My husband and I were celebrating our 24th Anniversary on this cruise. We are seasoned cruisers, but this was our first experience on Princess Cruises. We chose this ship because of its itinerary. I should've done my homework before we made the booking. Lesson learned.

Embarkation: We stayed in ft lauderdale the night before so that we could get to the cruise port before the busses arrived. We were there by 10a only to stand in a long line for 4 hours. Ship came from Europe and had to be cleared by customs, immigration and the Coast Guard. Evidently it took longer than they thought. Passengers were getting upset, fainting and an announcement was finally made over the PA system after a disgruntled passenger spoke up.

Once on board, we dropped our hand luggage in the cabin and proceeded to the horizon court for lunch. We were all famished! Good thing I always have snacks with me. In fact our suitcases were at our cabin before we made it there....that's how long it took to get on board. Read more