Ok, first of all, let me say that my wife and I are brand new cruisers, and I've never been anywhere tropical, warm, or anything to that degree. She's been to the Bahamas, Key West, etc, so she knows more about these things than I do. We wanted to go on a cruise, but we thought there would be issues because when we started planning our wedding, I didn't have a passport, and I didn't think I could get it in time. We found out a passport isn't necessary to cruise (at least until the beginning of 2008) so we decided that a cruise would be a good plan. We talked to a local travel agent, who was MORE than helpful. She knew everything about everything, as did the staff she worked with. (I'm going to say right now that if you're cruising, do not be dumb enough to try and set it up for yourself. See a travel agent!!) We decided on an Eastern Caribbean cruise that would last 7 days. We got a great deal, but we didn't have the money at the time, so she said she could hold it. Of course, because we had so much going on, we didn't get back to her in time. The cruise sold out. No worries, though. Our travel agent helps us pick a different cruise. Different itinerary, but it seemed like a good plan. I also wanted to get my passport application in, because our agent told me it makes things go smoother if you have proof that you've at least applied. I went to the Post Office to get the paperwork in, paid my fees, and filed the application. Now, assuming I wouldn't receive the passport in time (we've all heard the horror stories), I put my actual date of travel on the application. Keep in mind, this is roughly 10 days before we travel. And again, I did NOT expect to have my passport in time to travel, I just was going to print out some papers saying I'd applied. Well, after the wedding got over, I checked my mailbox, and unbelievably enough, my passport arrived! Exactly the day I needed it! So my advice, when it comes to passports, is to give yourself about two weeks, and fill out the application with the correct travel date. Don't pay the extra to expedite it! You don't need it.

The wedding got over at 11 pm, and at 4:30 am, we were in the car, headed to Logan International to get on a plane to San Juan, PR. Of course, we'd booked the plane tickets, transportation from the airport to the ship, and the cruise itself with our agent. (Another recommendation - always book the transportation!) We got off the plane, handed off our luggage, got on a bus, and the next thing we know, we're standing outside the biggest ship I've ever seen. In a word, it was breathtaking! The thing was HUGE! MASSIVE! Keep in mind that over 3000 people were scheduled for this cruise, so checking in COULD'VE gone horribly. Having printed our Set Sail pass took all that out of the equation. We happily walked around the throngs of people waiting in line. Walked to the front of the room, showed our Set Sail passes, ID's, and off we went. Onto the boat for our first "cruise pictures" ever. We found our way to our room and toured the ship. We had chosen, wisely, a room overlooking the promenade. There was a beautiful, decorated Christmas tree directly out our window. We could see a good section of the promenade, where all the amazing little shops, bars, etc are. Now is where I should tell you that we brought my in-laws with us. We got them a room right next to ours, with a door between them. Cruising wouldn't have been as fun if we'd gone alone, but that's just my opinion. It was fun to have them with us.

We toured the ship, checking out everything we could. Of course, we were exhausted, so we quickly made our way back to our rooms for a quick nap before drills and the first dinner of the trip. When called to, we donned our life vests and made our way to our meeting point. No sweat. After we were dismissed, we made our way back to our rooms to put our life jackets away, and we made our way down to the dining room. We were in the Strauss dining room, which is the middle deck of the 3 deck dining room. There's a giant chandelier hanging from the center of the room, in the open center of all 3 decks. Light music flowed gently throughout the room. It was mixed between classical piano, Christmas music (very strange when it's 90 degrees), and jazz. Excellent choices. Our head waiter checked on us every night, to make sure we were enjoying our meals, both in the dining room, and the room service. Then we had our waiter, Javier, and our assistant waitress, Sandra. They gave us world class service from day 1. As I seem to be rambling on and on, I'll just say that we left the last meal with hugs and kisses to these people who made our meal-time something we looked forward to every night. There was also the Windjammer buffet/grill where we had our breakfast in the mornings. This was slow-going, but nothing horrible. Usually fresh fruit and good "breakfast" food started off the day. Room service, which is completely free except booze and sodas, came quickly and delicious. We took advantage of this service almost nightly, as we stayed up rather late, and you can get a snack 24/7. We also tipped the room service waitstaff about $5 each time they came in, and that paid off handsomely! One night we returned to our room to find a plate of chocolate covered strawberries, and another night brought us a beautiful fruit basket. Both of these were accompanied by a note saying "Courtesy of Room Service." Fantastic. As for shore excursions, we chose to take a sunset catamaran cruise in Aruba. Good choice! We were on a medium-sized catamaran, with about 10 other couples, cruising around the island with open bar, listening to relaxing music, in water so clear you could see sea turtles 50 feet down. AMAZING! This is an excursion I highly recommend! And they got us back to the boat exactly on-time, with no problems. We also took the excursion on St. Thomas to Coral World and Magen's Bay. Again, a fantastic choice. At Coral World, (and now I feel dumb, because I don't know for sure if that's the actual name!) I fed beautiful birds called Lorikeets. It cost $3 to get a little shot of nectar, and these birds just attacked! It was an amazing experience. They were sweet and gentle, and it was a lot of fun. Then I got to feed a stingray. They're the softest thing I've ever touched! What an amazing experience, though. I can't recommend it enough. Then our cab (a glorified pickup truck with 20 seats in the bed!) picked us up again and brought us to Magen's Bay. Now, this place is on the top 10 beaches of the world list. And with good reason. The water was crystal clear, and very calm. The scenery was incredible and it was just perfect. The breeze was a little cool but it was incredible anyway! The only complaint I have is that our cab driver was INSANE! I think he had too many rum runners while he waited for us to be done at the beach, and the trip home was more than terrifying. But we made it! Read more