Overall, this was a great cruise. I had been on this itinerary twice before, back when there was an extra port stop in Miami, so I wasn't as excited as I usually am before a cruise. We had a wonderful time and am considering this cruise again in the fall.

Weather. Because this was a winter cruise out of NYC, I will focus a bit on the weather each day. We got lucky and the seas were very calm, coming and going. We had good beach weather in Florida and the Bahamas.

Embarkation day. We arrived at the pier around noon. The lines were long but moved very quickly. It only took about 30 minutes before we were on board. Because I was traveling with a driver's license and birth certificate, I was asked to sign an acknowledgement that I was aware that I could not reenter the US without a passport. We went to Tsars' Palace for lunch. They announced that our rooms were ready just as our desserts arrived. After unpacking, we went to the spa to purchase passes for the week. And that's where I was during sail away - relaxing on a heated tile lounger taking in the NYC and NJ shorelines. Because both MDRs had long waits, we went to Tangos for dinner the first night. Our server was excellent. A great first day. Read more