This was my first cruise so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Embarkation was definitely an experience, but I assume that's to be expected when you're trying to get a couple thousand people onto a ship as quickly as possible. Overall I was pretty happy with our mini-suite with one exception - the couch may very well be the most uncomfortable piece of furniture I've ever sat on. I had hoped to spend some time reading on the cruise, but that definitely wasn't going to happen on that couch.

The Pearl itself was pretty impressive. Again, this was my first cruise so I don't have anything to compare it to, but everything seemed to be well-maintained and clean. I think the Pearl was decorated nicely and seemed to have been refurbished somewhat recently.

Dining was kind of a mixed bag. We ate at three of the specialty restaurants during the cruise - all of which were excellent. We ate at Cagney's, Moderno (my favorite), and Teppanyaki. The service at all three was great and the food was delicious. Absolutely no complaints. The free dining was another matter however. The buffets were a negative experience since it was pretty rare to actually find a place to sit. At least half the time we ended up taking our food back to our room to eat. In and around Glacier Bay was probably the worst since a lot of people were using the tables to just sit and watch the scenery rather than eating. The food itself at the buffets was just okay, but I wasn't too surprised by that. O’Sheehan’s was probably the biggest disappointment. The food wasn't very good and the service was poor. Read more