This was my husband's and my first cruise; we are in our 50s, I'm retired, he isn't. We reside in the Pacific Northwest and I have traveled to Florida and the Keys, but hubs hasn't. Our trip by air was PDX/SEA/MIA via Horizon and Alaska Airlines. Everything went well and we took a shuttle from MIA to the Miami Hyatt which is located near the Port and downtown shopping area/bayside shopping mall. This is a very nice hotel that is walking distance to said shopping and a short cab ride to the Port.

EMBARKATION: I did a lot of research before our cruise so when we were ready to hand over our 4 suitcases we also handed over a $20 bill; our bags were in our cabin by 3:00 p.m. Embarkation was quick and easy; no tents, no lines and we were on board within 45 minutes of arrival. Our cabin was ready and the champagne we had ordered was chilling in an ice bucket. The cabin was located aft with a sundeck; it was cheerful, clean and much larger than we expected (as was the bathroom). We lingered a bit to enjoy the splendor of the Port and all of the activity; two other ships we leaving right behind us and it was fun to watch the ships be loaded with food, luggage, beverages, etc. Time passed quickly as we reviewed info about Muster, watched some videos of the upcoming Ports on the TV monitor and generally acquainted ourselves with our home away from home for the next week. After Muster (don't be late and don't act silly--this is serious business) we headed for the bar above the pool where we met up with fellow Cruise Critic members. It was fun to put faces and voices with names from the Roll Call we had shared for several months. There was a terrible downpour as we sailed away from Miami, but none of us cared by then!

FOOD: We ate at the open air buffet a lot. The abundance and variety of food, especially for breakfast, was just amazing. And the machines that make cappuccinos are really quite good. I have food allergies and all I had to do was ask and I get a dish of pineapple NOT mixed with melons, etc. Another time I couldn't find anything without peppers (green, red, etc.) so a nice cook offered to make me a stir fry with anything in it I wished; he did and it was just delicious! Le Bistro was just fabulous; lamb chops are to die for! The service is impeccable, the food is delicious and the presentation is beautiful. We dined here twice; the second time our servers from the first time came to inquire how we were, were we enjoying ourselves, etc. Even the manager stopped by both times. Cagney's was equally good; again the food was delicious --steak, lobster and fish-- good presentation and a fabulous waitress. Sushi: The sushi was just incredible, but do wish they'd warned us that the serving sizes are about double what one is used to. We over ordered and you are not allowed to take sushi back to your room so we felt like we had wasted some really good food. Those were the only places we ate as we had meals in each Port we visited. We did fill out the little form in our room every night and religiously hung it on our door to ensure a large carafe of coffee and cream would arrive at 7:00 a.m. each morning. This will tide you over until you hit the breakfast buffet. Note: A large carafe gives your about 4 cups of coffee. Unless you specify a large carafe you'll get a small one. Read more