Embarkation: What a breeze! Took the RCI transfers and were escorted by the staff directly to the bus which took us to the pier. Our luggage was taken away in a separate truck. After about 30 minutes and 20 speed bumps later, we reached our massive ship. Since we had already done our SetSail Passes online, we simply had to fill out a tiny piece of paper, get our identification verified, swipe our credit cards, and get onboard. All very simple!

We immediately went to go toward our stateroom. From the moment we stepped on the ship until we reached our room, we were welcomed by several staff members. It was a very warm and toasty feeling. Since we had an afternoon flight and arrived around 3pm, our room was all ready for us. Cabin 8451. It was small, but quite smartly designed for an inside cabin. Lots of nooks and crannies for storage. We did have an in room combination safe located in a cabinet above the television. Our room consisted of a queen bed, a small 2-person loveseat, a closet, an oval glass table, two small night stands, and a desk with 9 drawers. Above the desk there is a large vanity mirror which has two more storage places for small items on both sides of the mirror. Our carpet had quite a bit of stains on it. Overall, our room was quite clean and kept that way the entire time by our friendly stateroom attendant Jermaine.

We began exploring the rest of the ship. Wow! It was huge, but so well laid out. We really had it about conquered on the first night. We grabbed something to eat in the Windjammer. I must say the food was a bit cold. I also found the selection of desserts to not be as fancy as they were in Carnivals informal dining area. But that was the only time the food was cold in Windjammer. The rest of the time, it was just fine. RCI could stand to bump up their dessert presentations. Thats the only thing I found that I actually liked better on the other cruise line. Read more