This week the focus is on Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) Norwegian Pearl. The Pearl is a large cruise ship (93,000 tons) that has been in service for a little over three years now. She spends the winter months in the Caribbean and the summer months cruising to Alaska.
By the luck of the draw, my cruise on the Pearl came just after my cruise on Oasis of the Seas, which is a phenomenal ship (more about this in April) and so I thought that the Pearl would suffer by comparison. However, I greatly enjoyed my cruise on Pearl. The reasons are straightforward.
First, there is the ship itself. Built by Meyer Werft, Pearl is well-engineered and nicely designed. She has the ability to do 25 knots and a relatively deep draft that helps to keep her stable. Perhaps more importantly, the public spaces are laid out well so that the ship is easy to get around and has good passenger flow. In addition, NCL has provided the ship with numerous dining and entertainment options that give one a great deal of choice as to what to do during the cruise.
Second, the ship is very well-maintained. The facilities look more like those on a ship just out of the yard than those of a popular ship that sees nearly 2,400 passengers a week. Everything in the cabin worked. I was also impressed by how clean everything was.
Third, there was the friendliness of the crew. Everyone had a hello or a good day. I had the opportunity to go behind the scenes in order to obtain material for my articles and I was impressed by how happy the crew members seemed.
As an NCL ship, Pearl follows the Freestyle style of cruising. This is an unstructured approach that provides the passenger with the building blocks to design their own cruise. The passenger decides whether they want the luxury of a Garden Villa, the economy of an inside cabin or something in between. He or she decides whether to join in organized activities or to utilize the ship’s facilities on their own. Of course, there is the choice of which of the ship’s dining venues to eat in and when to do so.
There are practical limitations. Not everyone can dine in the French specialty restaurant at the same time. Not every venue or facility is open 24 hours. However, there are enough options so that it all works out. This has led the other major lines to introduce elements of the Freestyle approach to their ships.
Beyondships’ profile of Norwegian Pearl is at http://www.beyondships.com/NCLPearl.html and the photo tour and commentary begins at http://www.beyondships.com/NCLPearl-Tour-1.html
Turning to items in the news . . . .
NCL has announced that its new ship Norwegian Epic, due out this summer, will have the largest spa at sea. It will be 31,000 square feet and include amongst other things: 24 treatment rooms, 2 private couples villas, a hydrotherapy and thermal suite, steam rooms, a salon, a fitness center and a barber shop. Along the same lines, NCL revealed that 11 of the 21 dining venues on the Epic will be complimentary.
Sticking with NCL, the line also announced that it will be making $20 million of improvements to its private island Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas. Beyondships will be presenting a photo tour and commentary on Great Stirrup Cay in April.
Meanwhile, Princess Cruises has named Copenhagen as its “Port of the Year” for 2009 based upon passenger satisfaction surveys. This is the first time that Princess passengers have so named a port outside of the United States. The cruise port in the Danish capital is located in the heart of the city with most ships tying up at berths that are within walking distance of some of the city’s major attractions including the Little Mermaid statue and the Royal Palace thus making it a good port of call during a cruise.. However, Princess’ award honors the port as a turnaround port - - one where a cruise begins or ends - - and thus recognizes the port’s service and efficiency.
By the luck of the draw, my cruise on the Pearl came just after my cruise on Oasis of the Seas, which is a phenomenal ship (more about this in April) and so I thought that the Pearl would suffer by comparison. However, I greatly enjoyed my cruise on Pearl. The reasons are straightforward.
First, there is the ship itself. Built by Meyer Werft, Pearl is well-engineered and nicely designed. She has the ability to do 25 knots and a relatively deep draft that helps to keep her stable. Perhaps more importantly, the public spaces are laid out well so that the ship is easy to get around and has good passenger flow. In addition, NCL has provided the ship with numerous dining and entertainment options that give one a great deal of choice as to what to do during the cruise.
Second, the ship is very well-maintained. The facilities look more like those on a ship just out of the yard than those of a popular ship that sees nearly 2,400 passengers a week. Everything in the cabin worked. I was also impressed by how clean everything was.
Third, there was the friendliness of the crew. Everyone had a hello or a good day. I had the opportunity to go behind the scenes in order to obtain material for my articles and I was impressed by how happy the crew members seemed.
As an NCL ship, Pearl follows the Freestyle style of cruising. This is an unstructured approach that provides the passenger with the building blocks to design their own cruise. The passenger decides whether they want the luxury of a Garden Villa, the economy of an inside cabin or something in between. He or she decides whether to join in organized activities or to utilize the ship’s facilities on their own. Of course, there is the choice of which of the ship’s dining venues to eat in and when to do so.
There are practical limitations. Not everyone can dine in the French specialty restaurant at the same time. Not every venue or facility is open 24 hours. However, there are enough options so that it all works out. This has led the other major lines to introduce elements of the Freestyle approach to their ships.
Beyondships’ profile of Norwegian Pearl is at http://www.beyondships.com/NCLPearl.html and the photo tour and commentary begins at http://www.beyondships.com/NCLPearl-Tour-1.html
Turning to items in the news . . . .
NCL has announced that its new ship Norwegian Epic, due out this summer, will have the largest spa at sea. It will be 31,000 square feet and include amongst other things: 24 treatment rooms, 2 private couples villas, a hydrotherapy and thermal suite, steam rooms, a salon, a fitness center and a barber shop. Along the same lines, NCL revealed that 11 of the 21 dining venues on the Epic will be complimentary.
Sticking with NCL, the line also announced that it will be making $20 million of improvements to its private island Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas. Beyondships will be presenting a photo tour and commentary on Great Stirrup Cay in April.
Meanwhile, Princess Cruises has named Copenhagen as its “Port of the Year” for 2009 based upon passenger satisfaction surveys. This is the first time that Princess passengers have so named a port outside of the United States. The cruise port in the Danish capital is located in the heart of the city with most ships tying up at berths that are within walking distance of some of the city’s major attractions including the Little Mermaid statue and the Royal Palace thus making it a good port of call during a cruise.. However, Princess’ award honors the port as a turnaround port - - one where a cruise begins or ends - - and thus recognizes the port’s service and efficiency.
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