The 6 Day Florida/Bahamas out of NYC Spirit Cruise was my first cruise ever. My boyfriend and I selected this voyage to celebrate our 2 year anniversary. This review comes from the perspective of a mid-twenties cruise newbie.
Embarkation: We arrived to the pier in NYC around noon. Pick-up/Drop-off there is quite competitive between the taxis and other drivers. However, once there, we gave our luggage to the porter and had a very easy time locating the processing area. Waited on line after line for an hour or so, but we continuously moved forward. Processing was a snap and we were on the boat before we knew it.
Once on the ship, we were escorted to the Grand Centrum where we waited in a slow line to make our specialty restaurant reservations. We dropped our carry ons off in our inside stateroom; and by 2:00, we were sitting in Raffles Court enjoying an embarkation lunch. Once finished, we went to the Bier Garten on Deck 13 to view the NYC skyline as we glided past it. Party music was blasting from the pool and everyone seemed to be in high spirits. When we passed The Statue of Liberty, the DJ played "Proud to Be an American" for a movement of campy reverie. We found this to be a pleasant touch. Fortunately, we experienced surprisingly calm seas and beautiful weather for the duration of the trip. After a few drinks to celebrate our vacation, we poked around the ship and returned to our cabin. At 4:00, our steward delivered our luggage where we unpacked and were out and about by 4:30.