Day1: Monday April 16 2007, Miami
Noon Position: 25 degrees, 46.740 minutes N latitude, 080 degrees 10.534 minutes West longitude (Port of Miami dock)
Bob: After an early morning taxi ride to National airport, we endured the usual hassle of the security screening and boarded our flight to Miami. Despite not having any meal on the flight, not even pretzels or peanuts, I was pleasantly surprised at the relatively generous legroom between the seats. The flight was only two hours, so although it never became "fun", it was at least easily endurable. While waiting for our luggage at Miami airport, a Royal Caribbean representative came by and asked if we needed a shuttle to the ship. When we explained that we had tried to reserve a shuttle but had been told they were sold out, she took us under her wing and arranged the shuttle to the ship right there on the spot. That saved us the hassle of finding a taxi, for which we were quite appreciative. We were even more appreciative when ship officials let us board already at noon and directed us to deck 11 where they had a full buffet ready for us to enjoy while our stateroom was readied. |
Monika: Wow, a day when everything went as planned (or better): We woke up on time (5:00); we were ready on time to get into the taxi that was on time and the trip to the airport did not take too long. The lines at the airport were tolerable and after all, we had plenty of time. The plane left on time and got into Miami on time. Best of all, Royal Caribbean was more than happy to accommodate us on their bus from the airport to the ship. And finally, check in at the cruise terminal with the nifty "Set Sail Pass" we had printed using the Internet was a breeze. And so before one o'clock, only eight hours after we woke up in Washington we were having a leisurely lunch on board our home for the next couple of weeks. So we could relax and get into cruise mood. |
Bob: Our stateroom was rather low in the ship and thus had a large porthole rather than a balcony, but we were fine with that. Our luggage, however, was much slower to arrive than we were, so we spent much of the afternoon wandering about the ship. The ship felt about the same size as the Zuiderdam we had cruised on in Wanderung 13, but the interior decor was very different and gave a different feel. Rather than the Zuiderdam's typical color scheme of blue and green with gold accents, the Brilliance was mostly earth tones and wood trim. The Zuiderdam had fewer but more massive sculptures and object de art scattered around its decks, whereas the Brilliance had more smaller art objects, paintings, and framed photographs. The Zuiderdam had several rather large auxiliary dining areas or clubs, whereas the Brilliance seemed to have more such areas but each one smaller and with a distinct type of atmosphere. All in all, the Zuiderdam gave a more staid and formal impression while the Brilliance seemed more informal and comfy. |
Monika: After lunch we explored our home away from home. It was about the same size as the Zuiderdam but the library was much much smaller. However, besides the traditional climbing wall, which we probably won't try, they had a rather nice 9-hole mini golf course, which we immediately tried. What fun. Of course, we also had to attend the mandatory lifeboat drill. For some reason, the assembly station for people on the third deck was on the 6th deck, whereas people from the upper decks had to assemble on decks four or five. So there was some jousting for positions both coming and going. Someone needs to rethink this arrangement! |
Bob: We edged away from the dock around 5:15, and the Captain pulled ahead into a large basin where he pivoted the ship and then proceeded back down the channel out to sea. While we had dinner with Dave, Rick, and Brigitte that evening, the ship started rolling a bit but not enough to be more than just noticeable. The after diner entertainment was Lance Ringnald, a world champion gymnast, and the rocking of the ship must have made his gymnastic routines, which included using a walker as a set of parallel bars and long silk curtains to do a Cirque de Soleil type of routine, a lot more difficult. Fortunately by the time we returned to the stateroom after his performance, our luggage had arrived so that we could hang up all the clothes, read a bit, and go to bed after a rather long but successful day. |
Monika: Dinner was "casual", which was good since Bob's suitcase had not yet arrived. We met our tablemates Brigitte, Rick, and Dave, and chatted about previous cruising experiences. Evening entertainment was Lance Ringwald, a gymnast from the late 1980's. Now at 37 he still was in excellent shape and also had quite a sense of humor. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. When we got back to our cabin both of our suitcases had arrived. So we spent a few minutes unpacking and then headed for bed. |
| Prolog | Map of Cruise | Map of Spain | Epilog |
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