Just finished an eight day, seven night trip on the MS Oosterdam out of Seattle, stopping at Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria, BC. Background check - this is my first review and I haven't been on a cruise since 1983 (the now-defunct Sitmar line), so I consider myself a "novice" cruiser.

Beforehand: All travel documents and paperwork arrived well in advance of sailing, in a blue HA folio to keep them organized. I called the Seattle office twice with questions on shore tours and teen stuff and got helpful, professional advice. No problems there.

Arrival: We (myself, the wife, our 13 year old daughter and our near identical traveling family) flew to Seattle on Friday morning and stayed one night at the Marriott Waterfront, where I spent the rest of the day sitting in Nordstrom while the wives and daughters shopped for shoes. The hotel was comfortable with plenty of restaurants nearby and only a ten minute taxi ride to Pier 30, the HA/Princess terminal. Highly recommended, since the only HA pre-cruise hotel package was at the Fairmont at over twice the price. How about a bit of variety here? Read more