When Embarkation Day Goes Hilariously Wrong: A Seven Seas Explorer Disaster

I should have known something was off when my husband Mark and I pulled into the Port of Miami parking garage and immediately got directed to the wrong level by a security guard who seemed less than certain about anything. But we were too excited to care. After months of planning and saving for our Regent Seven Seas cruise on the Seven Seas Explorer, we were finally here. We grabbed our luggage from the trunk—three enormous suitcases and two carry-ons stuffed with everything from formal wear to snorkel gear—and headed toward the gleaming white ship towering above us. The embarkation process started smoothly enough. We checked in at the terminal, smiled for our ship photos (mine was absolutely horrible, by the way), and got our keycards. Everything felt magical. The Seven Seas Explorer looked even more elegant in person than in the pictures—all sleek lines and pristine white hull. We wheeled our luggage through the gangway, practically vibrating with anticipation. "This is really happening," Mark kept saying, grinning like an idiot. Then we got to our cabin. Well, technically, we got to a cabin. Just not ours. We swiped our keycard on door 9087 on Deck Seven, and it opened to revea…