Many folks north of the border drive down to NYC one or two days before the cruise to relax, and park right on the pier (rates just went up, $40 every 24 hours - taxes included & no surcharge for suv or vans, etc. - far cheaper than flying for families, there are also buses departing from points north of NYC) On the return, you are usually off the ship before 10 AM, and porters will take your lugguage out thru CBP & up to the parking deck (for nominal tips ) and you drive right off & head home, in time for dinner in YUL before sunset in the summer.

Keep in mind that 2,000 cabins are sailing full each week and those negative reviews are a small subset, read it with grains of salt - the butlers/concierge & Haven stateroom stewards are the best of the crews on each ship, and, generally highly adored by the elite cruisers within NCL. The Breakaway is just one year old and the Getaway just started sailing last month - far better than the Epic that's moving soon to Europe for good as its new home port. Prices are higher for the summer with kids out of school, and the Breakaway alternate between Bermuda & FL/Bahamas runs of 7 days, doing a few CTN & specials (sometimes corporate chartered) depending on the season. We are booked on the BA (Breakaway's initials) in March & looking forward to warmer weather for a few days down south.

As for BDA, we loved it - cruised there 3 times & being British, it's charming & very safe, folks stayed out & loved the pink sandy beaches, some actually booked a room on land overnight - these big ships can't sail into smaller St. George or Hamilton harbors & are at Royal Dockyards, where it has nightly top deck dance parties & sometimes fireworks, as all the locals are living too far away to hear or be disturbed. Go to CC's destination forum & read about BDA to do's - you will be surprised & it is 2nd. home to the rich & famous and their luxury yachts.

The Gem is dry dock scheduled for a 2.0 upgrade and NCL is pretty good in refreshing their fleet, among the youngest - only about 6 or 7 years old, we're on her in 2012 and planning 12 nights down to the Caribbeans this Fall with 5 port stops. Critics complained about the design & deco of CCL ships like the Splendor, which we also sailed on - it was fine and after 1 or 2 day, you get used to & ignored those "loud" colors or whatever.

As for whether it's a waste to sail to certain places - to some of us, the ship itself & the services are the destination, and, not the ports of call. Some folks have been to San Juan & USVI so many times that they don't bother getting off the ship at all, and enjoy the peace & quiet, and slower pace all over the ship while 2,000 are in a mad dash to hit the beachfront. If you are booked in the Haven, you might not WANT to go anywhere & just enjoy the extra pampering - bring it closer to that FS experinece you are looking for.

Some of the things that we've enjoyed as "regular" pax are the options to dine in the French restaurant and steakhouse, while others find the Asian Fusion meals appealing, and there's comfort food 24/7 along with Room Service at no extra charge. To bump up your spending onboard, there are 101 ways to get you to do so with all sorts of premium add-ons. Haven guests can get many perks directly into their private dining room as they wish, or, blend into the "mass" crowds "downstairs" at decks below them. Plus, the Spa can easily sweet talk you into spending $1,000 to $2,000 for the week (or more.)

The more upscale cruiselines will offer a more premium dining experience but it doesn't have the massive ships like NCL or RCI and frequent sailing schedule they have, and, an older crowd with less children sailing. (They do nightly bed checks & dim the lights at 10:30 PM - LOL, just kidding here )

The whole experience is vastly superior than dealing with TSA even with GE or other status, and food served in F/J cabin will NEVER surpass those on a cruise ship, not even those served on Carnival's upscale steakhouse. Give it a try as you might find it addictive. Unlike the changing FT mileage program & membership status, once you reached the next tier, you stayed there in recognition of what & who you are - we finally reached Plantinum on NCL, and those perks that we earned are those we keep for our lifetime. Well, there are of course, faster ways to get there - everytime we sail, Mrs. L & I get 3 or 4 bottles of complimentary "house" wines, among other things.