The Pearl is NCL's newest ship. Her passenger capacity is 2800 and she sailed full on Easter Sunday. The port of Miami had 6 ships departing that day and it was great to see the parade of ships depart before we left at 8 PM.

Our cabin was an oceanview on Deck 5. We found it easily, thanks to the tip I'd read about the fish on the carpet swimming toward the bow of the ship. This tip helped navigate many times during our cruise. Our stateroom was cozy and just the right size for two. There was adequate drawer and closet space and we stuffed suitcases under the beds after they arrived, leaving us a bit more room. There is a mini bar, flat screen TV, coffee maker and make-up/dressing area in every stateroom. The bathroom had a separate shower stall with sliding door and toilet separate with sliding door. Conceivably, two people could occupy the separate areas of the bathroom at the same time, but, in reality, it would be a very tight squeeze.

TIP: Pick up a pocket sized deck plan at the purser's desk to help you navigate around the ship.

The Pearl's innovative claim is her 4 lane bowling alley located in the Ultra Bliss Lounge on Deck 7. So, we started our self-guided tour here. The bowling lanes were already in full swing and I noticed them in use most of the cruise. There is a small surcharge to bowl. The Bliss lounge is, by evening, a Miami South Beach style club for adults.

The pool deck boasts two pools, one for adults only, four hot tubs, a water slide and the usual outdoor grill. We ate dinner at the grill on the first evening and it was good. There is also a small kid's area for very young kid's with a mini water slide and pool and play area. The sun deck on the next deck above has lots of lounge chairs, a pool bar and the new to NCL rock climbing wall. The Spinnaker lounge is also located on this deck and it has expansive views through floor to ceiling windows.

Freestyle cruising means Freestyle dining, so, on NCL, there is no "formal night" and no assigned dining rooms or times. There are several dining venues and some are free and some have cover charges. We ate at the Summer Palace (a main dining room and free), Indigo (the second main dining room and free), Mambo's (a specialty restaurant and free except for gratuity) and Teppanyaki ( a specialty restaurant with a $20 PP cover charge plus gratuity). The service and food at Indigo were better than at Summer Palace we believed. Mambo's had an excellent Tex-Mex menu and the food was excellent. Our server was extremely attentive and we enjoyed this dinner very much. Teppanyaki is worth the cover charge if for nothing else than the show - this restaurant is a Japanese steakhouse complete with the knife throwing chefs cooking at your table.  

We did not dine at Cagney's steak house, La Cucina (Italian), Lotus Garden or Le Bistro, all of which are specialty restaurants and, except for La Cucina and Lotus Garden, have cover charges. There is also a sushi bar attached to Lotus Garden with a good variety of sushi available to purchase. Reservations for all restaurants can be made at Mambo's on Deck 8 for no later than the next day, so, with a full ship, it was difficult to get reservations. We also had breakfasts and lunches at the Garden Cafe buffet located on the pool deck and found it typical buffet fare. The Pearl has an outdoor seating area aft that was a wonderful place to take your tray to eat.

We attended one of the production shows in the theater, a Vegas style review, which was so-so. I also attended the Second City comedy show one evening and enjoyed it very much. They performed on two evenings during the cruise.

Our port stops were in Cozumel and Belize. We had beautiful, warm weather all week and it was particularly hot and humid in Belize. We had shore excursions, booked onboard through the cruise line, at both ports. Our swim with the dolphins excursion at Chankanaab National Park was great - a once in a lifetime experience - and worth the price. In Belize, our day was spent tubing lazily on a river about an hour's drive from the port. Since it was quite warm and humid, this was a great way to spend the day.

The casino onboard is small, but was always busy. Though I didn't fare too well, I witnessed several large slot payouts and the gaming tables were always full. This ship had slots tournaments and Texas Hold 'Em tournaments during the cruise.

There is also, of course, an internet cafe, shops, a library, a card room, an art gallery and the photo gallery. The Pearl has a teen center, video arcade and a large spa and fitness center, as well as miniature golf, basketball/volleyball/tennis courts and a chapel.

Disembarkation on NCL is unique also. Luggage tags are not delivered to one's stateroom on the last day of the cruise, but, instead, one selects the time they would like to depart and chooses the appropriate color luggage tag at the purser's desk. NCL also has express disembarkation for those who would like to disembark early and carry all of their own luggage off the ship. Although this is a great "freestyle" idea, there seemed to be a lot of confusion about it the evening before our arrival in Miami.

An incentive to book your next NCL cruise while onboard was offered to Latitudes (NCL loyalty program) members: Deposits were only $250 per stateroom and a $50 onboard credit would be given immediately on this cruise. Passengers did not have to commit to a specific cruise for 18 months and could sail any time up to 2 1/2 years later.

All in all, a great cruise! The beautiful Caribbean weather was a welcome treat with our late winter snow and cold in Ohio. We enjoyed Freestyle cruising and particularly enjoyed the "no formal night" policy; our suitcases had that much more room for souvenirs without all those fussy cocktail dresses in them!