I love cruises! I seriously could not have even dreamed of a better time! I highly recommend it to everyone! Here are some details of our cruise for anyone who is interested or thinking of going on a cruise.
Our cruise (Royal Caribbeans Radiance of the Seas) left from Ft. Lauderdale, FL on a Sunday. Getting on the ship was a breeze, we just checked our luggage at the dock and ran onto the ship as I could barely contain my excitement (and the ship was even bigger and cooler than I imagined!) We checked out our room which was great, not as small as everyone complains about. We had a balcony with a fantastic view which made it all the more spectacular.
After checking out the room we headed up to the Windjammer cafe which is like a Vegas all you can eat buffet that is open all day. After that we explored the ship a bit waiting for the rest of our group to arrive. The ship set sail at 5pm and I really did feel like a guest star on "the Princess." There were 5 other ships that set sail that day too and we all pulled out of the harbor in a line enjoying the "set sail party" with live music and pina coladas on all the decks as passengers lined the parameter of the decks waving like fools at the other ships and feeling the excitement of the new adventure. Every night you go to a formal dining room. We were at the 8:30pm dinner sitting which was perfect for us. Since we were cruising with our company group we were seated at the same table, but otherwise you are assigned to sit with other random passengers on the ship.
Dinner time was always fun, a chance to dress up. We had a head waiter and an assistant waiter and every night there was a different menu with 5-6 appetizers, entrees and desserts to choose from each night. And yes I did order atleast 2 appetizers, 2 entrees and 2 desserts each night! Who wouldn't when you got to try all these cool things that I would never have ever ordered or paid for in any other sitting, like raspberry soup and escargot?
Every night when you returned to your room, your "state attendant" had been in and turned down the bed and the lights and yes, a chocolate mint on your pillow. They also left a different "towel animal" on your bed every night.
Along with that was the cruise compass for the next day. This was basically an itinerary and schedule of all the available activities for the next day both on the ship and at the port.
Every morning, we woke up when we wanted, opened the drapes to our balcony and we were in a new place! We then could head up for breakfast at one of the cafes or order room service. Did I mention that there is totally free 24 hour room service? Yes this feature just added to the total luxury of it all. If I felt like chocolate chip cookies after my shower I just ordered and there they were to indulge in as soon as I was out of the shower- it was beautiful! And yes my tight pants confirm that everything you hear about gaining weight on cruises is true but wonderful at the same time!
There is always something to do on the ship. There is tons of shopping, movies in your room and also in the theatre, tons of bars and lounges, game rooms, a spa, an awesome gym, a rock wall, pools, hot tubs, a library, basketball and volleyball courts restaurants etc.
There is also live music in the main lounge at all times. Jake and I even took a salsa dance class! The ship itself is beautiful and huge, there is no way you could even get to it all in a week. There are elevators staring right out of the ocean as you ride up and down the 13 floors.
They also have fun games and activities like "the bellyflop contest" and "hairiest chest contest" headed up by the cruise director. And of course every night there is dancing, comedy, karaoke, and other shows in the bars and lounges, - always something to do!
So if you are at all interested or even if you are just bored- you can check back as I have so much more to rave about the different ports we visited and all the other things I didn't mention here that made this trip so fabulous!- Will be posting soon!
Extra points to anyone who can tell me who this guy is. A little hint: Lets just say all the old ladies on board were dying for this teen idol band member!
Later that afternoon was a once in a lifetime opportunity- I swam with the dolphins! My sister in law Valerie and I went to the dolphin marina where they put us with a dolphin trainer in a group with 6 other tourists.
We worked with 2 dolphins. We each learned the hand signals and received a handshake from the dolphin, a kiss from the dolphin and then we got to ride the dolphin! I love the dolphins, they seemed to be quite intelligent and friendly. For quite a while we were able to just float in the water and have the dolphins swim around us and brush up against us (almost like a cat brushes by your legs).
Their skin was incredibly smooth and soft. Valerie and I totally fell for the tourist trap and ordered the video they took of us and the dolphins, so I even have it recorded for all posterity. (sorry Val- I promise to send it this week!) Anyways- another incredible once in a lifetime experience!
After checking out the room we headed up to the Windjammer cafe which is like a Vegas all you can eat buffet that is open all day. After that we explored the ship a bit waiting for the rest of our group to arrive. The ship set sail at 5pm and I really did feel like a guest star on "the Princess." There were 5 other ships that set sail that day too and we all pulled out of the harbor in a line enjoying the "set sail party" with live music and pina coladas on all the decks as passengers lined the parameter of the decks waving like fools at the other ships and feeling the excitement of the new adventure. Every night you go to a formal dining room. We were at the 8:30pm dinner sitting which was perfect for us. Since we were cruising with our company group we were seated at the same table, but otherwise you are assigned to sit with other random passengers on the ship.
Dinner time was always fun, a chance to dress up. We had a head waiter and an assistant waiter and every night there was a different menu with 5-6 appetizers, entrees and desserts to choose from each night. And yes I did order atleast 2 appetizers, 2 entrees and 2 desserts each night! Who wouldn't when you got to try all these cool things that I would never have ever ordered or paid for in any other sitting, like raspberry soup and escargot?
Along with that was the cruise compass for the next day. This was basically an itinerary and schedule of all the available activities for the next day both on the ship and at the port.
There is also live music in the main lounge at all times. Jake and I even took a salsa dance class! The ship itself is beautiful and huge, there is no way you could even get to it all in a week. There are elevators staring right out of the ocean as you ride up and down the 13 floors. 
They also have fun games and activities like "the bellyflop contest" and "hairiest chest contest" headed up by the cruise director. And of course every night there is dancing, comedy, karaoke, and other shows in the bars and lounges, - always something to do!
Of course everyone was worried about the whole Steve Erwin thing but our guide told us that as long as we stayed fairly still we were in no danger. The minute the boat pulled up the stingrays swam over (as they are now dependent on the boats of tourists feeding them everyday!) We got out into water slightly above our waists and instantly had stingrays swimming all around us. They kinda feel like a cat when it comes and rubs against your legs, but much more slippery of course. We each got a turn to hold them, to feed them squid, and also to give them a kiss! As legend goes kissing a stingray is 7 years good luck!
