This was my very first cruise, and actually my very first time out of the US. Suffice to say I was so excited it would have taken a lot to make me not enjoy my experience. This itinerary was 7 days to the Eastern Caribbean, including stops in Half Moon Cay- Bahamas, St. Thomas, San Juan-Puerto Rico, and Grand Turk.

There were 5 of us on this cruise. 2 of them, a co-worker and her sister have been on 4 cruises before. The 3 of us, me, my friend and my co-worker's other sister, complete with loaded digi camera, were all too excited about this trip.

We flew out of DC into Ft. Lauderdale and then took a shuttle to Miami's port. Was pretty painless, minus the ultra long lines at DCA for both checking bags and security. Needless to say we were all a little stressed after that experience. All the stress washed away though as soon as we got to Miami and took our first glimpse of the Carnival Triumph. Read more