A little background; I am 50, DH is 54. This was our 13th cruise, but first time on NCL. I have sailed on Princess (9), Hal, RCCL, & Carnival, and have enjoyed all of them.

We flew out of Washington, DC two days early to Seattle. The plan was to spend two nights in Seattle to see the sights and visit family, and then take the train (Amtrak) to Vancouver. For PAX flying from the USA to board a ship in Vancouver I have found it's usually cheaper to fly into Seattle and take the train or a bus to Vancouver then to fly to Vancouver. Also, while still not cheap, the hotels are usually less expensive in Seattle than staying overnight in Vancouver.

Seattle has a great mass transit system (Light rail, buses, and ferry) and it's very easy to get around, and a great city to tour as well. On the day of our cruise we boarded the train to Vancouver. Very comfortable even though we had to go coach as business class was sold out. If you plan on taking the train, check to see how many cruises are leaving that day. On the date of our sailing there were two other ships in port and the train had sold out. There is beautiful scenery as well, and the four hours passed very quickly. Then the fun began. They ran out of taxis at the train station, and all of the very friendly Canadian officials encouraged us to take the light rail to the cruise terminal as it was fast, easy, and cheap. Which it was. However, they sent us to the wrong cruise terminal! In the end we finally found a taxi driver who got us to the correct place and we boarded quickly. Read more