Second time through the Panama Canal, although this time was just a partial transit from the Caribbean side of the canal.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Embarkation was heavily delayed. The ship came in empty from Boston, and we were all told embarkation had been moved to 9:00AM. Unfortunately, the port crew had not been given this change. The process didn't start until almost 11:00AM, so people had been waiting outside for over 2 hours. Wheelchair assistance was non-existent, so I had to walk through the process without any assistance. This made for a painful first day of the cruise. Luckily, it didn't set the tone for the whole cruise.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We ate most of our dinners in the MDR. We also did one dinner at Teppanyaki and one at Cagney's. We always enjoy the show at the Teppanyaki, and steaks at Cagney's are always good. All the restaurants had great service, and we enjoyed all the dinners. We had My Time Dining in the MDR, and they always seated us right away, with very little wait.
O’Sheehan’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill
5 out of 5
Great place to watch sporting events and eat some late night snacks with a good drink or three.
Great Outdoors
5 out of 5
This is a great place to sit and watch the port or the water when the weather is good.
Atrium Bar & Cafe
5 out of 5
This was a great place to sit in the evening for drinks and live music. During the day they played the World Cup games on the big screen.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Our onboard activities consisted mainly of people watching. We were always able to find a place to sit, read, and watch people move about the ship. We played a lot of trivia, too.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We enjoyed the stage shows, and were always able to find good seats. There were some really good musical artists on board, and a couple we heard once or twice and decided not to find them again.
Spinnaker Lounge
5 out of 5
This is a great place to sit and watch the port or the water when the weather is not so good.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All the staff we came into contact with were outstanding! They were personable, always greeted us, and were more than happy to engage in conversation. Our room steward was outstanding, as was the concierge! They were always willing to go out of their way to help with any request we had.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Being our third time on the Pearl, we've watched it over time since we were first onboard in 2010, and we like the layout and design of the ship. The common areas were well-kept and clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
This was our third time on the Pearl, but our first in a suite. This was a forward-facing penthouse suite, and we loved the forward balcony. It got windy at times while at sea, but it was a good place to unwind, and to watch the canal transit from.
Ship tip
Be prepared for personal service. Being one of the smaller ships in the fleet, the crew gets to know you quickly.
We spent the night before the cruise in Miami. Our hotel overlooked cruise ship row. In the morning, we were able to watch the ships come in and park. We were even able to see the ship we'll be on next August out of Tampa.
Do not do the environmental tour and monkey island excursion. It was a 90 minute ride each way on an uncomfortable bus where the tour guide spewed her political viewpoints about the government of Panama. The monkey watching portion was enjoyable, though, and we got lots of pictures of monkeys. The port area was dirty and uncomfortable, and other than the duty-free shop, there was nothing around the port to spend time on.
We did the train tour through the banana plantations and enjoyed the scenery and commentary. We learned a lot about the banana plantations and the growing/harvest processes.
Disembarkation was a breeze. The concierge escorted us off and our baggage was in the suite/priority area, so we passed through to the Uber pickup in about 15 mintues. area
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