Our much anticipated cruise on the NCL Pearl on January 30th, 2010 began with flying in on Friday and staying at the Best Western on the Bay Inn & Marina in North Bay. The hotel has stay and cruise deals. We did not use this option but they did help us set up a shuttle for our group of 10. This hotel was great in that they could sleep 5 per room. There were 2 queens and a pull out single bed. The beds were comfortable and the hotel restaurant, Shuckers, had great food and a happy hour. We ventured out for dinner. After being passed up by the bus at the bus stop just outside the hotel, we walked 2 miles to an awesome Cuban restaurant, Sazon. The food was great and I think the best sangria I've ever tasted.
Embarkation- We were picked up by a shuttle around 1145 and were at the port by 1215. There was a bit of a line to get thru security but it moved quite quickly. If you are bringing on wine, the bottles will be caught here and you will receive a ticket with the cork fees right after. It must have been early as there were only a couple things in the "confiscated" bin. The lines to check into your rooms were short. They try to push you along quite quickly.
We had lunch at the buffet. The did announce that the Summer Palace dining room was open for lunch. The buffet was quite busy and I was not really pleased with the food. I was worried because I had read that the Pearl has supposedly a great buffet. I didn't have to worry long. We checked out the ship until our rooms were ready at 2pm.