As I write this, I'm 33,000 feet in the air on my way home from what was the most amazing time of my life! Even though it was spur of the moment and put together at the very last minute, my 5 day cruise aboard the Norwegian Pearl was nothing short of amazing. If you're new to cruising like me, this is the way to start spending your time on a floating city! I was amazed at every turn, and the boat never let me down! This is definitely not your grandmother's type of cruise! So here's the scenario: I was in Orlando on business for the week and my boyfriend flew into Fort Lauderdale to meet me. We spent two days on South Beach and left the Port of Miami on 10/14/2007 on a 5 day Western Caribbean (Cozumel, Grand Cayman Island) trip. The itinerary was: Leave Miami, Day at Sea, Cozumel, Grand Cayman Island, Day at Sea, Return Miami. Norwegian does a very good job at sending you documents prior to your cruise. Definitely read over all of them and understand the restrictions of bringing items back into the US (for example, if you buy Rum in Grand Cayman, plan on packing it in your suitcase and checking it through on your flight home...you can't take bottles of liquor through TSA at the airport due to security restrictions). So that's the first tip...get a big suitcase and under pack a little...you'll want the extra room. Embarkation process couldn't have been any easier. All passengers were to be onboard by 3:30PM before a 4:30PM departure time. After reading some previous reviews, I'm going to say the same thing: GET TO THE PORT EARLY! They will let people on the boat starting around 1PM, but we got to the port at 12:30 and it was 2PM by the time we set foot onto Deck 7. It's simple, just long lines (think of it like one security screener at the airport during rush hour....it gets backed up). Once you're through security and the metal detector, you register with the embarkation desk. To keep things easy for us, I put down one credit card for all charges on the trip. I saw people put down multiple cards for different people, but to make things easy, we just went with one card. Stateroom: Once on the boat, we were able to enter our stateroom at 2PM (great timing for us!). We promptly put our things down and marveled at the size of the room. We were in stateroom 9041, Inside, Deck 9, Forward, Starboard. When my boyfriend scoped out the bathroom, he couldn't get over the fact that there was an actual sink with shelves, a REAL shower, and a toilet (obviously) tucked away in all the right spaces. He has cruised many times and was absolutely amazed at the size of the bathroom in comparison to some of the other cruise liners out there. Navigation: Making your way around the ship seems a bit daunting at first, but you definitely get used to where you are in reference to everything else. There are directories on every floor near each elevator....USE THEM! You'll get very acquainted with this ship if you do so. All of the crew are very helpful when you can't quite figure out where you are in relation to everything else on the ship...just ask them for help and they'll point you in the right direction. Food: If you leave this cruise and you're hungry, it's your own damn fault. We didn't have enough time to visit all of the various themed restaurants, so I can only give advice on the ones we visited. FIRST - if you want to eat at a certain place at a certain time, make a reservation. The general rule is make a reservation by 5PM the night before you want to eat at said restaurant. We did that the first night, but generally found we could make a reservation at any point during the day for that night's cuisine of choice. The first night we ate at Le Bistro and had the most amazing Chateaubriand known to man. The chocolate soufflE was to die for, and the service was quite friendly and we never had to ask for anything, it was always right there. Cover: $25 per person...but we used a coupon for a buy-one-get-one cover charge free. The second night we ate at La Cucina. I had egg battered snapper and it was tender, moist, flaky, and everything you could have imagined. Definitely bring your appetite to this one! You'll be greeted with antipasti, a small salad, a selection of pasta / sauce to your liking, a main dish, and a small side (the gnocchi were out of this world). Save room for the tiramisu! Cover Charge - $15 each Third night: Summer Palace. From what my boyfriend tells me, this is the type of food that is served on cruises of old. Big, grand rooms with massive tables where people all sit together and compare stories of the day they just spent at port. Now, you don't have to sit with a large group of people if you don't want to...you can make it as intimate as possible. Even though it's freestyle cruising, you can't wear jeans to this one...collared shirts and khakis at a minimum. Cover charge - Nothing! The fourth night we ate at Lotus Garden....the roast duck was out of this world and the lemon chicken was REAL...not some imitation lemon sauce or something tacky, it was the real deal. Cover Charge: $10 each The final night: We were so exhausted by all the shore excursions and with having fun with our new friends we just gave in and went to the Garden Cafe. Think of Garden Cafe as the failsafe of the ship...you don't need to pay a cover charge and can get whatever you want during dining hours (which seemed like it was all the time). Everything from hand tossed Caesar salads, pizza, burgers, roast chicken, chicken tandori, salad bar, bread bar, a complete dessert bar, and fresh ice cream. Again, if you go hungry, it's your own fault.

