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Pearl Mist

What a difference a couple of months makes!

I chose this cruise because of the size of the ship and the destinations. I have always wanted to see the Great Lakes, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Mackinaw Island.  This cruise combined all three.  We had stops in Muskegon/ 
Holland, and Mackinac Island in Minnesota. Then headed to Canada. Sault Ste Marie, Parry Sound and Midland in Ontario. Then headed back to the US.  We went to Detroit ( Ford Museum) and Cleveland ( Rock and Roll Hall of Fame). Next we headed back to Canada to see Niagara Falls.  We docked in Port Colborne, ON.  I can't say enough about Niagara Falls... definitely Bucket List.. We then traveled through the Welland Canal and 8 locks... so interesting and ended up in Toronto. I can't say enough about how much we enjoyed the itinerary.

In addition to all that our room was spacious and our bed comfortable. The ship was recently updated and really nice. It is such a pleasure to travel with such a small amount of passengers. We only had 113... By the end of the first week we all knew each other.  The staff could not have been better. Their were several passengers with wheel chairs and walkers and the were treated with total care and respect.

Then their is the food!!  YUMMM No complaints. We had Lobster several nights and Steak was available daily.. The deserts were amazing!! There is open bar with Happy Hours starting at 4.. The entertainment started at 5:30 and was wonderful. Kat and Kenny are so talented. We started with the 50's the first night and hit a different decade or genre each night. (including MoTown and  Country) In addition to all that we had a fantastically funny comedian, An onboard speaker, Don and and a watercolor artist daily and perfect weather. 

What a fantastic trip.

Perfect Cruise to escape my Florida heat!

I enjoyed the Great Lakes for the weather, temperature and wonderful people in each port. Our Cruise Director Krista was so inspiring, she gave us a run down of what to expect on board and at the different port excursions of our voyage. All the events were well organized for the guest to enjoy entertainment in two lounges with Music and watercolor painting each day with new subject to learn about. I could relax and enjoy each deck had great seating, my favorite was the rocking chairs at sunset with a glass of wine. The dining room was always clean and the servers were prepared for the next meal when we arrived. The talented entertainers started with a variety show by the resident entertainers. Parry Sound Ontario is a beautiful town with stores right beside the ship and a great walking tour to cross a bridge and back. We also saw an indigenous people dance and hand carved canoe. I could FaceTime with my family as we arrived in Little Current and they could see the view I saw in the Lake Huron. We loved the excursion at Mackinac Island and toured on two Belgian horse drawn carriages, saw the Fort with demonstrations and went in the fabulous Grand Hotel. The best part was being on this beautiful small ship with classy people full of artistic culture and civic minded society social engagement.

Midland Ontario to Milwaukee Beautiful Great Lakes

My summary of our Pearl Mist cruise was fabulous. We boarded at lunch time and sent to the dinning room on the first deck and the crew took our luggage to our well decorated and roomy stateroom with a balcony. The ship is well organized and clean with all nice furnishings. We were very comfortable in the new chairs in each room. Nico the bartender remembered our beverage request for the whole voyage after we first met. The food was excellent each meal was tasty and served on time for a hot meal. We had Lobster served twice and perfectly cooked steak from our server who always came quickly with our beverage and food. There was always great choices on the menu and the food was decorated with colorful vegetables sliced thin. This is my favorite way to travel! I feel safe and cared for on the ship and excursions. They know when you are on board or on shore with your key card. The captain piloted the boat to Muskeegan Michigan over night as we enjoyed the music by Kenny and Kat. We sang an impromptu "awhem way, awhem away...we laughed and had fun enjoying the crew and guest with a beverage included. Our days were filled with great excursions like the great Sand Dunes ride, Mackinac Island Carriage rides pulled by Belgian horses and more. I found the stationary bikes on the fourth floor well placed to see the view and ride any time. 

