I just returned from a NCL Star cruise from Seattle to Alaska the week of May 22. The crew was very friendly, but I will not book another NCL cruise until it's apparent improvements have been made in the food and the itinerary for the Alaska cruise has been changed. The food was very poor and disappointing. The food got better later in the week, but overall it was not acceptable. The time spent in each Alaska port was too short. In Ketchikan, we were in port from 7 to 3 PM, in Juneau, 7 to 1:30 PM, in Skagway, 7 to 5 PM, and in Prince Rupert, 4 to 10 PM. There is absolutely NOTHING in Prince Rupert, so I consider the time there to be a total waste of time. The biggest attraction was the very friendly RCMP Mountie taking pictures with the tourists. I would rather leave from Vancouver than from Seattle if it means skipping Prince Rupert. The Easy Walk off Disembarkation was fast and easy. You just have to be able to carry all your luggage yourself. Enjoy breakfast and wait in your room until 30 minutes after the start of the Easy Walk off, which is around 8:45 AM. We were off the ship in about 15 minutes.

Other advice: Don't buy any diamonds or other gems in Alaska, you can always get a better deal at the local diamond center if you live in a major city. Don't even bother to get off the ship in Prince Rupert, nothing to see or do. Pack light and do the Easy Walk off disembarkation. Skip the specialty restaurants and eat at the Versailles. Don't forget the $12 per person/per day charge for the staff tips. Parking across the cruise terminal in Seattle is $140 for the week. Be sure to catch the "Oh What a Night" and the magic of Bob & Sarah Trunell shows. There's a basketball court and two golf cages. NCL needs to spend a few bucks and get a couple of new basketballs. The golf cages only had 1 right handed club each and a bunch of left hand clubs. Golf cages need some more golf balls. Best place to take pictures of the glacier (afternoon after Juneau) - Deck 7 next to swimming pool. Area is mostly covered. Shoot through one of 3 windows on each side.