THURSDAY, JUNE 1
We decided to go to Florida a day prior to the cruise (June 1) to assure that we would not "miss the boat" and to have a relaxing start to our vacation. I flew down from Cleveland and my daughter (H), son-in-law (T) and granddaughter (M) flew down later from Dayton. Since I arrived earlier in the day, I took the free shuttle to our hotel (Hawthorne Suites-Orlando Airport) and registered us both in. (I had to go to the lower level of the airport and call the hotel from the free phones that were provided by some of the hotels.) A little while later I then took the shuttle back to the airport to meet their plane. This hotel is very close to the airport (about 2 miles) in a circle of 5-6 hotels (Amerisuites, Holiday Inn Express, Sheraton Suites and Embassy Suites are what I remember). The Hawthorne was very nice. It seemed quite new. Each suite had one bedroom (two bedroom suites are also available), living room area with a couch, chair, coffee table and TV, phone and fax, plus a full kitchen. There was also a second TV in the bedroom. This was certainly more than we needed for one night, but it was nice to have. Also included in addition to the free shuttle to and from the airport was a hot breakfast buffet in the morning, along with a free copy of USA Today. They also have snacks in the evening. I paid the AAA rate which was $89/night per suite. I thought this was a good price for what was offered.

FRIDAY- JUNE 2
Friday morning we had a leisurely breakfast and then got ready for our trip to the pier. I had arranged for Tiffany Towncar to drive us. I use their service when I go to Disney and they are very good. They charged $140/round trip to the pier and the return from the pier to the airport (not including tip). They picked us up promptly at 11:00am and didn't mind when I asked them to stop at a store so that I could purchase batteries for my camera. After the slight shopping detour, we were on our way. We arrived at the port around 12:15pm and proceeded to fill out our paperwork. (Because we booked so late, we only had a fax copy of our reservation.)
After filling out the paperwork, we got in the rather slow moving line. We arrived at the check-in window in about 40 minutes. I was surprised that they only asked for our credit cards - never looked at any identification or passports. (We did however put our passport numbers on one of the forms that we had to fill out.) After establishing our credit and getting our "charge cards", we proceeded to wait in another line. It seems that Premier uses "standing in line" as a means of crowd control. They were only allowing small groups of people onto the ship at one time. (They also used this method for the Disembarkation --- worst I have experienced -- see notes at the end of report). When we were finally allowed to board, we had the usual embarkation picture taken and were off to find our cabins. There was not too much direction, so study those deck plans ahead of time. I was in cabin R32 and H, T, & M were in R44, just down the hall. These were both outside cabins and were quite roomy - by ship standards. The Oceanic is an old ship but has been renovated recently and is kept very clean. However, the bathroom fixtures are straight from the 60's and in both of our cabins, the tubs (yes - full size tubs, not showers) were in bad shape. They were quite rust stained and surely must be original issue. Aside from that, I had no complaints about the facilities. I knew this was an old ship and cannot be compared to today's modern state-of-the-art vessels.
After we dropped off our bags, we hurried up to the Tour Desk as my daughter was quite interested in booking the Dolphin Encounter tour and we heard that this particular tour is quite limited. She was successful in purchasing 2 tickets for herself and her husband. M would stay with Grandma that day because we thought at 2 years old she would not fully appreciate this tour. I purchased a ticket for the Harbor Cruise and Atlantis Tour for the next day. After securing our tours, we then went up to the pool deck to get some lunch. There was quite a variety of hot and cold dishes. Everything we had, except the desserts, was quite good. They also have an Ice Cream Parlor on board open most of the afternoon so if your sweet tooth isn't satisfied by the desserts on the buffet, there is this option.
We sailed at 4:30pm and shortly after, we had the mandatory life boat drill. We had requested main seating (6:00pm) for dinner and even booking at the last minute, our request was granted. We were at Table 11, a table for 8, along with another family with a 1 yr. old girl and an 8 year old boy. I never did catch the waiter's name, but he did a good job of taking care of us. The booster chair for M was always there, also the high chair for the other little girl. Our bus boy, Ricky did a good job also of getting our drinks, etc. The food in the dining room for dinner was very good. We also had breakfast and lunch in the dining room which was open seating.
After dinner, we walked around the ship a little, enjoying the cool ocean breeze and the mild seas. My granddaughter was quite tired after this long day, so she went to bed around 8:00pm. My son-in-law stayed with her while my daughter and I went to the show and tried our luck (not) at the slots.

