Norwegian Pearl Review
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My husband and I have cruised on RCL and HAL many times, first time picking NCL which we did because of the itinerary! (We wanted to start in Venice !) This was our 3rd time cruising to the Mediterranean, first time on NCL. Went with friends who were first time cruisers to celebrate our 60th birthdays. I was a bit worried after reading the terrible reviews, and hearing about the ships mechanical difficulties, however I am very happy to report that the Pearl surpassed my expectations, and we had a very enjoyable holiday. We had a midship 9th floor balcony stateroom with adjoining rooms that was very clean, roomy and comfortable for the time we spent in it. A balcony is a must have on this type of cruise as it was a perfect place to have before dinner drinks as we watched the ship sail away from our beautiful ports and to have quiet time to relax and read when needed!
We made 7:30 pm reservations before we sailed in the Summer Palace Dining Room and really enjoyed the food, service and venue. Having made the reservation prior to departure was a good decision for us, with no wait lines as well as a nice routine that we enjoyed. Even though I enjoyed the food, I would have to agree that the food on HAL offered more seafood and soup options. On two evenings we cancelled the Summer Palace (the guys wanted to wear more casual clothes for dinner) and ate instead at the Lotus Garden and O'Sheenans, which were both good choices. We were very pleased with all of the choices at the breakfast and lunch buffet, and had no problems finding tables for the 4 of us.
This was a very busy itinerary, with only 1 sea day. We never had a problem getting the loungers that we wanted around the pool deck, and on the sea day we weren't able to sit together, but that was ok. The pool area was never busy, and I was able to sit around the pool and enjoy a refreshing swim almost every day upon return from our port adventures. At first it was annoying that we couldn't have our drinks with us sitting at the pool, but the guard on duty was accommodating and we able to work it out without difficulty. We went with the drink plan option and even though there was an upfront cost, we think it worked out to our advantage and made ordering wine for dinner, and all other drinks worry free. I especially enjoyed the mango meltdown!
Cabin Review
Port Reviews
Venice
Loved Venice! 3rd time there. Came 3 days prior to embarkation and had a great time exploring the Grand Canal, Murano, Lido.
Corfu
Took a taxi outside of the cruise terminal, negotiated a reasonable price for a 1.5 hr. tour. Took us around the island to scenic views, beautiful monastery and a stop at a busy but beautiful beach. Ran out of time so did not get the chance to tour old town.
Santorini
Beautiful place but not giving it a 5 because time in port was too short. However only cruise ship there because of high winds so that kept the crowds down a bit. Had hoped to take a taxi to Oia but no taxi to be found so instead had good timing with a local bus that was headed that way for very reasonable fare. Once at Oia, enjoyed beautiful walk thru this amazing place and then walked stairs down to water level. Had hoped to walk to swimming area but were cognizant of the time so skipped this. Enjoyed a nice local beer, wine, and appetizer at a cute waterfront restaurant before heading back up the 237 stairs (2 walked, 2 on donkey which was great!). Lineup to catch local bus back to Thira was soo long, but suddenly a taxi appeared and for 5 euros each we did not hesitate to leave the bus line and jump in!.. Bit of line to get back down on cable cars so weren't able to explore Thira as we would have liked. No lineup on tenders. Such a beautiful place needs a longer day there!!