A little background; I am 53 and DH is 57. Previous cruises have been on Princess (13), Carnival (4), and once each on HAL, RCCL, NCL and The American Queen.
We decided to try the 5-day Get-a-Way even though it meant flying to Fort Lauderdale from Baltimore. Fortunately we were A) able to get a non-stop flight on Southwest and B) everything went smoothly with no delays. If there had been any hassle with traveling (Layovers, delays) I don’t think it would have been worth the travel for a 5-day cruise. We flew in the day of the cruise and were able to quickly hail a cab ($17 for 2 passengers). We arrived at the terminal around 10:15. The priority line was much shorter as there were a number of first time cruisers, or at least first time with Princess on this cruise. Check-in began at 10:30, and boarding began around noon.
Our first stop was at the Sanctuary were we got cruise duration passes for $150 ea. A single day pass was $20 for a half day, or $40 for a full day. They were allowing people to purchase individual day passes the first day. Next it was off to the Thermal Suite where the normal rate was $79 pp for a 5-day cruise, but they were running a special of $150 per couple.