Norwegian
Cruise Line

Best for People who Want:
A terrestrial resort-style vacation, but at sea; very flexible dining with a large variety of alternative restaurants.

Should be Avoided By People Who Prefer:
Quiet settings, understated decor, all-inclusive cruises where all dinners are taken at pre-set times in the dining room with the same table and waiters every night.

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Onboard Experience:
Nowhere at sea can you enjoy something more closely resembling a terrestrial resort vacation than on Norwegian Pearl, especially when it comes to dining options. For those who like to try a different cuisine every night, Pearl is absolutely heaven-sent. The days at sea are jam-packed with activities, from cooking/carving demonstrations, gaming lessons, art auctions, health seminars, putting contests, diamond and gem seminars, basic language courses, and snorkeling demos, to makeover seminars, bridge play, and even finance-themed lectures. And if all that isn't quite enough for you, there are, for extra fees, wine, martini and margarita tastings; yoga; Pilates; indoor cycling; bingo; and instruction in massage.

On the pool deck, the water slide takes up a lot of acreage and most of the foot traffic is on the deck opposite the teen facility, so on sea days the pool areas get crowded. The upper deck, though, is a fairly reliable refuge. There are 1,047 deck chairs on board, and not a single cushion, unless someone's smuggled one aboard.

Décor:
When one walks around the Pearl, especially in the nightclubs, the one word that comes to mind is "decadent." No other ship I have seen actually has what appears to be double, and even king-sized, beds in the lounges. Even around the pool there are double deck-chairs large enough for a couple to sleep comfortable with th family dog. All of the chairs surrounding the pool are heavily cushioned and actually quite luxurious compared to the usual plastic on most mass-market cruise lines. The most striking decor, however, is in "Bliss" the nightclub that also contains the world's first bowling alley at sea

Public Rooms:
In keeping with the burgeoning trend by NCL to take on Carnival for the "most like a theme park" decor award, one word that will never come to mind aboard Pearl, is "understated." In contrast to elegance, whether simple or not, as on Princess or the luxury lines, this ship will appeal to people who enjoy raising their pulse. The color and design in Spinnakers Lounge is bright enough to send you back to your stateroom for sunglasses. The chaise lounges for two seem like something from the decadent Roman age, while the deep blue sateen, inverted comma-shaped, tabels and chairs seem to grow out the similarly colored carpet also filled with similar design patterns. These cushy couches are punctuated by chairs that evoke NASA nosecones.

Chairs & Loungers		in Spinnakers Nightclub

The Bliss Nightclub is even more decadent with its king-size bed chaise lounges that evoke the silent question "What time does the orgy start?" Deep blue, orange and gold sateen cover every surface except the cocktail tables, dance floor and the the four bowling lanes on either side of the room.

Satiny chair and overstuffed pillows		Bowling Alley

Plush queen-size loungers in Bliss		A king-size lounge-bed in Bliss

The Internet cafe, open 24 hours a day, features eight computer stations. After an account activation fee of $3.95, the basic charge is .75 per minute. Frequent users do better with package rates: 250 minutes for $100 or 100 minutes for $55. Shorter plans the last day of the cruise include 15 minutes for $8.25 and 30 minutes for $12.

The wood burl shelves of The Library groan happily beneath the weight of a good selection of self-help, sports, travel, science, history, fiction and children's books in multiple languages. Passengers can check out three at a time.

Cuisine:
The restaurants are more conducive to relaxation, especially Le Bistro and Mambo's Tapas Restaurant. La Cucina's appetizers and pasta are very delicious, as too is Le Bistro's filet mignon. Many passengers seem to enjoy watching the Teppenaki's predictably exhibitionistic chefs through the large picture window design. The $5 all-you-can-eat sushi menu, effective day or night, is a remarkably good deal. The menu at the two main dining rooms is the same each day.

Restaurants:
The two main dining rooms, Azura and Tsar's Palace, seat 310 and 552, respectively. The very attractive Russian themed Tsar's, all royal burgundy, green, and gold, with chandeliers, marbled pillars and faux Faberge egg balustrades, is two stories tall, with fabulous huge windows aft. There are seldom lines for either Tsar's or the smaller, sleeker, pop-art-decorated Azura. Traditional cruise-ship style dining arrangements are offered; if you want to be seated at the same time each night, at the same table, simply arrange it with the maitre 'd. Either Tsar's or Azura is open for breakfast and lunch.

The Garden Café and Great Outdoors buffet areas offer breakfast, lunch and dinner. Meals are always varied, occasionally with a culinary theme. Multiple serving stations are surprisingly efficient to preclude crowding, even on days at sea. Serving stations for breakfast include custom-made waffles and omelets, while lunch and dinner feature pastas and sauces in the combination of your choice.

Garden Court Carving Station		Outdoor Grill near Garden Cafe

Separate Action Stations		Ice Cream Station

Le Bistro, the line's signature alternative restaurant, does French. Each of the other four other restaurants has its own specialty. Cagney's does steaks, Tango's Tapas does Tex-Mex; Chin Chin does Chinese, Teppanyaki, Shabu-Shabu and sushi; and we'll let you guess what Mama's Italian Kitchen does. Neither Mama's nor Tango's levies an extra charge. The others charge a modest $10 or $15. All are open for dinner. Cagney's, Chin Chin, and Le Bistro all halve their cover charge between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m.

