I just had the pleasure of touring the NCL’s Norwegian Pearl while she was in Seattle between Alaska cruises. She is absolutely georgeous! Beginning with my walk up the gangway, the first thing you notice is how bright and colorful she is.

Once inside, you are guided through the hallways on the bright blue carpet by schools of fish. I found this very refreshing as opposed to the normal solid colors you see on most ships. Embarkation for me was on Deck 7, so I was close to the Shore Excursion Desk. This should be one of your first stops on board to assure you get the tours you want in your favorite ports, and Alaska is loaded with them. Rafting, whale watching, jet boats, jeep/canoe combos, horse-drawn trolley, seaplane or helicopter are just a few of the ways to see Alaska. It absolutely fits right in with Freestyle Cruising. Back to ship, and after walking through what I thought was an extraordinarily wide photo gallery, my first highlight was entering the Bliss Ultra Lounge, and discovering a bowling alley. Actually, there are two lanes on each side of the lounge. Definitely a first for me! Back to the middle of the ship and into the Asian dining area. The Lotus Garden is relaxingly beautiful, and large so reservations should be available. The Sushi Bar is on the right, and after walking around the rear of the Lotus Garden, I discovered the Teppanyaki Room, complete with grills at the tables for a fun experience. I was lucky to be able to dine in the Summer Palace main restaurant for lunch, and can highly recommend the Chilean Sea Bass. It was superb. It also had a great mix of small and large tables to accommodate most requests for table size. I was a tad pressed for time, so I quickly visited Cagney’s Steakhouse. It’s a smaller venue highlighted by an “open kitchen” cooking area. You’ll see the chef’s preparing the steaks. I saved the best for last,and had to visit the Garden Villas. Oh my gosh, they are unbelievable!!!! 3 Bedrooms, all with coffee machines for grinding your fresh morning brew, a large living room with a huge semi-circular sofa in front of a large flat screen TV, a complete computer set-up in the living room desk area for emailing and web surfing (nice not to have to go out of room to enjoy), whirlpool in the courtyard, and plenty of room to entertain. There is a bar area in the living room of the suite with stools, giving everyone a place to sit and enjoy their gatherings. As we were fast approaching sailing, the suite already had the ice buckets with the complimentary champagne chilling, and flowers next to it ready to go. What a tremendous, breath-taking first impression for a cruise. I highly recommend this as the way to go. It’s definitely a worthwhile value. NCL