Our large family group of 34 traveled to Alaska via Princess in 2009 and we had so much fun we decided to take another cruise together. Because we live in such a hot area, we wanted to cruise in a cooler environment for our summer vacation, and boy did we get it.

We decided to arrive in New York City on Friday before our Monday departure. We had our four children with us, ages 11, 13, 15 and 19. NYC is a little rough for family travel. The expense for six people is overwhelming. The cab ride from LaGuardia to Times Square was about $50 (with tip) and we needed two cabs. Also difficult with children are the crowds. I could not relax because I was always worried that someone would wander off. My daughter and I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Alexander McQueen exhibit, which I highly recommend, although we waited in line for 90 minutes and again, it was crowded. Perhaps the best thing we did in NYC was to buy tickets for the open top sight-seeing bus tour. The guides were excellent and we saw so much of the city. The harbor tour is included and it was excellent.

We hired a private car service for the transfer from our hotel in Times Square to the Brooklyn port and the cost was $90 before tip, but we were able to get all six of us in one large SUV. We arrived at the port at about 2:30 and embarkation was very speedy and efficient. We neglected to print out boarding passes or luggage tags, yet we were still in our state rooms within 30 minutes. Read more