Background: We were traveling in a family group of 14 (5 adults; 1 senior citizen; 22, 19, 18, 17, 15 & 12 year old boys; 17 & 13 year old girls) celebrating a 75th birthday. We had 7 cabins: 4 balcony next to each other and 3 promenade cabins across the hall. Two promenades connected. This is the 4th cruise for my husband and I and my family. EOS left on Friday 8/11; two days at sea; St. Thomas; St. Martin; San Juan; Labadee; two days at sea; return to Bayonne on Sunday, 8/20.

We live in northern NJ- so getting to Cape Liberty was a 45 minute drive with no problems. We got to the pier at 11:30 and had no difficulties. We unloaded, parked, registered, and were on the ship by 12:30. Our cabins weren't ready- so we went to the Windjammer for lunch. Boarding was significantly less painful than NYC harbor (our first cruise). Other members of our group also boarded the ship in the same amount of time.

Ship: We cruised on the Mariner last year, so we were familiar with the layout & appearance of the Explorer. In our opinion, EOS looked a little worn- but only if you were looking. It is still a huge floating resort and one forgets how large and spectacular the ships look when you first see them in the harbor. Everything was cleaned and shined and ready for embarking passengers. Read more