Arrived Saturday prior to cruise at 10:00 p.m. and stayed at the LaConcha hotel. Got it for $115 on Priceline which is a great deal since the rooms run $300+ per night. Hotel was completely sold out and as was mentioned in a previous review the De La Hoya fight was being broadcast in the hotel and out by the pool with a big crowd. Hard to find any seats, but we couldn't hear it in our room (facing the ocean). One note here, I was told over the phone by people at LaConcha since we got our room through Priceline we couldn't get an ocean view room. This was not the case at all. We stayed before the cruise and after and both times had no problems getting an ocean view room with a balcony. Beware of the breakfast buffet in the Level 25 restaurant. It's $20 per person. We didn't know and wanted something quick on embarkation morning. Lesson learned. The pools were very good and service exceptional all over the hotel. I've stayed at many hotels and this was probably one of the nicest, with the best bed and pillows I have ever experienced. They also have a newly opened casino, which isn't large, but they give you free drinks if you play. Plenty of restaurants and a Walgreens near the hotel within walking distance. We walked to Walgreens and bought a case of water to take on board with us and got last minute essentials we didn't want to carry onto the plane.

EMBARKATION: Okay, since this was our first cruise, we couldn't wait for embarkation (it was supposed to be from 2:00 p.m. and after 3:00 for faster service). We took a cab around 1:00 p.m. to the pier and were onboard by 1:30. Very small line, but it moved quickly.

We brought our tequila and countreau with us in our rumrunners, packed in our checked luggage, and we had no problems getting it onboard. We could have bought our alcohol right at the pier and carried it on in our carry on. I saw a lot of people doing this and no one had their alcohol confiscated. The only problem I had was buying the "mixers" for my margaritas, which the liquor store did not have. So here I sat with my smuggled tequila and no way to make margaritas. Definitely a lesson learned. Always bring along your mix, or go to the store before boarding to get it. I should also note that I purchased some rum at St. Lucia and carried it right on in my beach bag. Read more