SATURDAY, JUNE 3
We had breakfast in the dining room and a little later went up to the Pool Deck where my granddaughter and her dad enjoyed some time in the water. There were very few kids around. I am assuming that most of them were involved with the Kid's Programs. (My granddaughter had just turned 2 and was eligible but my daughter thought she was a little young and also, they wanted to spend time with her. As it turned out, there were very few 2-4 year olds on board, so they combined this age group with the 5-7 year olds.) During our time out on the Pool Deck, the characters came out for pictures. Premier is now using "generic" characters. There was a big bear and a seal, I believe. My granddaughter enjoyed them and we were able to get some good pictures.
We all went to the Port Talk which was very informative. They showed slides of the various tours available. It was after hearing more about the Harbor Cruise/Atlantis Tour which I had previously signed up for, that H, T, & M decided to join me. They had no trouble getting tickets at the last minute. However, they did announce at the talk that the Dolphin Encounter had already sold out - so if this is a tour you are interested in, book early.
We docked in Nassau around noon. Other ships in port were the Disney Magic, Enchantment of the Seas, Majesty of the Seas and the Ecstasy. Our tour left at 12:15pm. The ferry departed close to where our ship was docked and we toured the harbor area while listening to a guide describe the different sights and famous homes along the way. We then docked near the Atlantis Resort and walked to where our tour started (about 10 minutes). We were divided up into small groups and given wrist bands which were good for the entire day - if you wanted to come back later in the evening to go to the casino or have dinner.
Our guide was very informative and we walked throughout the area of the resort that had the aquarium and the "Dig Site". This is an amazing place. The variety of fish in the aquarium and also swimming outside in the river was just amazing. The "Dig Site" is a 15 room recreation of the Lost City of Atlantis, with each room having a different species of fish. It was a very interesting tour which we all enjoyed. (BTW, there was no charge for my granddaughter.) There was quite a bit of walking involved and some steps.
Later, back on deck, the pool was being enjoyed even though it was raining, thanks to the retractable cover.
Tonight was Formal Night which on this ship means most men wore a jacket and tie - no tuxes and very few dark suits. The women were more dressed up. There were a lot of high school students on board and the girls were quite dressed up - probably in their prom dresses. They looked lovely. The food was quite good and tonight's dessert - chocolate soufflé - was delicious. The waiters performed after dinner each night. Tonight's entertainment was "Hot, Hot, Hot". I am aware of the recent thread on r.t.c. regarding this. I feel that I would rather they just tend to their dining duties (they work hard enough at that!) - but I must say that a lot of people, and especially the children, really enjoyed the festivities.
The show tonight was a comedian named Jerome. H&T went and I stayed with M. They reported that it was a great show. He was also scheduled to do a late night "R-rated" show tomorrow night and to entertain Monday morning during the debarkation.
I don't know if all the room stewards were as talented, but ours did great "towel animals" in the room each night! My granddaughter enjoyed them (so did I!). I would sometimes have a different "animal" than she had in her cabin, so she had to check mine out also.

SUNDAY, JUNE 4
The ships in port with us yesterday left during the night. In port this morning with us was HAL's ZAANDAM and the OCEAN BREEZE (a former Premier ship). [Question to the rtc group - why does the back of the Zaandam also have the word "Rotterdam" under the Zaandam name?]
After breakfast, we took a walk into town so that H could buy an underwater camera for her Dolphin Encounter. I took some pictures of the Zaandam and the Ocean Breeze. Seeing the Enchantment of the Sea yesterday and the Zaandam today makes me very excited about my upcoming cruises on the Monarch of the Seas in December and the Volendam in February (GGC2001).

