We flew from Georgetown, KY then rode shuttle to Cocoa Beach for our night-before cruise stay at the Hampton Inn & Suites. We really enjoyed the hotel and the staff. It is located about a 15-minute drive to the port terminal. That night, my wife's cousin took us to Gator's Seafood for dinner. It was excellent!
The next morning, our shuttle from the hotel arrived at 10am and took us to the port at $6.00 per person. The boarding time that I chose was 10-30 to 11:00am, so once we arrived at the port we immediately entered the terminal, showed them our vaccine test results and ID then proceeded to the waiting area. There is no special designated place for Platinum or Diamond guests. The only priority waiting area is for Suite guests. We waited about 30 minutes before we started boarding. We FINALLY stepped about a cruise ship for the first time in 31 months!
The ship is beautiful and HUGE! We went directly to our Muster station on Deck 8, listened to instructions on how to put on a life vest and that was it. As Platinum members, we were allowed to drop off our carry-ons at our cabin (12306), then head to Big Chicken for lunch. After worrying about how to operate the snazzy elevators for weeks, we found regular elevators throughout the ship. The were much smaller than usual, but seem to move a little quicker.
Very nice. Small but comfortable. Bed was very nice. Balcony was great too. Love the glass door on the shower. Steward was only seen once during entire cruise, but he kept it spotless. Our ice bucket was always full. The refrigerator was great as we kept bottled water in there all week. The little tables on both sides of the bed were a great feature, as I sat my CPAP machine on it.