Day 4 (Cruise day 1)

Left Miami after breakfast at the hotel, we then walked along the Miami South Beach where I managed step back on some lovely sharp rocks cutting my foot to the extent that it was bleeding profusely!! Whoopie i get first prize for the first accident of the trip!!! We then left by transfer to Fort Lauderdale Cruise Terminal, roughly an hour transfer. The road trip was amazing, the views of Miami are absolutely stunning - definitely the life of the rich & famous!! We arrived at the Cruise Terminal along with 6400 other passengers, we were expecting a long wait and hectic delays for check in, but oh my he'll it was quicker than some airports it was amazingly professionally handled, friendly staff, tags for luggage were printed in minutes and we were free to board. Our first view of the Allure of the Seas ship was mind blowing, the size of this ship is much bigger than one expects it to be! 19 decks high, 350m long and 67m wide, it cruises at 22 knots. The buildings in Fort Lauderdale looked like mini land compared to the "Allure"! Walking on board this ship is like walking into paradise, the Royal Promenade which is on deck 5 also the embarkation deck is the first thing you see, a replica of a 1937 Mercedes Benz sports car is displayed next to a bar called the "Rising Tide" which moves up and down between deck 5 and deck 8. There are shops of all kinds, food outlets, restuarants, bars, gift shops, night clubs, theatre, casino and a carousal all on this deck. Rest of the afternoon was spent trying to find our cabins unpack luggage and eventually try and find a restaurant in which to have our first dinner!! The amazing thing is that you are issued with a sea pass card, which opens your cabin door, but then also becomes your credit card on board the ship. You don't need to carry credit cards, cash etc at all, kids can collect meals, drinks, ice creams etc etc with their cards without having parents around!! We set sail at 17h00 and we spent time exploring this mighty beast, the steadyness and smoothness of the ship is fantastic, you feel like you in a shopping center and not on board a ship! We then watched an Oceanaria Aqua Show at the Aqua Theater, amazing stuff. Our first meal was a lovely pizza at a small Italian spot called "Sorrento's".