About us: we are an English couple, mid 30's and now on our 9th and 10th cruises respectively having sailed previously with Princess (Caribbean Princess, Crown Princess, Sun Princess and Sea Princess), RCCL, NCL, Celebrity, Fred Olsen and P&O. For our previous reviews please see:

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=43223 http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=41823 http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=32739 http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=25494

Our vacation started with a 2 night stay in NY prior to the cruise and we stayed at the Four Points Sheraton, Soho, Manhattan. A new hotel recently opened (Sept '08) and all we have for it is praise. The staff were extremely friendly, the rooms clean and of a good size for Manhattan standards. Excellent location, 4 blocks south of the West Village and certainly within walking distance of most things you need. On the day of the cruise we took a Carmel service car to Red Hook which cost $37 + tip; in our opinion worth the extra money since many of the yellow cab drivers in NY don't know where Red Hook is, let alone how to get there! Read more