BACKGROUND: This was my sixth cruise. My sister and I planned it to celebrate my daughter's 37th birthday, so it was an all-gal trip. We drove from our homes in North Carolina to Port Canaveral.

HOTEL INFO: We stayed in the Cocoa Beach Comfort Inn & Suites, which I highly recommend. With one night's stay, we were permitted to leave our car there free for the duration of the cruise. With two nights (one before the cruise and one after), we were upgraded to a suite for both nights. There's also free breakfast and a free shuttle to and from the port. The shuttle was somewhat delayed, but we made it to the ship in plenty of time, around noon.

PORT/EMBARKATION: We usually wheel our luggage onto the ship, avoiding tipping porters and possible lost luggage. Usually our suitcases are smaller 22" carry-ons, together with a boarding bag. This time, as we were driving, we each had a tote and a single 27" rolling bag. The porters attempted to stop us, telling us that we would not be permitted to roll these onto the ship. Sadly, my experience with the porters hasn't been positive and I didn't trust that they were telling us the truth. So we decided to see for ourselves. The porters hooted and laughed and said, "you'll be coming back." However, we asked at security and, to my relief, there was absolutely no issue with rolling these bags on ourselves. Read more