Our 'February Club' consists of our four best friends and my husband and me. Having been friends since the 60s, we're now in our 60s! Each February for the past several years, we have taken a vacation together - from skiing in the Austrian Alps to snowmobiling in Utah. This year, the couple in charge planned a Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Miracle. To say we were apprehensive was an understatement. My sister and brother-in-law have lately become passionate cruisers with only luxury lines and they were upset that our first cruise was going to be so 'downscale'. They thought it would turn us off cruising forever.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

We drove to Fort Lauderdale from our home on an island in southwest Florida. Boarding the ship seemed like a bit of a cattle call, but again, we had no experience, and it didn't take more than an hour. Our friends were already on board and we were able to go to our cabins immediately. Read more