Background Information This was the first cruise for my wife and me (28 yrs and 29 yrs old, respectively), so I don't have much to which I can compare it except for my experiences at hotels in various countries. Nevertheless, here's my take on our cruise to Alaska Aug 22-29.

We were on a tight-ish budget, but because this was our first cruise we didn't know if one of us would end up not doing well on the sea, so we wanted a cabin with at least a window. In case, we wanted to still be able to enjoy as much as we could, without paying so much extra for a balcony. I highly recommend you consider at least an obstructed view window if you're going on your first cruise. Check the diagrams of the deck layouts carefully, and even look at photos on the web, when deciding which stateroom to choose. We also decided on a cruise as our vacation rather late, so I didn't have much opportunity to know what to expect.

Port of Embarkation Fortunately we have family in Bothell, not far from Seattle, so we were able to stay there overnight after our drive up from Portland on Friday. On Saturday we arrived at the pier about 40 minutes earlier than the Welcome Aboard book suggested, so that we would be able to eat lunch on the ship, instead of having to find some restaurant in Seattle. NCL had made it clear on their site and in the Welcome Aboard kit that we shouldn't arrive earlier than noon, so we were surprised that everything at the pier was open. A porter took our luggage immediately, only ten people were ahead of us in line for security, and we were given the day's Freestyle Daily newsletter at the bottom of the escalator leading up to the registration queue. There was no line for the agent to get our information and issue us our card key, and there was water and orange juice to drink while we waited for the opening of the access to the gangway. While we waited, we got a copy of the ad/info/coupon book and found what free things we could get at each port. Since we arrived early, we were among the first 150 or so to get on the ship. I highly recommend arriving at the pier more than an hour before embarkation. Read more