I had cruised Norwegian a long time ago and, having lived in Orlando for 8 years, done quite a few Carnival and Royal Caribbean trips out of Port Canaveral. My general understanding of Norwegian's quality was that it was better than Carnival, but below Royal Caribbean (though their quality has not been what it once was).

We picked this cruise as a backup solution. We had planned an Oregon (specifically Crater Lake) hiking trip but the smoke from the forest fires was making it a waste of time and money. About 10 days before I started looking for alternatives and found a 7 day Alaska Cruise on the Norwegian Pearl. It seemed perfect. I could get a balcony at a reasonable price and we'd get the Free at Sea package (free drink package + 3 nights of dining at their specialty restaurants and $100 to spend onboard). By the time I called, 2 days later, I was told I could no longer have the free at sea package. They would still sell me the balcony room, but there would be no drink package, dining or on board spending. I probably should've realized something was up then, but I didn't think it would be such a big deal. We're not big drinkers and you don't HAVE to pay to dine, so I booked it. Of course, it became apparent once on board that we were part of a VERY small minority without such perks and therefore started to feel like second class cruisers.

The cruise mostly went smoothly. The ship itself is a nice size, not so big that you feel lost in the masses but not so small that you find yourself bored. The bowling alley is cute though it was just one more thing that cost "just a little bit" extra and all those extras add up. The itinerary was amazing. Alaska is gorgeous. Read more