We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale the day prior to our cruise and stayed at the Hampton Inn Airport North. Upon arrival at the airport, we called the hotel for our free shuttle and it arrived to pick us up within 15 minutes. Upon arrival at the hotel, we requested the early shuttle to the port so that we could get on the ship as early as possible. Everything went very smoothly and the hotel was fine. The breakfast at the hotel was very good and the breakfast hostess was by far the best one I have ever had at any hotel I have stayed in.

Embarkation: We arrived at the port at 11:30, went to the counter to receive our cards and was on the ship within 20 minutes sitting in the beautiful Lido room eating a delicious lunch of assorted items. We were on the Valor last year and embarkation took 1 1/2 hours, so this gave us a really good feel for what was to come. At about 1 pm, they announced that the cabins were ready for the passengers so off we went.

Cabins: We had 8035(Balcony) and 8045(J Category inside for 2 young adult children). We walked into our balcony cabin and were very pleased with what we saw. Large king size bed with pullout sofa. Plenty of storage to be had with 3 large closets and plenty of storage under the beds. I was very excited to try out the HAL beds and was not disappointed. I did feel that the beds on the Valor were just a little more comfortable, but the HAL beds were very good. We then walked across the hall to the inside cabin and were extremely pleased with the size of the room. There were 2 twin beds, plenty of storage, a very large bathroom with plenty of counter space and a full size sofa for a 3rd twin size bed. Overall, we were all very satisfied with our cabins. Room steward, Hery, was very attentive and kept our rooms immaculate. It was always great to come into our rooms at night to see what towel animals he had in store for us. Especially loved the monkey hanging from the hanger on the hook. We slept like babies every night. Read more