Our next day in Sault Saint Marie, Ontario I had a kayak float with indigenous people heard their story, drank red cedar tea ritual they brew with native Maple syrup. At little Current, Ontario it was 60 degrees on arrival. Our onboard speaker talked about the lakes ecology we are now well informed. Then we had delicious lemonade as Krista our Cruise Director gave us a wonderful talk about a next cruise and after ten you get one free. We had watercolor class each day with different subject and technique all related to each port, a deer, a lilly, light house, boat, waterfall, sunset all of this voyage on the Great Lakes. She was sharing all her knowledge of painting with the guest. The evening entertainment was different each night, one night 60's, 70's, Country, Mo Town, a variety show, and magic show. Our last stop was in Midland Ontario we enjoyed painting the Mackinac light house after breakfast and viewing and old Fort well preserved with time period boats after our delicious lunch. This is a very enjoyable trip on Lake Michigan and Huron with experienced crew to guide and entertain us everyday. This was my first Pearl Seas voyage and it was the best. I will look forward to going again.

Superior To Most

We have been enjoying getting to know areas our own usa and canada. Cruising the great lakes cruise offered so many bucket list experiences! We rode on the hornblower up to niagara falls! What an experience! Had dinner with an amish family in their home and cooked by grandma in cleveland. Rode in a 1914 model t ford at the henry ford museum in detroit. Explored parry sound. We visited mackinac island, mi where personal motorized vehicles are prohibited. Everyone must travel by horse drawn carriages, bicycles, and walking. What a delightful day!! These are just a few of the many excursions offered each day!

Then, when we were back on the ship we not only had the finest meals, we also had watercolor classes  where a large group of "no experience necessary" guests painted a completed painting each day and ending the cruise with an art show of all of our paintings! I must say, it was qute impressive!

We had an excellent guest speaker who shared  fascinating history and  information about the ecological and commercial aspects of the great lakes! Etc. Etc.

We had a lard selection of activities for those guests who didn't need a short nap, and awesome entertainment each evening.

Basically you could do as much or as little as you wished!

And best of all, you made many, manynew friends!

Excellent adventures and memories on the Pearl Seas Great Lakes Cruise

We chose this cruise because my husband and I wanted to see the Great Lakes of the United States and Canada, but to do it without the hassle of driving. Well, this trip did it all! Beautiful, spacious accommodations, elegant food, and a top notch staff who could not have made you feel more welcome.  We loved it! The ports were very interesting, there was a happy hour every evening at 5pm and entertainment each night.  Art classes, games and area related lectures were provided. I highly recommend this trip to all those who are interested in traveling on a small boutique ship that accommodates 175 passengers in an intimate friendly setting. By the end of the cruise you knew almost everyone. It was an easy ship to navigate. We have been on larger cruise ships, but too large and too many people made it difficult to get around.           Pearl Seas got it right!

Wonderful ship, great staff, amazing food. It was perfect! My husband and I loved it. 

The Pearl Mist is a great size ship, and cruising the Great Lakes was a nice change form the many Caribbean cruises we have taken..  I love the personal experience of the smaller ship.  The staff was excellent, and the food was like eating at a 5 Star restaurant.  The entertainment was fantastic and all of the ports were fun to see.  The staff went out of their way to accommodate the people who had physical challenges.  This is not easy to do on a smaller ship like this.

One of the great things about a smaller ship is the ability to dock at smaller locations.  It was wonderful to dock right in the downtown area of Mackinac Island, Sue St. Marie and other small towns.  The excursions were very nice and informative.  The port of Milwaukee is a beautiful poet, but a bit challenging for ships.  Pearl mist made the embarkation and disembarkation easy and smooth.  Overall, this was a great experience.

Great Cruise Experience

This was a cruise out of Toronto and which visited the following ports:

Port Colborne, Ontario  (Gateway to Niagara Falls)

Cleveland, Ohio  (Home of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame)

Detroit, Michigan  (Original home of Motown Records)

Parry Sound, Ontario  (Delightful small town on Georgian Bay)

Midland, Ontario  (Beautiful murals in the downtown)

Sault Ste Marie, Ontario  (Home of the canal linking Lake Superior to Lake Erie)

Sault Ste Maria, Michigan  (Home to an interesting maritime museum)

Mackinac Island, Michigan  (Gorgeous vacation spot for people from all over the region)

Muskegon, Michigan  (Surprisingly interesting destination on Lake Michigan)

Milwaukee, Wisconsin  (A great science museum and a great art museum are both within walking distance)

I had a wonderful time on this cruise!  On paper, a few of the cities on the itinerary didn't sound all that exciting when I first considered this cruise...  but I was surprised by quite a few of the ports and had an interesting time in all of them.  There were definitely interesting things to see and do in each of the places the ship visited.

