We just took a cruise (our first) on the Norwegian Pearl and absolutely loved it. The ship is large enough to offer many options in entertainment, the passengers were from a variety of backgrounds and age groups with 500 kids on board. We saw the children/teenagers but had no idea there were that many on board as they were either very well behaved or frequented other areas on the ship. There were so many options available and such a diversity in passengers that we spread out throughout the ship and it was not crowded at all. Entertainment included the comedy group from Chicago "Second City" which has produced many of the famous American comedians in the last 20 years. As expected they were very funny and their show was quite enjoyable. There was also a Dance troupe on board which performed a PG-13 rated "Showgirl" review one evening and a very nice Japanese themed "Garden of the Geisha" show on another night. There was also a Magic show which we did not attend. There were several bands and vocal groups which provided a wide variety of live music from the Big Band era, thru jazz, the 70's, 80's and even more recent music. Depending on where you went and when, you had opportunity to find music which appealed to your tastes, a very good Pianist/vocalist, a Latin group, the ship's band playing music from various eras, a Jazz group, etc. I found all of them to be talented and very easy on the ears. The flexibility in dining when and where we wanted fit our personalities very well. We were on a cruise to celebrate our 25th anniversary and wanted to spend time with each other. We did not want to be locked down to a scheduled dinner time and were free to spend a little extra ($10-$20) and eat at the top-notch Steakhouse, French LeBistro restaurant, Lotus Garden Asian Fusion, Sushi bar, or the Teppanyaki restaurant. We could eat slowly and enjoy a leisurely 2 hour dinner or grab a quick dinner between a day on shore and a show that evening. All the food was excellent and the ship seldom felt crowded. Most of the time we were able to take in the entertainment, dine, or simply enjoy a stroll on the deck unimpeded by crowds. We brought formal wear, but being Americans on vacation did not want to go around in a suit or Tux every other night. They had two "Formal or not" nights when they encouraged folks to wear their formal attire, but it was not required. So basically those that wanted to, dressed up and took advantage of the fancier restaurants and those that did not want to dress up, dressed in nice casual wear and ate at the fancy restaurants or simply ate at the less formal restaurants. No shorts, ragged/dirty jeans, tank tops or T-shirts were allowed in the restaurants after 5 PM and the Summer Palace restaurant had a "no jeans allowed' rule after 5 PM. The service was excellent and the ship is beautiful. I highly recommend this trip for both the stunning scenery and the excellent service.