Rise and shine at 7am and I ran to the window to see if I could see any ships in port...mainly ours of course. And yes, yes it was. Woo Hoo!

We all had our showers and decided to head down to see what breakfast was offered. It was a hot meal with many options and I think I was too excited about a new ship that I forgot to even take pictures of the food...or even the hotel this time around. Oops.

Around 7 days prior to sailing, Margaritaville emails you your boarding pass and the time they will let you on the ship. I had read in reviews that they will not allow you to get on any earlier than what your time is allowed so I wasn't even going to bother trying to go "too" early to the port. I mean we are only 3 blocks away to begin with and wouldn't have to worry too much about traffic.

So here was our boarding pass with our times to board and our Stateroom number.

This would be the location of our room:

This is going to be our itinerary for the first cruise:

Notice our booking came with 2 $50 on board credits for passenger 1 & 2.

We hung out in the room watching tv until around 10:15am. I had told the service desk when we checked in we would need a ride to the cruise port on the free shuttle and had picked the time of 10:30am...not knowing we were only 3 blocks away from port at the time. Oh well, I guess we would be a little early after all. We would just have to wait outside the port when we arrive. The weather was perfect that day!

There wasn't really much traffic at the port. Our shuttle pulled right up. They have a spot for the shuttles and a spot for the cars and it was NEVER busy or backed up like other ports.

We immediately checked our luggage in with the porters so at least we wouldn't have to lug them around while we waited.

The fam went over and had a seat and I went around and took some pictures.

I have to admit, we were not bored while we sat around waiting for our time to go in. We were quite entertained watching the porters pile the luggage on top of each other and busy taking bets on when the fork light came to pick up the luggage holder, crate, box, thingy majigger how many luggage would fall off the top. We were right almost every time. They were just packing them way too high. I was glad our luggage was on the bottom this time. I've read (and seen video's) of people's luggage falling off as they cross over to the ship and it go into the water. Can you imagine?? There goes our luggage. You can always tell by the mint green color.

We waited until around 11:15am and decided to start heading toward the line around the corner. Only there really wasn't a line. They had area's with signs and you just go into that line that represents the time you are to arrive.

They walked us right in and just for a visual, here's the line!!!!

As we walked in, here was the security line as well

We walked right into the lane to the left and was immediately summoned over to check in at the desk. It took all of 15 minutes to get there if that.

During check in they ask Sakari her name and "Who brought you here on this cruise?" She said "My mom". I said "Hold up. What about your dad? How is this my doing?" I guess she knows I'm always the planner. So they ended up putting everything under my name (more on that later). After checking in and getting our key cards we circled around and up the escalator:

I think this might have been when they took our official ship pictures.

Then we were walking outside along the walkway over to the ship. There were 2 ladies that had stopped to take pictures of the ship in the background so we moved on down a ways to do the same. A lady standing at the door we had just walked out of came out and yelled at us saying we "You need to move along and you cannot stop there to take pictures and block traffic." BLOCK TRAFFIC? BLOCK WHO??? "WHAT TRAFFIC?" There was literally no one behind us other than the 2 ladies that stopped to take a picture before us. I'm looking around and scratching my head at this time. See the ladies behind us on their phone? Yea, we were the only one's out there. Someone was having a bad day or either they thrive on asserting their authority as much as possible.

We walked slowly toward the gangway and another couple did come around the corner and we let them pass. The ladies were still back there snapping pictures of course.

Here we are taking our first step onto the ship (do you see anyone behind us yet that we would be blocking traffic?)

Once on the ship, I do my normal exploring for awhile and taking pictures of the ship. It's definitely a beautiful ship and is themed with birds and fish and flip flops. So what's not to like right? I love anything themed with the ocean and this ship would not disappoint.

I will give my ship tour on the next page to make it simpler and keep things separate. You can find them by following this link:

So on with the day...

After exploring the ship we decided to head up to the buffet for some lunch. I had read that the buffet area is pretty small with very little pickings. I knew this going in and was prepared. I have to agree, maybe it doesn't have quite as much at the buffet that you will find on other ships. There's no sections for...say Indian food, or Italian or ice cream or whatever else like you will find on other ships. There's a salad bar, a cheese and fruit bar, a section with breads and soups, then the hot food section. Then you have a small area with desserts. I was very disappointed that they did not offer any desserts that were sugar free or sugar free ice cream like we have found on other cruise lines.

We normally follow a Keto diet (although I will admit that I have fallen off the wagon the last 4-6 months and have cheated a lot) and being on this cruise, with these options, it would be hard to stick to it...at least for me. My will power was not "willing" this cruise and I threw caution to the wind and decided I was going to eat whatever I wanted, when I wanted and pay the price later. I would endure the hubby's side-eyeing me, the look of disgust toward my plate and then hear his "I told you so" when the inflammation in my foot increased x10 as the cruise went on. Of course my scale when I get home would also scold me for being bad. But...I'm on vacation and I'm living life in the moment. ;)

Now for those that can't find anything they like at the buffet, the ship also has a Pizza place (Frank & Lola's Pizzeria), a Mexican place (Mexican Cutie Cantina) and the Hamburger place (Cheeseburger in Paradise). They are similar to other ships.