A cruise on a small cruise ship like this is not about the ship...  it's about the places that the ship takes you to.  So, when I think back on this cruise I will definitely remember all the interesting places I got to visit.

One of the highlights of the trip happened at our very first port of call...  Port Colborne, Ontario.  This is just a convenient place for the ship to dock, and then you board a bus to get to Niagara Falls.  I'm a west coast guy and had never been to Niagara Falls before, and it was really spectacular.  Not only do you get to see the falls from several different vantage points, but also we got to ride on a tour boat to the base of the falls and see it up close.  Rain ponchos are issued to everyone because the falls kick up a lot of spray.  If you don't want to get wet, there are protected areas inside the tour boat where you can skip the poncho and stay completely dry...  but half the fun was wearing the poncho and standing out on deck getting sprayed by Niagara Falls.  A fun once-in-a-lifetime experience!

I was a DJ in the 1970s and 80s and listening to good music has always been important to me.  This cruise surprised me with two very interesting music-related excursions that I enjoyed a lot.  In Cleveland, the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame was an interesting place to visit for a few hours.  There were some really well produced audio/video presentations there, but I also got a kick out of some of the smaller things at the museum...  such as handwritten lyrics to classic old songs, written by the artists at the time of the original recording.  In Detroit, the ship offered an excursion to the original home of Motown Records.  I got a kick out of standing inside the basement recording studio where something like a hundred hit records had been recorded back in the day.  At the end of the tour, everyone was given a hard-cover copy of the autobiography of Barry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records.  I spent my free time for the rest of the cruise reading the book, and it really added a lot to my tour of their original headquarters.  Also, upon returning to the ship, the cruise line had arranged for some world-class musicians to perform live on the pier next to our ship.  It was awesome to hear them do some of the biggest Motown hits.  And this was not some no-talent cover band...  these guys really were world-class.  For example, the bass player had toured with Beyonce!

Parry Sound, Ontario, was a complete change of pace from the previous couple of days in Cleveland and Detroit.  It took a full day of sailing just to get to Parry Sound, and that was a great excuse to just relax and spend the day enjoying ship life.  Parry Sound (the body of water, and surrounding area) is gorgeous to sail on and enjoy the beauty of mother nature.  Once getting to Parry Sound (the town) I enjoyed getting on to a smaller tour boat and seeing some of the 30,000 small islands that dot this area.  Perhaps the most interesting part was sailing past all the vacation homes.

Midland, Ontario, was one of the least interesting places to me...  but I still had fun on a tour of beautiful protected bay that was a strategic base built around the time of the War Of 1812.  It was also interesting to hear the tour guide's stories of the War of 1812, because it was (of course) told from the point of view of a Canadian...  and I (as an American) had never really thought of the war of 1812 from that perspective.  I always thought of it as the new American colonies fighting against England (again) but the Canadian tour guide helped me realize that Canada was involved in the War of 1812, too.  Also, after the morning tour, I had the afternoon free to walk around downtown Midland and it was interesting to see how they have encouraged local artists to paint gigantic murals on the sides of many of the buildings.

In Sault Ste Marie we visited both the Canadian side of the river and the American side.  From the Canadian side, I got on a tour boat that took me through the locks that connect Lake Superior with Lake Erie.  After the boat tour, there was just enough time to visit a really great barbecue restaurant just a short distance from where the ship docked.  I always use Google Maps to see what interesting restaurants are in the cities the ship will visit...  and I like barbecue, so I really enjoyed my lunch in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario!  After lunch, the ship moved over to the American side of the river.  Right next to where we docked, there was a retired freighter that used to move iron ore and coal on the Great Lakes.  It has now been turned in to a maritime museum.  It was interesting to be able to walk all around that freighter at my own pace and imagine what it must have been like to work on it back in the day.

