Embarkation. We took the Tri-Boro Bridge from the Bronx into Queens and then Brooklyn. There was a slight bit of traffic on the BQE. However, we missed a turn when we got off the exit and had to go around an extra couple of blocks. This mistake caused us to sit in a bit of local construction traffic for an additional 20 minutes or so. The area around the terminal is under lots of construction, so depending on the way you are coming in, be prepared for a bit of a delay. We got into the terminal a little after 12:15 pm and there were no delays once inside the gate. We drove right up, were directed to a drop-off point on the left and the porter took our bags right away. I tipped him about 5 bucks and he said the bags would be up shortly. They were in the room well before sail-away. I had a bottle of wine in my carry-on and as it went through the scanner, the agent had me show it to him. For those of you wanting to bring anything harder, don't put it in your carry-on. I put some vodka in my checked luggage and it made it to the room no problem. Have all of your paperwork handy and bring a pen to fill out the health form. We did and we filled it out in 2 seconds and went right to a check in counter as there was no line at all. I misplaced my health form in under the 1 minute it took us to get to the counter and ran back to get another one as the agent didn't have any more. By the time I got back (30 seconds) we were all checked in and ready to board, I just had to show my passport. We were on the ship and in our cabin by 12:25pm. We had a great location Riviera deck 707, Starboard side, aft. We were overlooking lower-Manhattan and The Statue of Liberty. Our cabin was under Cafe Caribe and right at the stairway that is between the Horizon Court and Cafe Caribe. Throughout our cruise I would run up and get most of our breakfasts and bring them down to our balcony to enjoy. We quickly unpacked a few things from our carry-ons and went right to the buffet. Yes it was a bit crowded, but we found a place to sit and enjoy a wonderful lunch. We toured the ship for a little while, but being that we have been on the Grand twice and the Crown twice, it was a cross between the two ships so we were very familiar with the layout. There was a table to make reservations for Sabatini's and we did so for the second to last sea day. There was also a table for the Sterling Steakhouse on the other side, but we did not do that this year. I got my first of many buckets of Bud Light and we enjoyed our drinks on the Lido deck. We went back to the room and my wife took a short nap while I stayed on the balcony and took some photos of Lady Liberty and the skyline. I drank a few more beers so they wouldn't get warm on me and then made a few last minute phone calls on the balcony. You'll have cell service for about 2 hours after sail away. Our Muster Station was in Club Fusion and I always enjoy these. You start to see who you will be on the cruise with. There were already a few whiners and complainers and the ship hadn't even left port yet!! We don't let these people ruin our cruise. In fact we are quite amused by them. I am not talking people with legitimate complaints that may happen during a cruise. I mean the people that complain that the water is wet and the sun is hot, etc.... They make me laugh and they should be listed in the patter as entertainment. One girl who was complaining the very first time we saw her, was complaining right off the ship the last day. It was pretty funny! Anyway, sorry if I insulted the complainers. You can post a forum complaining about my review! Sail away was a lot of fun. We hung out near the band stand where Voltz was playing. They are a very versatile, Caribbean sounding party band. I say they are versatile as they played the tropical cruise music, they played pop/dance music, Country Western Music, Rock, and they even played instrumental Jazz one night. I am a musician and very critical of bands and they were very good. I will talk about another house band, Wavelength in a few minutes. When sailing out of NYC, I always feel the cruise has REALLY started once we sail under the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge. It always seems like the ship can barely fit under it. Once the ship does, you are pretty much almost out into the open seas. Just under an hour later, you can barely see land. After the sail-away party we went back to our cabin to get ready for our first night's dinner in the dining room.

