We arrived a few days early in Seattle to tour around and visit with a friend that recently relocated there. Seattle is a wonderful place and has a wonderfully mild climate in August than where we are from (Texas). We decided to find the pier a day early and scout it out. As we arrived we noticed a sign in one of the windows that said "Concierge". We went in and found out that we could drop our luggage off with them starting at 7:30a.m. and pick it up later in the day to be loaded on the ship. All it cost was $3.00 for each piece of luggage! On Embarkation day we dropped off our luggage and went to get breakfast and do some shopping. When we got back to the pier at about noon things were hopping so we decided to get our luggage and check it into the ship. The NCL employee at the porter's area said things were slow so we should go ahead and check in. When we got inside the line was extremely long and we feared it would take forever to get processed. However, we were extremely wrong. The check-in took no more than 15 minutes and we had our room cards. We still weren't ready to go on board so they said we could leave and enter through another security area. We checked out the markets and then at about 3p.m. decided to board the ship. Went through the alternate security check point and was on the ship in a matter of minutes. The Star is a beautiful ship and immaculately maintained. Though other post recommended eating lunch in the dining room we opted to go up on deck for the buffet and found it relatively uncrowded. Toured the ship and then proceeded to our room. Our mini-suite was extremely spacious and the bathroom had a tub/shower with sink area separated from the toilet. Some post complained about the liquid soap/shampoo dispensers but I found the quality of both relatively good. The shampoo had a wonderful rosemary scent to it. The soap was a little hard on my sensitive skin (I find this to be the case with any soap in a hotel or ship.) So those with dry/sensitive skins might want to bring an alternate along. I agree with everyone that the mattresses are HARD! I like it that way but those who like a medium to soft firmness you will definitely need to request the egg crate topper. We had requested a bar set-up and it was taken care of by the time we got to our cabin. It definitely saved money but unlike some posts I didn't see any difference in pricing than what I've experienced on other cruise lines (Princess, Carnival) for drinks. There is a 15% gratuity but that is been our experience on the above lines also. There are specials such as double shots in a special glass that gets you discounts on the remainder of the cruise and drink specials listed in the daily schedule so you should take advantage of those for better pricing. We found the food to be overall very good. I travel all of the U.S., France, Germany, Switzerland, and the UK and eat at some very fine restaurants so I should know what I'm talking about. The meals in the dining rooms do focus more on presentation than quantity but at 6'4" and 235lbs. I never left feeling hungry. The food in the Market Cafe was average but put it in the correct context there should be no complaints. I mean hey it's a buffet that has food sitting under heat lamps what do you expect? We ate the majority of our dinners in the dining rooms and only visited one specialty restaurant. That was Le Bistro which serves French cuisine. The food was excellent and the portions were definitely bigger than the dining rooms. The downside of the ship? Most definitely the entertainment. The shows were second rate and 90% of the singers in the lounges were awful and off key save for Jana Seale in the Gatsby bar area. She was sublime. The performers all seemed to be concentrating on their positions on stage or their dance steps rather than actually performing. They had a troupe from Second City but the were second rate (no pun intended). We eagerly anticipated the Chinese Acrobats but were disappointed by the combination of them and the ships performance troupe. Had it been just the acrobats it would have been fabulous. Disembarkation was a breeze. We choose to have NCL deliver our bags to our airline and they also printed our boarding passes. We got up and leisurely ate breakfast in the dining room and then got off the ship in about 10 minutes. Walked around Seattle some more and then caught a cab to the airport. Walked through security flew home and got our bags and went home with no problem.

Ketchikan was our first port and it was beautiful. In fact we were blessed with great weather at every stop. Sunshine and mid 60's everytime. Walked and shopped around the historic area where the brothels used to be and then took a float plane tour of the Misty Fjords NM. This shore excursion through the ship was canceled so we did some research and opted to book on our own with Island Wings. It was wonderful. The plane was a beautifully restored Beaver and our guide was very knowledgeable and attentive. We had two-way radios and she encouraged us to ask all the questions we wanted. She is from Alaska and was very knowledgeable. We landed on a remote lake and were able to explore the area for quite awhile before returning. I would recommend Island Wings to anyone. Plus the price is definitely cheaper than what we had booked through NCL. Second stop was Juneau. Mostly a midsized city and not much to be seen. Beautifully located though. We booked a river float and had a great time. Not recommended for those looking for major rapids plus as we neared the end of our tour we were right in the middle of residential areas. Overall it was very fun and we saw many eagles which was a plus. After we left Juneau we headed to the Sawyer Glacier. There is some debate over whether this is better or worse than Glacier Bay but I thought it was beautiful beyond words. I was afraid we wouldn't be able to go very far up the Tracy Arm because of all the ice but everytime I thought we had reached our limit the Captain pressed onward. Ultimately we got within viewing distance of the glacier but the Park Service said it had calved several times that day and we could go no further. Still it was an awesome sight. The ship did an amazing 360 degree turn so everyone could get a good view and pictures of the glacier and then we headed back out. One thing to be aware of is that the travel time to the glacier is not short. The ship goes very slow and it took us about two hours to go up the Tracy Arm. Plus it was COLD. So if you plan to find a good spot on the deck definitely plan to bring a heavy coat and dress warm. We thought it might be good to view this from our balcony but the view all around the ship was so incredible we opted to stay on deck crowded as it was. Next stop was Skagway. It is a cute old mining town that is in a National Park. Every store is either a trinket shop, bar or restaurant and after a few blocks things finally get a little tiresome. We took a train up to the Denver Trailhead and hiked up into the rainforest. It was spectacular. One complaint is that it was a like a forced hike. The guides left little time to stop and take it all in or even to take pictures. Be prepared for a fairly difficult hike. The shore excursion book makes it seem easy but you will definitely get a workout. There trail is not groomed and you have to pick your steps very carefully (or risk slipping on a wet tree root and falling which I did twice.) Last stop was Prince Rupert. By reading some posts we had decided just to stay on the ship but opted to get off at the last minute. The town is quaint but nothing special. Just an average small village you would find anywhere with some beautiful mountains for a backdrop. By the time we arrived most of the stores and restaurants had shut down. We found a few unique gifts in one store and found a museum by the dock to be downright beautiful. We picked up some wonderful numbered prints in the gift shop. All in all we were off the ship for about two hours before we decided to go back on board and have some dinner. Overall the trip was wonderful. No matter what ship you do it on Alaska should be on ANYONES list of must do. The scenery is utterly beautiful and words fail to do it justice. This was our first trip on NCL and by some of the negative postings we were a little worried. However, the staff of the Star were beyond reproach. The food was better than we expected and the ship and our cabin were clean and well kept the entire cruise. We still consider Princess our favorite line but with the right itinerary we would definitely sail NCL again.