Boarding the Majesty of the Seas (Ab in den Urlaub.de) starts at 2:00 PM. We settle into our cabin on Deck 5/5573.

Unlike my first cruise from New York, check-in on the Majesty of the Seas goes quickly and smoothly. In no time we find ourselves at the Windjammer Café for lunch before the mandatory safety drill.

Right on schedule at 5:00 PM we cast off, slowly leaving the Port of Miami behind — passing Bayside Market Place, the Fisherman Islands, and South Beach — as we head for Nassau, Bahamas.

The evening flies by with a tour of the ship and a cocktail at one of the bars.