Norwegian Pearl

The 2006-built Norwegian Pearl cruise ship is the 3rd of NCL's Jewel-class liners, together with Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Jade and Norwegian Jewel.

The vessel (IMO number 9342281) is currently Bahamas-flagged (MMSI 309653000) and registered in Nassau.

History - construction and ownership

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is a subsidiary company of the shipping corporation Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NCLH). NCL was founded in 1966, headquartered in Miami (Florida USA) and publicly traded (NASDAQ) company listed on NYSE (NYC). NCLH's major shareholders are the corporations Apollo Global Management (American), Genting Group (Malaysian) and TPG Capital (American). In 2017, the brand NCL had a worldwide cruise market share 8,7% (passengers) and 8,4% (revenue). NCLH (shipowner) owns the brands NCL, Oceania and RSSC-Regent.

The 2400-passenger ship Norwegian Pearl was built with the idea of Freestyle Cruising - no dress code (no formal attire needed) and no restrictions on when and where you dine. Norwegian Pearl is a luxurious ship, featuring amazing amenities, such as the first bowling alley to hit the high seas.

Decks and Cabins

Norwegian Pearl staterooms (1197 total, in 36 grades) include 182x Suites, 360x Balcony, 243x Oceanview and 412 Inside cabins. Most staterooms are sized 140-160 ft2 (13-15 m2). The largest accommodations are the 3-Bedroom The Haven Garden Villa (2320 ft2 / 216 m2, with terrace sized 1035 ft2 / 96 m2).

The boat has 15 decks, of which 12 are passenger-accessible and 8 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

A lot of dining options are available with the multiple restaurants onboard Norwegian Pearl. You can eat whatever you want at any time. Traditionalists can have dinner at the same time, in the same place every night, just have to inform the maitre d' in advance. Otherwise, the multitude of dining venues allows for various options. Norwegian has gone back to the reservation system and it allows guests to make plans a day in advance. Some restaurants are included in cruise fare, while others incur additional fees.

Follows the complete list of Norwegian Pearl restaurants and food bars.

• Indigo Restaurant (forward Dining Room, complimentary, with Your Time dining)
• Le Bistro (French speciality dinner-only restaurant; reservations-only; US$20 cover charge)
• Lotus Garden (Asian restaurant, dinner-only, complimentary since 2015)
• Sushi Bar (10-seat Lotus Garden restaurant, a la carte); Sake Bar (inside Lotus Garden)
• Teppanyaki (Japanese Hibachi speciality, reservations-only restaurant; US$25; open for Lunch and Dinner; features live cooking demonstrations)
• Summer Palace Restaurant (aft-location Dining Room; complimentary; Freestyle dining)
• Blue Lagoon (buffet restaurant for fast food; complimentary)
• Sky High Bar & Grill (complimentary fast food bar); Bali Hai (grill)
• Cagney’s Steakhouse (speciality dinner restaurant for prime steaks and gourmet seafood specialities; reservations-only, US$30 cover charge per person and free Kids Menu)
• Moderno Churrascaria (Brazilian steakhouse; reservations-only; US$20 per person cover charge; with outdoor seating waterfront area)
• La Cucina (Italian speciality restaurant; reservations-only, US$15 cover charge; with outdoor seating waterfront area)
• Garden Cafe (complimentary buffet restaurant with various cuisine stations); Kid's Cafe
• The Great Outdoors (outdoor buffet restaurant, complimentary)
• Topsiders Bar & Grill (poolside, complimentary).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

There are a lot of bars and lounges onboard Norwegian Pearl to spend your free time, as well as sparkling pools, fitness and luxury spa facilities. Other ships might have surf parks and ice skating, but Norwegian Pearl has bowling: 4 family-friendly lanes flank the Bliss Ultra Lounge on Deck 7, filled with beds and pillows, divans and loungers. It becomes the ship's after-party hotspot at night. Bowling costs $5 per person, per game, which includes shoe rental. There are also the usual shipboard entertainment options, with improv comedy by Chicago's Second City troupe, production shows in the Stardust Theater on Decks 5 and 6, pianists and singers throughout the ship, audience-participation games and some adults-only late-night comedy shows. The ship also has 7 jacuzzis and 3 pools (1 kids pool). Entertainment options also include the NCL's FIREWORKS show (on each voyage), "Rock of Ages", "Cirque Dreams", "Illusionarium" (magicians show).

Additional amenities include: Complimentary 24-hour Room-Service, Supervised Kids Program ("NCL Kids"), Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry. NCL Pearl tipping/gratuities (US$12 pp per day). NCL Pearl cruise ship weddings are held in her chapel.

