We were first-time cruisers and didn't know what to expect. We are a family of three -- my husband, myself and an almost-12 year old daughter.

Embarkation was much smoother than I had ever imagined. We arrived at the terminal in Tampa around 11:30 a.m. We were on board and eating lunch by 12:30. We had driven Saturday morning so we felt a bit bedraggled. We showered and then explored the ship for a few hours. By the time we hit the deck for relaxation it was around 4:00...time to depart. We grabbed a drink and found a great location to watch the departure. Ahhh, no worries. We watched the shoreline recede for an hour or so. We had our first dinner in the ecstasy Dining Room and turned in early. We were still exhausted from the long drive.

Sunday, our second day, was at sea. It was then that we realized there were lots of spring break college kids on our cruise. Lots and lots of drunk college kids. I'll admit they didn't bother us but I did get tired of some of their drunken antics. Back to the travelog. Had a great breakfast at the Seaview Grille. We always ate breakfast and lunch at the Grille. We especially enjoyed sitting on the outside decks at the back of the ship. They were never crowded, always sunny and had a nice ocean breeze. After breakfast, we spent the day on the decks by the pool. My daughter enjoyed the slide. Read more