When we arrived at the NYC pier, they take your luggage at the curb and load it on luggage carts. This system seemed un-secure as there were hundreds of taxis and people all over the place and the bags were not being watched at all times. We tipped the guy $5 for two bags but it’s like he didn’t even notice as he then took more bags from others. Strange and unsettling system. Tip was pointless (keep reading for more about tips…)

Scheduling an early arrival time at NYC pier did not get us an early boarding number. We scheduled our arrival for 10 AM with the belief that we would then board early in order to get Vibe Beach Club passes and Spa day passes before they sold out, but our plan did not work! Vibe was sold out seemingly instantly and the Spa doesn’t sell day passes for at-sea days. These passes turned out not to matter (keep reading…)

Don’t bother getting Vibe passes even if they are available. No matter how much the youtube videos tell you they are the best thing ever; they are not. We would not have had time to sit around Vibe and instead enjoyed being around the other 99% of the people on the ship. We are glad to have saved the money. Never saw the space and did not miss it. Go to the back of the ship on deck 16 and it’s the same thing as Vibe, only free. Read more