EMBARKATION:

We flew into Ft. Lauderdale and stayed in a guest house for 2 nights. On Sunday, we returned the rental car and they shuttled us to the port about 11:30 a.m. It seemed busy out front and I was expecting a long line to check in but to my relief, once we were inside, it took only 10 minutes to board the ship. I was in a Concierge cabin which has it's own line but it looked like there was minimal wait times for all. I highly recommend flying in at least the day before. Ft. Lauderdale is a great place to play. If you do, try to find a viewing spot along the entrance to the harbor around 4:30 p.m. to watch the procession of ships leave on Saturday night. It was really fun.

Once onboard, we were greeted and given champagne and/or wine. A really nice treat that set the tone for the whole cruise. They were not allowing anyone to proceed to their cabin until after 1 p.m. so we headed up to the Oceanview Buffet for lunch. As you may have read on other reviews, it is laid out with stations and did not have any long lines even though a good amount of people were there. I have only traveled on Royal Caribbean and it was very similar to the Windjammer but the food seemed to be just a bit better. They had a lot of variety from Asian to Italian stations, salad bar, breads, cheeses, burgers, etc. You should find something that you like. After having our fill, we took a stroll up top and then headed to the cabin as they announced it cabins were inspected and ready. Read more