4-17 check in not so fast, 45-50 min. Paid $15 corkage fee on each bottle of wine. In processing. Waited in Bliss bar 40-45 min. On ship @ 1:25. Grab a bite @ buffet. Room ready @ 2. No coffee cards available, paid $3.25 for ice mocha. Made reservations for Le Bistro, 2 for 1 tonight is the first night on the cruise. Want to buy water on the ship? 6 large bottles of Aquafina water $21.95. Not I. Toured the ship to get a lay of the land. Got back to room and there was a note to go to the naughty room to claim one piece of luggage. 5 bottles of Coke for secondary inspection. My 600 ml of rum in the RumRunner made it OK in another piece of luggage. Prior to our trip we had also purchased the bar set up for $63 for a liter of rum, "just in case" First night sampler at Starlight Theatre, Buzz good, Blues lady good. Off to 8pm LeBistro. Good duck & great filet, small portions. Attire was everywhere such as; shorts, t-shirts, flip-flops, tennis shoes, plus some nice dresses. Meal portions small but plenty of places to supplement if you don't get enough. Signed up for internet service, 270 min for $100, includes the 20 min bonus for signing up first day, iPhone worked logged in, down load messages, log out. Be sure to log out with smartphones.

4-18 Worked out, some waiting to get on the treadmill, but it's only the first day. Used the thermal suites; hot tub, steam room, hot loungers, showers, robes, and lockers. Went to breakfast and too many people to truly enjoy. Read some up on the very windy Sun Deck. Went to CruiseCritcs meet & greet got our nametags. Went to lunch and still too many people had to sit in the kids cafe. Enjoyed some more sun. In the evening participated in the Brenda Kaye hypnotist show. Ate late, 3 cheese w/wild mushrooms macaroni in the buffet was great. Went by the Spinnaker to watch The Dating Game. Took a walk & ended up getting a soft serve ice cream. In a very short time today I got a mild sunburn. Warning watch that first day sunshine.

4-19 Time change today has got me all twisted. Breakfast at the back of the ship biggest Summer Grill. Same as the main buffet, just fewer choices. The has got to be better way to feed 2000 people! I found the main buffet a complete zoo. Don't get your food before you find a table. Your food is going to get cold while you search for a table. Or your salad is going to get warm walking around looking for a table. Why do salad plates have to be hot in the serving line? Food is OK, but getting it to your table is a chore in itself. Will try Blue Lagoon. And don't expect orange juice. Its orange cocktail flavor and if you remember TANG, this will bring back memories. Went to the Captain's talk and presentation and was very informative and packed. Worth it, free. Went to the Cruise Critic cabin crawl, but like I said the time change messed me up, an hour early. We did chocolate and poker. The 5 cabins we visited range from suite to super two bedroom beauties. Some nice rooms compared to our outside cabin. Chocolate was great and too much! The garden suites are beautiful with a mini bar, espresso machines. And their own pool! Did the $15 beer tasting and I should have known, it was the brands they were pushing on the ship for $6.94 per bottle. We tasted 5 brands, about 6-8 oz, XX, San Miguel, Tse Tsao, Sapporo, and got to choose a full beer as number six. Boddington for me. Saw the Singer Janye Powell that night, good soul-oldies. Did the Main dining room for the first time twenty-five minute wait and short ribs were good. Done for the day. Read more