It was a wonderful week on the Norwegian Pearl... We are a family of 4, DH and I are in our 40s, our children are ages 9 and 8. We have been loyal NCL customers for our last 3 cruises and enjoy the Freestyle concept for dining and casual dress.

This was our first trip on the Pearl and she did not disappoint us. We were dropped off at the port around 1 p.m. and had only a short wait in line to get our key cards and establish our account - we were on board by 1:20. The colors around the ship and in the cabin are bright and cheerful. The fish on the carpets swim forward, so that always helped us get our bearings as we learned our way around. We booked an aft BA balcony cabin and were very pleased with it. At first glance it seemed small, but while we were unpacking we easily managed to find a place for everything. Our cabin's wardrobe area had a nice sized closet, 4 deep drawers, and about 5 or 6 "cubbies". The room was set up with a double bed, a small sofa that pulled out, and a single bed that literally dropped from the ceiling - a very clever design that I haven't seen before. Our empty suitcases were easily stored under the bed. The room also had a small fridge, a coffeemaker, a safe, a small flat screen TV (no DVD player) and a little table with a mirror and a good hairdryer (with a diffuser). The sheets/bedding were wonderfully soft and cozy. There were 2 robes in the closet. My kids enjoyed towel animals each night (except for the first night).

The bathroom is well designed, it is partitioned into 3 sections with a toilet area, sink area and shower area, with glass sliding doors separating them that allowed for a little privacy (well... for children anyhow!). There were multiple shelves in the bath both on the wall and under the sink for ample storage. The Elemis bath gel and shampoo were fine for us; although I wouldn't ever purchase that particular product... it's a little odd smelling! Read more