Hearts in Hawai'i
Our Caribbean Cruise (2006)--Day 9
4/30/2006
Homeward Bound 
The worst part of any vacation is this; it has to eventually end. It doesn't matter if it's an eight-day trip such as this one, or a three-week marathon jaunt to Hawai`i. All too soon, you're packing your bags on the final night and (hopefully) finding room for all those items which you've purchased during the trip.
We qualified for Express Walk-Off, which meant that we were able to hand carry our own bags off the ship and had signed up for this feature, which allowed us to be in the first group of passengers allowed off the ship when we reached Port Everglades. This was nice but it wasn't really necessary for us as our flight out of Ft. Lauderdale wasn't until 1:30 that afternoon. This allowed us nearly three hours to sit on our butts in a boring airport. Neat! 
Looking back on the trip, I can't recall exactly what our impressions were of what we were about to embark on, but here is what we liked and disliked about the cruise, keeping in mind that Patty and I didn't agree on everything.
Liked:
This is a very new ship (two years old) and the interior decorations, etc. are simply beautiful.
Everything is built into the cost of the cruise, and nearly all of your food is included. Wanna pig out? Then go on ahead, because you're paying for it.
The Eastern Caribbean itinerary is a great one. We had a great time in three of our ports, and a good time in one other.
We're not sure if the drink card is a good deal at $6.00 per day per person; I think that we got our money's worth but it was sure convenient not to have to fork over money or sign a form every time I wanted a Sprite or Patty wanted a Diet Coke. On that basis, it's worth what we spent.
Chops Grille. I covered that previously. Incredible.
Walking (jogging) track and the indoor fitness center allowed us to somewhat offset all those calories we were taking in.
Didn't Like:
Overall cost; the cost of this trip per diem was the highest of any vacation we'd taken, including three previous trips to Hawai`i. There is simply no justification in my eyes for any trip to exceed a trip to the Aloha State in cost. Period.
Formal nights; we're simple folk and we prefer to dress that way. While it's not required to dress this way on Formal Night, you certainly feel a little out of place showing up at Schooner's Bar or walking through the Centrum Shops wearing shorts and a t-shirt!
We're used to hotel rooms, and the size of our stateroom was very small by comparison. Having a balcony and an open air space we were just feet away from helped but we still felt somewhat constricted.
Summary: Since this was our first cruise, we can't compare Royal Caribbean to other cruise lines such as Carnival, Holland America and Norwegian Cruise Lines. What we do know is that this cruise exceeded our expectations. It turned out to be more enjoyable than we had anticipated. This will probably translate into a future cruise on the same line. Whether it's the same ship (we're looking at the Freedom Of The Seas as another possibility) or not depends on several factors. Overall Cruise Rating: 8.
Previous: 4/29/2006--Our Caribbean Cruise (2006)--Day 8
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