Seattle is a great town to stay in the day before a cruise. We stayed at the Marriott waterfront and were able to walk to Pike Place Market and across the street to the terminal in the morning. Marriott was $355.00 with no free breakfast. I thought the price for the service was a bit high but the location was perfect.

The embarkment process was flawless. We had upgraded to a aft Penthouse and were very fortunate to have priority embarkment, escorted to Cagneys for a devine lunch and in our stateroom by 1:30. Luggage arrived shortly after and we were totaly unpacked and sitting on the balcony at sailaway. Our butler Charlie made our voyage very luxurious with the daily afternoon treats and excellent service. Our room steward Gary had our cabin in top notch condition every day. The room itself was the size of a Hotel room with more that adequate storage, sitting areas, and a divine large balcony. I do have to say I found the bed a bit hard, but DH though it was just right. We ate breakfast in our room daily and enjoyed the fantastic scenery, and no rushing in the morning.

I want to talk about the dinning options and the food on the Pearl. I was sceptical and somewhat nervous after reading other reviews about the quality of the food. I want to say they could not have been more wrong. Every meal we ate, regardless of where it was ate was delicious, well prepared with a beautiful presentation. I am not a huge fan of buffets, but even the buffet was extraordinary. We ate in the 2 main dinning rooms, at Cagney's, Lotus Garden and LaCucina superb food and service with the exception of the Summer Palace where the staff was not equal to the other venues Read more