My friend Ed joined me on the Noordam for a 10 day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean to celebrate my 50th birthday. We decided to splurge and booked a Category SC deluxe suite in the spring on a guarantee booking. Around the end of August, I started checking the HAL website every day to see if our cabin had been assigned, but no luck for a few weeks. At the end of September, we found that we had been upgraded to a Category SA suite (7055) directly across from the Neptune Lounge!

I took Amtrak from Washington, DC to New York a day early to shop for wine and take in a show. For those who like to take wine on board with you, I highly recommend Ninth Avenue Vintner at 669 Ninth Ave. between 46th and 47th. Their staff really knows wine and made some great recommendations. I stayed at the Hotel Edison on West 47th St., half a block from Times Square and got a great rate (for mid-town) on their website. I saw Xanadu the evening before the cruise, and I can't say enough about that show. I loved every second of it, and would recommend it to anyone that wants an evening of mindless fun.

Ed (a first time cruiser) took the train from Baltimore the next morning and met me at the hotel. The cab to the pier was 10 minutes and cost $10. We arrived around 11:00, received our priority boarding passes and took a seat to wait. Priority boarding began around noon, and we were on the ship within 10 minutes. We headed to the Neptune Lounge to drop off our carry-ons, then off to the Lido for lunch. Just as we finished, they announced that the cabins were ready, and we went to explore the suite. Read more