Norwegian Pearl Review
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This was my second Alaska cruise (my fourth overall). I went two years ago on the same route with Princess, so that cruise is still fresh in my mind for comparison. Overall, I think Norwegian did a much better job for a few different reasons.
Firstly, I was really impressed with the ship itself. It was very clean, and I don't take this for granted. Keeping that much ship clean takes a lot of hard work. The layout of the ship is simple and thoughtful. It was very easy to navigate, and though we only used them once, the elevators were smooth and fast.
Some of the rooms on the ship were just beautiful. In all my cruises I don't remember just looking around a room and being impressed with the carpet, furniture, art, and ceilings so often. The Summer Palace dining room is gorgeous (google pictures of it). Lotus Garden is also a nice space, and the dresses of the servers in the Garden were also beautiful. If I didn't have a balcony, I would have spent much more time in Spinnaker Lounge. It is a huge lounge up top on the front of the ship, with large windows giving a panoramic view. There is quite a bit of seating to relax and watch the ocean, but because it's such a nice space, the seats can be a little hard to get.
Cabin Review
Mini-Suite with Balcony
I like this room. Great view from the balcony, and on the same side of the ship as the dining room. There was some noise from whatever is above but I'm a pretty good sleeper so it didn't bother me.
Port Reviews
Juneau
Check our Barnaby Brewing for some excellent beer. They don't really have much of a location yet, just an office and some tables, but the girl behind the counter was great and the beer was fantastic.
Seattle
We stayed at the Moore hotel. Loved it! It was affordable and centrally located. Clean and a lot of character. Other than that, we hung around Pike Place Market. Great food. Go to Seattle Coffee Works for the best cappuccino.
Skagway
Lovely train ride. Felt like the bus ride back was just okay.
Victoria
Victoria is beautiful, but we were there for Canada day and while I thought that would be great, it was way too crowded to enjoy anything. Still beautiful, but might not want to go on Canada Day.