Boarding Day…O-M-G!!!

Hopefully it isn't an indicator of the effect the current crop of tropical storms, but it started pouring rain while we were in the Avis shuttle bus headed toward Port Everglades. We got there ahead of the rush, but there is also a separate entrance at the port for suite guests – yes, they do have lots of suites of various sizes – so there was virtually no lineup and we were on the ship within a few minutes. That's when it started…

Even having been aboard Explorer of the Seas and Navigator of the Seas did not prepare us in the least for this ship. But we'll get to that later. We started off with a tour of our Sky Loft Suite (one of only two on the ship). This is without a doubt the biggest 'hotel' (floating or otherwise) room we've ever been in. The only thing to keep in mind as you look at the pictures is that the suite is actually designed to take up to four people, so the couch would be converted into a second bed. There are actually two full bathrooms, with double showers in each, two vanity areas and two full sets of closets and drawers. As for the rest, take a look at the pictures:

View from the door - vanity and bath to the left

From the terrace door

The sleeping loft - full vanity & bath up here, too



Yes, this is all ours. Two chairs, full table and two lounges at the other end




Bath with two person shower

 The big screen TV is also where you check your pre-booked schedule for each day. Royal Caribbean, on these ships, doesn't issue you tickets for your tours or reservations. Instead, all of your reservations are recorded on your keycard and they just use a reader when you show up at the venue to confirm your booking. If you have a confirmed reservation for a show, you can arrive any time up to 15 minutes before the show starts. At that point, they start allowing in people from 'standby' to fill the rest of the open seats. It seemed to work quite well when we saw Chicago last night.

Once we got used to the idea of a cabin half as big as our house, it was time to explore the ship itself. More WOW!!!

The open design certainly does make the ship feel a lot less like a ship, especially in 'Central Park'. Mom would be in heaven on this ship, just looking at all the tropical plants in this area alone. The more exclusive restaurants are here, like Chops Grille where we had dinner last night, 150 Central Park and Giovanni's Table. It looks and feels very lush; that's because the plants get all of the humidity and the rain when it falls. It's the oddest thing, knowing you're on a cruise ship, looking out a window toward the INSIDE of the ship, and seeing people walk by with umbrellas!! They actually have umbrella stands outside each venue and at the elevator lobbies where you can pick up an umbrella when it's raining and drop it into another stand when you get out of the rain.

Then there's the Boardwalk, which has the carousel in the middle, and places like the Ice Cream Parlour, Candy Shop and Johnny Rocket's. The Aqua Theatre, where they do the water shows, is located at the aft end of this area. The Boardwalk has a much more casual feel than Central Park, especially in the evening. That's not to say that the dress code on the ship is exceptionally formal, but the restaurants that have dress codes all seem to be in Central Park.

Another neighbourhood on the ship is the Royal Promenade. The shops are all here, as well as some bars, the Promenade Café, Bow & Stern Pub, Sorrento's Pizza and a cupcake shop. Whatever you might need or want seems to be available from somewhere along here. Of course, not everything is complementary – if you want cupcakes or Starbuck's coffee, those aren't included in your cruise fare.

All that and we haven't even got to the Pool and Sports Decks yet! We'll show you those next time.

This morning we got quite a surprise. We've been invited to dine with the Captain at the Captain's Table tonight. Now Larry just has to go see if he can buy a tie….