Boarding the Ship

     The morning of June 3 we went downstairs from our hotel to enjoy a wonderful breakfast. This was not your ordinary continental breakfast, it was a full buffet, complete with omelet bar and amazing pastries.

     Since we were not scheduled to board the ship until noon, Jeremy and I decided to enjoy the last couple of hours in Barcelona, so we set out to explore on our own. We found ourselves back at Las Ramblas where we enjoyed delicious fresh squeezed juice from a local produce stand in the market.

The same market from day one

those lobsters are actually still alive!

Do you see the juices to the right? (maybe? Kind of?)

     Finally, at about 11:30, we loaded all of our luggage into a cab and headed for the cruise terminal. At about 12:00, we were finally allowed to board the beautiful Island Princess. We went straight to our cabin to see where we would call home for the next 12 nights. Our mini-suite was perfect! Our balcony was perfect! Everything was perfect! We were beyond excited to start our voyage through the Mediterranean!

Our home for the next 12 nights

Our living room, and looking out to our balcony

Our balcony

     While we awaited the arrival of our luggage, we decided to head upstairs to the Horizons Court Buffet for some lunch. The buffet was quite an elaborate set up, complete with a carving station, salad bar, and separate dessert bar. After lunch, we wandered around the ship for a while to get familiar with our floating village.

Movies Under the Stars Screen over the main pool

Mini-golf (really mini)

The beautiful Island Princess

     At 6:00pm every passenger was required to attend the muster drill. Every section of the ship has a designated section in which the passengers must report in the event of an emergency. The muster drill is designed to ensure each passenger is aware of where to go, and how to put on their life jacket in an emergency situation.

     After the Muster drill, we decided to head to our dining room for some dinner. Since we were on the anytime dining plan, we ate in the Bordeaux Dining room every night. Our first meal was nothing short of exceptional, a preview of our amazing dining experiences each night on board.

First dinner in the Bordeaux Dining Room

Mom and Dad

     at 9:00pm, Jeremy and I headed to the Lotus Spa to end our evening, and start our vacation with a wonderful couples hot stone massage. It was such a wonderful way to let ourselves relax, and prepare for our European adventure at sea.

      It was a great first day to our epic adventure on the high seas! Stay tuned for the rest of the trip!

Boarding the Island Princess