I was looking for somewhere to go on our annual Christmas trip, and my 18-year old daughter suggested (i.e. nagged me to death until I agreed to arrange) a cruise, which we have never done before. So, since we were taking her 19-year old boyfriend with us and he needed to be home for Christmas, we chose the Royal Caribbean 6-day cruise to the Western Caribbean, which would have us back on the 23rd. Don't know why we chose Royal Caribbean - I think it was the "get out there" commercials! And also, the travel agent said she felt it was a notch up from Princess, and I definitely didn't want to go too cheap and end up with a bunch of youngsters running amok. Anyway, we made our plans and started researching and reading reviews online for tips. Some good ones that came in handy were to take an extension cord and a clock (there wasn't one in the cabin), waterproof pouches or cases for small valuables when doing excursions on the water, and water shoes (or else you'll be trying to find some to buy for an exorbitant price somewhere). We ordered the BF a tuxedo online and had my husband's cleaned, and I spent a small fortune buying things to have in the cabins when we arrived - robes and slippers for everyone, a flower arrangement for each cabin, champagne and chocolate covered strawberries, a vanilla bon voyage cake, and a cheese platter with bottle of wine for us, sparkling wine and chocolate covered strawberries, a chocolate bon voyage cake, and a fruit basket for the kids. I also ordered a tote bag with water bottle for each couple. Whew, I think that's all!

Finally the big day came and we flew off to Ft. Lauderdale. I'm angry with myself for not writing this right after we returned when every detail was fresh, but I'll remember as best I can. Seems like the flight over was fine. When we arrived we were told where to congregate. We retrieved our luggage and sat on the floor for a while (don't remember how long) until the bus arrived. Well, pulling up to the big, beautiful ship was exciting. Embarkation was boring but pretty fast and painless - just following a bunch of other people in a line through check-in. Then they snap your photo and you enter the ship. I don't remember much about finding our cabins - it must have been pretty easy. Our travel agent had recommended aft cabins because of the much larger balconies and we had Superior Ocean View Balcony staterooms 8170 and 8670. Before we left, I read pro and con opinions online about the aft balconies - some love the extra balcony room and the view, others didn't like only seeing behind the ship and the fact that the balconies are only half covered. Also, some people don't like having to walk all the way to the end of the hall - didn't bother us (how spoiled are we these days that we complain about having to walk ALL THE WAY down a hall?). I must say we loved them and I will always choose aft cabins from now on - the huge balcony was priceless. There were two regular chairs, two lounge chairs, and a table on each one. Another benefit is that you are at the very end of the hall, so people are not passing by your room all the time - it was totally quiet and peaceful.

Well, we loved our cabins. We felt they were the perfect size for a couple. We totally unpacked into the drawers and closet with room to spare, and stowed empty luggage in the bottom of the closet and under the bed. Loved the cabin - it was so cozy and compact, and even the bathroom was great, though small. There was a nice medicine cabinet to store things in. The bed was perfectly comfortable, too. Just have no complaints at all about the accommodations. Our steward's name was Clarion; she was delightful - most of the time (more on that later). So we unpacked (the kids were two cabins down) then set out to explore a little. Read more