Imagine you had a child who was close to perfect: slept straight through the night, never cried, ate its vegetables and showed an early aptitude for some high-paying profession. Now imagine you and your spouse wanted another, and imagine further that it's the year, oh, 2019. You make an appointment with your local genetic engineer and hand him your first child's template. He asks if you'd like anything tweaked. Well, you say, his ears are maybe a little big. And his voice could be lower. And while you're at it, why not give the new one a dimple in his chin, like Cary Grant?
And that, friends, is how modern cruise ships are built.
That's no knock against Norwegian Pearl, the newest from Norwegian Cruise Line (tel. 800/327-7030; www.ncl.com). Christened in mid-December, she's both brand spankin' new and totally familiar, the latest in a line of nearly identical vessels that also includes Norwegian Spirit (1999), Norwegian Star (2001), Norwegian Dawn (2002), Norwegian Jewel (2005), and Pride of Hawai'i (2006), with cute little Norwegian Gem still in the womb and due for delivery in October.
When originally planned, Pearl was intended to be an identical twin to 2005's Norwegian Jewel, right down to the carpet patterns. The urge to tweak resulted in a few differences, but overall she's a chip off the old block, offering the an experience that years of planning and discipline have now molded into the now-iconic NCL pattern: a lively atmosphere, bright colors, a mix of classy and fun spaces, awesome kids' facilities, truly contemporary production shows, nods to 21st-century hipness, more restaurant options than you'll likely have time to sample and an always-casual vibe that extends from the dress code (or lack thereof) to flexible meal times and flexible debarkation.
According to Andy Stewart, the line's VP of marketing and sales, it's all intended to "appeal to a mindset rather than a demographic," drawing people "who like to see themselves as nonconformists." (Though, he added, "We don't want to limit ourselves to the 10 per cent who really are nonconformists. That'd be wacky.")
Pearl on the Half-Shell
Overall, Pearl and her sister-ships get straight As, offering cruisers a fun atmosphere conducive to socializing, with onboard music and pop culture references tailored to a surprisingly youngish demographic -- generally, from folks in their twenties to folks in their 50s. Are these the Generation X and Y megaships? Could be.
Before we move on to the really fun stuff, let's talk cabins for a while.
Though standard cabins are not overly large compared to some in the industry (particularly those of Carnival and Holland America), they're plenty comfortable for a casual week at sea. Decor is a mix, blending style (such as cherry wood wall paneling) with kitsch (such as bright island-colored bedspreads and carpeting). Closet and drawer space are more than ample for weeklong sailings, and bathrooms in all categories are well designed, with large sinks whose faucets swing out of the way, a magnifying mirror inset in the regular mirror, adequate though not exceptional counter/shelf space, and (in all but inside cabins) separate shower and toilet compartments. Minisuites provide about 60 more feet of floor space than standard cabins, with a large fold-out couch, a curtain between the bed and the sitting area, and a bathtub. Real suite-suites range from 460 square-foot "Romance Suites" up to the very huge 4,390 square-foot Garden Villas, with their living room, dining room, private concierge lounge, private courtyard with pool and hot tub, private sundeck, and three separate bedrooms, each with king- or queen-size bed and private luxury bath.
Best of all, in my opinion, are the smaller Courtyard Villas, located on the same top-of-the-ship deck as the Garden Villa. They offer spacious suite accommodations coupled with access to a villa-guests-only courtyard, a private sundeck, and a staffed concierge lounge. The courtyard is a stunner, with a small private swimming pool, hot tub and several plush, shaded sun beds. Suites (which due to safety regulations open to a hallway around the courtyard rather than right into it) are also knockouts, with separate bedroom and living/dining room; a huge, gorgeously appointed bathroom with ocean view whirlpool tub and shower, a large private balcony and floor space that ranges from 440 to 572 square feet. The larger Courtyard Penthouses also offer a separate children's room with fold-out couch bed and second bath. This year, prices were hovering in the $4,400 to $5,400 range for weeklong itineraries.
