Six of us (three couples) were on the NCL Pearl March 8-15, 2009. Our Western Caribbean itinerary included Roatan, Honduras; Belize City, Belize; Cozumel, Mexico; and Great Stirrup Cay; Bahamas (NCL's private island). ROOM: We had an inside cabin and it was fine. Would love a balcony, but would rather spend the money on the excursions. Our cabin steward, Lea, was wonderful. Our cabin was kept very clean and we had the greatest towel animals! Of course, that's not a priority, but it's still fun. Thanks to CC boards, we brought along a power strip, night light, and over-the-door shoe holder (not sure what the technical name is for that thing). Anyway, these items were indispensable. I won't pack as many clothes next time. We did bring our own snorkel equipment and shortie wet suits. That was good too. The weather wasn't extremely warm (low 80s) and the water wasn't super warm either, so the wet suits came in handy. Besides, if you're over 50 like I am, it hides a lot of flaws! FOOD: I have to admit, I am always a bit surprised at the reviewers who bash the food. It was great. I love good food, but I am from Minnesota and if it's not white or in a hotdish, it's gourmet! Just kidding (sort of). I love trying new things and I did a lot of that on the Pearl. We never went into any of the specialty restaurants and never felt we wanted to. Our thing was to get out in port and DO stuff! We loved eating outside almost every meal at the Garden Cafe (Minnesota, remember) and about half the evenings we would went to the sit-down restaurants (Summer Palace and Indigo) and we felt the meals were wonderful. The service was great too. We would go around 5:30 and enjoy our meal and then head to the theater to see the 7:30 p.m. show. We walked right into the restaurant (they open at 5:30!) and it was so nice to just enjoy the meal and not be rushed. Sometimes the service would slow down, but that didn't mean the staff wasn't working their tails off. They were! Just be patient. You're on vacation!! We always left a tip for our servers ($5 per couple at least). SERVICE: It was great. These people work hard and I always smiled at them and talked to them. I have never been called ma'am so many times in a week in my whole life! It was so nice. They were ALWAYS polite and helpful. We tipped our room steward $5 per day even though we knew we were paying $12 pp per day for service fees (added automatically to your bill). As I understand, service fees are different than gratuities. All were very appreciative. EXTRAS: Yes, they take your picture all the time. It's not annoying really; it's part of the cruise experience. They need to make their money in lots of ways and this is one of them. Yes, they announce BINGO all the time; yes, they want you to drink it up; yes, you can gamble and play blackjack; yes, they push the shopping and have lots of jewelry sales and art auctions. It can add up fast! If you want more info on how they try to get your money once you're on the ship, go to www.intelligentcruiser.com. David Kirkland was a ship's officer for ten years and spills the beans about a lot of things. It's always good to know the other side of the story! I bought the download and learned a lot. Well worth it! He shares lots of ways to save money once you're aboard. I emailed him and he was so forthcoming and friendly. He even quoted me on his website! Our total bill at the end was about $550 (including the $12 pp per day). No sodas, a few drinks (we're not big drinkers), no specialty restaurants (didn't need 'em), no photos purchased, and two of four excursions were independent and saved us lots of money. Take his advice; you won't be sorry. PORTS OF CALL: We found every port of call to be just great. In Roatan (an island off Honduras) we booked with Victor Bodden Tours (www.boddentours.com) and it was great. They will do whatever you want to do. Our day included seeing some of the island, visiting a public school (we are both teachers and delivered supplies which are desperately needed), went ziplining, played with white-faced monkeys, ate a fresh mango (yum!), had lunch at a great restaurant where we tried Monkey-la-la's (official drink of Roatan and super good!), went snorkeling at a great reef, and got to the ship with plenty of time to spare. What a wonderful day! In Belize we took the ship excursion up the New River to Lamanai where the Mayan ruins are exquisite. I climbed to the top of the high temple which was incredible. Our guide was wonderful and the river trip (25 miles) was great. Lunch was very good but served late. Bring something to snack on until lunch is served! In Cozumel we went to Dolphinaris and swam with dolphins. We opted for the Trainer Program which gave us much more time with the dolphins. I booked this independently and it was $179 pp and the ship had the same excursion for $250. I booked pretty early and later on noticed the price at Dolphinaris went up to $250 as well! But we got in at $179 and glad we did. It was amazing. The only think I didn't like was the picture business. Pictures are super expensive. I will write more about that in the Port Review. Also, we liked the fact that Dolphinaris doesn't allow the dolphins to do certain things (like pushing you with their noses) because it isn't good for the dolphins. I am not a big fan of dolphins in captivity, but these were very well cared for and it didn't bother me. Swimming with them and touching them doesn't hurt them, by the way. I would recommend you check out the other places, but know that they do allow their dolphins to do things that really aren't that good for them (like people feeding them all the time, riding on their backs, and having them push you with their noses which is hard on their backs). Great Stirrup Cay was great because I went parasailing and I had never done that before. Fabulous! The beach was crowded but it's still nice to have palm trees and white sand. The snorkeling was terrible. Too many jelly fish and no other structure really to hold any number of fish. After snorkeling in Roatan, it was a big let down. Sitting on the beach drinking a fun specialty drink was great fun and something we Minnesotans only dream about. I loved it! The food was fine. If you're not a foodie (or food snob), you will find the food more than adequate. We hated to see our day on the beach come to an end. ENTERTAINMENT: Very good. I have to admit, I am a bit of a snob here. As an actress, singer, etc. I know what I like; and I don't like sitting through amateur productions when they are supposed to be professional. I liked them all; some more than others. The Second City Comedy group was very good, the comedian was good, the dancing and singing was 4 out of 5 (South Beach show was my least favorite but still entertaining); and Shark Bait was fun too (juggling). It was so much fun to go out to dinner then go to a show and not hand someone your credit card every time! It's already paid for! See as much as you can. ODDS AND ENDS: Bring biodegradable sunscreen. We used Badger and it worked but has zinc oxide in it so stays a bit white on your skin. Hey, on a northern babe, no one knew the difference!! :-) I didn't get sunburned and am not a big sun worshipper, so that was not a problem. It was fun to get a little color though! Bring your own wire hangers and put the provided hangers away somewhere. You will get a lot more in the closet! Go on this cruise and have a great time. The Pearl is a beautiful ship, the captain is great, Simon the cruise director is awesome, and the crew was wonderful. Be patient and understanding when things don't quite go as smoothly as they should. Everyone is trying their best to make it a fun time for you. Smile!