I took my first cruise ever from 1/20/14 to 1/28/14 on the Splendor. Embarkation was from pier 90 in NYC, and getting on the ship was easy and organized from my arrival (10:45) to eating lunch at the Lido (12:00).

To get to the port, I took Metro-North to NY after parking my car in long term parking at a station in my town. Such a relief not to have to fly! Sailing out of NY harbor was a thrilling experience I will never forget.

From the moment I stepped on the ship, I just knew I would love it! To me, the ship is beautiful. (Frankly, before arrival, my expectations were low, driven to that point by my extensive reading of the reviews here and especially by many comments posted in the Carnival forum on this site. Although I was excited to be taking my first cruise, I was also fearful that I would encounter many unpleasant sights, smells, food and people!) Since I am a woman traveling alone, I was concerned about how to manage dining, going to shows and clubs and arranging port of call experiences. None of the issues I feared came to pass; in fact my experience was wonderful in all ways. Read more