Background: We are a family of 3. This was my 7th cruise, my husband's 3rd cruise, and my one year old's 2nd cruise. We cruised with my mom, her husband, and my sister and two of DH's friends.

Before Cruise: We flew Airtran into Orlando Airport the day before and rented a car from Avis. Avis has easy rentals inside the airport. You walk right out to the parking deck to pick up your car. We spent the night in Orlando and drove to Port Canaveral the next morning. We dropped all out luggage off at the pier, then went to return the rental car to Avis. The Avis shuttle brought us back to the port. It took about 30 minutes to return the car and catch the shuttle back.

Embarkation: We arrived at the terminal at about 1:00 PM. The security line was outside of the building but moved pretty fast. You must have out your ID or passport and your cruise documents to get in the building. We all had to go thru security; even my son's stroller had to be folded down and passed through on the metal detector belt. The next line you go to is for Registration. You must have your Bahamas Immigration Card completed and your cruise docs. This line moved pretty fast also. This is where you get cabin keys and your Sail & Sign Cards. Be advised that there are signs all over that say no cell phones. DH got his out to call his friends to see where they were and security was quick to catch him and say get off your phone. The security guard did tell DH that he could use his phone once he got on the ship, but to be cautious because International Phone rates would be in effect and he could have a high phone bill. Next up was the Embarkation Photo, then the photo for your sail and sign card. After that we were happily on the ship and making our way to our cabin. Read more