Chose because it was a small ship, and we liked the itinerary. All and all, we had a wonderful time. The cruise directors were very enthusiastic and able to deal with everyone in a professional and mature manner. We enjoyed our activities both on and off the ship. We were a little disappointed that our trip started in Santiago rather than Havana, but it actually ended up being better that way. We loved the shore excursions, and the on shore meals as well as those on the ship were excellent.

We had rough weather both going and coming from Cuba. In this case, it was better to be on one of the lower decks rather than the 4th and 5th decks. Due to the weather, the captain decided it was too rough to take the passengers to Cuba by ship. So, we got an additional day of sightseeing in the Cienfuegos area (including going to the Bay of Pigs) and then were transported to Havana by bus. (All of the tour buses were modern and had bathrooms.) By traveling to Havana by bus, we were able to see more of the countryside. We stayed in a five-star hotel in Havana, and all of the rooms had balconies with water views. We considered this to be a bonus since it was not part of our originall itinerary. The next day we did more sightseeing in Havana and had dinner at a beautiful old hotel. We re boarded the ship and sailed for Florida early the next morning.

I think Pearl Seas went over and above to make sure we had a great experience.