Day 1 -- Embarkation We drove into Tampa the day before the cruise and spent the night at the Hilton Garden Inn. Got a great rate on Priceline. The hotel was very clean and spacious, and not too far from the pier.
We took our time getting up because our documents stated boarding started at 2:00 p.m. We arrived at the pier at 12:15, gave our bags to the porter, parked the car, and headed inside. There was one person in front of us at the Platinum/Diamond desk, but there was a line at the regular desk. We waited maybe a minute and were checked in by 12:30. After the usual boarding pictures, we headed to our cabin. Priority embarkation is truly one of the best benefits of getting to Platinum.
There were no welcome-aboard drinks as there were on previous cruises, but maybe it was because we were early. The doors to the cabin hallways were closed, so we headed to deck 9 and the tables outside the Windjammer. We had a quick lunch, which was VERY good, and went back down to our cabin to drop off our carry-ons.