This was my 10th cruise but 8th cruise on Carnival. We travelled to New York two days earlier to spend some time in Manhattan. We got the best deal for airfare flying into JFK but it is further from Manhattan. We hired a town car service right there at the airport which probably cost us about $10.00 more than a taxi. Taxi fares from JFK are a flat $45.00 to Manhattan but you also have to pay the tolls. The traffic in New York is horrible so leave yourself plenty of time. It was quite humid while we were there so dress accordingly for a warm Fall. We took a cab to the pier which costs us about $25.00. We got detoured because of a parade. They are always having parades and street fairs on Saturday, so plan ahead. We stayed at the Marriott Coutyard at Midtown East and it was a nice hotel and I felt safe in that area of town. It is only two blocks from Park Avenue.
The Ship
There was nothing spectacular about the ship. It is very similar to the Conquest. The public areas of the ship were standard. The buffet on the Lido deck, the shopping, casino, and bars on the Promenade deck.