Day One: at sea.
Allow me to catch up with the day before day one. The day we embarked.
It began like any other, a trip for breakfast to Hulk Hogan's restaurant for some edible Eggs Benedict. I make my own Hollandaise so it becomes difficult for anyone else to make a good one. Then a walk along Old Tampa Bay. Sun rising from the east into a cloudless sky. Temperature rising from a near fridgid(Tampa version) 75f to 85f in 10 minutes. Pictures of pelicans and cameleons and bugs taken. Also the occasional shot of a father helping his son remove the son's first caught fish. Just another day.
We boarded our coach for the Port of Tampa and sped off to the "Legend". We arrived at the Port to a mass of humanity all interestred in boarding the same boat as Deb and me. Some one forgot to send the email that Deb and I had priority. So we jumped in and passed security then stood in line. One must circle stairs and escalators, file down halls and, generally, practice patience during endeavors such as this. Even though we paid the extra cost for "Faster to the Fun", a special tax to ease some travel lines, this could not opt us out of all lines.   Along the march to the boat we passed windows overlooking the entrance far below(one floor), We hoped to get a smug look at the humanity standing in the heat waiting to enter our air-conditioned hall to vacationland. The smug face wiped clean as we realized everyone who thought to beat the rush had entered the building during the first rush. I imagine the really savvy traveler came after our initial clamor for the doors and will just stroll in un hindered. Lesson learned...maybe.
After locating our stateroom and dropping off our bags, we walked the ship, noting all the places to have a beverage. We found all the other essential places, dining hall, upper decks and hammocks then settled down to await dinner.
We  opted for assigned seating at a 5:30pm seating. We will dine here, with the same people, for the entire voyage. Kinda of a crap shoot of personalities. Pleasantly, all the others at our table seem nice enough. Time will  tell though. One note of interest. We passengers have a caste system on board, to some. The newbies, first time cruisers, have blue cards. Then, according to days cruised with Carnival, you rise to red, gold, platinum and the much harealded diamond. Well, at our table we had a platinum! And she let us know it in uncertain terms. She pronounced where she would sit and how things were.  Pleasant coversation ensued until the people next to her slipped in their conversation,"We were the only diamonds on that cruise"!  The changed in our, aforementioned, dinner mate brought smiles to the table. She almost bowed in defference to the Diamonds at the table. Caste system gone for another day. Deb and I have gold cards should you need to know.
 Last item for this entry. I did not know that i had one other item on my bucket list that i can now check off. Tampa, Florida sits at the northern end of Tampa Bay. It takes about 2 hours to transit the Bay and enter the Gulf of Mexico. The Sunshine bridge spans the outlet to the open sea. Our ship could not get into the bay and to our dock on time because the water level at the bridge had risen higher than expected. So we needed to wait for low tide to leave the bay. You see, the bridge is two feet taller than the Ship's smokestack! I kid you not! Deb and i stood on deck watching our ship carve a line to the bridge through the channel then line up for a trip under the bridge in the dead center... the tallest point. Ship traveling at 15 knots, the bridge span approaching and i knew we would hit the span! I may try to find words for it but the anteenna stack came first and the smokestack came second. Heart stopping!!!! Yes, two feet clearance! WOW.