Booked this little two-day cruise-to-nowhere as a get away from the hustle 'n' bustle and it was just what the doctor ordered. It was me and another female friend getting away for the weekend. Our second 2-day cruise (first was a Carnival out of NYC back in 2005 or so.)

We take the Metro from CT to Grand Central and then a $10 cab ride to the pier. Getting there is so easy in NYC - not my first cruise out of this port, and if you want to make an extended stay of things, there is no better place. We were at the pier by 12:30, as it is only a 2-day, you have to carry on your luggage (though there were plenty of people to help if you needed it.) About a 15 minute line for the security check, a 10 minute line for check in, snap my welcome photo and I was on my way. Our rooms were not ready till 1:30 (on the dot, as promised), so we headed up to the Lido deck for snacks. A little tough to navigate while pulling luggage, but not the end of the world by any means.

As we were due for a Nor'easter to be rolling in that day to NYC we took advantage of the sun and ate at the grill, always tough to keep food warm when the breeze was blowing, but the chicken tenders were flavorful and crisp and the staff was cheery. After lunch we went to our room, my first ever obstructed view room. Read more