We just returned from an 8-night cruise on Independence of the Seas out of Ft. Lauderdale. We drove from Kansas City to Florida and left our car at the Holiday Inn Express on Commerical - got their Park N Cruise deal. The shuttle to the pier was $35.00.

Sailaway was perfect and the first two days were at sea. We took advantage of the adults-only pool, the golf simulator and lots of leisure time reading and relaxing. Our first port was St. Maarten and we took a cab to Maho Beach to watch the planes take off and land right over the beach. The beach was extremely crowded and there was nothing else to do there except patronize the bars. Been there now, done that!

Second port was St. Kitts/Nevis. We did the Rail and Sail excursion and especially loved the catamaran sail around the island. The rail portion took us through the old sugar plantations (mostly gone now), the very poor countryside, and the beautiful Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. It's an old train (1920's) built for the sugar cane trade and now used for us tourists. It's kind of rickety, but it was overall a good experience. The island is beautiful. Read more