We arrived in Seattle a day early and stayed at the Westin Seattle. The views from that hotel were great, especially if you splurge a little more for the "Grand View" category. I was able to see the Pearl arrive in port early Sunday morning. We arranged for a car to take us down to Pier 66 (a short 5 minute ride from the hotel). We arrived around 11am and there was a line forming already. We dropped off our luggage within 10 minutes of arriving and were heading to the passenger check-in area when we were handed a letter from NCL. The letter stated we would not be going to Victoria, BC and our time in Ketchikan would be reduced due to a bad bearing on one of the azipods. The speed of the ship would have to be reduced and in order to satisfy US laws regarding foreign registered ships, we would pull into the Port of Victoria, but no one would be allowed to disembark (because we would only be there for a couple of hours compared to the 6 hours originally promised). The letter stated we could cancel and get a full refund, but by now our luggage had already been taken and we would be stuck in Seattle with no hotel or transportation arrangements for the next 7 days. I discussed it with my girlfriend and we decided to continue with the cruise because our primary destination was Alaska and we really were looking forward to seeing it for the first time. We waited in the lounge after checking in until boarding began at noon. There were refreshments being served but not enough for the amount of passengers waiting in the lounge. The orange juice ran out quickly and the few cookies served disappeared in a matter of minutes.

Once boarding began, we were on the ship in a few minutes. We were greeted by the crew with sparkling wine and were escorted to the Garden Cafe for lunch. We were there early enough to avoid the big crowds so we had no problems with lunch or finding a place to sit (that was a different story once everyone was aboard). Then we walked around the ship until our stateroom was ready. Around 2pm our room was ready and we went to see it. We booked a BA category balcony stateroom on Deck 10. On this cruise with so much beautiful scenery it's well worth the extra expense. There was plenty of room for what we needed and it was very clean. It was raining in Seattle by the time we boarded and from our balcony we could observe the luggage being loaded into the ship. I noticed the carts holding the luggage were not very well protected from the elements. Surely enough, when our luggage was delivered to our stateroom, one of my bags was soaked and a few of my shirts were completely wet inside. Luckily it was just water so I let them hang to dry, but I would expect more from the loading process in an area that gets plenty of rain. We tried most of the specialty restaurants and found the food to be worth the extra charge. If you want lobster in those restaurants, expect to pay an additional fee. Reservations for the two of us were no problem. If you have a balcony stateroom, you can make reservations up to two days in advance. This can be done over your stateroom phone or in person at various reservation stands throughout the ship. If you go to the buffet (Garden Cafe), it's easier to find a table outside at the Great Outdoors. Drink prices were steep and at a couple of bars I was disappointed with the bartender's ability to mix a drink properly. If the bartender has to look at the bar menu to see what your drink is made of, then you probably shouldn't expect a good result. The majority of the staff was very friendly and they made the difference in the other negatives listed above. Our cabin staff introduced themselves and always greeted us when we saw them.

We lucked out with the weather throughout Alaska. It rained just a little as we arrived in Juneau, but cleared quickly as we started our shore excursion. We chose the Mendenhall Glacier and Wildlife Quest combo tour. It was great as we were able to get a good view of Mendenhall Glacier and see bears, sea lions and whales. We lucked out with one humpback calf who was showing off it's breaching skills. In Skagway we decided on the Dogsledding and Glacier Flightseeing via helicopter. Riding on a dogsled through snow was unbeatable and the views from the helicopter were amazing. We also took the White Pass Railroad with a bus return from Fraser B.C. in the afternoon. Very scenic but the stop at the Yukon Suspension Bridge on the way back was nothing but a tourist trap. Not much to see there. Glacier Bay cruising was incredible. The captain was able to get the ship close enough to the Marjorie Glacier where we could witness the sound and calving of that massive glacier. Most of the public deck areas were packed during this portion of the cruise, so this is where a private balcony stateroom came in handy. In Ketchikan we took the Best of Ketchikan by Land and Sea tour. The boat portion of that tour was much better, however the only wildlife we were able to see was a few bald eagles. I was confused about our inability to visit Victoria. When we left Seattle we were cruising at 21 knots consistently. The tv has a channel with ship data so I would look at this throughout the cruise. When we left Ketchikan, we only averaged speeds of 12 to 18 knots max, even when in open ocean. It seemed we slowed down more than we needed to and I feel we could of made Victoria by 7 or 8pm at the latest. This would still have given passengers a chance to see the city for a few hours. There was talk from some passengers who couldn't book any excursions in Victoria a couple of weeks prior to sailing. I don't know exactly what is the true story and why we couldn't stick with our itinerary. But a lot of people were suspicious as to the "official" reason. The captain did apologize on the 5th day of our cruise, however a $25 onboard ship credit was an insult considering we could have taken other cruises. The ship is less than two years old, so I'm curious why it's having serious mechanical problems already (if that in fact is the reason). Apart from that, the scenery and the crew made it worth while.