I have to begin this review by saying that this cruise was absolutely fabulous!! This was my 9th cruise, along with my husband. We had our one year old daughter in tow, who is a seasoned cruiser already(believe it or not!) We flew out of our home airport in Pittsburgh, PA, leaving behind the cold, blustery winter for sunny, bright Fort Lauderdale, FL. We arrived from a nice, short flight in FLL and checked into the Amerisuites on 17th street. We paid a large premium for this hotel, as it was the weekend prior to the Super Bowl, so we did not have a choice. However, the hotel sufficed and served it purpose, as we only stayed one night. The down side to this hotel was that we had to wait a terribly long time for the shuttle and we ended up taking a cab. After seeing the hotel extremely booked and a large group of people in the lobby as we entered the building, we had learned that they (Amerisuites) had to fetch additional transportation for their shuttle service. The hotel is being renovated shortly and will soon be a Hyatt Place hotel. This is a good thing. The hotel was not horrid, but it could certainly have been much cleaner. On a different note, we found a great place for dinner right beside the hotel, Cafe Del Rio. Wonderful food! I highly recommend the nachos! The food was delish and the drinks were cheap. Great place!

The next morning, we were taken to the port to board the ship. Our shuttle driver was great. Very nice and actually quite entertaining! No hassles, no waiting, it was great. Once we arrived, we met a porter who took our luggage after we filled out our colored tags. We went into the building to go through the embarkation process. Very easy, very fast, good security. Excellent all the way!

Once we boarded, it was fantastic! The Jewel is just that - a jewel! She is magnificent in every way! All the glass, the rich colors, everything glistening, it was beautiful. The ship was so immaculate, you could eat off of the floor anywhere. We first took care of business before heading to the Windjammer and got our reservations and such. We had lunch in the Windjammer and it was great! The food was wonderful! Of course, next we unpacked and got ready for the muster drill. My husband had the most beautiful vase of flowers waiting in the room. He is the sweetest! They were so gorgeous and looked and smelled beautiful through the entire duration of the cruise. Afterwards, our champagne and chocolate covered strawberries were delivered (DH ordered the Romance Package!) Wonderful! Read more