Embarkation: We arrived at the cruise terminal at approximately 12:20 on Saturday the 10th. We were able to queue up inside, but were held up in the second terminal for nearly 2 hours. We were not able to board the ship until after 2 PM. I later learned from one of the crew that there was apparently a power glitch? that prevented the ship from being cleared by customs officials. From the previous RCI cruises we had sailed, this seemed out of the norm so we didn't get too upset at the delay. I heard quite a bit of complaining during this wait however.
Once on board we made our way to our cabin (6514). The cabin was very large and roomy. There are PLENTY of spaces to hide away luggage once you have unpacked and more than enough room for two adults and their belongings. There is a nice size sofa, flat panel TV, and the bed is large and extremely comfy...possibly more comfy than my bed at home. The balcony is also very spacious. We picked this room because it is at the end of the hall at the front of the ship with no room on one side. An added bonus is that the balcony has a see through wall to the front of the ship so you can sit on the balcony and watch your forward progress. We love the far forward cabins! After relaxing for a bit, we headed off to make reservations for Chops for the week. Good thing we did...even after only a few hours there were not a lot of good time frames left. We also found out you cannot make reservations by phone that first day...you have to go to the restaurant. We were pretty hungry at this point but the Windjammer was not an option...the entire ship seemed to be gathered there. I noticed that Sorrento's pizza in the promenade was not that busy. Went there instead and enjoyed a leisurely meal of pizza with very few people around. Keep this in mind for boarding day.
Dinner was the main seating table 316 Rembrandt dining room. Met our table mates (A big Hi to Rick and Vidya from New York...there couldn't have been two nicer people on board!) Our other table mates never showed....their loss LOL! Our waiters were Sandeep and Ainsley. They were OUTSTANDING! Request them if you can! My wife had the prime rib and I had the sirloin. All very tasty. The show that night featured a comedian and juggling act. The juggler (Rick Novell) was quite good. The comedian (Rick Starr) was ok. He had good moments and bad. Following the show was the Mardi Gras parade in the promenade. Definitely a must see! A good start to our trip.
Highly recommended balcony cabin. First cabin on port side. Great view of the front of the ship. No guest cabin on one side!