This was our third cruise and was the best yet! We live in Tampa so we really enjoyed being 25 minutes away from the port...no flying...no driving for hours. We arrived around 12:45 and got on around 1:45. It seemed to take longer to get on the ship, but we got there later than we normally would if the ship was at another port. The port in Tampa is very nice, although I may be partial to Tampa. The nice part about getting on later is your cabin is ready so you can take your carry on baggage immediately to the room.

After we set sail, I went to see the ship sail underneath the Skyway Bridge. I heard it was a site to see. My family thought I was crazy since we have been over it many times, but it was nice to see it from a different perspective.

The second day was at sea. We really enjoy those days because they are low key and relaxing. My husband and daughter participated in a trivia game and won the wonderful golden ship. I attended a wine tasting in the supper club. I enjoyed it; however, the lady next to me said they provided a lot of cheap wine and provided a few tidbits of info that were wrong. But since I am not a true expert, I would not have known. I was thankful that I sat next to her because she provided a few tidbits of her own. Since this day was my husband's birthday, I made reservations at the supper club for this night which was elegant night. It was really good! It was worth the additional price. They give you lots of food so make sure you are hungry when you go. My daughter and I had the lobster tails and my husband had the surf and turf. The steak was excellent! The lobster tails were good, but I would get the surf and turf next time. We had the chocolate torte for dessert. We were thinking it would be one item; it was actually 5 glasses of different desserts! The presentation was amazing! They also had entertainment that was nice. Read more