This was our 5th cruise, our 2nd with Princess. Our group included my DH and 2 other couples. We flew into Fort Lauderdale a few days early as DH had to attend a conference at the convention center. We stayed at the Embassy Suites on 17th Street ~ beautiful hotel with free Cooked to Order Breakfast and 2 hour Manager's Reception (open bar) daily.

We took a shuttle from the hotel $7/person to the port and arrived at 11:30 AM. There was a line which moved quickly and we were in our room by 12:15 PM. As someone else's review stated, the Patter said the dining room was open for lunch, but when we got there we were told it was only for back to back cruisers. We went up to the buffet for lunch and then walked around the ship.

The muster drill is held inside so you don't have to stand out in the heat and following its conclusion we went up on deck for the sail away party. Read more