Norwegian Pearl Reviews

cruise itinerary busy but very good / balcony cabin very good / bars on the whole OK /bliss bar just used for karaoke so wasted for us and some of the acts only mediocre . Bar staff service great

Great holiday trip arranged by Iglu. Garda Verona Venice Adriatic Athens and round to Istanbul. Pearl needs an update, she's looking a bit down. But the service is still good. I think NCL need to look at their application of the relaxed dress code in the main and speciality restaurants. They were letting people in with short shorts Etal not at all the casual dress of the past. We felt out of place in decent casual. O'Sheenans and the Main and Specialties ex cellent. Why oh why they've let O'Sheenans drop on more modern ships I'll never work out. The staff in here are generally the best of all and you get to know them as it's a great regular breakfast venue. Our mini suite was very good, it had been modernised and despite being under the buffet kitchen there was little disturbance recorded by previous moaners. OK so I'm moaning about the dress code relapse but that's more about fellow passengers. The Chinese contingent seemed to appreciate the old ways though! Entertainment great as always. Last word on the food - not as up to the mark as usual in the Main but just as good in the specialities. Not poor quality in the Main, but usual standard of presentation not as high on some nights ( if it looks great it usually tastes much better) - just a bit of imagination!

This is our second time with NCL. We love the international feel and the informal experience onboard. The Norwegian Pearl followed the same NCL format, combining relaxed bars and dining with waiter service in others, and a dress code in some speciality dining restaurants. The entertainment was first class, with a variety of shows each evening. All crew go out of their way to help and are all very good in their roles. The ship was a little tired in some aspects but more than adequate for our needs. My husband loved the climbing wall and we tried the golf net too. Overall, some great cities visited and a fabulous holiday cruise. We'll definitely be back soon.

Great itinerary, port intensive but sometimes not enough time in the port when you arrive late afternoon or leave mid afternoon. Crew very friendly, professional and happy to make your stay as perfect as they can. We had an inside cabin as thought in May we wouldn’t sit on the balcony as early mornings it would be too cold and we were correct the sun didn’t really warm till late morning which was perfect timing to leave the ship. The room was fine with plenty closet space and under bed storage for cases. The bathroom showed signs that this was an older ship, you couldn’t fill the sink, one shelf was loose and awkward to use but the shower was great with a sliding door and liquid soap & shampoo. Bed wasn’t too comfortable due to the mattress topper not zipped into position and moving all over the bed making turning over very very uncomfortable. Mattresses not the best either, I’ve had much better nights sleep in a Premier Inn. Restaurants were all exceptional especially the specialty ones. We preferred the Indigo to the Summer Palace main dining rooms for dinner. More intimate and staff were more attentive. Food was exactly the same but more efficient all round. We mostly had breakfast in the main restaurant (Palace) and this varied each time with regards service and getting our correct order but maybe lost in translation! The food in all areas of the ship was of a great standard and what ever time you returned to the ship after an excursion there was somewhere open to eat. The entertainment from the resident theatre troop, singers and dancers was exceptional and very professional indeed, their ‘Extravaganza’ last show would give Strictly Come Dancing’ a run for their money! The resident 4 piece band ‘Funky Boots’ were amazing playing in venues across the ship and one night in the theatre. We were out of the school holidays so only saw one or two children on the cruise but the other guests seemed to be American or Australian only a few British guests in comparison. This isn’t a problem but and for us it was a big but, the Americans generally prefer a casual dress code and I think in the dinning rooms during the evenings they were dressed for lunch. Although listed as smart casual with no caps or flip flops this was not the case. Disappointed that the standard of dress for evening meal in all restaurants was not adhered to. Saw flip flops base ball caps beach shorts & t-shirts and generally quite scruffy turnouts. There is the buffet option on an evening if, quite frankly guests don’t want to make a little effort. There was probably an average age for this cruise of about 70-80 which I found strange given the amount of port days and access in and out of the port areas needing a good pair of legs or ability to get on and off a coach. Staff were great with disabilities and had plenty of access to wheelchairs. Embarkation and disembarkation was flawless and very quick due to pre check-in before arrival at the port.

Chose an outside cabin, was not disappointed, plenty of storage and a decent size room, also a very quiet area, no noise from outside room. Good choice of bars and restaurants, excellent buffet with good choice of food. We particularly enjoyed the outside bar at the back of the ship and also had our breakfast there too, the range of food was good and an added bonus was staff bringing around fresh coffee and pastries while we were sat at our table. Overall a great cruise itinerary.

A very enjoyable cruise, crew were very attentive, food in all restaurants we tried was excellent, and the entertainment was very good apart from one act who we found very boring,( not only us as when she was on the venue was rather sparse of audience members

The itinerary was very good but all port side services were poor, compared to other cruise lines docked at the same time or our previous cruise experience, tendering services were very slow, especially when in Zakinthos where we had to wait for hours to get off and back on the ship. When in Mykonos and Corfu, the shuttle bus services were disorganised from NCL whereas it was well signposted and staffed by P&O. The shuttle bus service was free for P&O but chargeable at $20 per head for NCL. The entertainment was only average except the production shows and magic man at the theatre. The cabin housekeeping was only provided once a day instead of two. We had to pull out the bed for the fourth person every night except for the first night and the Pullman bed was never put away for the whole duration so the cabin was not usable for chilling during the day. The excursions were extremely expensive and didn’t present value for money overall. The food was good but the presentation was not as good as other cruise lines we had been on before. However, the freedom dining did provide a relaxing experience. There was no self service launderette on board which was a surprise. The cabin space was ok for four people sleeping and getting changed and the separate shower and toilet was a plus point. The embarkation and disembarkation processes were both smooth. We booked two nights extra in Athens and Venice via Igloo and they were both very good value for money and the location of both hotels were convenient for sightseeing. The taxi transfers between ports, hotels and airports all worked very well. The agent who helped us book the extras was very knowledgeable and helpful. His suggestions had made a big positive difference to our experience. Thank you.

Norwegian Pearl is an older ship, small, decorated well, restaurants look very good, choice offood not as good as other ships, very limited and repetitive, entertainment very poor, old fashioned.Excursions expensive, not worth the money..we went on two trips rated as level one for less mobileguests, however the first trip in KOPER was good but had to finish early as there was an hours walking at end of tour, second trip was in Santorini again level one, with trip to beach, very nice,but at the end there was a VERY STEEP incline walking for twenty minutes with an hour and a half queuing for cable car, definitely not level one. Good points on Pearl, staff, hard working and friendly,Swimming pools and area excellent, two excellent singers (2intense duo) rooms kept immaculate, by our friendly steward Ricardos..

Great cruise on the NCL Pearl to Spain and Portugal. Travelled with a friend and we had a brilliant time. First time with NCL but the ship and service were fantastic, plenty of food/ restaurant choices and wonderful entertainment. Not a fan of the NCL gratuities scheme, it would be better if this was included in the price as you felt guilted to paying the high daily charge. But that was the only downside otherwise a brilliant time overall.

Sailed with NCL several times and on several of their ships. The Pearl is a smaller ship but that does not detract from the fact that there is an abundance of dining options, bars and so much to do. Staff/Crew are second to non and the fabric of the ship is well looked after. Found no issues with quality of food or drinks or entertainment. Embarking and Disembarking wasn't too strenuous and we chase to "carry off" our own cases at end of the cruise as this enabled us to finish packing next morning and not previous night. One negative is that whilst we had a drinks package which included premium coffee, you can not have premium coffee in the Atrium!