We drove to Tampa the day before the cruise and stayed at the Embassy Suites right across from one of the malls. The hotel was great and you could take their shuttle free of charge to many places in town. We made use of this service to go to dinner that evening. We got a late checkout and headed toward the cruise terminal around noon. The terminal was only 15 minutes from the hotel, so it was very convenient.

Upon arrival at the terminal there was a lot of traffic. We went ahead and opted for the valet parking. With four kids and a lot of luggage, it was just easier and well worth the extra $25. I considered off site parking but for the convenience - especially with six of us, I just felt that the extra cost at the terminal was well worth it. Maybe if it was just my wife and me, that would be different. Embarkation was very smooth. We waited in line for a little while, but not long at all. Once we checked in, the ship was ready for us to board and by the time we got on, our room was ready. It was very smooth and no complaints.

Our room was quite nice and didn't feel cramped (at least not to me, but it was just me and one son, my wife had the three other kids in her room). We had two balcony rooms side by side. We went to the Purser's desk and asked to have the divider between the balconies opened. It was opened by the afternoon of the second day. Read more