BACKGROUND: DH is 51 and I am 50, we are self-employed and we have cruised previously on RCCL, CCL AND HAL. We wanted this itinerary, but wanted to try a different cruise line. This was our 8th cruise.

GETTING TO OUR EMBARKATION PORT: We left a day early and flew to LGA from Atlanta via Air Tran. Our flight left on time, arrived on time, no delays; no problems with our luggage and all went smooth.

PRE-CRUISE HOTEL: We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on Union Street in Brooklyn, several blocks from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, but quite a bit cheaper than the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott. Less than 1 block from the subway, right around the corner from an excellent diner where we ate lunch on that Friday and breakfast on Saturday morning prior to embarking on the ship. The Holiday Inn Express had opened August 2006 and the rooms were really nice, the staff was wonderful and very helpful. We took the subway into Manhattan and spent Friday evening there. We went to Broadway, Wall Street, the World Trade Center/Ground Zero site, Times Square, Bryant Park, rode the Staten Island Ferry there and back, had a real New York pizza in Times Square, walked and walked and walked, rode the subway back into Brooklyn. In just a few hours, we saw a lot and, I think, did really well for having never been there before. Got up the next morning and had breakfast, packed our bags and the hotel staff called a car for us to get to the terminal. Taxi from LGA to Brooklyn was $28.00, car service from the hotel to the BCT was $14.00, and everyone was courteous and helpful. We got to the BCT around 1:00 pm. Read more