Pre Cruise - Stayed at the Sleep Inn - For the price it was okay. They transported you to and from the airport and the cruise port so I can't complain. There is a Publix across the street and a Walgreens next door.

Embarkation -There were no porters available to help us with our luggage. I went to hunt for one and she said we did not drop off in the right place for help. I explained that our shuttle was directed to where we were and she said bring our luggage to her and she would check it in. I explained that there was a lot of luggage and we needed help so finally she motioned to someone else and they came to help us. Other than that we checked in at the Diamond counter and went upstairs to wait to be let on the ship. I then found out we could not use our cell phones or take pictures in the waiting area. The announcement was made we could enter the ship and we were on in less than 5 minutes!

The first thing we did was head to the dining room and check our seats then our welcome aboard picture and onto the Windjammer! Found a table by the window right away and placed our cases there and went for a nice glass of iced tea. The food at the Windjammer was typical but good buffet food. After eating it was time to see our room! We had a D1 in the aft part of the ship. Nice room but what made our room so special was our room steward Henry Smith! Awesome - awesome man! He took such good care of us he deserved a promotion! When we got to our room we already had two of our suitcases waiting for us. The only thing missing was our garment bag with our formal attire and it came before muster! So we unpacked and put away -what a great feeling! The only complaint I have is lack of storage on the new ships design. Muster came and then our cruise critic group met at the Sky Bar for sail-a-way! What fun! It was so nice to meet the people we had been talking to for almost a year! A great time was had and then it broke up for dinner and the rest of us with late dining to explore more of the ship. The ship is beautiful! I knew it would be all of RC's ships are decorated with taste and well maintained. Read more