*NCL*

Sunday night we boarded the ship. This was my very first cruise, so I had NO IDEA what to expect. All I knew was to take the stairs to avoid massive weight gain (thanks Kathy) and to eat green apples for sea sickness.

There was some sort of confusion while checking in that secured us a major upgrade: BALCONY! Heck ya! We aren't sure what happened, but we also didn't want to ask too many questions. I'm not sure I will ever be able to have a room without a balcony again. Sitting outside at night or watching the boat dock at each port in the morning, were some of my favorite times. It was fascinating to think of myself in the middle of this large ocean with the bluest water I have ever seen. The boat was pretty new, so everything was still very sparkly and clean. And of course the service was great. There were only two nights of boat rocking, but nothing a little ginger ale couldn't fix.

I'm still not sure though if I am a cruiser... I did enjoy the cruise very much, but I think the ports of call had a LOT to do with my satisfaction. I was bored often, there were a ton of people, and way more kids than I expected.

Every night we had some sort of towel animal with chocolate mints on our pillows. This particular animal is a monkey.

James being a lazy bum: acceptable on vaca.

My new favorite color.

On our balcony before we left Barcelona.

The ship was huge, I was constantly lost.