Day Four: "All Aboard!"

"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, 
A tale of an amazing trip 
That started from this Palm Beach port
Aboard this tiny ship."

      We learned a lot in the hot tub the night before. One, while everyone else was sitting through another "optional" sales presentation to earn a VIP pass to board, we could actually be on our way to the port checking in an hour earlier than our Noon-4:30pm boarding times. Several of our ship-mates were planning to hit some Palm Beach tourist traps before going to the ship but we had learned that free meals and plenty of ship activities would be available as soon as we boarded at Noon. 

Bahamas Celebration

     We took our time sight-seeing on our drive up to the port, arrived at 11am, walked through all the check points: valet parking, luggage drop off, security, forms, checked in and got our boarding passes which would also be our on board credit cards, pre-boarding photo booth, the excursions sign up table, and made our dinner reservations while waiting in zero lines. We sat in the pre-boarding waiting area talking to ship-mates and reviewing our excursion options for about thirty minutes until the gangway doors opened at noon. There was a little bit of a line there as excited cruisers crowded around to hear our boarding instructions. I looked behind me and tried really hard not to laugh out loud at
a lady that had the VIP necklace around her neck. She had gotten no special treatment, boarded after us, and had to sit back at the resort for what they promised would only be a 2 hour presentation cause they knew the 45 minute timeshare presentations ran long and people were sick of that. I am glad I turned down the pitch for the VIP award. 

     First Time cruisers that we were, we entered the gangway eyes wide open and taking note of everything. The Bahamas Celebration was a smaller ship than other cruise ships we saw in the harbor but for us it was huge. It had elevators, lounges, restaurants, and even a water slide. We could not go to our cabins until after 1pm so we went to the RIO for lunch. We got seated at a table for four with John and Gloria and enjoyed a leisurely conversation with them until our cabins were ready. John was retired US Air Force so we had something in common right away.  Connor and I shared our excitement about our first cruise, ever, and Gloria told us of all the exciting places they had traveled together.

    Then it was time to find our cabin. We rode the glass elevators to the eighth floor (really on a boat!). We walked up and down the rows of cabins and never found our cabin number. It went from 8200 to 8300 and then back down the other side, 8250 to 8100. The other side started with 8500's and up. So we rode the elevators back down and got a map from the information desk in the lobby. Turns out we had a sweet cabin, right as you get out of the elevator in the center cabin suites. 

    I had no predetermined notions of what a cabin would be like. They were small but we had plenty of room for the two of us to move around, a desk, a closet to hang up our dress clothes, and a private bathroom that had a shower and plenty of room for one person. We even had a television in our room that had satellite service once we got a ways out from the port. 

    Our luggage did not show up at 2pm as promised so we decided to take a tour of the ship. We went up to the upper deck to check out the pool and the arcade and then, of course, you can't leave home without another Tiki Bar. We stopped by the concierge's desk and picked up a power adapter for my laptop. All the ships have 220V outlets so unless your items (curling irons and blow dryers) specifically say 110-240V on them, do not plug them in. My computer power cord converter accepted inputs up to 240V so all I needed was an adapter that would convert the plugs to the right type of holes. They had curling irons and blow dryers available for check out at the concierge's desk so don't feel like  you have to run out buy special ones and lug them around for your next cruise. When we got back to our room, our luggage had arrived along with our daily briefing sheet that included "Today's Onboard Activities"!

    Connor was a  little disappointed that the arcade was closed and there wasn't anything listed on the activity sheet he was interested in doing. Instead, he held up in the room watching TV and playing games on my computer. I think we both thought at this point that he was going to be really bored on this ship. I was glad we had only booked a two-day cruise, kind of giving cruising a trial run. If it didn't work out, it wasn't like it was our entire vacation. Being the first time cruiser that I was I left Connor in the cabin and went to the Welcome Aboard Orientation in "The View," an AFT (the back of the boat) lounge with an entertainment stage and a balcony with an Ocean view lounge. On my way to The View I noticed the "Open Water Club," a club room for cruisers 14-17 years old equipped with Xbox's, Wii's, and a Disco dance floor. I did not see Connor in our cabin again until they closed down the Open Water Club at 1am. 

