We arrived in Miami mid morning 12/14 very excited and eager to check out the ship that would be our home for the next 7 days. Since we drove to Miami we knew we would leave our car in the parking garage which cost $20 per day much cheaper than flying with a family of 5. Once the kids saw the size of the ship they weren't able to contain their joy, they were eager to jump out of the car and get on board.

We checked our luggage at the curb and got in line to enter the ship, it was pretty easy going. The lines were long but moving at a steady pace. The entire process took us about an hour. Once onboard we were in amazement at the size and how beautiful the ship is. It didn't take long for the kids to ask for lunch and I knew from reading the message boards that the Windjammer would be open and serving lunch. We took advantage of this opportunity and stayed long enough to hear that our rooms were ready.

Since we were first time cruisers we didn't know what to expect from our rooms. Traveling with a family of 5 we had to have 2 rooms. Our balcony room was a bit tight when we were all in the room together but not a big deal. Our inside cabin overlooked the promenade. At first I didn't know how I would feel about this but it turned out to be great. It especially helped when activities were taken place below in the main promenade, the kids didn't have to worry about finding a seat on the promenade or complaining about not being able to see what was going on. We just went to our room and they had a perfect view. I must say thanks a lot to our room attendants Orwin and Bridgette they were absolutely wonderful and fun to chat with. Read more