We arrived at the pier around 11:30 on Friday. The security lines moved quickly and off to check-in we went. We used our NJ driver’s license as our photo ID and this worked fine. I did note that people next to us used passports which get swiped, so using a passport speeds your check-in a bit. Driver’s license needs all digits manually typed in.

It had been announced that boarding would begin at 12:30, and at 12:30 sharp I saw the suites people being escorted on. Then the groups started being called. The rooms weren't ready yet so we took our bags up the stairs to the Garden Café which was not at all crowded. You could also lunch at O'Sheehan's or one of the dining rooms. There was the option to leave your suitcase at the Bliss lounge; the line for this was quite long.

Checked our cabins out at 1:30. Two were balcony cabins aft on deck 12—the one angled balcony was nice. The interior deck plan on NCL was right for ours; showed the bed in the middle, but for the other cabin the deck plan wasn’t accurate. And one studio which was cool, as was the studio lounge area. Our cabin was very nice. Read more