So let's talk about these "specialty" other food options mentioned above. I was pleasantly surprised when we visited them regarding the lines. They moved very quickly the times we were there. That's not to say there might have been other time frames where the lines were long and others experienced a bit of a wait. But the times we went, it moved super quick! Like less than 5 minutes quick. If I had to pick, the Pizza line moved the slowest and I believe the kids said they waited for awhile only once, and that was on the first day. They make the pizza's, slice them, put 2 slices on plates and are constantly putting them out. The people in the line walks up and just grabs a plate, therefore the line kept moving quickly (at least I thought).

After lunch, we decided to walk around the deck some more and the birds had discovered that it was lunch time as well. They were everywhere. A lady had a plate on the table at pool side and had went to go get into the hot tub. A seagull discovered the unsupervised plate and came down to help itself. She ran out and over to the plate and moved it from the table to the chair. Um...ok. That left me scratching my head. I guess there's some seagull code I'm unaware of that doesn't allow them to sit on the chairs?

We (the hubby and I) decided to go down to one of the bars and purchase the soda package for the cruise. The kids were off exploring on their own. Our soda package would cost $10/pp per day for a total of $80 for the cruise and yes, they did add a 20% "tax" onto it. I had read about people not wanting to carry the "cups" around the ship they give you but honestly, if you do decide to carry them, you get more pop. We went back and forth about carrying them depending on what we were doing at any given time that day.

We ended up with 2 alligator cups.

So since the kids were not with us when we purchased these, at some point Karl would decide he wanted to go purchase his. They would not allow him. At that point we learned that since Sakari had told the lady that we checked in with that her "mom" was taking her on this cruise, that meant that only my card was active to purchase anything. So, I had to go with him to purchase his pop package. I love the word "pop" it just sounds so spunky and "poppy". I'm from the north, we don't use the term soda here just in case you are wondering. Sakari did not get the package. She does not drink or like pop and usually drinks juices when out. The only "offerings" they have with the soda package would be cranberry juice or lemonade (which you get for free anyhow in the buffet). Nope, that was not going to work for her. It was a hard pass.

The rooms were ready between 1 and 1:30pm and they would announce when certain floors could go to their rooms. We headed down to see our balcony room and it was beautiful. We really liked the decor and the view.

They had special throw pillows that were adorable. The one on the bed said "Livin on Islander Time" and the one on the pull out couch said "Welcome to Islander Margaritaville at Sea"

The balcony had 2 chairs and a table on it and was a nice size. We did notice that our balcony door didn't slam shut. You could actually leave it all the way open if you wanted.

The bathroom was the same as Carnivals Spirit class. But lets talk about what they provide in the bathroom. You get towels and hand towels. But NO WASHCLOTHS. Um wait what? I swear I thought I had read that they provide you with the black washcloths for make up removal and I actually had packed mine and then took it out for this reason. But there were absolutely NO washcloths to be found. I would later find out this is the norm on this ship. You actually have to ask your room steward for them. They do provide you with the pump shampoo and body wash in the shower. The body wash smelled really nice. They have a hand pump soap on the wall by the sink and also have a small facial bar. Other than the wash cloth issue everything was perfect.

There were nice little added touches like etched flip flops on both the mirror and the door leading out to the balcony. I thought that was so cute and appropriate.

Across the top of the room they had added "LICENSE TO CHILL, AND I BELIEVE I WILL" in raised letters that looked like a marble effect. It was real pretty and another great added extra touch to the room.

Now there was this very small beam of light on the mirror. It annoyed Karl to no end and he would put his bag in front of it every night. You touch it and the mirror light comes on. Sakari has one of these in her bathroom that lights up around the mirror and defogs it. I love them myself but I guess it was just too bright for him. Just be aware that is what this light is and not some secret service agent spying on you with a camera. ;)

There seemed to be plenty of storage in the room from under the desk area in multiple places and in the 3 cabinets. There was enough space for all 4 of us with no issues.

I meant to take a picture of the safe because it was HUGE compared to other cruise lines. I was pleasantly surprised when I could fit everything in there including my ipad with still more room around the edges. Perfect!

The tv had MULTIPLE channels regarding the safety of the ship and drill and the cruise director talking on it. Other channels included movies, 2 kid channels with cartoons, a home improvement channel, house buying channel, several world news channels, multiple sports channels and a cooking channel. That's all that I can remember. We mainly watched the movies or house buying show while on the ship. I love those shows (I think it's called House Hunters), especially when they have the people looking for a place to live off the grid in the Caribbean. I can dream can't I?

