BACKGROUND: DW and I enjoyed our 10 day Serenade OTS in November of ’16 and so we decided to take the 11 day Southern Carib version to celebrate the end of another northern New York State (near Canadian border) Lake Effect Winter.

FORT LAUDERDALE: We flew into FLL 2 days early and stayed at the Fort Lauderdale Ramada on Federal Highway. The complimentary shuttle was running late (about an hour) but we were at the hotel within minutes after pickup. The staff was friendly and the check in was painless. The rooms have comfy beds, good TV selection plus a microwave + fridge. The next morning we ate a very good breakfast at the hotel and relaxed at the pool for part of the day before heading to the Coral Ridge Mall across the street and to the Publix to buy wine for the cruise. We set up a (complimentary) shuttle run to the pier for Noon of the following day. On cruise day, we had another great breakfast, checked out and took the shuttle to the pier. Hotel + staff = A

EMBARKATION: By the time we got to the ship (shortly after Noon), the lines had dissipated somewhat and we were directed to line for Gold level C&A members. The actual check in at the counter was no problem. The cabins were not ready so we waited in the Deck 8 Centrum area with our carry-on bags. When the cabins were ready, we dropped off our bags and had lunch at the WJ buffet. Embarkation was not enjoyable but it could have been worse. Embarkation = C Read more