I will try to cover as much as possible. This was our 8th cruise all have been with RC. We have done the Oasis 3x, Allure 1x, Freedom 3x and Independence 1x. We are both in our late 20s early 30s and love cruising. We are going to continue to cruise but sadly after cruise 8, we may start trying other lines. As always if you have any questions just shoot me an email at hanniganp@gmail.com and I will try to help you out. THe reason I do this is because so many people have helped me out in the past so just returning the favor.

Pre Cruise - We flew out of Atlantic City to Ft Lauderdale on black Friday. We took Spirit. I am not a huge fan but it is what it is. We stay at the Hilton Ft Lauderdale beach. Since I travel for work we had points to use which made it nice. The hotel itself was very nice and the staff was good too. You are right on A1A so you are near shops, bars and places to eat. There is also a Starbucks in the Westin two Hotels down. The cab here from the airport was about 20 bucks and to the cruise port was about the same. I would for sure stay here again. If you want a great place to eat dinner in the area try Coconuts. We found this spot a few years ago and it is AWESOME!

Cruise - We always like to get to the port early and try to get on the ship as quick as possible. Why not right? I mean you are paying for a vacation so why not take advantage. I hear people waiting till later on in the day but I do not see the point. There are different waiting sections inside the port depending on what level you are. According to your level thats how the start the boarding process. The terminal is very clean and has a play area for the kids. There are some vending machines as well but not much. I think with this large of a crowd they do a terrific job of getting everyone on the ship. Good tip to keep in mind when checking in, just have everything ready. The process will go a lot smoother. So passport, credit card, sail pass have them out. Read more