Starting out, this is our first time cruising. I am a mom (44) with my husband (47) traveling with our 2 youngest children 9 & 7. Since this is our 1st time I don't think I will be as critical as others in that I have nothing to compare it with, but we certainly have our expectations. We work hard for our money and were really looking forward to this cruise. Right off the bat, I can share with you that we thought this cruise was exceptionally fun overall! As with everyday life, some things do just go wrong and we did have a few moments, but my overall opinion of NCL and the Pearl.... well it was just fantastic. We picked this cruise as some friends of ours were going on it and highly recommended it. Was a "great deal" at the time as well. Embarkation was pretty painless. We were just gaga with excitement so the little wait really wasn't a big deal. I've read some comments from all lines about how long on and off the ships can be, but I am totally unfazed by that. I mean, we are trying to load 2,000+ people on to this massive ship, are we not? You gotta expect a little delay. No Worries Mon! ;-) Just make sure you've got time to spare!! :)

Anywhy.... I will start with the ship then be brief about the ports: The Pearl did not disappoint. Loved, loved, loved the free style concept as we are on vacation ~ in the Caribbean no less ~ and the last thing I want to do (or my husband) is get totally dolled up after a long day of basking in the sun, being in salt water etc.. etc.. Granted, we could get dressed up IF we wanted (and we did once) and they did keep to a moderately nice attire required in the MDR's so as not to have dinner be totally outta line. :) Love that we can go up to the buffets when we want (so long as it's open) and help ourselves. Love, love, love the Washy Washy people! Yay to no germs!!! Décor was fun. I thought it was going to be a bit hokey, but it was fun. The service people were OUTSTANDING. I cannot stress this enough. For the most part. :) They practically all had genuine smiles on their faces and a "hello" was never far behind. They really made this vacation rock. A notable mention should be to our waiter (I believe his name was Ernesto) in the Moderno. This was the only paid restaurant we took the children to and this waiter catered to my kids in such a delightful, fun way... it was just awesome to me that they had more attention than us - which is great by me because my kids are special to me and it was just very neat that he went way beyond to make them have a great experience. I never got the feeling that he was expecting anything for it (or anywhere for that matter on the ship)... he was just a kind good soul and that makes all the difference in the world. The shows were pretty good. Some better than others, but still entertaining. Some folks we know were not as impressed. Guess we are a little easier to please there. The game shows were fun. Nice music at times in various areas of the ship. Fun times in the Atrium playing WII on the big screen or catching a football game. Coffee was good! I am a borderline coffee snob and this coffee met my craving for a decent cup of java. Plentiful variety of food in and around the ship. I’ve read the buffet wasn’t the best, but I beg to differ. You’ve got to be a food snob if you could not find several items to satisfy your palate there. I even got crepes made to order there on 2 evenings that were out of this world and this is just the buffet! The Summer Palace was very nice. The other MDR was decent, but I personally liked the SP much more. Same food though, which was delish! Just had “special” (ie. Pay a bit extra) dinner at the Le Bistro and the Moderno and both were a really lovely treat, but I would have been more than happy to eat at the buffet or MDR’s. The best was breakfast outside on the aft open area of the ship – think it was just the Outdoor Café… but it was just perfect. I/we did not do the spa or even check out the fitness, but I am sure it was all very nice. Fun chess board and we all learned shuffle board thanks to some New Yorkers that showed us how! :) That was another part about the cruise we loved - the people. (for the most part:) It was so neat to meet all types of people from everywhere and just have small nice conversations with them. Our family even ended up doing a "family" dodge ball game on the last day with us being the only "family" and surrounded by a bunch of 25 +/- year old boys with several nationalities in there and had an absolute ball with them!! (pun intended:) Was just so nice to see happy people (for the most part:) having a great time like us.

*Splash Academy* (for the kids) Honestly, we only used them 2x. Our kids like hangin' with Mom and Dad and the ship had plenty to offer that makes us all happy, we were good. BUT, the times they were there, they loved it! The last night they had a pj party and had tons of fun and we enjoyed an evening to ourselves knowing they were in good, capable, fun hands. Read more