RESERVATIONS This was my very first cruise. I booked the cruise online for the NCL Pearl departing from Port of Miami for 5 days to the Western Caribbean (Cozumel and Grand Cayman). The price of the cruise and room selection were identical on both the NCL and online websites, but the trip insurance and airfare were lower online.
CHECK-IN and EMBARKATION We flew into Miami International Airport around Noon. There was no wait at the taxi stand and a ride to Port Miami is a flat rate fare of $24.
The embarkation was fairly quick (maybe because we arrived early) although it was rather disorienting. Throughout the process, the crew gave minimal direction and explanation. We felt herded from one point to the next: first a security person who checked our ID, next to someone who briefly greeted us and handed us the ship's daily newsletter with schedule of events, then to the security screening, the registration desk, up an escalator to get our room cards (which double as credit cards for our onboard spending), then on board Deck 12 where we first had to sanitize our hands (a disconcerting experience for us first timers), pose for our embarkation photo (which felt like a DMV photo), and then to on lunch.