Our family of 5 cruised on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas from Jan. 4 - 12, 2014. Our port of calls were in St. Martin, St. Kitts, San Juan, P.R. and Labadee, Haiti. We were 2 adults and 3 kids ages 26, 20 and 12. We 2 adults had sailed on 2 previous cruises, both on the Norwegian Dawn. Because of our previous cruises, we somewhat knew what to expect. The surprises and amazement on our kids' faces, however, were wonderful to behold.

We flew in to Ft. Lauderdale airport. DON'T PAY for the overpriced shuttle service through the cruise lines! I believe that the sign said it was $15 per person one-way. We took a taxi from the airport to the docks and the 5 of us with luggage paid a total of $20 for the trip. That included a meter fare of $12 plus tip! On the way back, we gave the driver $25. It was well worth it. Use the local drivers and tip them well. There is no need for the cruise lines to pocket the extra money! On the drive in, you will need to show your passports to an officer before you get to the ship, but while you are still in the taxi. BE PREPARED; it all happens very fast as it is a very busy port area.

Getting through customs and then signing in with the cruise line before boarding all went very smoothly, partially because we had filled out a LOT of the information beforehand on the Royal Caribbean's website. Read more