It was an early morning. My flight was scheduled to depart from Houston at 7:15 AM. Luckily I was not packing anything that needed to be checked and I was only going to be away for two days, so I was able to bypass the counter for dropping my bags and head straight to the security line.
No issues going through security and it was still dark when I got to the gate. I did manage to get a couple of nice sunrise photos with the plane.
Since I had an “A” boarding pass I did manage to get an exit row seat. The flight was uneventful and they did hand out some snacks.
Once I arrived at Fort Lauderdale my first priority was finding the meeting place for the transfers to the ship. My second priority was a bathroom. I arrived around 10:45 AM and the transfers were supposed to start around 11 AM. It wasn’t too difficult to find the transfer desk, but it certainly wasn’t clear from the instructions that were provided. I managed to have #11 for the transfer, which was good enough for me to get on the first bus.
I watched the safety briefing on my phone while waiting for the bus.
Eventually I did get on the bus. It was a longer ride than I expected as they stopped to load other passengers at another terminal.
While on the bus I got the first glimpse of the ship.
And I arrived at the terminal around noon, which is when my scheduled boarding time was.
The boarding process was a little complicated. I had to show the barcode on my phone a couple of times and give them my passport and show them my COVID test results. Since I didn’t have the paper test it did present a challenge to switch between the test and the app with the barcode.
I walked onto the ship through a archway of blue and yellow balloons. The first thing I saw was the Bionic Bartender.
I soon found out that a keycard was required to use the tablet, so my first mission has been changed from food to getting my keycard.
Mission accomplished. I ordered one of the fancy drinks on the menu and watched the robot make my drink. It is cool, but very, very, very slow. A human is much quicker and has better conversation.
I circled back to my cabin to drop off my luggage and take a few photos before going to the Windjammer for food.
There were some information left on my bed as well as a nice notepad. Soon I was off to the Windjammer for lunch.
If you’ve never been on a cruise before please don’t expect lobster tails and filet mignon on the buffet. Today’s menu was obviously altered due to the event. It was delicious, unexpected and unusual – in a good way.
I probably should have stayed and ate a couple of more lobster tails, but I had a lot to see and do today. They had a lot of cabins open for viewing, including the Royal Loft Suite. I’ve condensed the photos of the cabins, so please click on the links to see more photos.
9263 – Interior with Virtual Balcony
Show/Hide Photos
9234 – Owner’s Suite
Show/Hide Photos
9226 – Grand Suite 1 Bedroom
Show/Hide Photos
9108 – Spacious Oceanview
Show/Hide Photos
8234 – Grand Suite 2 Bedroom
Show/Hide Photos
8230 – Royal Loft Suite
Show/Hide Photos
8724 – Grand Loft Suite
Show/Hide Photos
8720 – Owner’s Loft Suite
Show/Hide Photos
6632 – Oceanview with Large Balcony
Show/Hide Photos
6650 – Studio Oceanview Balcony
Show/Hide Photos
6230 – Junior Suite with Large Balcony
Show/Hide Photos
6226 – Junior Suite
Show/Hide Photos
If you didn’t check out any of the cabin photos be sure to look at the Royal Loft Suite. It is impressive, and for the price it should be. I don’t spend enough time in the cabin to make it worthwhile, there are just too many activities going on.
I wandered around the ship a little as they had some samples from the specialty dining. I tried something from Wonderland and Izumi.
I had a little time to explore the ship before the naming ceremony. I took pictures of the iFly indoor skydiving, which is more impressive that you can see the ocean from it, the indoor sports area where the bumper cars are, a football/pool thing which looked cool, two70 with the windows open, and the North Star.
I found a spot on the upper deck to watch the naming ceremony. I was more focused on recording it than taking photos. It didn’t start on time, and by the time it ended it was nearly dark, so I don’t know how well the camera was able to capture the video screen of the champagne bottle crashing on the bow of the ship. It was definitely an experience I will remember.
After the naming ceremony they had a large fireworks display. I took a lot of pictures, so click on the link to see them all if you want.
I walked into the Solarium and took a couple of photos.
I walked back to the indoor sports area and found the ship’s Godmother playing bumper cars.
Now it was time to go to the show. It was supposed to be based on showgirls from Paris and Las Vegas. It was pretty good.
I had a little time before going to dinner, so I got a drink from the casino bar. It was a bit of a challenge to find the casino as it was not in the main thoroughfare.
When I got to dinner it was a bit confusing because normally they have tables assigned and they just told us it was open seating. The dinner menu was special tonight. They had more filet mignon and lobster. I decided to have both and skip the appetizer. I didn’t skip dessert, I had the caramel apple blossom, which was very good.
It’s been a busy day, but there was still more entertainment. I went to the show “The Book” in two70. I was mesmorized by how they were able to have such an immersive display in the back of the ship. The show was good, I was especially impressed by the aerialists.
I wandered around the ship some more after the show and listened to some of the live music. They had live music in at least three bars – Music Hall, Boleros, and Crown and Compass Pub.
Today’s timeline:
