With 14 family member cruisers needing 6 cabins, pre-cruise hotel rooms, flights, ground transport and all the required other "stuff" I am glad there was plenty of time. NCL Arizona based staff were extremely helpful in arranging 6 balcony staterooms side by side with 2 of them interconnecting and on the preferred starboard side of Norwegian Pearl for the requested sailing. They were also extremely accommodating when we asked for some changes. NCL made certain that discounts for union members and military personnel (even a retired firefighter) reduced the fares as much as possible. They even included an on-board stateroom credit for each cabin due to the advanced booking. Thus, with slightly fewer than a thousand e-mails and phone calls to all in our group, we headed for a rendezvous in Seattle. Travel from the airport area hotel to Pier 66 was somewhat slowed but very entertaining due to the Downtown Seattle Gay Pride Parade. None-the-less we arrived at the ship, a little more enlightened but with plenty of time to spare. I had previously contacted NCL concerning a member of our group with a handicap. They pre-arranged priority boarding including a wheel chair from the street to on-board the ship. What great service!! The port facilities at Seattle's Pier 66 are cramped and crowded, but still we moved through quickly and were onboard and seated for lunch in the main dining room less than 30 minutes after arriving dockside.

My wife and I had cruised on Pearl 2 times previously and so there were no surprises....except for the wine and fruit basket in our cabin, courtesy of NCL. The cabins were very clean and well provisioned with robes, towels and amenities. We made certain to find our cabin stewards and introduce ourselves right away. A few kind words and a small gratuity guaranteed us excellent service and full ice buckets for the entire cruise. Jenny and Made kept our cabins immaculate and fully stocked.

Thankfully lifejackets are no longer required during the mandatory lifeboat drill. This eliminates the need for a trip to your cabin before and after the drill. Great move NCL. We set sail exactly on schedule with most of our group enjoying ourselves in the bowling alley as Pearl glided out of Puget Sound, northward bound. After a great dinner in the Summer Palace, we hurried to the theatre for a show that previewed all the performances to be presented during the cruise. Soon thereafter the casino opened, but the smoke from the cigarettes drove us out. Why can't a modern ship have better air handling? Read more