setting sail: Day 1

Well, would you guess where we ended up for breakfast?  The Mosquito Cafe!  My mom and I really wanted to try the breakfast more specifically their version of Eggs Benedict called Mosquito Benedict . . . a house baked savory scone covered with sautéed shrimp, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, fresh asparagus and poached eggs topped with hollandaise sauce with a choice of cheesy grits or apple-walnut salad . . . of course I wanted to try both the sides so we did!  The cheesy grits were wonderful!  Next trip we are going for dinner.  So glad we went and did I mention that the place gets crowded?  Like line out the door, down the street crowded but don't let that turn you away because the line moved quickly and there were plenty of tables once you did order.  It was getting closer to cruise check in time so we dropped our bags, parked the car, and strolled The Strand for a bit before checking in and boarding the ship.  Our last experience with Royal Caribbean was less than stellar so our expectations were very low.  Well, we were checked in and at the Windjammer (buffet restaurant) in less than 10 minutes . . . now that is pretty quick!  As we were eating they announced the cabins were ready for guests to occupy so we quickly went to check our home away from home for the week!  Inside view of cabin 7204 . . .

. . . and view from outside the ship . . .

. . . so we are 'driving' this big boat!  I have never stayed at the front so this could be interesting!

We drop our bag and start exploring the ship.  We have never been on the Navigator of the Seas so wanted to get an idea of what she had to offer.  We were sucked into a '5 minute' tour of the spa with the hopes of winning a $500 gift card . . . more like 20 minutes but oh well what else did we have to do?  Colin had explored all he wanted to explore and was ready to hit the pool . . .

. . . kids always seem to find a friend in about 2 seconds!  We adults sat by the pool watching the US vs Portugal World Cup Soccer . . .

. . . the ship went nuts when the US scored the leading goal only to be tied again less than a five minutes later.  Oh well it was a good game.  It was back to the room to get ready for our late night dinner . . . let's hope our servers are nice!  It is going to be a great week.