This is my first review on Cruise Critic after hanging around on this board for many months! We left Greenville, SC around 3pm Thursday, March 8 and drove to Jacksonville, FL and stayed at the Hyatt Place near the airport. Wonderful hotel and I would definitely recommend it. We left early Friday morning for our trip to Ft. Lauderdale. We stayed at the Hampton Inn and it was good but not great.

Saturday morning, I woke early with so much excitement for our embarkation day! We got to the Cruise terminal by 10:15 and were one of the first few to enter the waiting area. They call you by stateroom type. We were the first there in Aqua Class and no one was there for suites so we were the first to go through the line! I was so excited... only to find out we had to go to another waiting area. I had read about people sometimes being able to board by 10:30 but unfortunately, there was a hang up and we were not able to board until 11:45. After our picture, we were met with Mimosa, champagne and orange juice. We headed straight to Bistro on 5 (tip I learned from Cruise Critic)and enjoyed a very nice lunch. The crepes are very good but we never made it back there the rest of the week. We toured part of the ship and then our staterooms were ready and we headed to check them out. We were on Deck 11 in Room 1632 and our friends were next door in 1634. Our room steward immediately opened the panel on the balcony so that we could visit. We changed into swimsuits and were headed to the pool when our luggage arrived. We took the time to unpack and before we knew it, it was time for the muster drill. People talked over the video and I couldn't hear well. We were in the Ensemble Lounge for the drill. After the drill, it was time for Sail-Away. We went to the Sunset bar and had my first of many virgin pina coladas! Our cruise critic group was to meet at the Sunset Bar and I talked to a few members but it was hard to know who was CC. Leaving Miami was beautiful and I got great pictures of South Beach which was EXTREMELY crowded...maybe because it was spring break for so many people? We toured more of the ship and then it was time to dress for dinner at Blu! We were the first to arrive and chose our table by the windows. Jack and Lizette waited on us all week and we usually sat in the same seats each night. We enjoyed several sunsets from our table! We had shrimp cocktail, corn soup and Filet Mignon. Everything was outstanding but I especially enjoyed the soup. We had Coconut Creme Brulee for dessert. We then headed for the Intro show in Eclipse Theatre. It was a good show but not great!

Sunday morning, we awoke to our coffee being delivered. We enjoyed our balcony with our friends for coffee. We ate in Blu for breakfast and it was a good way to start our first day at sea. We headed for the pool and found chairs on Deck 14. It sprinkled rain three times in about an hour. We kept moving from the deck to the solarium pool. All pool areas were full. It was very hard to find seats. We ate cheeseburgers from the Mast Grill for lunch. Very relaxing day. We dressed for dinner in our formal wear even though it is not required in Blu. There were many others dressed in formal attire too. My husband and I ordered Lobster Bisque soup and Lamb. Soup was great again. I was not thrilled with the lamb and Jack insisted on bringing me a steak. We went to the Pop Rock show and I was not impressed. We did enjoy the A cappella quartet Uncommon Ground throughout the ship during our week. We came back to our room and was surprised with towel animals. Swans. I was not expecting this because of Cruise Critic reviews but I loved them on our last cruise and was excited with our steward's attempt. I enjoyed looking over the Celebrity Daily and highlighting what I wanted to do the following day. Read more