This was our 12th cruise. We've cruised on Princess, Royal Caribbean and Carnival. I always say there is no such thing as a bad cruise, unless it would sink. But some are better than others.

We flew into New York three days prior to the cruise and stayed at the Millennium Hilton across the street from the World Trade Memorials. The locations was great as we were in walking distance of so many things and we could always find our hotel easily. It was costly, but we decided to splurge. This was our first time in New York City and coming from a small farm community in the mid-west, we were nervous.

We used a car service (dial 7) for our pickup at the airport to the hotel and for the ride from the hotel to the ship terminal. The vehicles were clean and the drivers polite. We requested a 10:30 am pick up to the ship terminal and when we arrived, we were allowed to check in immediately, with no lines. We were put in a holding room for Elite and Platinum members. The room was very crowded, but we didn't wait long before entering the ship. Excellent job Princess on the embark process. Read more