This was the first cruise for both me and my boyfriend who are in our late b2b. Being from New York, we spent two nights in Miami before embarkation on 8/28/05. It was a nice way to relax before we headed out on our adventure.
Travel to Port of Embarkation -- Very stressful. When arriving in the port we realized that the ships coming in were behind schedule, therefore, there were literally thousands and thousands of people checking and claiming luggage. Our cab driver didn't speak much english and took us to the Valor instead of the Victory. Me and my boyfriend weren't aware of this right away amiss all the chaos, so we had to high tail it across the port (which was a very long way with five or six pieces of luggage). No one was really helpful in telling us where to go. Luckily, we found where we needed to be and the rest of the cruise was "smooth sailing."
Ship & Stateroom -- I was very very impressed and in awe when I stepped onboard. It was not only my first cruise, but since my boyfriend made all the arrangements I had no idea what to expect. The ship was of a "sea" theme with greens and blues. It was very relaxing. I almost felt like I was in an underwater world.