Stayed one night in Seattle prior to departure and enjoyed a beautiful day. Took an Uber to the dock and was quickly brought in for check-in. Embarkation was extremely easy and everyone made you feel welcomed. Stayed mid-ship, in a mini-suite, adjoining cabins on deck 9. The location seemed great for most everywhere we wanted to go.

As for the dining, there was something for everyone. The usual spread of international selections, pizza and burger bars were available in the Garden Cafe. Seating seemed ample and seemed busy at the front of the ship which overlooked the Observation Lounge below. Wall to wall windows made this a popular spot. They put actual sinks at the entrances to the cafe, but unfortunately, most people opted for simply using hand sanitizer. (Aside: I never understood this--take 30 seconds and actually clean your hands. If you put your hands in bird poop, would you want to CLEAN them, or just move it around and hope to sanitize hands with some gel?)

The specialty restaurants were a bit of a disappointment. Not only was the service not up to par with other NCL trips I've made, but it just didn't have the "Specialty" feel. Perhaps it was the places we booked--Le Bistro, La Cucina, and Los Lobos, the food was ok, but just didn't have that POP. The regular restaurants were just ok as well. Seemed like Garden Cafe food, marketed with cute menu-speak to make it sound more elegant. Read more