They do have an ice bucket and glasses in the room but you will have to ask your room steward to fill it if you expect ice. I think this is the norm these days with cruise lines. Some don't even provide you with one anymore and you had to ask for it. I always like to have it filled just so that it will melt and I have water to drink during the evenings and at night.

Now this room is more than enough space and sleeping room for 4-5 people. You have the regular bed, the pull down bed and the couch bed actually pulled out into the same size as the regular bed. It was really big! I have read they don't allow 5 people in this room and you must book two rooms. I'm here to tell ya, there's definitely enough room for 5 people to sleep here with no issues! And I'm talking adults too. If you have smaller kids, this would definitely work. I'm just not sure why they won't allow it (from what I've read). A money grab to get two rooms booked? I'm not sure.

Ok, back to our day. At 3 or 3:30ish, they announced for everyone to head down to the muster station for the drill. They do this the old fashioned way (although you don't have to wear your life jackets) you still have to line up outside in rows on top of each other. At least it wasn't scorching hot outside. We listened to the cruise director make an announcement to everyone and I believe somewhere way up there in front of everyone they had workers showing us how to put on a life jacket. But when you are knee deep in people, no one could see and I find them worthless in most cases. Those cruise lines that have reverted to watching a video prior to arrival or on the tv works so much better.

As you can tell, Sakari was bored and couldn't see anything to begin with so she spent her time wisely and was already picking the fingernail polish off her nails instead.

Ok, time to get this party started and ready for sailaway. I didn't really see any dance parties going on up on the pool deck like you see on other ships. We love those. But, maybe we were at the wrong pool? I'm not sure. Where we were at they had a competition to see who could hold a mug of beer out in front of them the longest. We took bets amongst us on who would win.

And away we went....

Now I wasn't completely sure but I thought this might have been the port we were at many years ago that had a bridge we passed under. So, we headed up on a higher deck to have a look around and find a spot. We looked everywhere and couldn't see any place that looked like we may have to pass under a bridge. I started searching and found that there was a bridge coming out of port. I kept reassuring the hubby there was going to be a bridge. We sat forever up at the Land Shark bar area and obtained some seats there where we would continuously get pop refills in our stylish gator cups to pass our time by.

I had no idea it actually took this long to make it to the bridge. We could finally see it in sight and started passing under it around 6:45pm. So yes, almost 2 hours and 45 minutes after leaving port you will pass under this bridge and man does it come close!!!!

Here's a video of us passing under the bridge and it always looks like we're going to hit it.

https://youtube.com/shorts/WUObQ79NlsY

After experiencing the bridge Sakari went and got her bathing suit on and her and Karl decided to head to the pool for awhile. It didn't last long and they found us and said they couldn't handle all the kids. She's so grown up now and doesn't like the swimming and splashing the kids do and would rather be in a nice calm pool cooling off. No calm pool for you on this sailaway cruise my child!

We decided we wanted to try Cheeseburger in Paradise for dinner tonight only to find out they close at 6pm. That left us with whatever the buffet had to offer and I wasn't very hopeful. Salads are always my go to and I was able to find a few things I liked.

Red Velvet cake with some type of chocolate pudding and icing mixed in. Ehhh, it was "ok" at best. I mainly just picked at it. I think I'm just so used to eating sugar free that when I eat "normal" things it just taste weird to me.

After this very early dinner we decided to head back to the room to enjoy the sunset on our balcony. It was absolutely stunning tonight!

Sakari let me know that her and Karl planned on going up on the top deck to "star gaze" tonight after it gets dark. Until then, she just hung out on the balcony until the sun disappeared.

I checked out the Islander Checklist to Chill and found that they would be having a show tonight called "Volcano Vibes with Blaze Band" and we decided we would go to it.

It ended up being a variety of dancing and acrobats and a comedian.

The show was good...the dancers, singers, acrobats...but....the comedian...um, I don't even know what to think about him. He said a few raunchy things regarding peep holes in the dressing rooms and other things that seemed to be a complete turn off for the many that got up and walked out (he was at the end of the show). The kids didn't like him either. We didn't find his jokes or fake "magic" funny. Obviously we were not the only ones. We also love going to the comedy shows but this might be a hard pass for us this cruise.

Here's the Checklist to Chill for the day. Sorry I put it at the end of the day.

After the show we headed back to the room. Sakari and Karl decided they were just too worn out to go star gaze and we all just hung out in the room until bedtime.

Sakari always brings her ipad with her to draw on so this would be her creation for the night. It's a picture of Karl...her Garebear!

Before we headed to bed, we would discover that the plugs at the lamp beside our bed to charge our phones did not work. We ended up letting our room steward know the next day and he said he would put an order in and have an electrician come to fix it. I will just put this here now because I know I will forget to include it in the review later...it NEVER got fixed.

Tomorrow would be our first sea day so no need to set an alarm. Karl covered the light on the mirror and we drifted off to sleep...in our hard bed.