Little did we know . . .

. . . that the "worse storm of the century" was heading toward California, or so we heard as we were cruising off to the Caribbean. It did start to snow the morning we left for the airport, so you can imagine the smiles on our faces as we looked forward to blue skies and warmer weather. And we weren't disappointed one bit! I'll break the 7-night cruise into four postings, so that I can share some of the highlights of each port.

It has rained all night but was in the mid-forties when we woke up the morning of our flight to Ft. Lauderdale. By 9 a.m. the temperature had dropped considerably and the rain turned to snow! Jen got held up behind a large bus which was stuck in the snow on the highway and she was unable to pick us up as planned.

So we quickly set "Plan B" into action. Ken loaded up the truck and we headed to the airport. We flew to Ft Lauderdale via Dallas/Houston and arrived around at the hotel close to midnight. We shared a room with Gary and Cecile who were already in bed and had left a mint on our pillow. We tip-toed around and slipped quietly into bed and none of us slept well (we were so excited about getting on the ship the next morning).

The following morning we were one of the first to board the ship, the MSC Orchestra. Around five in the afternoon she sounded her loud horns and set sail as we waved goodbye to Ft. Lauderdale heading toward the first port of the cruise—Cayo Levantado—in the Dominican Republic.

Ken and Gary bringing our traditional "Set Sail Drink" ... I love the smiles on their faces ... we were all looking forward to a fun time together.

Ken really enjoyed the balcony especially in the mornings. This is our first cruise that we splurged for a balcony room, and it'll be real hard to ever "go back!"

I loved sipping my coffee in the mornings, at the same time enjoying the sounds of the water and feeling the cool breeze on my face.

Our rooms were next to each other and we were able to open up the balconies so we could enjoy the views together.

The interior of the ship was beautiful. It's the newest of their fleet, and the largest, and it is kept spotless at all times.

It was a quiet morning, normally this staircase was used as a good "photo opportunity background."

There were two "formal" evenings in the dining room.

After dinner we came back to our bed all ready for us.

After a whole day at sea we pulled into Cayo Leventado which is a privately owned island in the Dominican Republic. The sand is white and powdery, the turquoise waters are crystal clear making it nice for snorkeling. We were scheduled for a sail and snorkeling adventure but apparently not enough signed up for this excursion and, much to our disappointment, it was canceled.

The port is quite small with maybe a dozen vendors selling their arts and crafts to tourists. The rest of the privately-owned island is occupied by a fancy resort hotel.

From the beach I took this picture of our ship . . . it's as beautiful as it is inside! Our room is on the top row (Deck 12) and is the fifth window from the stern.

Life is good!