We just returned from the 7-day glacier bay roundtrip on the Norwegian Pearl. This was the first cruise for my husband and daughters (ages 8 and 10), and first real cruise for me (I'd been on a short Ensenada cruise out of Long Beach as a teenager). We were nervous about the cabin size and about whether we would be bored on the ship, but we were thrilled with the trip and none of us wanted it to end.
Embarkation in Seattle was fine - a Port employee whisked our bags away as soon as we were dropped at the curb, and the various lines all moved quickly to get us on the ship. We went to the Garden Café, which was quite a zoo for lunch on embarkation day. We found a table back at the Great Outdoors and enjoyed a sunny Seattle day.
Throughout the cruise, staff were friendly, happy, and helpful. Every crew member we passed in the hallways greeted us with a smile, and the "happy happy washy washy" crew at the buffet were always smiling. We traveled with several children, and we had a couple of minor injuries/mishaps, and the staff always rushed to help/comfort the child at issue.