We booked this cruise back on March 12, 2008. This created a 275 day wait until we sailed on this voyage. It was especially long for the 12 other members of our family. For many it was a reminder of our childhood days as we waited for Christmas morning to arrive.

We planned this as a family cruise for our 4 grown children (ages 34 to 40), their spouses and our 5 grandchildren (ages 9 to 19). This was our 4th family cruise with the first in 1987 when our oldest daughter worked for a travel agency and was offered a familiarization cruise on a Carnival ship (Jubilee). We paid for the rest of our family to tag along. It took another 17 years before we sailed as a family again on the smoke-free Carnival ship Paradise. This was followed by the 3rd cruise on the Royal Caribbean ship Mariner of the Seas for a celebration of our 40th wedding anniversary.

This cruise was planned since it would probably be our last opportunity where everyone could be together. Our family is growing and it is obvious that scheduling would be impossible to repeat this in the future. Finally, my favorite grandson (because he is the only one - the rest are granddaughters) is scheduled to leave for basic training in the military (USAF) on January 5th, 2009. We are grateful for his desire to serve something greater than himself. Read more