Down to the sea in ships.

Day #5 - Friday

Cruise Day #1

A lazy morning as we prepare to leave Southampton and join our cruise ship for the next 16 days. After breakfast we planned to catch a cab and then head to the City Cruise Terminal to get processed and board Royal Caribbean's "Adventure Of The Seas," Our hotel host/owner Elliot mentioned that with the famous Southampton Boat Show going on,  traffic would be crazy so best leave early. Fortunately there was another couple from Carolina also staying at the Blue Keys heading to the ship as well so we decided to just share the cab ride down to the cruise terminal.

We left promptly at 10:30 and quickly arrived at the terminal with no delay whatsoever... so much for the traffic :-) Maybe Elliot wanted rid of us? Just kidding!

We unloaded the cab and the bags went immediately onto a luggage cart not ten feet away for transfer to the ship... very slick! With passports and documents in hand we were quickly through security screening, processing (picked up our magic Sea Pass card) and we stepped onto the promenade deck at 11:00 am sharp! With out doubt the fastest boarding ever!

Our cabin and bags would be ready later so we enjoyed a quick walk about the ship to get re-acquainted with the layout. It didn't take long:-)  As the boat show was taking place right in front of the ship we had some great views of the boats as well as some older vessels that commemorated the event.

The "Phoenix" drew a crowd!

The Tall Ship "Phoenix" was moored right in front of us at the Southampton Boat Show. Check it out here


We went for a great lunch in the Windjammer when they announced that all cabins were now available to all guests. Off we went and quickly found our cabin but still no bags at this point. Time for a visit to the Skybar and a sail-away drink!

Kelly with East and West Cowes in the background.

We cruised out of Southampton Harbour past Hythe that we visited yesterday, past the refineries on the west bank, Abbey Hall and Calshot Castle. The ship maneuvered through the marker buoys then we past by Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Several Castles dotted the shoreline as we swung southeasterly around the Isle for the open waters of the English Channel. One of these was Osbourne House where Queen Victoria resided.

Back to the cabin to unpack bags then off to dinner at Giovanni's Table, the specialty restuarant on the ship. It was very good :-)

A stroll through the Royal Promenade followed by a festive parade to kick off the cruise.... lots of colorful costumes! A brief stop at the casino to help out the ships economy then it was back to the room to plan or next day's adventures. It's a "sea day" as we cruise south towards Gibraltar.