Visiting Mackinac Island was one of the biggest highlights of the trip.  It is an absolutely gorgeous vacation spot that is popular among people from all over the region.  No cars, trucks, or busses are allowed on the island, so tours are conducted via horse-drawn carriages.  It was a lot of fun, and just incredibly beautiful.  You can also rent a bike if you'd like to spend a more active day touring the island.  The grounds of the Grand Hotel are an absolute must-visit spot on the island, and you'll take a hundred pictures on this day, for sure.

Muskegon, Michigan, was a delightful surprise.  A hop-on / hop-off bus took me in to downtown where I visited a really interesting museum that told the story of Muskegon's history as a booming center of manufacturing, back in the day.  Many factories were located in Muskegon, and the museum has preserved some of the equipment to give you an interesting look at the mechanics of a factory back in older times.  Also, Muskegon has two really interesting places to visit if you're fascinated with World War II era US Navy ships.  There's also a really great beach along Lake Michigan.

The cruise ended in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but we had a full day there before we had to get off the ship and fly home.  There is a gorgeous art museum within walking distance of where the ship docks...  and there's also a science museum and aquarium that are even closer.

All things considered...  this was a very enjoyable cruise for me...  getting to see a region of North America that I really didn't know anything about.  I totally enjoyed getting to know the Great Lakes region during this cruise.

If you want to see a lot of photos and videos that I shot during this trip, please visit my web site.  The photos and videos from this particular cruise are located at https://jimzim.net/PearlMist.html

Very enjoyable cruise on the Great Lakes

For a fun and different cruise, you should consider going on the Great Lakes cruise on the Pearl Mist with Pearl Cruises! My husband and I went on an 11 day cruise in May - June on the Pearl Mist leaving Toronto and arriving in Milwaukee.

All our experiences on the Pearl Mist were top rate. Many of the crew members have been with the ship since it started sailing in 2014 and it shows in their professionalism and pride in their work.

There were many excursions available at each port and the staff was there to help with organizing of the excursion, and were there to occompany you along with a tour guide.

Niagara Falls was a highlight since we visited earlier in the morning when the crowds were low. There was a Maid of the Mist type boat ride on the Canadian side, time to explore the shops of the town and a bus ride to the Horseshoe Falls with free time.

We explored downtown in Cleveland and also visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Detroit was Henry Ford Museum for us. Each port had several choices of excursions to attend, some complimentary and some an additional cost. Many ports had buses chartered by the ship to shuttle you to places of interest. 

Other highlights were Mackinac Island with a visit to the state park,

Fort and Grand Hotel. The town was within walking distance of the boat, so we visited the town after lunch. 

Sault Ste. Marie, both Canada and Michigan, were visited with a freighter ship turned into a museum in Michigan side where we docked. Going through customs several times was handled efficiently by the staff, with no difficulty.  

The food onboard was excellent with many choices. There were hordourves and a cocktail hour each evening before dinner.

There was entertainers each evening, with speakers during the day about the ports and a watercolor instructor onboard that gave art classes.

Going on a small ship allows you to dock and go places a cruise ship can't. If you haven't tried it, I would recommend it!

Great Lakes Cruise with Pearl Mist

Cannes

I chose this cruise because of the size of the ship.. I really enjoy small ship cruising. We had less than 90 passengers. The crew was just spectacular andspectacular and made everyone of us feel that way that we were the most important person in the room. The itinerary was interesting... I have always wanted to see the Bay of Fundy. We even went to a lobster bake. Our nightly entertainment Holliday holiday and that blonde was really wonderful.. Every night that dance floor was full. I was really impressed with how accommodating the staff was 2 people with physical difficulties. We had several people with walkers and the crew helped them on and off the tenders and and always accommodated their needs. It made me realize when I get older that I would not be afraid to go on one of these cruises. If you get a chance to go I highly recommend it.. This ship also does the Great Lakes. I am really looking forward to going on that 1 too.

