First, let me explain our cruise plans.  We had been planning this "wonderful family trip" to Mexico for over 2 years.  My son was on a church mission and returned last winter.  Instead of going to pick him up, we decided to take the entire family adults (3 additional married sisters ranging from 25 to 33 and their husbands) on a cruise vacation as a "Welcome Home Party".  I was so disappointed when RC cancelled our trip to Mexico that I even tried to reschedule to the Caribbean, but it was almost impossible due to the length of time we had until our trip.  I understand RC and their reasoning and feel they did everything within their power to make it an enjoyable experience.  They agreed to lower our price and made some other concessions and after reviewing our options and the money we would lose by cancelling our airline tickets, we decided to just go ahead and do it.

EMBARKATION - One of my daughters had made the transfer arrangements from the airport to the port and everything worked just fine.  The only issue was our decision to fly into Long Beach Airport because it was closer and a little cheaper.  We thought we could get a bite to eat prior to going to the port, due to my experience with another cruise line a few years ago where it took forever to register and board.  The food at the airport was almost non-existent, but we did have a nice ice cream treat while waiting for our ride. 

I was prepared for the worst at the port.  SURPRISE!!  We arrived a little later than most (3:00 PM) due to our connections and it was so slick I cannot even believe it.  From baggage scanning to walking on the ship took no more than 10 minutes and 8 of this was spent walking.  When you handle this many people, I just expect to stand it lines, but it was a real relief.  By the time we arrived and unpacked it was Bon Voyage and we were off. Read more