First of all, I cannot overemphasize how fantastic the crew of the Pearl was. I wish I could have given a “Hero Card” to every one of them. Special praise goes to our cabin attendant "Elme" … she was a joy every time we saw her. The very first day she called me “Sir Gary” … I said please don’t call me sir … her reply was “Yes sir, Sir Gary”. The itinerary was amazing too. Every port was thoroughly enjoyable.
I will try to be as fair as possible with this review as our preferred cruise line is RCI. Any comparison will be to RCI’s Radiance class because they are very close in size and passenger capacity. We chose NCL because the Panama Canal has always been on our bucket list and RCI no longer cruises there. When we saw the 11-night itinerary and perks NCL offered, we jumped on it. We chose the UBP and Pre-paid gratuities. We also bought the 6-meal dining package.
Let me start with our cabin. We stayed in an aft facing balcony cabin on deck 10 (10168). This was picked for the unobstructed view of the canal. I had originally booked one on deck 9 but after reading some posts here on CC about the larger balconies on deck 10, I called and switched. Thank you CC! I also read that the balcony cabins on NCL were smaller than those on RCI and when we first walked in it appeared to be true. But after looking closely, they are shorter but wider. My opinion is that the space is the same and I prefer NCL’s wider stateroom. We had ample storage space which is a good thing because DW tends to overpack. The layout of the bathroom was great and no clingy shower curtain. I thought the coffee maker was a great feature that NCL provides. NCL wins here hands down! Elme made towel animals every night and DW loves them. Oh … did I mention the crew was great?
The ships public spaces. I won’t go into a lot of details but, even though most public areas were pleasing to the eye I never got the WOW factor that we experience on RCI ships. One area in particular that I must mention is the Bliss Ultra Lounge … how tacky! It looked like a bordello with bowling alleys … complete with beds … yes, beds. I actually did get a WOW when I first walked in there. On the flip side, we really, really enjoyed the Thermal Suite. We purchased this after reading some comments here on CC. The Thermal Pool and heated tile loungers were the best! The men’s area had a hot tub and sauna which were great too. Bathrobes and towels were provided. But overall RCI wins here due to the overall decor.
Ship pictures: Click here
Now about the food. I know … I know … food opinions are very subjective but here goes. We ate in every specialty restaurant and the Summer Palace MDR. For the most part, we weren’t very impressed. The food in the specialty restaurants were typical of food in RCI’s MDR. However, I really did enjoy the Lamb Chops in Le Bistro and Teppanyaki was amazing. I must also say that the staff was great and the service was awesome. We didn’t experience long drawn out meals either (as some have posted) … everything was well timed. IMHO, RCI wins here.
Did I say the Pearls crew was fantastic!
Entertainment. JC Sanchez was our Cruise Director and he and his staff were very good. He’s one of the few CD’s that I’ve seen that got out and mingled on a regular basis. Funny in his own unique way too. Most production shows in the Stardust theater were just okay but two really stood out … The Four Seasons Tribute and the Legends in Concert were outstanding. There was also a 1969 Throwback Musical in the Spinnaker Lounge that was also very good. But RCI wins here because IMO their production shows are very elaborate and very entertaining.
Embarkation went very smoothly and the check-in staff were very friendly and efficient. Debarkation got behind very quickly. Not sure why but the line just stalled and never moved. I know it wasn't customs because the "walk-off's" got off just fine. We were scheduled to debark at 8:15 but our color wasn't called until almost 9:00. Once called, it was quick and easy.
Overall, this was a great cruise and we had a fabulous time. Did I mention that the Pearl’s crew were just great? Never saw a frown and they always greeted us warmly. Might just try one of NCL’s larger ships in the future. I must also mention that the leader of our CC roll call (Quattro Romeo) did a fantastic job coordinating everything. She was awesome.
Ports. We booked all our excursions through Shore Excursioneer except for Roatan where we used Victor Bodden’s "Best of Roatan" tour.
Cartagena, Columbia. We did the CARTAGENA PRIVATE CITY SIGHTSEEING EXCURSION. We went to the fort, monastery, and tours of both the old and new parts of the city. Our guide (Ben) was great.
Pictures: Click here
Panama Canal. This was the primary reason we booked this cruise and it did not disappoint. Our aft facing balcony gave us the perfect unobstructed view.
Pictures: Click here
Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. We did the HIGHLIGHTS, RAINFOREST, CITY, RIVER CRUISE, BANANA PLANTATION AND SHOPPING EXCURSION. The rainforest part of this excursion was awesome. The wild monkeys were all over the place and we got some awesome pictures. Our guide was the best.
Pictures: Click here
Roatan, Honduras. Used Victor Bodden’s BEST OF ROATAN EXCURSION. I highly recommend this tour. You can customize it to suit your desires. One thing that is a must do is Victor’s Monkey Business. Interacting with the monkey’s and birds was awesome!
Pictures: Click here
Belize City, Belize. We did BELIZE ALTUN HA MAYAN RUINS, CAVE TUBING AND SIGHTSEEING EXCURSION. This whole tour was awesome! Our guide, Roberto Botes, is Mayan and possesses a wealth of knowledge on the Mayan culture. He is also a great Cave Tubing guide. He personally took us through the caves. Can’t speak highly enough of him.
Pictures: Click here
Costa Maya, Mexico. We did the COSTA MAYA CHACCHOBEN MAYAN RUINS AND BACALAR KAYAK EXCURSION. We had to walk four blocks from the dock security area to the Native Choice offices … why they couldn’t meet us at the dock security area is a mystery to me. The tour itself was kind of ho hum after the ruins in Belize and the Bacalar part was a waste because we couldn’t kayak due to high winds. However, our guide Rose made up for it with her knowledge of the Mayan culture in Mexico which is somewhat different than Belize.
Pictures: Click here