Norwegian Pearl Review
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We went on a Alaska cruise, mid-May 7 night round trip Seattle. Itinerary included Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Victoria, & Glacier Bay. Note that this itinerary is very convenient and the most affordable, but not a great choice if it'll be your only Alaska cruise, as it doesn't go very far North. We live in Seattle and expect to take more Alaska cruises. We even did this same itinerary a few years ago on Princess in Sept. This time I wanted to go earlier to get more snow&ice and to have longer days. I thought about doing Tracy Arm, but read its often iced in this early (and heard that they ended up doing Endicott Arm the week we went). Glacier Bay is lovely.
I wanted to give NCL another shot even though we weren't too impressed with them on the Pride of America in Hawaii, as the Pearl is a foreign based ship (POA is the only U.S. registered cruise ship so it has U.S. staff) and I really like the idea NCL (the whole freestyle thing with anytime dining, although a few other cruise lines also now offer that, and especially, casual dress...who wants to wear dressy clothes on vacation?). Since we have done Alaska before and plan to go many more times, this cruise was almost more about the cruise portion than the destination for us. I think if it had been the other way around all the disappointments we had wouldn't have mattered as much. Also, any of these issues alone would have been no big deal...they just added up over the week.
Most everything was quite average to below average--service, food, and ship. Even though the Pearl is only 10 years old, it is really in need of better upkeep. Stateroom couch & carpet stained & worn, bed uncomfortable, and pillows lumpy. Furniture throughout the ship was chipped, stained, and worn. The ship's windows were all really in need of a cleaning, which was unfortunate for a scenic cruise. Carpets were stained. I think some better color and fabric choices would have gone far. We've been on a Princess ship which was much older which was kept up much better.
Cabin Review
Mid-Ship Balcony
Great location as its midship (convenient and the least motion, especially important for round trip Seattle itineraries). Close but not too close to mid ship elevators. Only staterooms above it. 2 floors down from the buffet & pool and 3-4 floors above lots of other stuff. Small, but plenty of storage (once we moved the bedding taking up half the shelves to the top of the closet). In need of new furnishings and carpet (stained & worn). We loved the large shower with a real door (no curtain) that went all the way up (so anyone at the sink doesn't get splashed). The toilet has a separate compartment, but its clear glass, so rather pointless.
Port Reviews
Juneau
Very long walk from the AJ dock (they said 1/4 mile but its well over a mile). Good thing we knew this from a previous visit. Free bus available but there was a long line and we are able bodied, so we walked. Visited the Alaskan Brewing Company-shuttle for about $20pp through their store in town, which includes a short tour and a few beer samples. Took the Mt. Roberts Tram-nice views and exhibits, but a bit pricey.
Glacier Bay
Awesome scenery. The park ranger commentary was a bit lacking though (read from a script and kinda stumbled upon).
Ketchikan
We booked an Orcas Cove kayaking trip independently through Southeast Sea Kayaks. It was awesome! I LOVED that it was a max group of 6 and we only had 4, so it was almost a private tour. It was easy to book online and their website was really good as far as what to expect (I'm a planner so I want to know all that stuff). Our guide was very knowledgeable of the area, kayaking, local wildlife, etc. its a beautiful area. We felt very safe. It was a 4 hour excursion, which included about a 20 min boat ride each way, about 2.5 hours in the kayaks, and a light lunch (awesome smoked salmon which is their own canned line). We were quite worm out by the end, but it was a great experience.
Skagway
We booked the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari independently (it wasn't offered through NCL, although it looks like it has been in the past). It took about 6 hours and was a lot of transit time between the hour long boat ride each way, a 5 min bus ride each way, and a 15 min hike each way, but the scenery from the canoes and right next to the glacier were worth it. 360 deg of beauty. 10 people per guide, and the guides live on the island April-October without electricity or running water. I think it was a great value and a great experience.