Background -- We are 4 Canadians in their mid 50's. We are not committed to any one cruise line. We pick each cruise based on itinerary, price and then preferably a ship that is not too old.

Pre-cruise -- We had stayed at the Hampton Inn for the last 2 cruises but prices had gone up enough to warrant looking into a new hotel. We decided to try the Sleep Inn Dania on 5th & Sheridan and were quite comfortable there. They include breakfast (eggs, sausage, waffles, etc). Admittedly, it is not near the port but they do have a free shuttle from the airport (as long as you don't arrive at midnight) and a shuttle to the port for $10. The hotel was clean and that's all we really require. There is a Publix (with 2 wine aisles) across the street as well as a few small restaurants. If you are in reasonable walking condition, you can walk to the beach (about ½ hr taking it slow and stopping for pictures). From there you can pick up a water taxi and tour around. We were very happy that we flew in 2 days early rather than the day before as our friends got caught in a re-routing nightmare and arrived in Fort Lauderdale only hours before the cruise sailed.

Embarkation -- Easy, kudos to the very friendly staff at the check in counter. We only have 5 cruises under our belt but I think this is the first cruise that we didn't have anyone meeting us at the end of the gangway to welcome us to the ship (except for someone from the spa giving out phamplets). This is just an observation, certainly did not affect our cruise. Read more