Since we were flying to Ft. Lauderdale from Charlotte, NC, we decided to go a day early, as we have done in the past. No need to let delays ruin our trip! We arrived in FLL at about 11:00 am on Friday, Feb. 23. We rented a car and did some 'sightseeing' until we could check in to our hotel. Our hotel, The Atlantic, was spectacular! We anticipated nice, but this far exceeded our expectations! Our suite overlooked the Atlantic Ocean, so we just relaxed and anticipated what was to come.

Saturday morning, we returned the car and took the shuttle to Port Everglades. You know, they have this down to a science - no hassles, just get on the shuttle and in no time, you are in line waiting to board. Our line was very long, however, we were surprised as to how quickly we all were processed. Of course, we had taken care of all the paperwork ahead of time, which, I'm sure, helped speed things up. This was our 2nd cruise (we took the exact same one in Feb. 2006) - it was the Bill Gaither Homecoming Cruise. Once we boarded the ship, we went to Lido for lunch - what a great way to start..we shared a large table with some delightful people who became our friends during the week. It wasn't long before our cabins were ready, so we headed there. We had stateroom 1048 last year, and requested the same one this year. It was convenient, and extremely spacious. Being an inside stateroom didn't bother us, since we knew we wouldn't be spending much time there!

Our first day (Sunday) was at sea. Of course, one of the main reasons for our cruise was the entertainment (we love the Gaither concerts!), and we actually had 2 that day! A delightful thing happened on our first visit to the Dining Room. Last year we had a wonderful crew member as a waiter in Lido. He made sure that we felt very pampered all week. Well, as soon as we walked into the Dining Rm., he was there - and called us by name! Can't believe that anyone would remember after an entire year. He is a wonderful young man, and a true blessing to his ship. Read more