The Pearl staff are mostly fine and hard working. If we spoke to any of them, they almost always responded with positive comments. They like friendly, caring guests is the message I got. The hotel director was often present and with his great personality, it was apparent that he is observing how things are operating. If he is approached with an issue he will try to help solve the situation. We had a personal incident and he addressed it immediately.
The cruise director, Ray Carr, also is out there for the public to see that he cares about the operation. His gentle approach and funny comments are appreciated. He had a session when military veterans could get together and that is one illustration of how he feels about the military folk. Both directors are professional and personable men. These types of employees have not been so visible on our other voyages, and I thought their visibility was of special note.
We did have animal towels in our rooms on several nights. It is nice but not a necessity as is the chocolate on one's bed. (One high rated cruise line had stale chocolates on our beds each night, a real downer.) The linens are extremely nice including the soft sturdy towels. The beds are okay, not the best, but certainly not the worst. We ate at several extra-cost restaurants and they were usually better than the main dining room, although the food in the main dining room was mostly satisfactory and well balanced. The breads and desserts were devine, much better than we experienced on the Jewel 3 years ago. The pineapples were the best we've ever had and there were plenty of fruits and salads to choose from, with excellent salad dressings. (We dine out often at home and the restaurants are equal to most of our dining experiences and the steak house is as good as any top notch steak house in the USA.)