This was our first cruise. We are a married couple of about 40 from BC. We have previously been only to the Bahia Principe Tulum Akumal in 2000. We do not sunbathe; just enjoy shady quiet places and the snorkeling in the warmth of the Caribbean

Our flight arrived in Miami at 10 am, and we took a $30 cab ride to Wal-Mart to get photos developed from the previous leg of our journey and get soda & juice. Then we took another $35 ride to the port. (Ok, ok, so it cost us $35 extra for soda and juice, but we really needed those photos and had the time to spare!)

Arrival - The port was in chaos when we arrived at about 12:30 pm, when boarding seemed to begin. Had it been raining, I'm not sure how our luggage would have stayed dry, but as it wasn't raining, they must have a different plan for that. We realize that it was the very first time that the pearl has docked there, so things will get better as the staff gets more familiar with the process at that port. I think that it took about an hour, and was trouble free except for so very many people in lines. I heard that Latitude members didn't get special treatment as expected, but again, that was due to staff inexperience, not on purpose. We attempted to take a few cans of beer with us & had it taken away until the end of the cruise, (but got it back on the last night so still had time to enjoy it cheaply) Read more