Follows the complete list of Norwegian Pearl lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• Stardust Theatre (1042-seat; features Broadway-style musical productions; two grand shows per night)
• Bar City complex (Maltings Beer & Whisky Bar, Shakers Martini & Cocktail Bar and Magnum’s Champagne & Wine Bar); Corona Cigar Bar; Sugarcane Mojito Bar; Star Bar; Topsiders Bar
• Bliss Ultra Lounge & Nightclub
• Spinnaker Lounge (394-seat, with floor-to-ceiling windows; serves as disco & night club); Java Cafe
• Crystal Atrium (2-deck midship hub area with a big-size LED screen, dance area and live entertainment)
• Atrium Cafe & Bar (speciality tea & coffee bar)
• Internet Cafe (24-hour); Art Gallery; Photo Gallery & Shop
• LifeStyles Room; Library; Card Room
• Pearl Club Casino
• Trade Routes Boutiques (tax and duty-free shops); Port O’Call (gift shop)
• South Pacific Spa complex (Thermal Suite, Snow Room, Salt Room, Medi Spa, Smile Spa, Treatment Rooms, Beauty Salon, Barber Shop); Body Waves Fitness Centre; Tahitian Beach Pool; Kid’s Pool
• Aqua Kid’s Club; Metro Center Teen’s Lounge & Disco Club; Video Games Arcade
• The Haven area Courtyard Fitness & Spa complex (Villas-guests only, Steam Room, Gym)
• Rock Climbing Wall; Combined sports court; Jogging Track; Golf Nets; Shuffleboard, Giant Chess.

Itineraries

Norwegian Pearl itinerary program is based on Alaska cruises from Seattle WA in the summer. The NCL Pearl also sails to the Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean out of Miami FL and on repositioning crossings through Panama Canal.

Pearl is one of NCL's Jewel-class liners, with sisterships Gem, Jade and Jewel. Vessel's construction started on October 3, 2005. The ship was launched (floated out from drydock) on October 15, 2006, and christened in PortMiami on December 16, 2006. Her Godmother was Roseann O'Donnell (1962-born US comedian actress, author, TV personality). The Inaugural Cruise/Maiden Voyage was on December 2, 2006 (Transatlantic repositioning crossing from Southampton England to Miami Florida).

An interesting fact is that Pearl is one of 12 cruise liners allowed to discharge their treated wastewater in Juneau, Ketchikan and other main Alaskan harbors. These liners are also permitted to discharge laundry, shower and kitchen runoff (called "grey water").

Fun fact is, that Norwegian Pearl, just like the NCL Jewel ship, was a TV star. In 2009, the CNBC TV channel showed a documentary titled "Big Money on the High Seas" featuring Norwegian Pearl. Pearl is the NCL fleet's first liner with a rock-climbing wall.

Ship's Captain is Paul von Knorring.

Itineraries 2017-2018

For the 2017-2018 season, the NCL Pearl ship will reposition from Miami to NOLA New Orleans. The ship will operate on 7-8-9-day round-trip Western Caribbean cruises (between Oct 22, 2017, and April 1, 2018). NOLA itineraries will visit ports in Mexico (Cozumel, Costa Maya), Honduras (Roatan); Belize (Harvest Caye). Longer itineraries will additionally visit Grand Cayman and Guatemala (Santo Tomas de Castilla).

NCL Pearl refurbishment 2017 review

Ship's drydock 2017 refurbishment (February 14-26, in Freeport Bahamas) resulted in the following deckplan changes, new amenities and renovations:

• All cruise staterooms were refreshed with cool blue hues. All cabins also received new furniture, carpeting, bed headboards, flat HDTVs (infotainment system), USB outlets (for device charging).
• Over 2200 new artworks were installed throughout the ship (including in all cabins).
• The Haven suite complex had its Haven Courtyard refurbished with new finishes on outdoor deck areas, the swimming pool, the hot tubs. New deck furniture and cabanas were added.
• The Haven suites and villas all received extensive renovation - new wallpapers, furniture, finishes, carpeting, drapery, artworks.
• Cagney’s Steakhouse received new carpeting, artworks, upholstery, window treatments.
• Moderno Churrascaria (Brazilian steakhouse) restaurant received new tables and chairs, wall laminates, new granite bar tops, remodeled glass-door entrance.
• O’Sheehan’s Bar and Grill was updated with new flooring, refurbished granite-topped bar, new bar back shelves, ceiling, lighting fixtures, wall finishes, furniture (tables and chairs), plus new banquet seating for large groups.
• Pool Deck received new deck flooring and the whirlpools were refurbished. The bars "Great Outdoors" and "Sky High" received new flooring.
• During drydock 2017, NCL Pearl was retrofitted with new "scrubbers" (exhaust gas cleaning systems). The new scrubber technology reduces the equivalent of approx 1500 tons of the poisonous gas Sulfur Oxide. Norwegian Cruise Line was the first cruise company retrofitting with a scrubber hybrid system vessels while in service. The new in-line scrubbers (5 units) are lightweight and able to operate in a dry mode, as well as in open and closed loops.

Drydock 2017 was part of NCL's "Norwegian Edge" program for fleetwide upgrades (2-year project budgeted USD 400 million). Each drydock costs around USD 35-40 million.