This was my fourth cruise and my 14-year-old son's third, our previous all on Princess. Turned out to be his favorite and my least favorite!

We flew in the night before to Fort Lauderdale and stayed at the airport Sheraton, a perfectly pleasant hotel. Did not previously arrange transportation to Miami and was surprised by the hotel's inefficiency the next morning ... first, they booked a van for us at $85 total ... then, I called a shuttle service, 866-386-7433, a number I had recorded from the internet, and received a rate of less than $50 ... then, when I called to cancel the earlier booking the hotel booked me a cab instead. Did seem a little third-world-countryish in the competition for the fare, and the hotel could have kept its commission for the fare by being straightforward upfront ... but I took the shuttle service I personally booked and all went well.

Embarkation was completely delightful and utterly smooth ... kudos to Royal Caribbean for how easy they make the process! Read more