A group of 9 of us just returned from the Southern Caribbean Sunshine cruise from March 4-12, 2017. We had ports of Aruba, Curacao, and Grand Turk. We drove from KY and arrived the night before in Port Canaveral. We stayed at Residence Inn at the Port and used their shuttle service to/from the ship. Everything worked smoothly.
Embarkation day:
We took a 10am shuttle to the port. Traffic was backed up from several large tour buses unloading. Our shuttle driver made the decision to drop us and our luggage off in the garage. She said it would save us at least 30 minutes. Off the shuttle we went and up the ramps into the terminal. We had 11-11:30 check in time also with Faster to the Fun (FTTF). There really was not a line so check in was very quick. The terminal was packed. Not sure why we had to choose a check in time if they let everyone in no matter what time they chose. We had to wait until around 12:30 to board. Once on board, the wives and kids headed to the Havana Bar to get lunch. The guys dropped luggage off at our rooms, hit the excursion desk to order Behind the Fun Tour, and then to guest services to inquire about alternative muster station for my parents since they have some health issues. I got my first drink using the Cheers package at the atrium bar. All went off without a hitch.
Loved the scenic ocean view room. Had we not needed to switch dates due to Carnival changing the itinerary, we would have been in a Grand Scenic Ocean View
Took a cab to Mabo Beach. While most stayed at the beach, some of us went to the Curacao Distillery.
Snorkeled the Wall and hung out at the beach.
Arrived 3 hours late so all we did was walk down the main strip of Palm Beach.
Quick check in at the port