Just got back last night from our 5 night Western Caribbean cruise on the Enchantment of the Seas. There were 2 of us traveling: myself (29yo female--4th cruise, 1st on RCI) and my bf (45yo male--1st cruise). It was an incredible vacation and I was on the internet as soon as I got home researching our next trip!

We flew into FLL the day before the cruise which I highly recommend. Living in New York state with a connecting flight at JFK, I am familiar with the possibilities of weather and traffic related delays, especially for December. It was good that we did too because we almost missed our connection (they had to open the doors for us at the gate) and our luggage didn't show up to the hotel until 4:15 a.m. the day of the cruise. We stayed at the Comfort Suites Airport & Cruise Port in Ft. Lauderdale. I found a room on the internet for $85.00/night and thought that was a good deal. The hotel was fine--nothing fancy but a clean and comfortable place. I booked it based on its proximity and free shuttles to the airport and cruise pier. Caution: there is also a Comfort Inn Airport & Cruise Port--make sure you know the difference when getting on the shuttle from the airport! We didn't and it cost us a $20.00 tip to have the shuttle driver from the Comfort Inn take us to the Comfort Suites.

Embarkation was a breeze. We took the shuttle from the hotel to the port at about 11:15 a.m. and were eating lunch before noon in the Windjammer. Then we toured the boat while waiting for our room to be ready. The ship was beautifully decorated for the holidays and I did not see any sign of wear and tear, even for a 10yo ship. The pool deck was gorgeous. Overall, I found the ship to be a bit more understated than Carnival and the decor really flowed. Some may disagree, but I kind of enjoy the outlandish deco on Carnival and it's heavily themed areas. Read more