Dining: We had anytime dining and we love it. This year we experienced a bit more of a wait than in times past, but nothing too long. The first night we went to the Coral dining room and the line was pretty long. We decided to go to The Palm Dining room which is also on Fiesta Deck 6, AFT. You have to go up to deck 7 and walk aft, and then go back down to Fiesta. The dining rooms are separated and you cannot walk from room to room. When we got there, we waited about 5 minutes in line, watched an older woman cut the line and get seated, and then we were seated. We were reminded often that there are rude people everywhere. This is not the fault of the cruise line and I think they try to handle it as best they can without making waves (pun intended). We had a wonderful dinner and my wife, who is kind of a vegetarian (she will eat seafood) loved the vegetarian choices. The next night was the longest wait for a table. It was the first formal night and the Captain's Party in the atrium. As soon as the captain finished his speech, there was a mad rush for the dining rooms. We waited on line for almost an hour to get to the door. I thought we were going to be given a pager, but we got seated right away. We always ask for a table for ONLY 2. They always try to get us to share, but we cruise Princess for the flexibility of dining choices. We always get our table for 2. Other than this formal night and then the next night, we always just walked up and were either let right in, or given a pager and waited only a few minutes. We don't mind waiting a few minutes. If we were at the Palm dining room, we went up above to Club Fusion and had a drink. If we were at the Coral, we went to the Lobby Bar and had a drink. Overall, I felt the food was very good. I tried a few different things and was quite pleased. The buffets were very good with lots of choices. The pizza is always very good and they always have a different kind of special in addition to plain and pepperoni pizza. The grill had burgers, veggie burgers, chicken, sausage and hot dogs. The hot dog was huge and juicy and comes with fries. I wished I had a burger, but I had one in San Juan and like to have things I can't always have at home when I am on a cruise.

Entertainment: I am/was a semi-professional musician. I am very into entertainment. However, I am not into the Broadway style shows and didn't go, so I can't comment on those. I love live music and singing. We were mostly mainstays at Club Fusion for Karaoke/Princess Pop Star and then we would go over to see Wavelength in Explorers Lounge. Wavelength is a classic/modern hard rock band that is similar to what I play and listen to. They are very talented and have a decent song list. A few nights of the cruise they had what was called "So You Wanna Be a Rock Star". This was basically Karaoke to a live band. You picked the songs and they provided a lyric sheet and you sang along to the live band. Whether it was this or just their regular performances, they are tight, precise, and energetic. They had the crowd rocking. They even did an acoustic set where their vocal talents really shined. They can all sing and their harmonies are spot on! I got to talking with them on occasion and they are nice guys. As I mentioned we also were at Club Fusion quite a bit. I love watching fellow passengers sing and have a good time. I am primarily a drummer, but I also sing and play guitar. I have done Princess Pop Star in the past, but only once. After a few glasses of vino one night I decided to become adventurous and enter into the competition. All of the qualifying talent to this point was very impressive and I didn't enter with the intention of winning, but just to have a good time and enjoy myself. I qualified that night and went on to the finals. I didn't know what I got myself into as there were some really excellent singers. I am a huge Bon Jovi fan and picked a song by them that I thought was out of my league. I watch American Idol and always hear them say "Take a risk!" I did and to my amazement, I won! It was a lot of fun and I met great people in the process, so that was really the prize; the experience and meeting great people who were great singers. Additionally, I would like to add that on this cruise we had some of the most memorable and personable cruise director's staff we have ever encountered. Two people come to mind especially. Adam and Johnny were two of the best cruise staff employees we have ever had. Adam was always in Club Fusion and always came by to say Hi and chit chat. He remembered that he signed my wife and myself into the ship on embarkation day. That says alot to me. There were over 3 thousand people on board and he remembered me! Whenever I saw him anywhere on the ship he would always call my name and give me a high-5. When I sang at Princess Pop Star, he came out with a blow up electric guitar and I almost burst out laughing! We had a great time! We got along great and if you see him on the ship, tell him Freddie said Hi! Johnny usually ran things in Club Fusion and he also ran the On Deck For The Cure 5K race. He is also a very personable gentleman and very funny and makes you feel like a friend very quickly. We have had great cruise staff before, but these two guys REALLY stick out in my mind and I hope to have them again on another cruise. I am sure they will remember me and it will be like seeing old friends. Read more