My 20th cruise with a four day pre-cruise jaunt, two days in Istanbul followed by two days in Barcelona. I will be writing more details on each city in my blog. Prior to the cruise I had communicated with about 20+ people through the cruising boards, what a great group of folks; it was like sailing with good friends.

Embarkation: Lightning fast, I did the online registration printed one piece of paper (thank goodness none of these old fashion cruise documents) and I was ready. Your luggage is collected prior to terminal entrance and your passports are collected (make sure you get your receipt) at the check-in desk, you are asked to sign the Credit Card voucher and presto you are headed for the ship. Stopped at the "My Dining Time (MDT)" desk which was setup as you walked towards the ship and arranged dinner time. Once past security as you are heading towards the ship, you will walk through a small shopping area where you can buy different beverages and take them on board, a very nice touch.

Cabins: I had an Inside Cabin on deck #3 mid ship (got a great price and saved a ton of money that I spent in port). My cabin was a little smaller than other ships I have sailed, the cabin was equipped with a small fridge, a combined his/her's closet and an easy to use room safe and TV. In the shower you are supplied a shampoo dispenser but NO other amenities such as toothpaste, shaver, etc, the bed mattress left a lot to be desired. TV had very limited programming and the same program is shown in different languages. In addition, you are able to view your on board account, make excursion reservations but unable to view the daily dinning menu (hard to figure). Considering how little time you spend in your cabin, I have no complaints except for the bed mattress and the occasional load noise at midnight from the ceiling; my cabin was located below the dinning room. A big plus is there are very few announcements piped into your cabin, thank you RCL. Read more