Embarkation: I had heard that NCL had this procedure down to a science and I must wholeheartedly agree. We were dropped off by family and walked right in to drop off our luggage and sail through security. We were greeted by an NCL rep. and escorted to a check in agent with this whole process from luggage through check in taking 10 min! Due to my research I knew that we could eat in the main dining room and avoid the crush at the buffets. It was a great start to the cruise as it was not busy and the service great. After lunch we acquainted our selves with the ship, with the exception of some elevators not servicing all floors seemed to be very user friendly. Dining: We chose to eat in the main dining room for most diners and some lunches. We were blessed the first night by being seated in Locksly Fung's section where upon he provided us the absolute best service we have ever received anywhere. He was the ultimate professional yet friendliest person singing traditional Jamaican songs and blessing us after each meal. Yes, I did say each meal as we requested to set in his section each time we went to the main dining room, which appeared to be unusual as the hostess was distraught that we would gladly wait until there was an open table in his section. We never ate the same entree and found the food choices and presentation good, but not great. The only specialty restaurant we tried was La Cucina. The service was very good, but thought the menu to be a little lacking with a majority of the items being pizza and basic pasta dishes. It is a quite area with nice decor and atmosphere. The only other venue we tried was the Garden Cafe. It's a buffet with limited seating and the food choices do not change other than by meal. It was usually crowded and we would take our food and sit in La Cucina(close by)to eat. We felt the variety was sufficient to satisfy our needs for breakfast and a few lunches. I don't have high expectations of any buffet so it wasn't disappointing. Cabin: As recommended by many, we chose a balcony cabin. Ours was on the starboard side, and we didn't find it made any difference for viewing. I must agree the extra cost for the balcony was well worth it especially having booked it 14 months in advance, therefore saving $600. Our cabin was very comfortable for the two of us with ample storage space. Our stewards did an outstanding job taking care of it. We had a different towel animal each of 5 days. We lacked for nothing and Francisco and Karta were very friendly and helpful! I left them a little something after the second night and again at the end of the cruise. They work very hard and kept our room immaculate. Casino: We played on a few occasions finding plenty of variety. Several of the dealers soon recognized us and were very friendly. The poker tournament is definitely set up for the house to make money and promote poor play, but it's the only game in town if you want to play. Don't expect Vegas odds or drinks. Entertainment: The first nights preview was very informational from the prospective of determining what we might like to see. We then saw "Oh What A Night" which we really enjoyed, Shark Bait which was action packed and entertaining, and the Jean Ryan dancers which just didn't impress us. It may of been the stage being small and the props making it look like a high school musical, but the singing and dancing just didn't seem very professional. Ports: Just not enough time! My preference would be to drop Victoria and spend more time in the others. They give you just a glimpse of the beauty of Alaska. Debarkation: We thought since we had a late flight we would opt for the walk off anytime. It appears half of the ship had made the same choice. The elevators were impossible to use and the lines extensive, needless to say the passengers were less than cordial. Although we waited a hour after debarkation started this was not a pleasant experience and in hind sight I would have done the designated departure time instead. This, of course, is not in the control of NCL, just an observation. Overall: The Pearl is a very nice ship with many nice public areas and plenty to do for most any taste. We never lacked for something to do, with the exception of a few hours prior to arriving in Victoria. The service we had from all we directly came in contact with was outstanding, with all staff being friendly. We found the "Freestyle" experience to our liking for flexibility, we never had to wait to be seated, and not having to wear formal clothes was very nice. We did wear casual dress clothes for every dinner in the main dining room and La Cucina. If it matters to any, the cruise director stated there were only 61 children on our sailing as opposed to over 600 on previous Alaska sailings this season. Bottom line: We enjoyed ourselves and felt that we received our moneys worth for the cruise. We will probably try a different cruise line next time just for comparison.