I took this cruise with my wife, my kids, and my mother in law. This cruise went to Alaska from Seattle, going to Ketchican, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria Island, BC at the end. We sailed on the Norwegian Jewel. The first thing I noticed is that the customer service on the ship was excellent and noticeably better than the last time we cruised (with the exception of our room porter, who I could tell was the exception, not the rule). We got the most budgety room (got a great deal on it), our cabin slept 3 with a pull down overhead bed (same for the other room). It was snug but worked.

The entertainment was okay, good stuff for kids, acrobat shows great, rest just okay. Kids clubs were fantastic, they took security seriously, had a circus they put on for parents at he end of the week. My 14 year old didn't do much with hers, but that was probably more her. Loved the dining, had great choices for free beyond buffet. Service in fancy dining Tzar was great. Food was good and great on occasion. Loved Chinese restaurant Chin Chin, was free. Don't drink or gamble, so couldn't tell you about those. Getting on and off in Seattle was relatively quick and painless. The NCL app iConcierge was useful to look up activities, check on your bill, and we also set up our excursion from there, very convenient. The Freestyle cruising make everything laid back, we could make choice not to dress up, eat whenever, I liked it (I think my wife wanted traditional every once in awhile).

Now, as far as Alaska, if you haven't been, GO, PLAN TO GO NOW!!!! We're from Utah and are surrounded by beautiful mountains, so I wondered how different it would be. It is breataking. Unique things you just can't see elsewhere. Can't describe how beautiful it is. The towns had their fair share of tourist traps, but were overall charming. And it's nice that you're still in the U.S. when you get off. My wife wants to move to Ketchican right now. Temperate and very fun, from the tourist shops to the city park I took my 5 year old to. In Juneau, take the time to go to Mendenhall Glacier (warning, our trip also involved a 3 mile round trip hike, could see glacier from visitor center, but not as neat). We just paid for a shuttle after we got off the boat, not a paid excursion. We had a short port, but was worth it. After we took the hike, we ended up at this huge, lovely waterfall with a beach to play on and some rocks to climb. With an amazing glacier as a backdrop a mile away. Kids had a blast. Then went in the Tracy Arm fjord and saw a glacier (can't remember which) from the boat and that was so cool. Our only excursion was the train in Skagway, it was enjoyable and scenic. And a great way to see nature without having to hike around. In Skagway, we also got off the beaten path and went to the old cometary, which was neat, with gorgeous waterfall a quarter mile behind it. There were waterfalls everywhere!!!! Victoria was nice, but paled in comparison to the beauty of Alaska. No tenders, that was nice. We lucked out, the weather was great except for 1 day. Be prepared for cold. Read more