina Turner, and Elvis was like a Vegas show. We loved it! We didn't use the pool or hot tubs, but they were about the same as all ships. We got the drink package and only drank a few alcohol drinks, as we are not big drinkers. The man who served coke in the buffet was always smiling and very friendly. His name was Redentor Bungay and he was from the Phillipines. He remembered us and had our drinks ready when he seen us in line. The girl at the buffet entrance holding the hand gel saying "Washy Washy" and the man with her playing the guitar were always smiling and singing. It always made me smile too. Very nice and welcoming. Having the silverware on the tables was a great idea. It's hard trying to hold a roll of silverware, and try to fix a plate then hold a glass and find a table. Good Job NCL. The other cruise lines need to learn from you on that one. I remember looking at the life boats and thinking WOW, they are nice. I was surprised with they dropped when it was time for us to tender into of the ports. Vincent was our cruise director and he was very involved and seemed to love his job.We loved all of his crazy suits. He was standing at the ramp dancing and partying with the crew as we got back on the ship from one of the ports. and my favorite part about getting back on the ship was the last handing the guests a cold wash cloth to wipe your face. FANCY! All in all, this was a great cruise. Read Less

My daughter choose this cruise for our 40 anniversary we had a group of 11 The disembark seemed unorganized we were supposed to get a number to board The ship but never did don't understand why because they ask you what time you would like to board we were all corralled in a room We got a aft. Minni suite was nice but small compare to other cruise lines and the ship Rocked the whole week Dinners were ok for the main dining but we enjoyed the buffet and specialty dinning better Entertainment average Service overall was good except for the main dining we waited for at least 15-20 for someone to to ask us for a drink Ports were average we booked alot of the excursions on our own it was Cheeper The salons were nice I had my hair done by Casey The last night of our cruise the ship tipped sideways everything fell to the floor that was on my table it was scary but no one said anything rumors say that we hit a barge on the River and staff told my husband they took a sharp turn really then you shouldn't be steering Read Less

I chose this cruise because I love to see beautiful beaches. The port of New Orleans was also a must see. The food was ok. Service in dining room was slow. The buffets were actually good. Lots of kids in hot tubs and around the ship since it eas spring break. I think there should be an adult only pool and hot tub area. There were not many shops on board. I also think the should be no smoking in casino and only a small portion of the deck for those that have to smoke.overall we really enjoyed our cruise. OUR room was kept clean. The whole ship was kept tidy.I wish I would have planned my excursions sooner We found that the best ones sell out early. There is always something to see or do on the cruise. We were never bored. I would do it again but in a bigger room with a balcony I also think you should include soda. I dont drink alot so it wasn't worth getting the package. Las drink prices are too high. I wouldn't get a package because I dont drink that much. Read Less

We chose this cruise due to port of departure. We did the same cruise itinerary last year on the dawn. Very good experience with the haven. It was nice to have a quiet retreat on hectic days at sea. Our butler was amazing and catered to every desire we had. Shows were average. We always look forward to a magician which was lacking. We were disappointed the second city comedians were not on this ship. We have enjoyed their acts on past cruises. Comedian on this cruise was lackluster and even racist at times. We enjoyed the aerialists. Dining in the main dining room was very slow most nights. On our last night dinner took 1 hr 45 minutes and we missed our reservation for bowling. Our teppanyaki chef was wonderful - funny, entertaining and great food. Highly recommended. The piano bar was very fun. Musician had a wide repertoire and enjoyed taking crowd requests. We started put several evenings in the piano lounge. Read Less

We chose the Pearl because it sailed out of New Orleans. We are a family of five and stayed in the two-bedroom Haven. We do not like the bigger cruise ships. Pearl fit our family perfectly. We are not picky so all of the restaurants and activities were great. I like that we went to 4 ports with two sailing days. Our Butler Leo, and all the Haven staff made our vacation extremely special! We could tell that everyone liked their jobs and they always had a smile on their face. The ship did not feel crowded and we loved walking on the jogging track, or the open deck. Cagney's steakhouse food was our favorite. The steak was superior. We enjoyed the unlimited food and drink package. The only issue I felt like was a concern was that we paid a premium price, early on, to stay in the Haven. Now NCL has a bidding process where the cabins may go for a cheaper price. I just wish they would price cabins fairly and not punish the folks that book early. Read Less

