My sister and I were traveling together. She's 51, I turned 50 on the day of sail. The excitement started as we drove into the port at about 10:45(live locally in south Florida area)and we saw 3 ships in port: the Carnival Destiny, the NCL Pearl, and RC's Liberty of the Seas. We were able to drop off the luggage with a porter, then go park the car in the garage ($20/day). Within about 45 minutes we were on the ship. Easy check-in, photo taken for Sea-pass card, then stood on line for about 15 minutes until boarding started. Like everyone else, we went straight to the Windjammer buffet for lunch. It was a little chaotic, only because everyone had carry-on luggage with them. After lunch, our Promenade cabin on D-7 was ready. We did feel that the cabin was rather small, smaller than on Carnival, our previous cruise. However, the bathroom and closet space was fine, and bags fit under the bed. The Promenade view was the best! Constant people watching. No problem with noise. We also had one deck of cabins between us and the Promenade. The curtains stayed closed without any problem. We were right across from the General Store - a main area in the Promenade. Hoof & Claw just to the right, Cafe Promenade just to the left.

We dropped off our bags and went exploring. Magnificent ship. Very large. After the muster drill, we got a drink at the Pool Bar and met up with people I'd been chatting with for several months on the Cruise Critic roll call. A bunch of us then met up early evening for my birthday celebration in the Champagne Bar. Not cheap - basic glass of champagne was $9.20.

We had My Time Dining, which was the best. We sat in the same area each night, and met fantastic people at each meal, sometimes more than once. One night, we had Australia, Holland, and Scotland all at the same table. The most we had to wait for a table was 5 minutes. That was when 4 of us requested our own table. We ate dinner one night at Portofino's. 5-star. My opinion is no comparison to the main dining room, and mind you, I'm not a foodie! In the main dining room, I felt portion sizes were appropriate, not over sized. Food was just OK. Same in the Windjammer. But I'm happy with the basics, like salads, oatmeal, fish and such. Food is not the reason I cruise, as long as it's edible. Read more