   So I guessed it was up to me to find some 'adult entertainment of my own,' since parents were not allowed in the Open Water Club. You could stand in the door way and watch but if you tried to cross the line trust me, someone would explain the rules to you. LOL!
     My first activity on the activity list was a wine tasting in the Crystal Dining Room on deck 4 mid-ship. Our wine expert was from Italy and taught us a lot about each of the five wines he selected for us to try. We also learned about the history of wine, about harvesting and selecting grapes, the wine making process, and how to evaluate a wine for robustness, taste, and clarity. 

   We had had a pretty full day onboard our ship and we hadn't even set sail yet. Now it was time for our 'mustering meeting." They sent the kids back to join us at our mustering stations (this is where you are assigned to meet when you hear the cabin's mustering signal: 7 short and 1 long). Our mustering station was right outside our cabin door near the elevators where, in case of an emergency, attendance would be taken. Our attendant was demonstrating for the first time. He did a great job! He demonstrated how to properly wear the life jacket, inflate it, and that he would be taking us to the lifeboats on deck 7 (one deck down) should the Captain determined that we needed to abandon ship. Connor wanted to know who was going to show us where the life jackets and lifeboats were if something happened to him. Good question! But don't worry there would actually be 7 attendants assigned to each mustering station.

   So now all that was left was to grab our cameras and run to the top deck to wave at the crowd being left behind on the dock. Well, we waved anyway -- it's tradition-- but there were nones people to wave at. We were off!  

   We had a few hours before our dinner time. So Connor was off to the Open Water Club and  I got a chance to go back to the cabin and relax. It took me a little while to adjust to the rocking of the ship. I quickly learned if you just let it gently rock you the butterflies settle down in your stomach. Just go with the flow. Walking around the ship was a different story. I am glad they thought ahead and have hand rails up and down the ship corridors, even inside the elevators. 

    After we ate dinner in the RIO, Connor and I took in a couple shows in the VIEW. Our entertainment included a singer who imitated singers of the past and an act that was like a Wild West Version of the River dance, and Connor and I's favorite, the comedian. First time Connor had ever seen a comedian in person. The reason cruising has become my absolute favorite mode of vacation is all the awkwardness of choosing the one activity that your entire traveling party wishes to participate in is mute. We had so many options on the ship to choose from and we each got to choose. Sometimes we ended up at the same place, sometimes we didn't. No matter what we would see each other at our scheduled meal times and later back in the cabin-- at least after the kid's clubs closed. 

TRAVEL TIPS: WHAT ELSE WE LEARNED ON OUR VACATION

1. Most people enjoy engaging in conversation with fellow travelers; whether in the hot tub or in the elevator-- so don't be shy. If they ignore you, take that as a sign they either don't speak your language or they are snobs you don't want to socialize with anyway. (Even the folks that couldn't speak English laughed and communicated with us in sign language-- so language barrier is not really an excuse!)

2. If you have a chance to sit with people you've never met, take it. And again engage in the dialogue. Ask questions. And enjoy their stories. Most people enjoy telling them. Keep talking until you find things you have in common (that is the quest).
3. Don't forget all your power outlets are 220V, adapters are not converters! You can check out adapters onboard but make sure whatever you plug in will accept 220 volts input!

4. Splurge and crack open the bottled water left in your room for $3.75. Ask your cabin attendant for a bucket of ice and keep hydrated!
5. Read your Today's Onboard Activity Sheet each day and circle your favorites. Get out of your cabin and enjoy yourself!
6. Use the stairs as much as possible to  keep fit as you indulge in all that free food! We did not find it necessary to purchase any food onboard.
7. You are allowed to take your drinks with you when you leave the restaurants. Lemonade, Tea, Coffee, and non-bottled water are always available at no extra charge so get a glass to go- to a show or back to your room.
8. If you want soda, you could buy a souvenir cup for $21.00 with unlimited refills while aboard (Can you bring that cup back on your next cruise?)
9. Don't forget to stop by the Photo Gallery and check out your boarding photos- these were offered at a special rate our first night. Remember, you will be having a lot of professional photo ops so if you don't like the photo you'll have more to choose from. Near the end of our cruise we were offered 2 for 1 specials on all but our boarding shots.
10. Board early-- enjoy your first day on the ship before you set sail!