This was our 12th cruise with Princess and 18th overall. After a long MN winter my wife and I needed to be warm. We booked the trip through Princess in January with a pre-cruise 2 night stay in NYC.
New York - Times Square Intercontinental Hotel - 2 night pre-cruise package: This was well worth the cost. We were meet at the airport right by baggage claim and within 10 minutes in a limo to the hotel. The hotel was beautiful as it just opened a year ago. It was a block off Times Square and a block off Hells Kitchen. We purchased hop off / on tickets and Statue of Liberty tickets on line prior to arriving. It was a great value to by on line. We did the Central Park tour the first afternoon, dinner in Hells Kitchen that night, subway early the next morning to Battery Park to get the Stature of Liberty Ferry, then hopped on for Wall Street, the new World Trade Center (wow), Little Italy and Rockefeller Center. Another great restaurant in Hells kitchen and before you knew it, it was 11:30 in the morning and we were boarding our bus to the ship.
Embarkation:
BE - B730
Good shape overall, large closet but had to ask for more hangers (looks like someone took some). Bathroom had a few patched cracks in the ceiling of the shower, tiny shower and had mold under the toilet rim which was cleaned.
Bed was firm, wife said she had a spring in her back. Flat screen was a big improvement over the little TVs in the past, plenty of draws or selves to store our 9 days of clothing. Suit cases fit nicely under the bed and make great pull out dirty close hampers. Balcony was clean, but chairs could use a good scrubbing.
Location was excellent, mid way to the promenade or lido decks and toward the rear of the ship, very quiet and smooth. Will definitely look for this location, room in the future.