Are We There Yet?

We met 2010 in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with 2,254 other people (27 of them being our family and friends.) But one week before the clock struck 12 and the balloons covered the floor of the promenade, we were opening Christmas presents in Andres's house in Colombia. As a gift to the family, his grandmother presented each family member and spouse an itinerary for our New Years Eve Cruise.

Here is a picture of the family with our suitcases outside of his grandmother's house in Colombia.


Since there were too many of us to take individual taxis or car services, we rented a charter bus to take us to the port. Sitting up front are his grandparents. I am right behind them.


Here is a picture of Andres and I before heading into the passport check.

Ship Facts:
Length- 990'
Passanger Max- 2,730
Highlights- Bungee trampolines, rock climbing, Solarium with a sliding roof featuring an indoor pool

Here is a direct link to the Royal Caribbean website. However, I prefer to book with Vacations To Go. They offer greater discounts and onboard credit. You can bargain with them a lot of the time and always ask what they can throw in for you. Andres and I have had chocolate covered strawberries and champagne greet us at the door upon arrival just from booking with them.

Note: This is an international cruise. There was a small percentage of English-speaking Americans. The woman who tended to our room informed me that I was the only one on our entire floor.

The casino, our home away from home, was the first area of interest in which Andres and I came across. The casino featured many of the basic casino games found on other cruise ships, however, I felt the poker table lacked interest of the people as opposed to our previous cruise with Carnival. We found it hard to get a game together most nights.


Here is Andres and I in our stateroom. We were given an inside cabin. On our first cruise, we chose an outside window view, however, I do not have much preference between the two, considering we are only in our rooms to sleep. The major difference is the lack of natural light source. In an outside view or balcony, the sun shines into your room in the morning. With an inside, it is difficult to wake up without any light alerting you to do so. Room wake up calls are a must!


Our group needed to be split into three tables for lunch and dinner. I found the choice in food to be a little more difficult on this ship then our previous one.


Before dessert, the waiters join together to sing songs.


Here is a picture of some of the family scoping out the cruise together. This is a beautiful view of us passing land.


Here is a picture of myself overlooking the main deck. The pools were a nice size, even offering a smaller pool for children. They had many family activities aboard which most of the passengers participated in.

Later times into the night, adult shows are provided, such as comedy shows, the Quest, and Battle of the sexes.


Here is a picture of me in front of the entrance to the casino named "Casino Royale"


Here is a picture of Andres and I at New Years Eve dinner. We were about the fifth day into the cruise.



Midnight struck and we brought in the New Year together, as well as with 2,700 other people.


After the promenade, we headed over the main deck for the celebration. This is a picture of the 2010 ice sculpture over the main deck.


While most of the family stayed on the main deck with their children, the cousins went over to the night club to continue the celebration. That night, we stayed up until 6am to watch the sunrise on the main deck.


On our final night, a night club offered ladies' night, which Andres's mom, aunts, cousins, and I all attended. They played music and had male chip-n-dales provide lap dances for the women.


This image summed up my time on the New Years Eve cruise. This is a picture of all 27 of us bringing in a happy and healthy year together.

Overall, if I had to make the comparison, I came to the conclusion that Royal Caribbean is a wonderful cruise line for families looking to spend time together with fun-filled activities. Carnival cruise lines are great for young couples and people looking to have a great time to party. They are more conducive to adults and do not offer much for children as Royal Caribbean lines offer.

Stay tuned for posts from each destination!