H & T left around 10am for their tour. Unfortunately, M realized she was being left behind and started crying quite loudly. Our room steward, Pankaj, came knocking at the door with some children's playing cards for her. (He was really wonderful - especially to M. He has a child of his own that is about the same age. He told her to call him "Pancake" and she would always run to him when she would see him in the hall. Actually all of the staff were very friendly, especially to the children.) Although she is a little too young to play the card games, she enjoyed looking at the pictures and numbers and it did help with the "separation anxiety". We watched cartoons on the TV in the cabin (thank goodness for the Bugs Bunny 48-hour marathon on the Cartoon Network!) for a little while and then she took a nap. When she woke up, we went into the Dining Room for lunch. (I would have preferred the buffet - but today the buffet was not being served on the ship - it was being served on the island, Salt Cay.) Actually, she was very well behaved - and really enjoyed her lunch. (They had a nice children's menu.)
After lunch we went to the Children's Playroom where she enjoyed the crayons and toys while we waited for H&T to return. (Even though she was not enrolled in the Children's Program, she was able to play in the playroom anytime it was open, as long as an adult was with her.) Around 2:30pm, they returned from their tour with the Dolphins reporting that it was really great and worth the money ($89/ea).
We were on one of the upper decks at 4:30pm when we were scheduled to leave Nassau. However, we didn't leave until closer to 5:00pm as the last ferry bringing passengers back from Salt Cay - which was suppose to have arrived by 4:00pm - didn't arrive until 4:40pm. The captain was out on the bridge watching all of them hurry back to the ship. I would imagine that they were all quite concerned about arriving so late, although the ship would certainly wait as this ferry was arranged by the ship as the tender to the island.
I went to the debarkation talk before dinner. The usual instruction - put your bags out before you go to bed - or no later than 2am, fill out your Customs Form, fill out your Evaluation Form, etc. The only thing I noticed, that did turn out to be a problem for us, was that there is no consideration to flights booked with regard to disembarking. They gave us color-coded luggage tags that correspond to your deck. They would then randomly pick colors to leave the ship. The dinner tonight was the Farewell Dinner (already? - seems like we just got here!) The service at our table tonight was very slow. However, this may be because our tablemates arrived quite late, after we had already been served our first course and the waiter was probably trying to "even" the serving out. The show tonight was "Legends". It was really great. There were three "star impersonators" - a "Garth Brooks", a "Linda Rondstadt" and an "Elvis". These performers had the looks, sound (no lip-synching) and mannerisms of these stars. I didn't think I would enjoy this, but it was terrific. After this performance, the staff came out to sing a "good-bye" song. It was very touching. They really tried hard to make sure everyone had a good time. (I guess this is part of their 7-Star Service that they talk about. Along with this 7-Star Service Program, they give you free robes, chocolate covered strawberries in the cabin one night and other goodies the other nights, along with little toys for the kids.) Following the regular show, there was a concert by one of the high school groups on board (part of the "Festivals at Sea" program. Several High School bands and choral groups were on this sailing and performed at various times around the ship and also on the square in Nassau.) Some of the crew came to hear them - something a little more like home, I imagine. All of the groups we heard throughout the cruise were very good.
Spent some time in the casino this evening, but again not much action. Very tight slots! Grand Buffet was tonight. We went to take pictures but didn't go back to eat. (Still had to pack!)

MONDAY, JUNE 5
This morning breakfast was only in the dining room - except for juice, coffee and rolls on Pool Deck. Main Seating breakfast was at 7:00am and Late at 8:15am. After that, we found a comfortable spot and waited --------and waited-----and waited! I had a 12:30pm flight out of Orlando and at 10:15, they still had not called our deck. At 10:20, we just got in line with the others and at 10:45 we were off the ship. (I guess the lesson here is to book flights after 1:00pm. This had never been a problem for me on any of my previous cruises as long as the flight was after 12:00 noon. Usually, they take into consideration what time your plane reservations are when they disembark. If I would have known that this would not be the case with Premier, I would have booked a later flight.) We were able to quickly get a porter and get our bags to the waiting car for our trip back to Orlando. (The Towncar driver had been waiting for us since 8:30am!) He did a good and safe job of getting me to the airport in time for my flight. I was there by 11:35am and was able to check my bag at the curb and make it to the gate with about 10 minutes to spare before they started boarding. The trip home was, thankfully, uneventful and on time. I picked my car up at the Airport off-site Parking Facility ($33/for 4 1/2 days) and drove the 40 miles home.

SUMMARY
Premier really tries to give everyone a good cruise experience (except for the disembarkation). It is a good value for the money and a good family-oriented cruise. We considered other lines but decided that for a weekend trip, other lines would be more of a "party" cruise atmosphere, which we were trying to avoid. However, for me personally, 3 nights is just too short of a time for the effort that it takes to plan, pack, etc. But then, I have a liberal vacation plan where I work and many others are quite limited in this regard. If you are planning a trip on the Big Red Boat I, go with the attitude that you will have a good time - and you will. Be realistic about the physical properties of the ship, enjoy the staff, food and entertainment provided and you will have great cruise.

I can't believe that I rambled on so long for such a short trip (the report is longer than the cruise!) I think I covered everything. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me.

Mary Lou