Took advantage of a special offer to take this early season cruise and it was a nice way to spend a week with the 80 y.o.+ in-laws who can't get around as easily these days. Alaska is a bucket list destination and it did not disappoint. I'm not a cruiser by preference (so my perspective is that of an inexperienced cruiser) but I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the Pearl is. I was told if you don't like cruises that the Alaska itinerary was the way to go - and I'm a believer now. The idea of being cooped up with 2500 people for a week is my idea of purgatory so at 4 stars, this is a rave review for me!

Depending on your cruise days, Seattle is a good place to tack on an extra day or two. Seattle hotels are REALLY expensive this time of year but we found a nice Air BNB option in Ballard w/I 15 minutes of the cruise terminal. Uber and Lyft rides are readily available at any time of day. Take in a game at one the stadiums if you can; Seattle's sports teams and facilities are great entertainment options. Sounders soccer games are supposedly legendary fan events; we took in a Mariners game at Safeco Field, one of the nicest baseball stadiums I've been in.

Check-in/embarkation/debark all went smoothly and flawlessly. We were travelling with elderly in-laws and it was very easy for them to get on and off the ship - and the staff was very helpful. Read more