Having never cruised on Princess before, we opted for this quick getaway before the holidays, Dec 9-16. Normally we choose our cruises based on itinerary and price; we've been on quite a few different cruise lines and prefer a busy, port driven itinerary. Our last few cruises have been in Europe. So this was a bit more unusual for us.

Loved sailing out of Fort Lauderdale. Spent the day before eating Cuban food and enjoying the river walk area of Los Olas.

We took a cab from our hotel (Hyatt Place 17th Street Convention Center- GREAT place to stay precruise...) as it was cheaper than the shuttle. We knew better than to go during prime time check in but just decided to head over anyway around 12:30pm. The lines were so long it looked overwhelming. But, Princess has a well oiled machine and we moved along quickly. Read more