This was our 5th cruise on NCL and our second to Alaska from Seattle, this time with a party of 6 (3 cabins). Some things have changed since our last cruise from Seattle. We have used Republic Parking, directly across the street from the cruise terminal. In the past, we have dropped our bags in the parking garage to be transported to the ship, parked our vehicle and walked across the sky bridge to registration. This time, we had to wait for one of two shuttle vans, cram everything intone of them and then driven to the terminal across the street. Once there, we had to drag our bags into the terminal until we could turn them into to someone at the luggage scanner. Then we could get in line and wait to get to registration. Admittedly, we got to the terminal around 11:15 along with hundreds of other folks and the line moved slowly, but we were on the ship by 12:15.

We did not expect our cabins to be ready and went straight to lunch in the Garden Café. While eating in the Great Outdoors, they announced that our deck 5 cabins were ready. So in our cabins by 1:00 and bags by 4:00. Some of our Cruise Critic group met at 5:00 in the Great Outdoors and had a drink while we sailed away. Sail away was scheduled for 4:00 but didn't happen until 5:00.

Throughout the cruise, we used all the "free" dining at one point or another (Summer Palace, Indigo, Blue Lagoon, Garden Café) and one specialty (Le Bistro). We like to sit down and be served when not in a hurry and so, did not use the Garden Café as much as Summer Palace and Indigo. I can't say that we ever had a bad meal, though perhaps some items ordered were not to our taste. We like Le Bistro and eat there once whenever we cruise with NCL. Service seemed a little slow this time but the food was still excellent. Read more