My wife (21) and I (22) have cruised a few times in the past, mostly on Carnival. She had cruised with American Family and the Big Red boat when she was younger, but all I've ever known was Carnival. Thus, this was our first cruise on Princess. We picked this cruise because the price was right. We want to experience all the benefits of a cruise at the cheapest cost possible, and this cruise was the same price as a Carnival cruise we had looked at and thought it would be a good idea to try something new, knowing that Princess is known to be a bit more upscale than others. Our overall experience led us to be satisfied to be on a cruise, but scratching our heads as to why they tend to cost more than your average Carnival cruise. See below and I will explain more what I mean.

Embarkation and Disembarkation

Embarkation was as easy as pie. We arrived at the dock at 1pm exactly and were on the ship before 1:30. We went right through security, straight up to a counter to check in, and got right on the boat and into our cabin. It was great. Very easy. Great job! Disembarkation was just as easy. Our group was the last group to leave and we were to meet in the Island dining room at 9:30. They promptly called our group at 9:35 and began to escort us off the ship. We were off the ship by 9:45 and through customs and in the parking lot by 10am. The taxi line was quite long but if you are trying to go to FLL Airport, take this hint if you don't know it already. The rental car shuttle takes you right to the airport, not the terminals, but the parking garage and you can just walk straight from there to the terminal. Just tell them you are renting a car and get on. We bypassed the entire taxi line, got on the shuttle and were at the airport by 10:30 and we didn't even rent a car. We just walked right downstairs and down the walkway to Terminal one. Read more