This was DH and I's first cruise with RCL having cruised Carnival twice before. We are in our mid-50's and was able to snag a JS - Cabin 9654 for a GREAT price. Yes, we were excited to say the least!

PRECRUISE: We stayed at the Marriott Biscayne Bay in Miami. Beautiful room with loads of amenities and the Bayside Market close by. Hotel was around $160/night and we had a bayview room. We arrived in Miami just after noon the day before and met another couple that are experienced RCL's Diamond member cruisers to "show us the ropes" of RCL cruising and the surroundings of Miami. We went to the Bayside Market and ate at Bubba Gumps and ate so many different types of shrimp I was almost done with shrimp for the rest of the year! Great place if you haven't been there.

EMBARKATION: Took a cab to the port which we shared with our friends and arrived at 10:30. Liberty is HUGE compared to the Carnival Glory and Conquest! Embarkation was a breeze since we had a "suite". In less than 20 minutes we were on board! Our fellow cruises had their first "aft" cabin just down a bit from our JS. We ate at Windjammers and at 1pm, our room was ready. Read more