This was our second cruise to Alaska. Our first was with Royal Caribbean in 2010 (north to south). We picked NCL this time because we wanted a roundtrip cruise out of Seattle that went to Glacier Bay National Park. We also picked NCL because we had the most wonderful time sailing the western Caribbean on the NCL Dawn in January 2016.
Embarkation - The embarkation process at the Seattle Bell Street Pier 66 was the best we've experienced in our five cruises. From the time we arrived on the street at Pier 66 to the time we stepped onto the ship, it took only 30 minutes to drop off baggage, complete security screening, check in with NCL, and start walking towards the ship. Best pier organization we've seen yet!
The Pearl - The Pearl came out of drydock/updating within the past two months before our cruise date. The Pearl is a beautiful ship and we loved everything about her. The layout is different than the Dawn with the Spinnaker Lounge up forward on Deck 13. The retractable curtains are really cool to have them opened at sunset in the evening. Once we found our way around, we found entertainment centered at the Atrium (Deck 7) with a jumbo screen for viewing. The piano man had a huge following on Deck 6. The Bliss Lounge at the back of Deck 7 was rather unconventional but comfortable. Needed to get used to having bowling balls dropping on either side of the Lounge (two bowling lanes in use on both sides of the Bliss Lounge.
We picked a mid-ship Balcony this trip after encountering rough seas on our first cruise to Alaska. Location DOES make a difference. This cabin was exactly the same size as we had on the Dawn a year and a half ago. It worked perfect for us. We were pleased with the decor of blue tones on the walls, pictures and bedding. The new flat screen TV was a welcome addition as were the charging ports for cell phones/ipads at the TV cabinet and underside of each wall mounted bed light. Our cabin steward (Lynston from Belize) was outstanding. He took great care of us all week and we had nothing but high praise for him.