We went on the March 8th sailing. DW, DD and I joined DW's brother and his family. DW and I have been on 4-5 prior cruises, though the last one was during the Bush I administration. (Our 1st cruise was some 20-25 years ago. The cruise line, Admiral, no longer exists and the ship, the Azure Seas, now sleeps with the fishes.)

Embarkation The embarkation process was relatively painless. While the line was long, it moved very quickly. Papers were given to a crew member, a picture was taken and we were given our room key. There was a short line for the welcome aboard picture and then another short line to get on the ship. As we wanted to try the Teppanyaki restaurant, as soon as we got on board we made reservations for the seven of us. Per other CC's suggestion we went to the Versailles for lunch.

Room We had 2 adjoining mini suites on the 11th deck. I was very impressed with the room. While somewhat small, it was very efficient in its use of space. All of the suitcases fit under the bed. The bathroom was very nice and clean. In the past we have had window rooms but had never had a balcony before. There is nothing to compare to sitting out on the balcony in the morning drinking a cup of coffee. Read more