Overall a good cruise, it is not one of the huge ships which has its advantages and its drawbacks. I do like the design of the pearl with the open dining in the aft of the ship. I would do this cruise again and probably will do similar ones, as New Orleans is the closest port to my house.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
We had the worst experience getting on this ship. Mainly because the ship before ours was I guess a KISS cruise and the Coast Guard did a surprise inspection that delayed everything. So many people and the line were so long. It took over 2 hours to get through security. Was very aggravated and ready to relax by the time we got on board.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Food was good, we mainly ate in the buffet and the 24 hour restruant.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
This ship was smaller and did not have any waterslides and the pools are smaller. With that said there is still plenty to do from bingo, casino, trivia, and other act ivies.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
shows and comedians were pretty good.
Children's Programs
Did not travel with kids
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
I did not feel like we had a top notch crew on this one. Our room steward was awesome but the bar staff was just ok. I know it was busy but once I got on board it took over 30 minutes to get a drink
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Ship was clean in all areas
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Cabin was a standard inside cabin. It was small but we had enough storage areas it did not seem too small.
Ship tip
Make sure to read the freestyle daily to see what is going on each day.
Absolutely loved this island and would love to go back. We did a land and sea excursion and it was a full full day. We boarded a bus to the turtle farm, got to see lots of great turtles and even had a chance to hold a smaller one. We then took at trip to Hell, this place is quite interesting but once you have seen it once no need to go back. It is a section of coral that looks like lava and was impressive to see. So recommend going at least once, plus you can send a post card from hell. We then left and went to board the board to sting ray city. This was so awesome. The water is only about waist deep and the sting rays are so huge. You get to feed them and get several photo ops. We then headed back to the pier and didnt have much time to do any shopping as this is a tender port. Our driver gave us an excellent tour as we drove around the island.
We took the Gumbalimba Park excursion and loved it! It was kind of rainy so we almost didnt go, but glad we did. The park is an awesome experience. You get to see the native flora and fauna and they have a museum type section that is set up with all sorts of insects and pirate history. Then you continue walking and you get to the rope bridge...or you can take the chicken path....then you see beautiful wild Macaws and other birds caged. Then you get to the monkeys! these guys are so much fun. They jump from person to person and just have fun. I would visit this site again in a heartbeat.
The landscape here is breathe taking! But there is not a ton to do here. There is a little market at the port but it is mainly a industrial port. We decided to do a resort excursion that was supposed to include horseback riding, but that portion was cancelled. So, we boarded our boat and headed to the resort Amatique Bay Resort & Marina. It was a bit cold, but we enjoyed ourselves and got in the pool anyways. Had fun at the swim up bar and they had dance lessons. The "beach" section of the resort was a bit questionable in the colder weather do we did not go in the water there, but the views were amazing. They also had a little walk through garden with some beautiful flowers. I am not sure I would do this one again.
EXPENSIVE! This is their private island and has Jimmy Buffet's Landshark, so the drink pass does not work there and everything is pricey. The pool here is amazing and also has a swim up bar. The beach here was pretty and we enjoyed a beach day.
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