I chose this cruise because of the multiple ports offered many of which I had not visited. The Norwegian Pearl is a beautiful well maintained ship which is staffed by the most amazing crew ever. I have cruised multiple times and have enjoyed most all of the staff on all my cruises, but the Pearl's staff seemed to genuinely enjoy their work and their coworkers. They were all friendly and out-going and eager to assist passengers and each other at every turn. I would recommend a balcony cabin for passing through the Panama Canal and Port side was best for us to view the procedure when passing from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean. The food aboard the Pearl was as good as I have had in any 4 Star restaurant and this was in the main dining room. The specialty restaurants were especially nice. We tried all the restaurants on the ship and the only one we did not love was the "Lotus Garden" Cafe. The food at this one location was not on par with the other venues on board this ship. The service in every restaurant was special. The Assistant Maitre'D in the Summer Garden Restaurant, Milos Stankovic, made his rounds to each table at every meal to assure that all you needs/wants were met. One of our waiters, Gautam Kabiraj, must be mentioned for he went over and above to make sure every one of our wishes were met when we dined there and also when we dined in Le Bistro where he also worked. We found the perfect little bar up on the 13th deck mid-ship called Sugarcane's. Billy, the bartender in that bar, was so efficient and made outstanding concoctions that we all enjoyed. One of my favorite excursions was the Outback & Camel Safari at Cobo San Lucia, Mexico. This excursion was very diverse and Ted our guide was so very knowledgeable and capable. One of the members of our tour had some ambulatory difficulties and he made sure that she was safely able to participate in every activity. If you have the opportunity to make this trip, do it. You won't regret it.