Pearl Seas Cruises LLC — Local services in Guilford

Our recent 7-day cruise on the Great Lakes with Pearl Seas Cruises was a mixed experience, marked by both exceptional service and significant comfort issues. The standout aspect of the trip was undoubtedly the staff. Every crew member we interacted with was excellent—friendly, attentive, and always willing to help. Their professionalism and positive attitude truly enhanced our time on board. The room amenities themselves were also great, providing everything we needed for our stay. The food was generally "okay." While it was palatable, it lacked the memorable culinary quality we might have expected from a “leading small ship luxury” cruise experience. Unfortunately, the challenges with our room and the overall lack of rest heavily impacted our enjoyment. The bed was, without a doubt, the most uncomfortable we have ever encountered. It was too short, leaving our feet dangling off the end. It also sagged deeply in the middle of each section, with a noticeable lump where the two sections joined. This, combined with constant and loud noise from the engine and vibrations when the ship was moving, made it impossible to get a good night's sleep. (Our room was above the dining room.) The room’s HVAC system was also very loud, as was the mini-fridge every time its compressor kicked in. It was clear the room was in desperate need of a major update. We left the cruise feeling more tired than when we arrived, a feeling we've never had after a vacation. While we commend the dedicated staff, the accommodations made it difficult to truly relax and enjoy the journey. In summary, if you are short in stature, a very sound sleeper, and hard of hearing, this cruise would be perfect for you. Otherwise, be prepared to sacrifice a good...

I had a great 12-day Great Lakes cruise aboard Pearl Mist in May/June of 2023. I flew to Toronto and boarded the ship there, and we sailed on four of the five Great Lakes and visited places on both the Canadian side and in the United States.

Over the winter of 2022/2023 the ship was refurbished, including just about every piece of furniture on the ship being replaced. Everything from the beds, chairs, and chest of drawers in the cabins to the outdoor patio furniture and even all the tables and chairs in the restaurant is new now.

It was a real treat to explore so much of the Great Lakes and to only have to unpack once... rather than a car trip staying in different hotels along the way. In this case the ship is your hotel, and also has its own restaurant and entertainment. But this is not one of those cruises where it's all about the ship. On a cruise like this, you stay busy every day taking excursions and visiting new places.

Some of the highlights for me were visiting Niagara Falls and riding an excursion boat right up to the base of the falls... spending a day on beautiful Mackinac Island in Michigan... and cruising around gorgeous Georgian Bay from the Canadian town of Parry Sound. But I also loved visiting the big city of Detroit... where I was able to tour the original Motown studios where so many huge hits were recorded in the 1960s and 1970s... and I was pleasantly surprised at how many interesting things I saw in lesser-known places we visited, like Sault Ste Marie and Muskegon.

The bottom line is that this was an even better 12-day adventure than I thought it would be, and I would definitely recommend it to other retired people who want to see for themselves what the Great Lakes region...

Extremely disappointing and taking advantage of their passengers. We wont cruise with them again.

We took one cruise and it was nice. We were looking to book another, but not knowing what the future holds we paid for their "Cancel For Any Reason Protection Plan, with Deluxe Protection". 6 months later, but still over 3 months till the cruise date, it was not going to work, so we made the decision to cancel. They ten tell us that there is an additional $250 administration charge per person for cancelling for any reason. Something that was not disclosed in the booking, but was in some fine print.

I called to argue but their customer service team is a bunch of low level people that can only follow their procedure book. In one paragraph it states that the Cancel for Any Reason Protection Plan is "a cancellation fee waiver", then in the next paragraph there is a asterixis referring to a "Cancellation Administrative Charge". Is that not a fee??? That is the reason we purchased the plan, not to get dinged.

The only way to cancel is to email in and then they email back with the cancellation ignoring any of your comments. Then they state if you have any issue you can call customer service. You call customer service, they tell you that you can email in your problem, then they just ignore and do not respond to your email.

These guys are a shady bunch...