We are 47/55 yr. old couple traveling with no children. We have been on HAL & NCL previously (I've been on 12 cruises) and this trip was to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary.

The Embassy Suites on 17th near the port was a great choice for pre-cruise hotel. We asked for an upgrade (Hilton Honors members) and were given a port view room on the 12th floor. We had a walk-out curved balcony which faced the cruise ship docking areas and were able to watch the ships leaving on Saturday afternoon and those arriving on Sunday morning.

Embarkation was fairly quick with only a short delay due to crew security checks done by Immigration 3-4 times a year we were told. Once on ship, we had lunch at Horatio's and did a little exploring. Don't count on getting into your cabin until around 1:30pm. Hallway doors were closed to prevent passenger access while they were still cleaning. Read more