BACKGROUND: This was my ninth cruise, second on NCL. I was on the Norwegian Dream about 10 years ago, back when it was the Dreamward. I'm 26, traveling with parents (age 57). We prefer the Freestyle-type of cruise. We chose this cruise specifically because it left from NYC, so we didn't need airfare.

EMBARKATION: Very smooth. We took a bus from PA to NYC, then a taxi from Port Authority to the pier. We arrived at the pier at about 11:20AM, gave our bags to a porter, and promptly headed up to the Latitudes waiting area. We sat for only about 10 minutes, had some complimentary cookies and OJ, then were directed to the check-in lines. We managed to bypass the lengthy Latitudes check-in line because we had a penthouse. We walked right up to the check-in counter and got our pictures taken. After the check in, we met Lisa from Australia, the concierge. She was very sweet and gave us our room keys, maps of the ship, and even made our dinner reservation for formal night. We headed right onto the ship after that, and we were up in the buffet for lunch by about 11:50AM. All in all, check-in could not have been any smoother.

CABIN: We were in cabin 10008, the Taurus suite. This was definitely the nicest room we've ever had. We don't normally get penthouses, though. The first room consisted of the living/dining area. The dining area had a minifridge and a table for 4. The living area was a pull-out couch, 2 chairs, coffee table, and large TV with DVD player (free DVDs available to borrow from your butler). The balcony opens off the living area. It is small and has an ancient lounge chair, small table, and built-in bench. Read more