1. I thought it would be too expensive!

2. I was afraid I'd be bored

3. I was worried I would feel confined

4. I thought it would be crowded with over 2000 other people on the ship

5. I was concerned that I wouldn't get enough exercise

6. I was afraid of gaining 20 pounds from the dietary temptations

7. I couldn't identify with the shuffleboard demographic group

8. I like to have fun, but I don't really enjoy loud, obnoxious, inebriated people

9. I didn't want to shop for new clothes for the "formal night"

10. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of cheesy tourist trap shore excursions

Arrive at the dock 3 to 4 hours before the scheduled departure

Wear comfortable clothing and shoes

Tag your luggage with your name and the cabin number you've been assigned

Be sure to keep your passport and copy of your cruise reservation with you

Bring a carry-on bag or backpack to keep with you that contains a change of clothes, travel-size toiletries, prescription medications and some water or other beverage - once you check your luggage you may not see it again for several hours

• When you arrive at the dock you'll have your luggage loaded onto a cart
• You will be directed to a line to check in
• You will have your picture taken for the ship's ID system
• You will also have an opportunity to have a "Boarding Picture" taken
• The boarding process will take 1-2 hours
• After you board your stateroom may not be ready for another hour or two
• Your luggage will be delivered to your door, but it may not arrive until later in the evening
• Use the time while you wait for your stateroom to explore the ship and relax!
  

After everyone is on board there will be a lifeboat drill. Yes, it is reminscent of fire drills when you were in school, but don't skip it. In the unlikely event that your ship needs to be evacuated for any reason, you'll want to know what to do!

I was concerned that the "at sea" days would be boring, but there was much more to do than I had imagined.

• Explore the ship - it's huge!
• Ran around the running track
• Watched for seabirds and other wildlife while eating breakfast and lunch
• Watched some of the surprisingly hilarious poolside contests and shenanigans
• Attended a wine-tasting class
• Shopped in the gift shops
• Searched through the photo gallery to find our pictures from the previous day
• Attended a beer tasting class
• Talked to the staff at the Excursion Desk for more information about one of our shore excursions
• Watched some shipboard entertainment, including a band, a magician, a comedian and the "Not So Newlywed Show"

Acapulco was our first port of call. We opted to do a tour that we booked on our own instead of something through the cruise line.

The vistas from the hills surrounding the harbor were unbelievably beautiful. We saw many of the city's historical and cultural sights, the diamond district, did some shopping, had a fantastic dinner and topped off our day by watching a night dive by the famous cliff divers.

Our second port of call was Zihuatanejo. This time we purchased a shore excursion through the cruise line.

We were instructed to meet in the theater on the ship at a specified hour in the morning. The name of our excursion was called and we were told where to go to disembark. The ship stayed anchored out in the bay instead of docking. (This is called "tendered" in cruise ship lingo)

The passengers were brought into shore by the ship's lifeboats and other small boats based in Zihuatanejo.

We arrived at the pier and found a sign for our excursion and jumped onto another small boat for a snorkel trip with Captain Tony and his crew of the catamaran Picante.

We motored out of the bay to another cove to snorkel. Unfortunately the snorkeling was of shorter duration than planned because the seas became too rough.

After getting back on board the Picante we were treated to a great buffet of fresh fruit, muffins and pastries followed by tequila and other assorted beverages.

Captain Tony pointed out points of interest on our way back in to port.

We had a little time to walk around town and do some shopping and it was time to catch a boat back to the ship.

Our next port was Puerto Vallarta.

For this port we booked a jungle canopy zip line excursion through the cruise line. Probably not my best idea! I thought perhaps I would use this experience to help me overcome my fear of heights.

I did manage to complete the zip line tour, but there were a few moments of terror. I didn't have a problem while zipping on the line through the trees, but I was not prepared for the absence of railings between zips!

We were attached to a safety line at all times, but I didn't like walking on narrow ledges and walkways 50 feet above the ground without anything to hang onto other than a slender slack rope.

My lack of enjoyment was not in anyway the cruise line's fault. I think the other people who were not as fearful of heights as I am had a great time.

Since I prefer visiting places that have history, cultural significance and unique local flavor I didn't really expect Cabo to be one of my favorite stops.

What put it at or near the top of my list was the amazing natural beauty and abundant wildlife.

Since Cabo is at the tip of Baha California where it joins the Sea of Cortez we were hoping we might see some of the many whales who winter and give birth in the area. We were not disappointed! We could see many whales from the ship as we approached Cabo.

Upon arriving at the pier (we were tendered) we were greeted by the sight of pelicans everywhere! We had a couple of hours to explore the town before the scheduled meeting time for our shore excursion. After doing some shopping, we were entertained by sea lions frolicking in the marina while sipping on a glass of juice in a cafe.

Our shore excursion in Cabo was a trip on a zodiac with 2 snorkeling stops that was booked through the cruise line. After boarding the zodiac we headed out past the rock formations at Lover's Beach, the sea lion colony and passed a whale on the way to the first snorkeling stop.

A word of advice to those who want to snorkel near Cabo in the winter - the water is not that warm. I plan on getting at least a partial wetsuit to take along the next time.

Other than the water temperature the snorkeling was great. At both stops, the water was clear and full of fish and other sea creatures.

On our return back to Cabo we encountered a school of dolphins that sped along with us crossing back and forth between one side of the zodiac to the other. It was an incredible experience!

Our last full day on the ship was spent making our final duty free purchases in the gift shop, finding the rest of our pictures in the photo gallery and deciding which ones we wanted, packing, seeing all of the things on the ship we hadn't seen yet, another beer tasting class, completing our customs forms, relaxing and enjoying in some of the evening entertainment after dinner.

All luggage is to be set outside your cabin door the night before disembarkation, so you need to plan what clothes and toiletries you'll need in the morning and keep them with you.

1. Was it expensive?
NO - it was a bargain!
I admit I shopped around and got a good deal, but it's not that difficult to find a cruise that will cost approximately $100 per day per person or less! That includes meals, your stateroom and diffferent scenery every day. (You do pay extra for drinks and shore excursions)

2. Was I bored?
No, I can honestly say I wasn't. The days we were in port we went ashore and the days at sea were filled with all sorts of activities to choose from.

3. Did I feel confined?
No - actually our stateroom was comfortable and wasn't as small as I'd expected. I didn't feel confined at all! We got a cabin with a balcony (I highly recommend) and it was fantastic to sit in our chairs and watch the sunsets.

4. Was it crowded?
Amazingly enough even during our days at sea with everyone on board it didn't seem crowded at all

5. Did I get enough excercise?
I didn't go to the gym once and I still got plenty! I got up early and ran around the jogging track on the days we were at sea and took the stairs instead of the elevator.

6. So did I gain 20 pounds?
Actually I did gain one pound. Although there were many temptations, there were lots of healthy choices available like fresh fruits and vegetables.

7. What about the "Shuffleboard Demographic Group?
There were people of all ages from all over the world on the ship. We met many interesting people on the ship and on our shore excursions.

8. Cocktail party/casino atmosphere?
I suppose there might have been if you stayed up late to party or went into the casino. I did neither. I enjoyed sampling the "drink of the day" on some days and we had wine with our dinner, but I never saw any loud, obnoxious drunken behavior.

9. What about Formal wear for dinner?
I didn't need to worry about buying a new wardrobe for "Formal Night" - it was completely optional! You can be as casual or formal as you like.

10. Cheesy Tourist Trap Excursions
You can always find them if that's what you want, but there were lots of shore excursions choices. There was something for every taste and budget.