This was our first cruise. We are from New York and have never taken a cruise because we prefer an active vacation, but can compare this to all-Inclusive resorts in Mexico. We knew the ship would not be great but had to take it because it was the only one leaving NYC the week of the 11th. In order:

Embarkation: Not too bad, not any worse than having to wait on line at the airport. Some greasy cakes and water/tea were available and passed around.

Cabin: We had a window cabin on Deck 8. DIRTY! We spoke with our attendant right away and pointed to him dust and dirt everywhere - and we are not the neatest people around. The service improved somewhat - he was always very friendly and inquired us how our day went. Throughout the cruise, as things would fall, we would check under the bed and find bottle corks and packets of sugar left over from the previous travelers. Overall, the size was very nice. We saw an inside cabin and that was very spacious as well. The bathroom and shower were fine. Bring your own toiletries, because stuff is not very nice. Read more