We left from NY on the 29th - we arrived at the terminal early - actually rode in the bus with many ship crew personnel. We were eating lunch by 11:30. Yes, there were lines, but life if full of lines, at the movie theatre, to get into the basketball game, to get out of the parking garage. So no big deal.

Learned our way around the ship easily, found the not so secret "secret" doors that go out on deck 10. Best part is there were never more than a dozen people out there. Great place to be when leaving or entering port. View of the Statue of Liberty was great and no juggling for a place to take a good picture. Deck 6 also offers a great uncroweded place for viewing. Just go forward to the doors with the round windows and step outside.

The only time we ate in the buffet was on arrival. All other meals were had in the dining room or in port. We had anytime dining and only once had to wait about 30 minutes for a table but we were a party of eight. Food was OK. It wasn't grand, it was always edible, some nights better than others. Nice normal portion sizes, not like trying to serve a giant. It was a bit hard to come back to the real world and realize that the warm chocolate melting cake was not on the menu. Breakfast in the dining room was the same menu every day but varied enough to have something different each day. Never had problem getting refills on coffee or the great hot chocolate. Read more