Spectacular spectacular way to enjoy fall color

For our first trip into unknown territory after Covid, we decided on a smaller river ship down the St. Lawrence Seaway. The PearlMist was the perfect size, about 100 rooms--every one of them with a balcony--and laid-back. We're not into a Las Vegas sized and style cruise. We much prefer a passenger experience that was manageable and comfortable. Pearl Mist provided it.

The good things about Pearl Mist:

 The staff. I cannot speak highly enough for the staff, top to bottom of the Pearl Mist. Because I'm sure of the time of year--after school started--our passenger average was over 65 yrs old. No matter how old or mobility compromised, every passenger was treated with kindness, patience and humor. Not only that, the staff went out of their way to not only learn each passenger, but their preferences. The wait staff especially was quick, friendly and responsive. Not only that, halfway through the cruise, we ended up with 22 people isolated with covid(even after needing proof of covid vaccinations and mandatory testing at the embarkation site). Not only did the staff rise to the occasion with complete room service, but without appreciable delays in the dining areas. The Cruise Directors were always available, responsive and thoughtful. They did their best to respond to upsets in our schedule from port authorities and landside tour operators.

Dining: First of all, no seats were assigned, which allowed us to mingle with most of our fellow passengers, which was delightful. There were tables of 4,6, and 8 for company preferences. The meals were incredible. Breakfast was the only buffet, and that only a continental breakfast with treats like smoked salmon, sliced cheese and meat, yogurt parfait and FRESH pastries, but that was only in support of either the specials of the morning (often quiche or fritatta) but any other breakfast item you might think to enjoy. Lunch was a 4 course menu with 3 options for each course(including vegetarian) to pick from. Or, if you wanted, double or triple of one of the courses. Dinner was the same, with amazing options. Of course there was plenty of seafood, but one night I remember the choice of main courses being lobster tail, duck l'orange, chicken cordon blue, and cheese tortellini. There were also standard options offered every day. I ate WAY too much on this trip and enjoyed every bite. Wine and beer were offered for both meals, or a cocktail if you wanted to wait for something from a lounge.All inclusive

The bar was open at any time in the two lounges, if you asked, but happy hour was from 5:30 - 6:30, and a great place to meet and mingle. 

In the lounges throughout the day there were various hot drink machines, soft drinks, snacks and cookies offered.

Entertainment: After dinner there was usually nice acoustic music to enjoy. Several times a day there was a talk on the areas we visited: history, culture, etc which enhanced our visit to the area.

Tours: Several tours were offered at each site we visited. I'm sad we were the first cruise to be back at ports after covid, because some of the local entertainment offered for previous tours wasn't available again yet. And yet, the tourist offices of each place offered thorough tours and education. Because we were a smaller ship, we got to go to smaller ports, which I highly prefer. We visited not only Toronto, Quebec City and Halifax, but Lunnenberg, Pictou, Gaspe, and  Isle de Madeleine, quaint and beautiful fishing villages. 

Comfort: room review below, dining room and lounges were very comfortable with great views

Downside: 

My big complaint was the internet. I suspect somebody decided that older passengers wouldn't be that upset by not having internet available everywhere reliably, but I'm here to tell you that this 70 year old was definitely inconvenienced, and the cruise suffered for the fact that I couldn't post as much as I wanted. My social media followers love to follow my travels and I had nothing but nice things to say. The only place the internet worked at all most days was in the Atlantic Lounge, which was fine, but there were NO tables or desks on which you could rest a laptop. And the people on that ship were way to old to be crouching over their laps. It's a small thing, but a couple of desk-high tables would have made a world of difference.

Sign up lay-outs: Since this was the first cruise after covid, I know they're still working things out, but another problem was the layout for signing up for tours, especially the first day. The cruise director's desk was tucked right across from the elevator and next to the stairs, causing a massive back-up, especially since that was the only route into the dining room. Especially on the first day when the premium tours are being reserved, the sign-up area needs to be moved to one of the lounges. Obviously we can manage that, since it was where all the immigration people worked.

Small ship river comfort

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