My husband and I sailed on the NCL Pearl on June 17. We are from Louisiana, both in our 30's and this was our first cruise together, but we each have sailed before - me on Carnival and Royal Caribbean; he on NCL and RC. My primary purpose was to see Alaska and have a nice, relaxing vacation without having to worry about hotels, transportation, etc. I hope this review is helpful to anyone who is considering sailing on NCL.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: NCL has some positive points and some negatives. I think some of the negatives are just inherent with any cruise line (annoying kids, crowded buffets, sales pitches, etc.). We did have a great time; Alaska was beautiful, the excursions fun, and the ship well maintained and very pretty. However, I would probably not sail on NCL again since "freestyle" cruising is not my style and it is by no means "free".

EMBARKMENT: Having sailed out of New Orleans and Miami, I have to say this was the most well organized, easiest process I have experienced so far. We checked in online (this is VERY important if you want to expedite the process) and the moment we arrived at the port, our bags were taken by a porter, we were directed to the check in desk, and we were on the ship in less than 30 minutes. The only funny item at the check-in was that NCL required you to fill out a health survey. Neither of us had been sick, but I wonder what would happen if anyone checked "yes" to any of the symptoms. Read more