My partner and I have been together for over six years and this is our second cruise together. Our first cruise was the 15-night spring Transatlantic on Royal Caribbeans Splendour of the Seas in 2003. We are both educated professionals (hes a CPA and Im an educator) in our mid-20s. We are both a little mature for our age, so we thought the older, more affluent travelers on HAL would suit us just fine  we are NOT Fun Ship people. That being said, we are still pretty laid-back and low key&just not binge-drinking party boys.

We took Southwests early flight to Tampa and then just caught a cab to the cruise terminal. Taxis were readily available at Tampas airport and the trip cost us $25 including tip. Check in was efficient, but brusque, and we were in group #9 to board the ship early for their new Signature of Excellence service. In the cruise terminal, there were large numbers of the ships crew milling around, urging people to buy the soda card. Promptly at 11:30, they began boarding the ship with the same brusque efficiency that had checked us in.

Once onboard the ship, we learned that our room wasnt ready yet, but lunch was prepared for us in the Lido restaurant. The food was pretty good, but the servers and waiters seemed a little disinterested. One thing that amused me was the guy who set my tray. Onboard this ship, when eating in the Lido (buffet), you are not allowed to get your own tray and empty plate. They have a steward who does that for you, and reminds you several times to sanitize your hands with the free Purell situated at the buffet line entrance. Read more