This was our second cruise on Carnival with the first being on Fantasy out of Port Canaveral in April 2005. We were traveling with another couple who had never cruised before.

Due to the arrival times of planes from the west coast to Florida we chose to fly in a day early and stay in a hotel (Best Western Inn) near the airport that provided a free shuttle from the terminal to the hotel. In addition, flights directly to Miami from San Diego were significantly higher than flying into Fort Lauderdale, so we chose to do the latter. Even with the additional transfer cost, it was still less expensive. The flight from San Diego arrived on time and we collected our luggage (after a 45 minute wait) and called the hotel for the shuttle. We were picked up and taken to the hotel without any hassle.

The following morning, we took the hotel shuttle back to the terminal where we were met by Carnival representatives in the baggage claim area. We were given a number to board a bus, and advised to wait as no busses had arrived yet from the port-no worries, we were pretty early. Approximately 30 minutes later we were advised to gather our luggage and proceed to the bus with a Carnival guide. The bus ride was short and we arrived at the port at approximately 11:30A. Read more