This was our 14th Princess cruise and the second time on the Grand, the first time being our honeymoon in April 1999. Our party of four are in our 40s and 50s.

We booked a guarantee AE and were upgraded to category AB. We flew into Fort Lauderdale the evening before and stayed at the Extended Stay on 17th Street. This is a very good, basic hotel close to a Publix and liquor store for any last minute purchases.

We arrived at the pier at approximately 11:15 a.m. and handed over our luggage. There were showers off and on all day on the day of embarkation. After spending approximately 1 hour in the holding lounge, boarding commenced first with elite then platinum passengers. We were on board in less than 10 minutes once platinums were called. Read more