This was our first cruise, and overall I would say it was worth the money, as it was very cheap.
HOTEL-We flew into Fort Lauderdale and rented a hotel room and the Gallery One Doubletree. The room was beautiful, there were 6 in our party and it was a 2 bedroom suite, with 2 baths, a kitchenette, a fold out sofa and a balcony overlooking the intercoastal waterway for less than $300. The next morning we drove into Miami.
EMBARKATION- We got to the port of Miami around 12:00. In our travel docs it said boarding would begin at 2, a sign outside said it would begin at 10 am. It took about 35 minutes form the time we got to the port to the time we got on the ship, once on we headed straight to the Windjammer for Lunch.