Ten Things to Like About NCL and Its Pearl
1. NCL is not afraid to bowl.
That's right, Norwegian Pearl offers the first bowling alley at sea -- which sounds dull if your mental image of bowling is small-town leagues, funny shirts, bad '70s hair, and Miller Lite. If, on the other hand, you're tapped into the retro-chic, bowling-shoe-as-fashion-trend, martini-culture, glow-in-the-dark pins vibe, you'll understand Bliss, the totally 21st-century nightclub NCL has created on Pearl.
By day, the room is a high-style sports bar with video arcade games, multiple TVs showing sporting events, and four bowling lanes with computerized scoring. Games are $5 per person, including shoe rental, and in normal weather the ship's motion doesn't seem to affect your ball's trajectory (though you can blame bad rolls on that if you like). By night, the room becomes a super-hip nightclub, with the alleys done up in mood lighting and the rest of the decor done in bordello-meets-Vampire-Lestat style, with red and purple velvet drapes and upholstery, classical paintings of reclining nudes, DJ entertainment, plasma screens showing music videos, and a series of plush king-size beds scattered among the couches and overstuffed chairs, putting the night in nightlife.
2. NCL is not afraid of sex.
Most cruise lines limit their titilation activities to their stage shows, where they dress their leggy dancers in Vegas showgirl fashion ... while making them perform music written before their parents were born. NCL is not so timid. In the new stage show Tubez, performers cover the recent hit "Don't Cha (Wish Your Girlfriend Was Hot Like Me)" while showing off abs fashioned in true modern R&B/hip-hop video style. In the "Bar Central" area of deck 6, a video screen shows a silhouetted female dancer doin' her thing in true James Bond movie-credits style. And on deck 15, a small "Freestyle" sundeck hidden away behind frosted glass partitions adds yet another meaning to NCL's favorite word. Use your imagination.
3. NCL is not afraid to drink.
Like her sister-ships, Pearl offers about a dozen different bars, some general-purpose and some dedicated to distinctive styles of drinkery. At the entrance to the Asian-fusion Lotus Garden restaurant, a small bar serves a selection of sake and various Asian beers. Mambo's bar, located in the Latin/tapas restaurant, offers Latin-accented entertainment to accompany its small-plate specials. In deck 6's Bar Central, Shakers Martini & Cocktail Bar and Magnum's Champagne & Wine Bar serve ... guess what?
The highlight, though, is right next door, at Bar Central's Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar, which along with the similar bars on Norwegian Jewel and Pride of Hawai'i rank as the absolute, number-one beer and whiskey bars at sea today. Designed with comfortable leather chairs and a faux still for ambience, it offers a menu of 46 brews, a small selection of meads, 23 single-malt Scotches, 7 blended Scotches, 9 Irish Whiskeys, 7 Canadian whiskeys, 17 American bourbons and a partridge in a pear tree. The beer menu includes standouts like Coopers Stout, Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale, Sam Adams Cream Stout and Pete's Wicked Honey Wheat, while the whiskey menu won my heart by including George Dickel No. 12. Now that's taste.
4. NCL is not afraid to admit that it's 2007.
Most cruise ships exist in a time warp, their entertainment, background music, pop-culture themes and even menus carefully tailored to a demographic whose glory days might now be decades past. While NCL is not guiltless in this regard, it's also not afraid to spice things up with touches of the truly contemporary.
In the aforementioned production show Tubez, I was knocked out by the inclusion of two BMX bicycle acrobats, who flipped, spinned, and twirled between ramps set up at either side of the stage, their tattoos blazing. Musical selections in the show skewed toward the contemporary, while the lead male singer was a rapper -- a far cry from the Broadway-voiced pretty boys chosen for most cruise ship shows.
My favorite touch of all was the inclusion of the song "Dragostea Din Tei" by Moldovan/Romanian pop band O-Zone among the ship's background music. Better known as "The Numa Numa Song" gained worldwide fame in 2004 courtesy of a homemade Internet video featuring pudgy lip-synching New Jersey-ite Gary Brolsma.
