This was our 5th cruise, 1 on Premier, 2 on Carnival and our second cruise on the beautiful Norwegian Pearl to Alaska. Traveled with my husband, my sister and her husband, ages range from 45-53. We shared a AF mini-suite on Deck 11. We travel everywhere together, so we are used of sharing rooms, and it worked out well. We arrived in Seattle 2 days early to do some sightseeing. We had a very comfortable stay at the Sheraton Seattle. Excellent location for everything in downtown Seattle. Our cab ride from the airport was $40.00 plus tip for the 4 of us. Check-in was a breeze, and our room was available at 1:30pm. We had lunch at the Taphouse Grill, just a block down 6th Ave. It was very good, and quite a sight to see, as they have over 160 different beers on tap! We met up with my brother and his wife, and 3 other couples that were all sailing with us. We had dinner at the Crab Pot on the pier Saturday night, excellent food, great service, and great fun!! The Sheraton arranged a shuttle for us to the pier, and we were off to the last frontier!! We arrived at the pier about 11:45am, there was quite a line outside, but it moved very quickly. We were on-board in about 30-40 minutes. We had delicious leisurely lunch in Summer Palace, as the buffet is just total chaos on embarkation day! When we were finishing our dessert, they announced the cabins were ready. Perfect timing! Our cabin was nice sized, with a curtain dividing the bed from the living area. There was plenty of storage space and drawers, even with 4 people in the cabin..no problems at all. I did take extra hangers though, and a power strip, as the outlets are minimal. Our bathroom was large enough to move around in, and had a tub instead of the walk-in shower. The balcony in the mini suite is bigger than the regular balcony cabins, and there was plenty of room for 4 people on it. The bed is very comfy, and the sofa sleeper is not bad. We asked our room steward for a pad, which he provided, and then we also added a down comforter for extra padding. He brought us another comforter to cover up with..worked perfect. I actually loved sleeping on the sofa bed, since it was close to the balcony, we kept our patio door open all night. You could hear the sound of water off the bow...great sleeping!!! We all purchased the thermal spa package for $99.00 for the week. It is well worth the money!! Go to the spa as soon as you get on board, take the tour, and do it, you won't regret it!! They only sell 120 passes, so it's never crowded, and it's such a treat to get away from it all each day! The thermal rock beds are the best!!! We saw a couple of shows, Sharkbait and Garden of Geisha. Sharkbait is awesome, don't miss it!! They were also part of the adults only- Liars game in the Spinnaker, and hosted the "definitely" adults only Qwest game, also in the Spinnaker. One word...Hilarious!!!!! Don't miss it, unless your offended easily!!! Another don't miss, is the Dancing with the Pearl Stars...that was most I have ever laughed at anything. The cruise director is Julie, she is totally awesome, so genuine, and has a beautiful smile that is always on her face!! The crew show on Saturday afternoon was really entertaining also. We all thought the service by the entire staff was excellent!! I never felt like they did not want to serve us, since the tips are already included. In fact it was quite the opposite, I felt like they were bending over backwards to serve you!! I am not sure what the last couple of unfavorable reviews were about!! I actually took my own diet coke on-board, and even took it into the dining rooms with me. I would ask for a glass of ice, and not once did any waiter or waitress hesitate to get it for me! You never met a crew member anywhere, that didn't greet you, and ask how you were doing. They do go a little overboard in the lounges with asking you if you need anything to drink, but all you have to do is politely say no thanks. We never felt like anyone was pushing pull tabs on you, in fact, you had to raise your hand to get them to come to you!! Some people you just can't please!! The food and service was excellent, we never had a bad meal anywhere. We loved the atmosphere in the Summer Palace, even though it's the dress up dining room, and we really like the casual dress code on NCL. The buffet was nuts, every time we went in there!! We could never find a table big enough for the 6 of us. The meals we did have in there were very good, and fresh...I love the salad bar, and pizza is excellent. The cinnamon rolls and pecan rolls for breakfast are to die for!!! I have to give a shout out to our favorite waiter in the Spinnaker...Ernesto your the best!!! He actually remembered my husband's name from our previous cruise 2 years ago!!! I guess that's a sign he drinks to much beer!! Which by the way went up $3.00 a bucket from 2 years ago..it's now $28.00 with the gratuity. It's still cheaper than buying them one at time though! My only complaint would be the prices of the drinks. We ate one meal at Cagneys, and I ordered a Diet Pepsi, it was basically all ice, about 4 sips, and they were $1.95, and no free refills!!! I should have asked for a can, they are $2.29, but at least you get 12 ounces for it. Disembarkation was smooth as can be. We chose the walk off anytime with your own bags. We rented an SUV from Budget there at the pier, as we were staying until Monday. They were suppose to have a shuttle to their office on 7th Ave., but apparently it only holds 4 people!! Not the brightest idea, I have ever heard of!! The wait was over an hour, so my sister and I took off walking in the pouring rain, and then hailed a cab to their office. We then went back to the pier and picked up the rest of the group. We drove out to Mt Rainer, but you couldn't see much, with the heavy rain and fog. We stopped at the Jackson visitors center, and some in the group took a little hike. We went up there 2 years ago, and it was sunny and 72 degrees, and what a sight it is!!! We spent the night at the Hilton Garden Inn in Renton. It was very nice, and the front desk staff were excellent. They followed us to Budget to return our car that evening, and then we rode their shuttle to the airport the next day. It was an awesome trip, and NCL exceeded our every expectation once again...can't wait for the next one!!!Glacier Bay...what can you say...it's absolutely the most beautiful

place you can imagine! Marjorie glacier did not disappoint, as she was

calving like crazy!! The weather was perfect, and we saw so many whales Read more