I chose this cruise to do something "different" than the warm weather carribean. I personally loved this cruise, it was relaxing and laid back. We had perfect weather, so this was a huge bonus I wasnt expecting from my research. New York city was, well NYC, so crowds and traffic were as expected. One tip...you will be charged nyc tax on all drinks while in the port, even with drink package. Tread carefully there, it adds up fast. The Escape holds almost 5000 people but I honestly didnt feel the crowds my whole time on the ship. We went to shows and restaurants and shore excursions and never felt "over crowded". The ship must be spaced out well enough to keep this from happening. We had an aft balcony on floor 15..which was loud with chair scraping noise from the garden cafe right above it. Doesnt bother us, but if you like quiet dont book a room on deck 15. The balcony had amazing views since it is so high up. our cabin was very comfortable and my bonus was a small coffee pot in the room, no more dragging myself in jammies upstairs for my first cup of coffee. Loved that feature. Several hot tubs on board, never had to wait to get in, didnt use the pool since it was a bit cooler. Nice quiet areas on the decks. We didnt use them, but mini golf, water slides for adults and kids and rock climbing available on ship. The ports were very interesting and we found the people in maine and Canada welcoming and warm. I personally like Bar Harbour the best with a tour through Acadia national Park, ending in a lobster bake which was delicious. I found the food on the ship good and well prepared, we didnt go to the Speciality restaurants, chose to spend that money on shore at local places. Every place we went accpeted us dollar, but gave change back in Canadian. We didnt travel with any children, so no feedback there. Getting on and off the ship was pretty typical of any other cruise ive been on. some ports are easy, some not so much. I would go again on this cruise, but maybe would change my departure city. Not a huge fan of NYC. I am booked again on the Escape for a baltic sea cruise, so I do love the ship.