Of the 14 cruises we've taken, this was our best cruise! In fact, we liked it so well that today -- the day after coming home -- we booked our next NCL cruise!

My husband and I are in are early 60's and traveled with our 23-year-old during the first week. As a result, I had two very different type of Pearl vacations. During the first week when our kid was with us, I went to karaoke and the disco almost every night. We also did a shore excursion in each port. During week two, I spent a lot of time reading on our stateroom balcony, going to the Spa, catching some of the shows and really just kicking back.

We flew in to Miami the day before our cruise and stayed at the La Quinta East. Very basic, no frills and exceptionally clean. Despite being directly across the freeway from the airport, our room was very quiet. The rate was great and the hotel provided pick-up from the airport and a free shuttle to POM. Read more