My wife and I are mid-50's and have cruised 9 times the last three with Princess. We had an early flight on Air Tran and arrived in FLL around 9:45 AM on the embarkation date 1/13/08. We took a taxi to the port which was somewhat disorganized because disembarking pax were still getting on buses. Our driver had a little trouble getting us in position, but we were standing at the door at 10:30. There was no line and we were through security and sitting in the waiting area with our No. 1 card within short order. They told us the ship wouldn't board until noon, but we were called up around 11:30 and into our cabin B726 and eating at the Horizon court by noon.

We did a quick walk through of the ship and then left the ship to go to the local Publix store for Pepsi and Asti. It was about a 15-min. walk to the store along with many of the crew. The Island was at Pier 2 which is right next to the 17th street security gate which made for a short walk. We were back on board by 2PM (Princess is right when they say that's the best time to arrive) and there was no line at security. We started to walk around the ship some more to get the feel of it. A very nice ship indeed, very clean and well maintained. There was some noticeable wear in some high traffic areas, but overall a very nice ship. They could use some wastebaskets in some of the public areas. Many times I wanted to throw something out and couldn't find one. Most people just put it on a table or counter, but I just don't feel right about doing that.

We saw our steward who gave us the usual introduction and explanations. We asked him for an egg crate because we noticed right away that the mattresses were very lumpy and sagging. Read more