We had a 2.5 hour drive to NY from home and arrived about 10:30 a.m. at the port. We were given number 6 and told we would be able to go on board at 11:30. We were on board and cabins were ready by 11:15 a.m. Very smooth! We had 2 inside cabins 14615 and 14623. We have never had a balcony, so we don't know what we are missing. This was our 5th cruise, 2nd with NCL and by far the best cabin location. We were only a few feet from the elevators and steps. The Garden Cafe' was one floor directly above us and took just a few seconds to get to. First thing we did was go to Guest Services to change some of our show times. You can book them early with NCL, but they only fill a limited amount of seats ahead of time, giving the people, who don't have access to the internet, space once they get on board. Guest Services directed us to the Box Office on Deck 7. You can only change dinner reservations near Guest Services. We were the first people in line. I made reservations for every show ahead of time, but just wasn't happy with the dates and times. They were offering 25% off to see the Cirque Dream Show the first night, so I changed all my show reservations. This was by far my family's favorite show and at $22.50 a person, more than worth it! We went approximately 30 minutes ahead and had a table to ourselves. I had purchased the dining package ahead of time for 3 restaurants for $57.00 a person. It included Le Bistro, La Cucina and Cagney's. We gave up the bottle of wine that comes with it if you dine at a specialty restaurant on the first night, but the 25% off the Cirque show more than made up for it. Make sure you print out the copy of all your reservation dates and times and then correct it, if you change it. We switched the Cagney's reservation and when we got there on the day and time we thought we changed it to, there was no record. The Maitre D was very nice and seated us anyway and later came over and said we had reservations for the following night. I don't know how that happened. Neither my husband or I remembered switching them to Sat.

Shelia our cabin steward was very attentive. Every time I needed her, I would just flip the cabin switch that alerted her I needed something. I brought a pen and paper and would leave her notes. Everything was taken care of very quickly. I brought a "dummy key" and she had no issues with that. The bathroom was the nicest we had ever experienced on a cruise. We were very impressed. There are only shampoo and soap dispensers in the shower. No conditioner. I brought everything and there is plenty of room to store all your toiletries. We had the beds put together, which made a queen size, for my husband and me. My kids had theirs separate, which was a better layout for walking around. We didn't end up totally unpacking because we didn't have any drawer space. There are shelves in the closet. We ended up keeping one suitcase open on the floor, which was fine. I brought my own hairdryer because of complaints from previous reviews, however I blew a fuse the first time I used it. The cabin dryer is sufficient, its cord just isn't very long. I did bring a small fan with an extension cord, to sleep with, so if there was noise, we didn't hear it. During the week the fan broke and we were able to replace it at a drug store in Hamilton. The store carried everything, Bermuda's version of a Target or Wal-Mart. We had lunch at the Garden Cafe', which turned out to be our favorite place to eat, toured the ship, and then watched as we left NY. Going past the Statue of Liberty is always amazing. Our bags arrived about 4 pm. The lifeboat drill was quick and easy. We had early reservations for the Cirque Show. The dinner and show was fantastic! Everyone who sees this show says the same thing---- not to be missed! We then went to the casino. I had pre-purchased casino dollars. $20.00 for $10.00. We had expected the smoke to be horrible, but it wasn't. The chandelier was pretty. Nice place for pictures. Howl at the Moon Dueling Pianos was a lot of fun.

My husband is an early riser. He went to the jogging track most mornings by 6 a.m. It wasn't super busy at that point, but by 7 it was. I tried to walk on it the 1st day. You are always in someone's way. Its location is in a terrible spot and too small. My complaint about the jogging track is the worst thing I have to say about the ship. My husband would get us lounge chairs on deck 16 by 7, once he was done running. You have to get up early to get a chair. We saw staff every day going around and removing the towels if no one was sitting on them. If you want to save chairs, I would suggest you put not only your towel but also a piece of personal property. Some people had clips to keep the towel on the chair. I always put my book and sunscreen on it also, but there was always someone from my family at the chairs. The staff didn't remove the towels that also had something else with it.The pools were very crowded, so to cool off we would go on the water slide. Lines weren't bad.We would eat breakfast at the Garden Cafe', omelets made to order were the best. We decided not to purchase any drink or soda cards. The juice and flavored water was very good. We did bring a case of water and 2 cases of soda, which turned out to be the perfect amount for the 5 of us. We also brought our own large cups. We would just fill the cups with ice and carry them around with us. There is a wonderful man at the Garden Cafe' who would walk around with a coffee pot, with the biggest smile, saying good morning and asking if you wanted more coffee. We enjoyed him every morning! Read more