This was our 17th cruise and our second on HAL. We did the 10-night on Noordam last December. Most of our previous cruises were on RCCL and Celebrity.

Embarkation:

Once we made it through the impossible traffic approaching the Lincoln Tunnel and driving cross town to 12 Ave., getting to the pier was easy. We dropped off the luggage and my wife went to park the car. Last year the parking was on the same pier as embarkation. Unfortunately this year it was on the next pier, which meant a very long cold walk for my wife. As suite guests, check-in was a breeze. We were escorted through the security checkpoint and we were a bit uncomfortable as we were "jumped ahead" of people waiting in line. No one in line seemed too upset so we didn't feel all that bad! Despite what I read on the message boards, if you register your credit card on-line, they do not have to swipe it and you don't even have to sign anything. You just present your boarding pass and your passports, they take your picture, hand you your sea pass and you are on your way. Once on board, we went straight to our cabin, which was ready and our steward was there in a flash to introduce himself. Read more