I traveled with my husband. We are mid-50's and this was my 5th NCL cruise, his 4th, and our 15th overall. We are fans of freestyle cruising. This was a 12-day, our longest cruise to date.

We arrived at the Manhattan pier at about 10:45 am, after a very easy Sunday morning drive. The car service from CT dropped us off at street level where a porter took our bags, and we rode up in the freight elevator. There were no lines getting through security. Check-in was quick and we were directed to the VIP lounge where we received our key cards. The ship was ready at 11, so in no time at all we were escorted on board in one big group, bypassing the embarkation photo. We were all led straight to Cagney's with our carry-on bags. There we were, sitting in Cagney's at 11:15 ordering lunch. My stomach would have preferred breakfast fare, but I ordered a hamburger with lettuce only. Meaning I didn't want the tomato, onion, or cheese. Sometimes you get what you ask for. I got a roll with...lettuce only. Our table had a good laugh about it, but the server seemed perplexed about what I really wanted. After lunch, I wanted to explore but didn't want to drag my carry-on with me. This was awkward. Lily, a lovely server, assured me I could leave it in Cagney's, so I did, but I was not totally comfortable with that. Two years earlier, my only other time in a suite, we were escorted on board in small groups directly to our cabins where we left our carry-ons and then went to Cagney's. I realize the suites might not have been ready as early as 11am, but I wish they had let us just drop off the bags.

Cabins were ready by 1pm. We were in 10664, an SF/aft penthouse suite. We loved the location -- port side, very quiet, in the corner. Never heard anyone walking by. Not a bad walk to the aft stairway/elevators. Not huge but perfectly comfortable. The best part was the deep deck 10 balcony. On the down side, the furniture is showing wear. The desk and vanity were badly scratched, and the wood bench at the foot of the bed was badly splintered on one side. Read more