5. NCL is not afraid to eat.
It's an old story by now that NCL's ships offer the greatest number of edible options in the cruise biz, and though the line-up hasn't changed from Pearl's earlier sister-ships, the stats are still pretty amazing. Passengers aboard Pearl can choose from ten different restaurants, including two main restaurants (the Summer Palace, designed after the Russian imperial palaces of St. Petersburg, and Indigo, which takes its design cues from Andy Warhol and the boutique-hotel restaurant aesthetic), Mambo's Latin/Tapas Restaurant, Cagney's Steakhouse, the Lotus Garden Asian Restaurant (with separate teppanyaki room), the family-style La Cucina Italian Restaurant, the formal Le Bistro French restaurant, Blue Lagoon for 24-hour snacks, the Garden Cafe buffer restaurant, and the outdoor Sky High Grill. Snacks are also available from the Java Cafe coffee bar, on the main floor of the atrium, while vegetarians will appreciate the Indian vegetarian spread that's offered in the buffet restaurant.
6. NCL is not afraid to innovate.
The problem with all those restaurants, and the fact that passengers are free to eat at any of them, anytime within a multi-hour window, is that back-ups are almost inevitable when a particular restaurant proves super-popular one evening. That leaves people with the option of either waiting till tables open up or of going to one of the other venues -- which may themselves be full-up, too. NCL's solution to this comes in the form of large computerized "billboard" screens placed outside restaurants and in various public areas. Each displays a listing of every restaurant on board, its status (open/closed), the type of food it serves, how busy it is at that particular moment, how close it is to filling up, and how long a wait there will be if it is filled up. The displays also include photos of the place and a description of their menus, to let you know what to expect. For those who don't like to plan too far ahead, it's a great boon: You can head out for the evening and just decide where to dine on the fly. Maître d's at every restaurant can take reservations at any of the other restaurants too, so if one looks like it's filling up you won't have to sprint to catch that last table -- just amble to the nearest restaurant and have them call ahead for you.
7. NCL is not afraid to steal.
Or maybe I should use the term "appropriate." In any case, the evidence is all around. From Carnival comes a huge spiral water slide on the pool deck ("Absolutely the easiest and cheapest way to keep kids entertained morning and night. Adults too," according to NCL CEO Colin Veitch). From Royal Caribbean comes the 30-foot rock-climbing wall that now adorns the back of the ship's funnel. From Princess comes the giant video movie screen that fills passengers' views in the two-story atrium.
8. NCL is not afraid to sit down and veg out.
For Pearl, NCL expanded a concept that's worked well in the private courtyards of the Garden Villas and Courtyard Villas: huge cushioned wicker day beds, which here accessorize the main pool deck and are the most comfortable things going. Hammocks also adorn the Villas' private sun-decks, while the Spinnaker Lounge and the atrium are dotted with wonderful free-form furniture, including undulating lounges and apostrophe-shaped stools. Too fun.
9. NCL is not afraid to sweat.
Like her sisters, Pearl has one of the better onboard gyms of recent years -- large and extremely well appointed, with dozens of fitness machines and a large aerobics room. In the attached spa, twin male and female "thermal suites" offer a space for passengers to chill out warmly pre- or post-massage.
10. NCL is not afraid to let kids be kids.
Pearl and her sisters offer some of the better kids facilities at sea, with a huge, brightly colored crafts/play area, a big-screen TV room stuffed full of beanbag chairs, a huge ball-jump/crawling-maze play-gym and a computer room. In the buffet restaurant, the Kid's Café is a miniaturized version of the adult cafe, accurate down to tiny chairs and a miniature buffet counter. It's the cutest thing going.
And the Score Is . . .
Final grade on Norwegian Pearl? She's a five-star gem (on a scale of five), one of the most enjoyable ships in the cruise market. While her cabins may not be the industry's largest and her service not up there with what you get on the luxe lines, that's not the point. Instead, NCL is all about fun -- bright, sexy, and a little loony. It's the plucky comic relief holding the flag for individuality against the big corporate guns at Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Three cheers for the little fish.
Norwegian Pearl is currently sailing alternating 9-night Southern Caribbean and 5-night Western Caribbean cruises round-trip from Miami, through April. On April 22 she sails from Miami to Los Angeles via the Panama Canal, and from there to Seattle to begin a summer of 7-night Alaska itineraries.
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