Neither my best friend nor I had ever been on a cruise before. Last September we decided it was about time, we researched several cruise lines and the one with the best itinerary, price and reputation and decided on the Century Western Caribbean 5 night cruise.

We thought the air package was a bit high ($400 additional for her, coming from Chicago; $375 additional for me, coming from Atlanta the air fare was almost as much as the cruise). So we decided to chance it and purchase our tickets on our own and fly in the Friday before the cruise. It worked out fine, we flew into Miami on Friday night. We pricelined the Intercontinental for $100, which was a nice hotel but there wasn't much to do in the area. But it served its purpose, because neither of us wanted to do much that evening. The next morning, we went for an early lunch at a Columbian restaurant across the street from the hotel called Cali Cafe. It was WONDERFUL! We then returned to the hotel, where we had a late check out, and took a cab to the port. The cab cost about $30.

We were glad that we decided not to stay near the port, the area is undergoing some renovation and is kinda sketchy. Embarkation was a snap. We had heard horror stories. But we gave the porters our luggage, walked into the terminal where we received our Sea Pass cards and showed our passports. We then walked on through security which was easier than airport security at ATL, then up to the gangway. All of the Celebrity staff were happy and smiling and we were onboard by 2. Read more