We are a 40-something couple married 21 years and traveling without children. This was our second cruise, the first being a four-day Bahamas excursion aboard Carnival's "Sensation" which, despite having an interior cabin, we enjoyed immensely. Although it is just a five-hour drive to Tampa, we decided to take our chances with a "Secret Hotel" from Travelocity. We chose a three-star hotel for $60 and, as luck would have it, got the exact hotel we wanted, the downtown HoJo's that has parking and a shuttle to the port.

As we arrived at Terminal 3 in Tampa, we could see the "Jewel of the Seas" towering above the main building. Check in and baggage took about 30 minutes and went smoothly. We boarded the ship and were amazed at the magnificence. We found our stateroom near the starboard stern and entered to find a well appointed cabin with a queen bed and mini bar. The balcony was the perfect size for two and we enjoyed breakfast, sunbathing and nighttime reading outside. Our room attendant, Carole, soon appeared to introduce herself and take care of any small details such as a Sharp's container for my insulin syringes.

For the first day and a half at sea, we played putt-putt golf, ate at the Windjammer Cafe, and enjoyed a comedy show and a production show. We also swam in the Atrium which has an adults only policy enforced by the staff. We also started noticing that our Cruise Director, CarlyB, was everywhere we looked. At first I just thought of her as a nice, energetic person but that I would not require her services to have fun. I later learned that I was only partially correct -- I could have fun without CarlyB, but she always found a way to make it more fun. She led a "gameshow" called "Quest" in the Safari Club on the final night that may have been the most fun thing I have done aboard a cruise ship... well, almost. Read more