I chose this cruise (my first ever) mainly for the itinerary and convenience of the departure port. I was a bit concerned about the age of the ship and the fact that she's due for dry dock and a refit next year, but after seeing how many people were repeat cruisers and their loyalty to her, I decided to take the plunge. I was not disappointed.

Cape Liberty is a bit run down and I understand that there's a plan for building a new terminal there-definitely needed. That being said, RCI is well rehearsed in processing thousands of passengers quickly and efficiently. There were no real delays and they had us aboard within an hour of our arrival.

Once aboard we went to Windjammer for a bite and quickly found that pretty much everyone else had already gotten there. We decided to explore the Explorer a bit and come back later. After we were allowed to drop off our stuff in our stateroom, we went back and found plenty of room and some food that's pretty good by buffet standards, compared to Las Vegas casino buffets. The departure was a thrill. Heading out under the Verrazano actually had me excited-never seen anything like it. Read more