Pearl Mist Cabins

With only 108 cabins onboard Pearl Mist, the choices are fairly simple. There are six categories of cabins, mostly differentiated by size (275 to 400 square feet) and where on the ship they are located. All cabins (save one front-of-boat Deck 3 G cabin) have balconies, plus all have full-sized bathrooms, flat-screen TVs (with a choice of 20 channels), DVD players, Keurig coffeemakers and Wi-Fi. There was no consensus on the speed of the Internet; some passengers complained of molasses-like speeds, while others said they never had a problem.

Each room also has a desk with a table lamp that has two built-in electrical outlets. Most rooms have a desk chair, two easy chairs and a small table. Of the 108 cabins, only two are accessible -- one category G on Deck 2 and one category H on Deck 3. Noticeably missing from all cabins are full-length mirrors.

Rooms are comfortable; even the smaller G and H categories are roomy enough for two people to move around with ease. (All cabins can fit three adults.) All are decorated identically in a soft palette of blues, tans and creamy off-whites.

Storage space in all rooms is enough for two people, though the closet is a tad small. (Bring your own skirt hangers!) Additionally, there is a desk with six half-sized drawers, a dresser with three full-sized drawers and one or two nightstands with two small drawers and an open space beneath. Solo (S) cabins do not have the three-drawer dresser.

Bathrooms are a tad stingy on counter space, but if you move the basket of amenities (soap, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion) to underneath the sink, it opens up more room. Showers have only one small corner basket. In our case, it was large enough for two travel-size sets of shampoo and conditioner, but not two bars of soap.

Category G: Twenty-eight of the 29 275-square-foot (including balcony) G rooms are located on Deck 2 and feature a picture window that opens and entry to a private balcony through a steel door. (The Deck 2 accessible cabin is slightly larger.) The 29th G cabin, which has no balcony, is at the very front of Deck 3 right by the navigation bridge.

Category H: The 33 category H cabins are all located on Deck 3. All are 275-square feet (including balcony), save for one slightly larger room that wraps around the elevator and one accessible stateroom. All category H cabins feature a picture window that opens and entry to a private balcony through a steel door.

Category K: All of the 13 category K cabins are located on Deck 4. All are sized at about 300 square feet (including balcony) except for one slightly larger room that wraps around the elevator. Instead of a picture window, all K rooms have floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors leading to a balcony.

Category L: The 15 category L rooms (also all about 300 square feet with balcony) are all located on Deck 5, the top passenger cabin deck. Some include the option of an adjoining door for parties traveling together. As with category K cabins, Ls all have floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors leading to a balcony.

Category R: Category R cabins are the largest on Pearl Mist; there are only five, averaging about 400 square feet in size (including the balcony). Four are located on Deck 4 and feature floor-to-ceiling glass doors leading to the balcony. On Deck 3, the fifth R cabin wraps around the staircase for an oddly-shaped space and does not have the lovely floor-to-ceiling glass doors. Instead, it has two picture windows that open and a solid steel door leading to the balcony. All category R suites also have minibars pre-stocked with a variety of soft drinks.

Category S: The 12 category S cabins are sized for one person (225 square feet); they are located on all passenger cabin decks with two (one on Deck 4 and 5 each) slightly enlarged in order to wrap around the staircase. S cabins on Decks 2 and 3 have a single window that opens and a steel door leading to a private balcony. S rooms on Decks 4 and 5 feature the floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that lead to the balcony.