This was my husband and my first cruise and we are officially addicted! We flew down Miami 4 days prior to embarkation and stayed at The National Hotel in South Beach. We absolutely loved it and were relaxed and ready for cruise adventure on Explorer of the Seas.

We took a cab from South Beach to the Port of Miami which was about $25 and was very quick. When we reached the port we were a bit overwhelmed but figured out the drill pretty quick - tip KEEP YOUR RCCL GUEST VACATION DOCUMENTS OUT OF YOUR LUGGAGE AND IN YOUR HANDS - YOU WILL NEED IT. After tipping the luggage handlers we were on our way through the line which moved unbelievably quickly. We took our photos and were on the ship.

We ventured to our stateroom which was an L category inside stateroom, cabin 1581. I was pleasantly surprised by the size - it's perfect for two people that only plan on sleeping in there - we had everything we needed. My only disappointment that lead to a temporary meltdown was the cleanliness of the bathroom. There were actual dark stains on the toilet that were not permanent if you get my drift. I called my stateroom attendant who argued with me about whether or not the toilet was really dirty. I am not a complainer so I felt very awkward about this conversation. He cleaned it but I will say - I felt very queasy about the cleanliness of the room. NOTE - BRING CLOROX WIPES WITH YOU AND YOU CAN AVOID THIS SITUATION. Believe me; I will have them on all future cruises. Read more