A little background info: My small traveling group consisted of my parents(50's & 60's) and my boyfriend and I in our late 20's. It was my 4th cruise, and my parent's first. No special occasion needed, we just all wanted a fun filled vacation...and that's exactly what we got.

Pre-Cruise: My bf and I drove into Long Beach the night before, and picked up my parents at the airport the morning of the cruise. We were at the cruise ship terminal by 9:30 and did early check-in on the Queen Mary. The whole process took about 5 minutes and we were told to line up near zone 1 at 11:30. We took that time to explore the Queen Mary and have a light breakfast. Boarding began at 11:45, and we were on the ship by noon. It was an absolutely painless experience. We grabbed some lunch on the lido deck and ordered our first drink of the day. At 1:30pm on the dot, we were allowed access to our cabins.

Cabin: We had room 5164 which was an obstructed view balcony. The life boats came almost up to the railing on the balcony, so while you couldn't look straight down and see the water, you had a perfect view of the horizon - and the having access to fresh air is unbeatable. Otherwise the room was just fine, a standard cabin with plenty of storage space, comfy bed, and good water pressure in the shower. My only complaint with the room is that the TV could use an upgrade, it was very dark and grainy. Read more