Let me preface this by saying that I am overall a very positive person, especially while vacationing. As far as I'm concerned, things are bound to go wrong. But you know what? You're ON VACATION! So, lighten up people, you could be at your desk in a fluorescent-lit office staring mindlessly at a computer screen. That being said...
This was my first cruise, and what a spectacular experience! Check-in was a little crazy, but it wasn't anything I didn't expect. Actually, considering the amount of people you're trying to board, it went by rather quickly...maybe 30-45 minutes. Maybe I'm biased, because when we got up to the desk we were upgraded to a category 11 stateroom. We didn't know what this meant at the time, but boy were we in for a SURPRISE! Anywho, once we got onto the ship we were amazed at how big it was and how beautiful. The Lobby Deck atrium is gorgeous and the staff was so friendly, handing out deck plans and pointing you in the right direction. When we got to our stateroom, you can imagine our excitement when it turned out we were upgraded to a suite!!!! Gorgeous balcony, sitting area, fridge, bar, dressing area with a lit mirror, and a tiled bathroom with a glass-doored shower/jacuzzi tub! WOOHOO!!!
I guess from here I'll break the experience into categories: