15 July 07 (Sunday) This was our first cruise out of our home state NJ. What a joy to wake up, throw the suitcases in a limo and be to the pier within an hour. There was a long car line for drop off but other than that, check in went quickly and smoothly. We are Platinum members and used the designated check in area. There was no line and we were checked in less than 10 minutes and sitting in the Platinum/Diamond area. We boarded the bus to the Pier area at noon and were on the ship before 12:30. The first thing we did was go to the dining room to change our dining time from late to early seating. RCI was very accommodating and switched us without a hitch. From there we went to Spa to make appts. My daughter made an appt for a basic massage, more on that later. We went up to the Windjammer for lunch found a seat no problem and had lunch. The food was pretty much the same food as on all the ships, good but not great. After lunch I headed up on deck to enjoy the pool area while my daughter ran off to the teen club to try to make new friends. Let's say she had a large group of friends by the first night. Most of the passengers were from NJ/NY/CT/PA and MD area. I saw quite a few wedding parties on board also, getting married that day or in Bermuda. Lots and lots of large family groups traveling together to celebrate a birthday, anniversary etc. We left the Pier right on time. What an experience of going under the bridge....it appears like the tallest part of the ship won't make it. It does!

Our wait staff (Barry & Jodi) were absolutely wonderful. We are going to request them again on our Explorer cruise in March 08. We were at a table for 8, a family of 3 with a teenaged boy, retired couple and one lady traveling alone. All very nice people and all from NJ. After dinner I just explored the ship a little, browsing through the shops etc. Went to bed early.

16 July 07 (Monday, Sea Day) - Extremely windy (40 mi), couldn't sit on deck 12 without being blown away. I saw someone shake out their towel, when the wind carried it off and it the ships smokestack, then fly off. No bellyflop or poolside activities that day because of the weather. My daughter had her massage that afternoon. They had indicated it was 45 minutes when she made the appt but only ended up being 25 minutes. She was happy either way. Dinner was great in the dining room. I'm not that into food, so anything I try is usually good. Went to see the ice show that night. Starts out a little slow but got better with each act. Met some friends in the Cafe Promenade for drinks and conversation. Read more