Background: This was a 60th birthday present for my mother and a 67th birthday present for my father. I traveled with my husband, my sister and her husband, and my brother and his wife. There were 8 of us all together. This was my parent's 3 cruise and the rest of us had never cruised before.
Embarkation: We left from my parents house in Northern NJ at 11:00. We arrived at the pier in New York around 12:15. Traffic right by the pier was awful, but that's New York for you. When we got into the terminal there were several lines of people waiting to get onto the ship. Apparently there was a computer glitch and we wound up waiting longer than average. While I understand that technology can fail, there was very little information given to the travelers, and people were standing for over an hour. Not a problem for me, but for people who have physical limitations, this was not the best beginning. We finally got on the ship around 1:30 and all was great.
The ship: When I first got on the ship I was immediately impressed with the decor. I had read previously that some people thought the decor was tacky, but I thought it was great. The Bacchus Dining Room kind of looked like purple threw up in it, but it was fun to be in. The Lido Deck was carefully laid out and it was easy to find the various stations you might be looking for. The Phantom Lounge was very cozy and fun to watch shows in. The casino was nicely laid out as well, but a little smokey and cold. Apparently many of the AC vents are in the ceiling above the casino. Nick and Nora's Supper Club is at the top of the ship, and is beautiful.