This was our 7th cruise, 1st time on NCL, and we traveled in a group of 6 leaving December 28th out of NYC. We live in upstate New York, between Rochester and Syracuse, and chose this cruise specifically because we didn't want the ever-increasing hassle of flying to our port of departure.

We drove down the day after Christmas so that we could tour the area before leaving on our trip. We stayed in a Super 8 hotel in North Bergen New Jersey which was just minutes from the Lincoln Tunnel. The hotel was old and just adequate for our needs.

On the day of departure, we arrived at the port at about 9:15 a.m.using the excellent directions found on Cruise Critics. It could not have been easier (unless we had a limo ;) We parked at the pier and walked our bags to the elevator to go down to the check-in area. We have used ports in Florida and San Juan and found the Manhattan port to be very organized and friendly. Check in was a breeze and the staff there did their best to make it completely painless and relaxed. Read more