First, let me explain a little about myself. I booked this cruise in April without doing any research. I received an email advertising Alaskan cruises and realized I had two weeks in June that I could go and I could afford to take my mother along for the trip. So I went to a travel agent and the Pearl was the cheapest option. Neither of us had cruised before or even really thought of cruising. However, Alaska was on my bucket list and it seemed like a good way to do it. We flew into Seattle the day before and enjoyed a beautiful day exploring the city. We boarded the Pearl on June 3rd. Embarking and disembarking in Seattle were both a breeze.
We had an inside stateroom since I didn’t win my bids. We were midship on deck 11. I read a lot of negative things about inside cabins after I booked my trip. However. I was pleasantly surprised by the room! There was more than enough storage space and we didn’t even utilize all the cabinet space. The bathroom and shower were large enough and the beds were comfortable. Shower pressure and temperature were great too. I probably got the best sleep I’ve ever gotten on vacation inside that room. The Stewards on the whole floor were amazingly nice and hard working. I have absolutely no complaints about the boarding. My only suggestion if you have an inside cabin is that the spa pass is necessary. No windows means you can miss a lot of the scenery and the spa is a great place to make up for it. We saw tons of whales on sea days from the comfort of the spa. Also, prebook online and save 40 to 50 dollars.
We ate at Moderno steak house for specialty dining and it was excellent. Highly recommend if you want to treat yourself during the cruise. I was happy with all the other fee free dining. I enjoyed the buffet. I never had any problems with servers and everybody was pleasant.
Excellent, not too much movement when the seas are rough
The new design on the space needle is great! Enjoyed the city. Seems like there is a large population of homeless and like a lot of them are suffering from mental health issues.
Nugget falls was amazing
Loved fisherman’s wharf and the harbor taxi!