Disembarkation: This was the hardest for me because I didn't want to get off the ship! It was so simple through…we chose to do the Express Disembarkation. All that means is you pack your stuff when you want and you carry your bags off the boat with you when YOU want to leave (you have to be out by a certain hour anyway, but at least you can do things at your leisure). Expect to wait in line to get off the boat and go through customs…this is NORMAL so DON'T COMPLAIN about it…just give yourself some extra time. Don't book a 6AM flight out of Miami or something…..1:30 out of Fort Lauderdale is the earliest I'd do out of FLL…12 out of MIA. Check with the cruise operators and see what they say before you book your airfare (if you don't do it through NCL). You also have the option of paying for the transfer service to the airport. For $15 per person, they'll come grab your bags the night before disembarkation and put them on a bus to the airport. If it's any consolation, my boyfriend and I paid $80 for cab fare from the port to FLL, but we went at our own schedule. With the transfer service, you're on THEIR schedule…so just double check the flight times.

Some random tips: • If you don't want the auto-gratuity option, tell someone at the registration desk before you get on the boat. It made it so much easier for us when we just included the auto gratuity…it took all the guesswork out of the vacation. • You'll have to go through the safety drill (go to your muster stations at the call of the horn and wait there for about 20 minutes). It's not bad…just put on your hot orange life jacket and it'll be over before you know it. • Generally, at around 5PM, people start dressing to the nines and get ready for their social time (think of it like a country club). Don't feel intimidated if you're walking around in shorts and a t-shirt after having just left the pool…strut your stuff through the lobby (yes, even while people are having their photos taken), and go about your business. It's YOUR cruise too! • There are hand sanitizers EVERYWHERE! Use them…they're there for a reason. • Try to figure out what you want to do for shore excursions the night before that specific day in port. They have order forms (you'll get one in your pre-registration packet), so you can fill it out at your own leisure and read all about it. • Call your bank and tell them you're going to Mexico before you go…my bank blocked all transactions in Cozumel, so buying souvenirs was a nitghtmare. • Make it easier on yourself…go with the shore excursions offered through NCL….if something happens and the excursion is late, the ship WILL wait for you. If you go off and do something on your own and you miss the ship, call up Donald Trump and see if you can borrow his helicopter…they're not waiting for you! • If you like sun, get to the sundeck or the pool area early...it fills up quick. • If it's hot outside and you're soaking up the sun, wear flip flops when you get up to go anywhere…the sundeck gets HOT! • There is bar service all the time…just flag down one of the people in the red shirt and they'll be more than happy to get you your drink of choice. • If you like frozen drinks, plan on paying $10 each (with tip). You'll most likely get one of the NCL plastic hurricane glasses…save it. If you reuse/refill it, the drink goes down to $7. Normal drinks (Bacardi & Diet, Absolute & Sprite) are $6 before tip…and they're pretty strong. A bucket of beer (6) will run you about $25 (Corona). • No need to pack your shampoo or shower gel, they have it in your shower for you. Of course, if you're picky about that stuff like my boyfriend is, bring your own. • You're automatically charged $10 per person per day for service charges (housekeeping). You have 2 services through the day…when you get up and leave the room in the morning; switch the sign on the outside of your room to 'Make up Cabin'. When you leave for dinner, turn it to 'Turn Down Cabin' and it will be nice and fresh with towel animals when you get back for the evening. • If you like wine (like we do), buy the bottle! Whatever you don't drink, they store in the central wine cellar on the ship. You get a ticket that has your bottle name and the bin number, and then a tag goes on your own bottle…it literally follows you around the ship! • Go to Bliss and have a drink! You'll like the plush beds and chairs that make up the décor. Hell, play a string of bowling while you're at it! It's worth it with a group of new friends! • Get out and enjoy the ports of call…that's why you're stopping at them in the first place! • Check out Body Waves gym on the Port side on deck 12….open 24 hours and has a nice (small) steam room. • Do the tourist thing and buy at least one picture of yourself and the one you're with on this trip…you'll be glad you did. • Relax….it's your vacation! • Write a review when you're done…it helps people (that's why I'm writing one!) I'm so glad I came across the reviewer sites so I could know what was happening before I got on the boat.