I am overcome by jet-lag, and am drinking a pina colada made with blackstrap rum, but I shall do my best to convey how fabulous our trip on the Crown Princess truly was.

An idea, first, of our group. My sister (who is an experienced cruiser, and who had handled much of the arranging of this huge undertaking) and her friend from work, my aunt and uncle (in their late 60's or so, and who are quite experienced cruisers though this was their first time on Princess), my brother and sister-in-law (with their two sons ages 3 1/2 and 5, none of whom had ever cruised before), my mom and step-dad (who had never cruised before), and my boyfriend and I (who were also cruise noobs). Also, please note that I tend to be a raging misanthrope, and the idea of being trapped at sea with 3200 other people was striking a touch of terror into my blackened little heart.

We arrived in Fort Lauderdale on March 1st, most of us, and since it was rather late at night, went directly (via complimentary shuttle) to the Hyatt Place North. This completely non-smoking property had incredibly comfortable beds, huge TVs, free wi-fi, and a lovely free breakfast in the morning. They also had a complimentary shuttle to Port Everglades, and got the 10 of us there in plenty of time to meet up with the last two of our party before embarkation. Read more