My husband wanted to see the Great Lakes and he loves cruising. We read the reviews and all said “older” passengers. Somehow we didn’t imagine that meant most would be mid 70s to 90s. At 62 that meant we were a whole lot younger than most of the passengers. There were possibly 10 passengers around our age or younger. We had cabin R303 - a nice large stateroom . Because of the odd layout however we did not have a couch only 2 semi comfortable chairs. The tv and air conditioner worked well. We had a lunch very balcony w rocking chairs. The meals were good but I’m not really a fan of the group tables. The wait staff ran hot and cold as far as personality. My biggest complaint is the lack of activities on the ship. The 2 large lounges were nice and they had snacks and beverages all day. However if the Lounge was being used for a talk or presentation you had to leave. The entertainment was really geared to older people. A presentation was on “The Golden Age of Radio.” The excursions were lacking. Local historical societies or WWII activities. The day spent at Mackimac Island was wonderful but we missed lunch at the Grand Hotel due to a scheduling issue as the ship was late leaving the previous port due to a late food delivery. The trip was relaxing for us and we got a lot of reading done but I would have loved something to do on the ship while in port. The older passengers seemed to enjoy the choice of excursions more than we did. For the hefty price tag I found this cruise lacking. Read Less

While we knew this ship obviously caters to more elderly travelers, we chose this cruise for the itinerary and a small ship experience. We’d wanted to see this part of the country and this looked like a great way to do it. We’ve cruised a lot, but always on large ocean-going ships. We were very pleased with our experience on Pearl Mist. The cabin was spacious with lots of storage and outlets. The staff was friendly and attentive and the menu options varied and the quality of the food was good. We enjoyed being able to literally “pull up to the curb” in our ports. Elderly passengers were well-accommodated and entertainment options definitely skewed to that population. We enjoyed the nightly cocktail hour and the wines provided at lunch and dinner. The included excursions were also very nice. Overall, we enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and itinerary. We would recommend this cruise. Read Less