We got everyone going early. Rob and I had to get everybody and the luggage to the Port of Miami. After we dropped them off, we had to go back to the airport to drop off the rental cars. We got a shuttle ride back to the ship's terminal. The people we dropped off arrived at the port when it opened and ran into a lot of people. When Rob and I arrived, we practically walked right through.

We knew that the alcohol was going to be expensive if you bought it on the ship . We bought two bottles and put them in our bags. Beth and Rob did the same. When we arrived on the ship, all of the bags were waiting for us except the bags with alcohol. When those bags arrived, they had taken out the alcohol bottles. Damn those bag-checkers! This is going to be a drier cruise than we had planned.

We just saw the rates for Internet access. At $0.75 a minute, you will not see this blog until we are back from the trip!

One of the first things the crew does when everyone is on board is to have a muster at your station. It is used to show the people on-board where to go to get on their lifeboats if the ship starts to sink. They made Gabby put on a green wristband. The crew uses it in an emergency to quickly get younger kids to the correct muster station if they get separated from their parents when the ship goes down. Gabby was very unhappy that she had to wear it. It didn’t help when we teased her that it was for little kids!

Kim and I went into the Adult-Only pool in the stern of the ship . It was nice to have an area that was free of little kids. I hate to use the general pools that the kids use, because I’m always afraid that my skin will turn yellow. Most people were getting settled, so the pool and the hot tubs were almost empty.

There was "free" booze tasting at the Duty-Free shops. When Kim and I got there, there was a long line and it looked like he was pouring a few brands of alcohol. The plastic cups were slightly larger than a thimble. It was nice to have free booze, but they could have been a little less stingy!!!!

Dinner in the Washington ballroom was great. We had a table set for all of us at a table next to the windows. We had a nice view of the ocean. Before the trip, I was worried that Mary would not feel comfortable on the trip. As I watched her during dinner, I could see her excitement and see that she was really enjoying herself.

The waiters and staff were from different countries. There were people from 35 different countries. Our waiter was Antonio and our assistant waiter was “T”.

Mom and dad didn’t join us for dinner tonight. It was a shame. They would have loved to see how animated the kids were.

All of the kids were telling stories of what happened during the day. Alex realized that he left his phone in the rental car and started to yell at Kim just as he was going through the security check-point. The officer started to tell him to calm down. Grandma sat down on a pool chair next to the girls so she could visit with them. A woman close to her came running over and told her to leave. That chair belonged to her family! The girls thought it was funny.