We cruised for the first time in December 2007 on the Serenade of the Seas out of San Juan Puerto Rico. I am 39 and my husband is 46.

We arrived the day before our cruise and stayed at the Comfort Inn as our flight did not arrive until 10:45 pm. It was alright for a basic night sleep, but does not have much for amenities and the continental breakfast they serve is not worth getting up for.

We arrived at the pier at approximately 12:15 pm, after a short 5 minute taxi ride from the hotel. According to our tickets we were not to check in until after 2 pm, but when we arrived at the pier, they took our luggage right away and got our sea passes (no one was in line). There were about 100 people waiting in chairs they had set up and coffee was available. At about 12:30 pm, they opened the door and started letting people on board, took our pictures. The whole process took about 15 minutes. We were told that the rooms wouldn't be ready until 1 pm, but that the Windjammer was open and serving lunch. We went upstairs to have lunch, and by the time we were done, it was past 1 pm and we headed to our cabin, which was ready by that time. We had a balcony cabin and I would not book anything less. It was nice to sit out and relax on your own balcony and I would recommend it to everyone to splurge on this one thing, even if it is all you can afford. Well worth the extra money. Our luggage arrived shortly after 2 pm. All in all, pretty easy. We headed to the pool for a swim and soak in the hot tub, as there were not to many people on board. Read more