I booked this trip only 10-days from the departure date mainly because the deal was too good to pass up. Not only had the cruise fare been discounted, but the ship was sailing from Baltimore, only 90-minutes or so from our home, which gave me additional savings as I didn't have to spring for airfare. I wasn't sure what to expect as I knew that this was an older ship, but was determined to approach this cruise with an open mind. I must say I was pleasantly surprised.
A little background on me. I am 48, my DH is 52. This was our 8th cruise, but our first time on RCCL. It was also our first time to Bermuda, and our first time to sail from a port we didn't have to fly to.
Embarkation: The drive to the Baltimore Cruise terminal was painless, and was easy to find. The directions on MapQuest were spot on, and the roads are well marked. We must have hit the terminal at a peak time because we did encounter line after line, and some moved rather slowly. We were outside the terminal at about noon, but by time we dropped our luggage off, parked, went through security, got our Sea Pass, and waited to board the ship it was 1:15 before we actually stepped foot on board. Our room was easy to find (Interior, deck 2), and our luggage was delivered within 5 minutes of entering our room!