My husband and I are in our 40s. We cruise twice a year because we love being on the water. We have no children, but did travel with two other couples. With all of the less than great reviews, I was expecting the worst. However, our cruise exceeded any of our expectations!

Hotel: We stayed at the Ink 48. We tend to splurge just a little on hotels, as this is part of our "vacation experience". We always love Kimpton Hotels for the amazing service they provide. The Ink hosted an evening wine reception and offered $15.00 to use towards the minibar. There was a rooftop bar with the most amazing views of the city. This hotels was not in Manhattan, but we easily walked to the city with no problem at all. The morning of departure, we were so excited to see the Breakaway arrive outside of the window of our hotel room. With the ship so close, we were able to see the people departing. Because we were so excited, we couldn't wait any longer, and walked to the port about 9:00am.

Departure: We were able to roll our luggage very easily from the hotel to the port. We were latitude members and didn't have to wait in line to check in. We did have to wait until eleven to board the ship, but found that the time passed by quickly. There wasn't a lot of seating, so I suggest that you arrive early. You have to wait somewhere, right? We were in the first group to board. Super easy! Read more