We've cruised on several lines: RCI, Princess and Celebrity (I've also cruised on Disney). This is our 2nd time in Celebrity Constellation. The cruise was another fantastic short escape from reality. We're a younger couple (early 30's) that enjoy getting away from the cold weather of the midwest each winter for a little break.
Departing from Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale) has always been great. The port is very close to the airport and there is plenty of hotel lodging in the area if you fly in the day before hand. We stayed at the Residence Inn in Dania Beach for the night. The hotel was very clean and new feeling. It also included a free full breakfast and transportation from FLL to the hotel and then to the cruise port the next day.
Once aboard Celebrity Constellation we did have a wait a little time for our rooms to be ready. We boarded at about 11AM, so we had expected a bit of a wait. After meandering around Deck 3 (we stopped and made reservations at Oceanliners) we headed up to the Oceanview Cafe for lunch. As usual the area was quite busy; however they had enough stations open that there wasn't too long of a wait.