We had a grand time on the Pearl. Although we opted for a simple inside cabin, we agreed that this, our sixth cruise, was the best ever. We liked this ship the best. Its public spaces were the nicest of any we had experienced. There was rarely a sense of the ship feeling crowded, despite 2400 passengers and more than a thousand crew being onboard. Our Friends of Dorothy meetups had the bonus of being hosted and this made us feel that NCL had gone out of its way, rather than just including them on the schedule as an afterthought. We made some interesting and rewarding choices on our shore excursions, especially the petroglyphs at Acapulco and the coffee plantation in Costa Rica. Of course, the experience of transiting the Panama Canal was also a once in a lifetime treat. And then there was the food….
Ah, the food. We have generally been very happy with the food on all of our cruise vacations. We had some minor concerns this time around, what with two weeks of eating and all. We honestly felt that this sailing offered the BEST FOOD EVER. The variety was simply amazing. We never tired of the choices. The quality was the highest that we could hope for. The quantity was mind-boggling. The buffet setup offered the best flow of any we have seen. Extras such as the ice cream bar, chocolate fountain and afternoon tea station were a big plus. The dining rooms were also excellent, offering fourteen different days of menus so we never felt bored. We both gained more weight than we would like to admit!
We met some wonderful new friends on this trip as well. Richard and Bill are such a great couple and it was a real treat getting to know them. They generously invited us to their cabin multiple times to take in the sunset on their balcony. We also enjoyed a nightcap several times with other new buddies from our FOD meetups. The people we had met through Cruise Critic online before we even sailed were great too! We participated in a cabin crawl that gave us a chance to view a variety of cabins, including oceanviews, balconies and a whole range of suites. The most spectacular of these was the Garden Villa, which accommodates six guests in more than 5000 square feet of luxury, including a private hot tub, butler service and four bathrooms! It was more cabin than we could ever hope for and we felt lucky to get the chance to see it.
The staff on the ship was also among the best we have experienced. Our Cruise Director, Andy Steinhauser, put together action packed days and nights that kept us as occupied as we wanted to be. His assignment of a staff member to our daily meetings was a wonderful treat. Our host, Erwin Baltazar, offered us a genuine feeling of welcome. He was engaging and friendly and very, very funny. Of all the hundreds of other waiters, chefs, bartenders, receptionists and room stewards we encountered, we felt they all were going above and beyond to make our cruise simply unforgettable.