We are an extended family of 11 who has previously sailed together on Disney and NCLA. We've also sailed in smaller groups on RCL, NCL, Carnival and HAL. In picking a ship, we wanted to try new ports and have a ship that had a lot of activities as we had kids/teens ages 10, 12, 14 and 16 in our group. Thus, we wanted a vacation that everyone would enjoy. In August 2006 we sailed NCLA on the Pride of America to Hawaii. While we absolutely loved the trip, the service wasn't up to par as on other ships. Having sailed on the other lines, we didn't mind selecting a new line with Princess. We selected the Crown Princess July 23 sailing based on these factors: Sailed out of Brooklyn which was just an hours flight from our midwest home; different ports of call; lots of activities for kids/teens; and price.

The majority of us spent 2 days prior to the cruise in NYC with one member catching up to us on the day of embarkation. Our travel agent arranged our precruise stay at the Omni Berkshire along with transportation to the pier. I recommend this hotel!

On the day of embarkation, it was pouring in Brooklyn and 63 degrees! However, this was the easiest embarkation we've ever had. There were people at the pier that directed our driver to where he should drop us off and then people to help with the luggage. We arrived around 1 p.m. and even though there was a line, it kept moving and we were all checked in and boarding the ship in 15 minutes. It's key to have your boarding information printed out ahead of time (which we did) to speed the process, along with passports and credit cards. Read more