This was our 6th cruise, but the first on Norwegian. The Pearl is about the right size to fit our tastes. The ship was built I Germany in 2006 and underwent a major refurb this year. Everything was clean and perfect. We sailed round trip to Alaska from Seattle the last week of Sept. Icy Strait was OK. not a lot to do there but it is an interesting story about how the town is trying to save itself. The kids liked the zip line and we went whale watching, very successfully I might add. Juneau and Victoria were wonderful as always. We took a tour of the Alaska brewery in Juneau, it was quite interesting and they are VERY generous with samples. We were very impressed with the Pearl. The food was excellent everywhere we went. The room was nice and clean, good bed, and a much nicer shower than most cruise ships. Service was excellent, my hats off to all involved. Norwegian will certainly be on my list of contenders for any future business. I highly recommend them.