This was a unique opportunity for us to experience a cruise ship outside of the Caribbean. The itinerary sounded intriguing, so we booked it in late December 2017. Good thing, as we were told the cruise had sold out.

We took the Amtrak train from our home town (Washington, DC) to the Liberty International Airport station, then grabbed a free hotel shuttle from there. It was raining when we arrived, so we opted to have dinner in instead of exploring the city.

Getting to the cruise port at Cape Liberty, NJ the next day was just a quick Uber ride from our airport hotel. Tip: be sure to have your luggage tagged with the cruise line tags before you leave for the port - once you get to the curb at the terminal, the valets are there ready to take your bags immediately. We found the entire check-in process to be orderly, well-organized and efficient. The terminal had a nice (large) waiting area set up with coffee and water while we waited for the gangway to open. We were on board the ship by 11am and immediately began enjoying this beautiful ship. Read more