We wanted to visit Cuba and liked that this cruise offered multiple ports of call in Cuba. We prefer small ships, so the Pearl Mist met our needs with itinerary and size. The guests included mostly seniors, but there were a couple families with teen agers. The average age was older that we have had on other cruises. I am guessing average to be about 75 years old.
Meals: The food was excellent and we loved that you could order half portions. Since they ask you at breakfast for your selections for lunch and dinner, you knew what to expect the rest of the day. You were not held to the morning choice, but they do this to better estimate quantities. There was always an appetizer, main course and dessert. In the morning, you could order eggs, or other dishes, or self serve at the complimentary bar in the center of the room. Boro, in charge of all dining needs, was always there to make sure you had everything you needed. Wine, beer and other non alcoholic drinks were served in the dining hall and mixed drinks were during happy hour in the lounges and during evening events such as music, etc.
On Board Itinerary: The lectures were great, the music in the evening was outstanding and there was a variety of genres. All four of the musicians were personable and talented. Two played in one lounge (deck 2) at happy hour and the other two played in the 2nd lounge (deck 4) and some evenings all 4 played together. Most events took place in the 2nd deck lounge throughout the day and evening, except Happy Hour and snacks were in both lounges. Other events included such things as Bingo, trivia, drink demonstrations, etc. Loved that they served popcorn each evening before the updates and evening music. There was a dance floor and we loved dancing.
Our cabin was on the top deck. The balcony was fabulous and we had great views because we were on the side of the ship that faced the island. of Cuba. The room is surprisingly large with lots of storage in drawers. I brought extra hangers which turned out to be very helpful. The only thing I did not like was that the air conditioning vent blew air on one side of the bed. We ended up turning off the air conditioning at night. The bathroom is well stocked with towels and sundries. I loved that they gave you the toiletries bag to carry in the ports because, the bathrooms in Cuba are very rustic to say the least. I recommend desks 4 and 5 because the balcony has a sliding door. Decks 2 and 3 are closer to main lounge (on deck 2) and dining room (deck 1), but there is a water tight door to the balcony instead of a slider.