Greetings for onboard The Enchantment Of The Seas!

Greetings from onboard The Enchantment Of The Seas! It’s late, and I should be going to bed, but I have so much to write about! The rocking ship and the darkness of our stateroom is lulling me to sleep…

First, some background on why I am on this cruise. My uncle Keith is getting married to Lara on Jan. 8 in Key West, FL. He invited family and friends to accompany him on this cruise and attend the wedding. Because I happen to really like my family, and because I am a firm believer of traveling at every opportunity possible, I decided to go. I invited my friend, Reva Story, to go with me. Reva and I were coworkers in Logan, UT, while we both attended Utah State University. We were also roommates for the summer. She’s my long-distance travel buddy, so it’s only natural that I’d ask her to go with me. There are around 85 people in our group, and I’m enjoying getting to know every one of them.

Day one, Jan 7:
I arrived in Ft. Lauderdale a little after midnight yesterday (okay, technically today), after spending 4 ½ hours on airplanes (that‘s two more states to check off my list for my goal to visit all 50 states). I don’t mind airplanes, but I sure get bored…quick. I’ve flown numerous times before, but I have never, in my many flights, traveled with anyone. Maybe that’s why I get so bored. I saw my cousin, Nathan Pearson, who also lives in Phoenix, at the airport. Turns out we were on the same flights to Florida. Small world! He is also going on the cruise.

Reva picked me up from the airport and we headed off to our hotel. Our ‘God-awful” (Reva’s quote) pink hotel. In the afternoon we drove to a pier at ate fish and chips overlooking the ocean. How AWESOME is that?! Fish and chips on a pier. It doesn’t get any better than that. Before we knew it, it was time to head off to Port Everglades to board our cruise. When we returned our rental car, I bumped into my aunt Arlene and 3 of her grandkids. Small world, again!

There is only one word to describe the ship: gigantifreakinormous. There are so many things to do on this ship. After checking out our room and saying hi to a few family members, we had our muster drill (that’s probably not the exact term…deal with it). Basically, we all had to put our life jackets on and meet in groups out on the deck to go over some safety items. Seeing hundreds of people in life jackets climbing the stairs sure reminded me of the movie Titanic. It was kind of funny…in a morbid sort of way. After the drill, we had dinner in the formal dining room. Prime rib. Need I say anything more? We have assigned eating times at assigned tables, but it was okay, because the people we got to sit by are some of my favorite family members! My aunt Ellen, my cousin Cade and his wife Jill, my cousin Kandis and her friend Erika, my aunt Martha, my cousin Adrianne, and my aunt Marian all sat with us. What a fun group of people!

After dinner, Ellen, Kandis, Reva, Erika, and I went to the Orpheum Theater to see a comedian. I’m blanking on his name…His act was pretty funny, but definitely not as good as the last comedian I saw, Jeff Dunham. He’ll be hard to top. Most everyone called it a night after this. The big day is tomorrow at our first port of call, Key West. More to come tomorrow!