Next to the buffet area, the casual Blue Lagoon, overlooking the water or the atrium, is a great place to grab a snack when returning from a shore excursion. It is open from 10 p.m. at night until 4:30 the following afternoon.

In an impressive leap forward in the art of free-style dining, NCL's all original and innovative reservations system lets guests book tables anytime they want during the cruise for the entire week, beginning as soon as they board. There a TV-style monitors throughout the ship showing the hours of operation for each restaurant and how busy they are at any given moment. If the restuarant you walk up to is too crowded, you can ask the Maitre D' to book you in another restuarant right on the spot. No other cruise line does this. Upon making a selection, the party is given a beeper, allowing them to wander the ship until their table is ready.

Service:
The staff, recruited from all over the globe, is generally attentive and pleasant.

Tipping:
$10 per adult per day and $5 per child are added to your folio automatically. Fifteen percent is automatically added to bar bills and spa services. NCL suggests that concierges and butlers be tipped separately in accordance with the services they provide.

Entertainment:
The main entertainment venue, the Stardust Theatre, customarily packed, presents nightly Broadway and Vegas-style productions, comedy and magic acts, and a Cirque du Soleil-style aerial thriller, Cirque Bijou, including gymnasts, acrobats and bungee jumpers. Or you might prefer the justly celebrated Second City Troupe, which has produced many of North America's best-loved comedians the past few decades, including Martin Short and Rick Moranis.

Evening and late-night attractions include a 50s/60s dance and comedy show, the Not-So-Newlywed Game, and Liar's Club. The Spinnaker's lounge is a big favorite for people of the 60s and seventies with a great rock-n-roll band including lead guitar, sax and three "chick singers."

The attractive casino's two hundred video games and slot machines include penny slots; to the delight of serious players, the craps tables offers Las Vegas betting odds.

Shore excursions run the gamut from canopy zipline tours for thrill-seekers to sedate sightseeing trips. What they all have in common, unfortunately, is an often endless tender process between ship and shore.

Cabins:
The ship has 1,188 cherry wood-finished rooms broken down into 32 categories, a positively dizzying range best considered group by group. The largest group, with 1,008 rooms, includes inside rooms at 143 sq. ft.; ocean-view rooms at 158-166 sq. ft.; and ocean-view rooms with balcony at 205 sq. ft. All have safes, hairdryers, TVs and refrigerators, beds that convert from queen to twins, and enough drawer and closet space for two people on a seven-night cruise.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the two groundbreaking Garden Villas, 4,390 sq. ft., have living rooms, dining rooms, sun decks and three separate bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. Each Garden Villa sleeps up to six adults, two kids/adults in rollaway beds and three infants in cribs -- great for a big family. The smaller (574 sq. ft.) 10 Courtyard Villas share a central courtyard with its own pool and small gym.

For those wanting something between the wonderful Villas and the regular inside/outside rooms, there are 168 Owner's Suites, Penthouses, Romance Suites and Mini-Suites. Many of them are placed on the Garden Villa deck and share a common area with a "swim against the current" swimming pool, private massage areas, a private workout area with stairstepper and treadmill and a hot tub.

Owner's Suite		Owner's Suite Dining Area

Bar and Bedroom Entrance		Master Bedroom

On the topmost deck is an expanse of suites all surrounding a private Garden Villa outdoor pool deck. This private area has a swim against the current pool, a hot tub, a private exercise room, massage services available and pool cabanas with double-bed size comfy cushions.

Private Pool Deck		View from other end

Private Hot tub		Cabanas surround the pool

Fitness/Spa:
Body Waves Fitness Center, Deck 12, open 24/7, has 14 treadmills with their own TVs, more than 25 other pieces of fitness equipment, abundant free weights, and a large workout area with lots of aerobic equipment, such as steps and balls. The Bora Bora Health Spa and Salon, operated by Mandara, has 20 treatment rooms for such exotic treatments as algae detox, lime and ginger salt glows, coconut rubs, and milk ritual wraps, including three for couples. Men's and women's sides are set up with stream and sauna rooms, whirlpool, indoor lap pool, jet-current exercise pool, hydrotherapy pool, and Jacuzzis.

Kids:
Norwegian Pearl is wild about them, as witness: interconnecting cabins, a kids-only pool and water slide, and the Splashdown Kid's Club, featuring a kid cinema and video arcade. Where most at-sea children's programs turn their backs on the under-threes, NCL welcomes even those in their terrible twos.

In addition to selections from their own menu, young passengers can eat hot dogs and chicken nuggets in the Kid's Corner buffet, with mini stools and low tables. The complimentary Kid's Crew program is organized by age group: Junior Sailors (2 - 5), First Mates (6 - 9), Navigators (10 - 12) and Teens (13 - 17). Families can gather in the Card Room for a game of Monopoly or Clue, sing together during family karaoke night, or compete in a "Family Feud" game show.

Attire:
Determinedly casual, though T-shirts, shorts, and tank tops are forbidden in the dining rooms after 5 p.m., except for the Garden Café//Great Outdoors. Very few people dress up for the one "formal optional" night.

Special Features:
NCL has introduced two well-loved new policies to ease the pain of disembarkation. Guests who can manage their own luggage disembark first, while those flying out on American Airlines can, after claming them and going through customs at the pier, check their bags with the airline, after which they're free of them until landing.