We were all up at 7:30 for an 8:15 continental breakfast buffet in the hotel lobby.  After breakfast it was back up to the rooms to repack for our transfer to the cruise port. We checked out at 11 am and boarded the hotel shuttle at 11:45 for the 15 minute ride to the Princess terminal at Port Everglades.

We had been told boarding would not start until 1:00.  When we arrived we thought we'd be in for an hours wait before being able to check in. However, much to our surprise and delight, the moment we got off the shuttle the baggage handlers took our luggage.  We were ushered inside the terminal and put through an abbreviated security check. From there, we were asked to fill out a very brief health questionnaire, then over to a check in agent for identification confirmation and the issuance of our cruise cards. No line-ups at all, period! Those tasks done, we immediately boarded the ship and went up to the Carib Deck 10 to check out our side-by-side balcony staterooms C527 and C531. The whole process from stepping off the hotel shuttle to walking into our staterooms was 15 minutes tops. Slick!

  
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Our stateroom was well equipped with a bar fridge and all the other amenities you'd expect. The veranda was 72 square feet or 8' deep by 9 feet wide, with enough room for four deck chairs and a table. As well, our room steward opened a door between our verandas for access back and forth.

Wandered around the ship for a couple of hours getting our bearings, had a bit of lunch in the Horizons Buffet then back to the staterooms for a bit of R&R. Our luggage arrived at our rooms by 4 pm. We unpacked and had a cocktail or two from our smuggled-aboard stash before we got dressed for our first dinner aboard. Our cabin steward, Arnel from the Philippines, was hovering nearby all afternoon and ensured we had everything we needed to get settled in.

      
      
      
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At 5:30 we trooped down to the Provence dining room and were shown to Table 174, our dinner table for the duration of the cruise. Table 174 seated four so no need for entertaining extra dinner guests. Prime rib all the way around along with a nice bottle of Chilean Merlot. Our wait staff for the cruise were Soto, a Mexican waiter from Acapulco, and our junior waiter, the lovely Jacqueline from the Philippines.

  
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With dinner done, we all wandered down to the casino to try our luck. The only winner was Shelly. After an hour or so, it was back to our staterooms for a nightcap and off to bed at midnight.