CHECK-IN AND BOARDING: We live about 20 minutes from the Baltimore Cruise Terminal and loved that it was such an easy drive to the ship. I wish, though, that Baltimore could adopt the boarding procedure used in Philadelphia. In Baltimore we stood in line to get up to the door of the terminal building, where someone checked to make sure we had all our docs. Then we stood in a long, slow line before we got to the actual check-in counter. In Philadelphia last year, after the preliminary doc check, we were escorted to a row of chairs inside the building. Each row was called in turn to the check-in line, and from there things moved very quickly. It was much easier on the feet and made for a more relaxing way to start the vacation. Having said that, the RCI staff couldn't have been more helpful with the check-in process.

It was after 1 p.m. when we boarded and our room was ready. We were able to have lunch before we got to the terminal, so skipped the buffet and went out on deck for sailaway.

ROOM: We were in an outside room on Deck 3. The room wasn't huge, but was well laid-out and had tons of storage. There were drawers in the closet; in both night stands; and the vanity/desk. The hairdryer was in one of the drawers. There were also shelves in the cupboard above the safe; behind mirrored doors on both sides of the large vanity/desk mirror; and in a generous medicine cabinet in the bathroom. There was a full-length mirror on the outside of the bathroom, and a large mirror beside the bed that reflected the view from the picture window. The number and placement of the mirrors made the room feel light and spacious. There were also a desk chair at the vanity, an upholstered chair and a small glass cocktail table. Even with all that, there was room to walk around. We had the beds configured as one queen bed with the head beneath the window, and there was room on each side to get in and out comfortably (and keep a pair of shoes). Read more