WE traveled for spring break March 2018 out of the Port of New Orleans.On a 7 night Western Caribbean cruise with 4 ports of call. Enjoyed the free style dining, was very nice not having to get dressed up to enjoy the main dining room. The ship was the perfect size for my grandchildren first cruise. They enjoyed the Splash academy the staff is exceptional. Our shore excursions and ports of call fitted our needs. This was my second time to Belize I truly enjoyed the zip line and beach at Harvest Caye. The staff was very friendly and helpful. My grandchildren ages 6 & 9 never stopped smiling. They enjoyed the pool and hot tubs. They enjoyed eating whenever they wanted too and the ice cream was a big hit. It was nice to be able to drive to the port and save on air fare the parking was easy and the porter helped bring our luggage to the car which was very helpful.. We drove from Chicago, Illinois. I would travel out of the Port of New Orleans agin. Had a wonderful time. Read Less

Cruisecritic meet & greet was awesome, ncl knows how to do this right, had a follow up session with officers before departure, what a great touch. New orleans: great port of departure always fun to walk bourbon street and get coffee at cafe dumonde. Embarkation: was very quick and easy, smooth process like they know exactly what they are doing. new orleans is a very organized cruise ship port. Ship: very well maintained (i should know i was in the navy for 20 years). Very fresh and clean. Cabin: was exactly as described, smaller than carnival cabins but very well laid out so you get the best of all the space. we went cheap and did balcony only, will do a mini-suite balcony next time for more space, but it was very cheap so were very satisfied with our room. Entertainment: did the piano player mostly and he was awesome. casino was fun too. Service was fantastic everywhere, drinks were awesome!! Loved great outdoors and the martini bar. Ate at cagney's one night it was very good. One bad experience had a soap dispenser in spa shower fall on my toe and i had to get medical attention, they didn't answer 911 when i called and were certainly not very concerned about me as much as liability, its a shame because this event ruined what would have been a perfect cruise. even though i had xrays onboard, it still hurts really bad 2 weeks later, i will have to go to my doctor. Read Less

After traveling on other cruise lines I wanted to experience Norwegian Cruise Lines. We enjoyed the balcony room very much and the staff throughout the ship was very helpful and friendly. I found the ship hard to navigate and it had several locations where you could not get to the outside deck or go forward on the ship where you wanted to. The restaurants had good food but not terribly exciting. The excursions we booked were very good and loved snorkeling in Cozumel, animal preserve in Honduras, Mayan ruins and spice farm in Belize and swimming with the Dolphins is always great. I would recommend you do not ever go to Diamond International as they do not tell the truth and will sell you diamonds that are not worth the price they charge. I fell for the diamonds under the bright shinny lights and then when I got them in regular light they look like silver earrings without any diamonds. Norwegian has employees that speak on the cruise about how great Diamond International is and they must be getting a kickback because it is a total rip off. I will probably never cruise with Norwegian again since there are other cruise lines with better meals and ships for the same price. Read Less

This was our fourth family cruise on NCL with the kids and extended family. We always enjoy the family atmosphere of the ships and how there is something for everyone to enjoy. We were really excited to experience Harvest Caye for the first time as well as Costa Maya. We had also never gone out of the Port of New Orleans so that was a fun addition to our journey. The trip was superb and the cruise staff was amazing, as always. NCL employs the hardest working people that we have ever met but they are all so friendly and enjoy telling us about the places from which they hail. My children loved talking to the different servers each meal and asking about their homelands. Our cabin steward, Deo, delighted us by incorporating my sunglasses into our nightly towel animals and he even had a towel monkey hang from the ceiling toward the end of our cruise. I cannot recommend the Norwegian Pearl enough. We had sailed on the Jade two years ago and loved Spinnakers so it was fun to feel like we were among an old friend when visiting Spinnakers on the Pearl. Our only complaint was that one of our incentives was the stupid specialty dining packages. We did not enjoy the specialty restuarants nearly as much as we enjoy the main dining room. We also were not big fans of the Legends show. Read Less