We sailed March 13-20 on the Western Caribbean route with a group of 3 couples in three BB cabins on Caribe deck. We had 3, 60 year-olds, a 49er and two college students in tow. I am the 49er and this was my 4th Princess cruise and 6th cruise overall.

Pre-Cruise stay - We flew in the day before and stayed at the relatively new Crowne Plaza Cruise Port hotel. You can see the ships from the elevator and they have a shuttle from the airport and also to the cruise dock. The front desk was extremely pleasant, but the pillows on the beds were just too hard for good sleep. We had a very pleasant dinner in downtown Ft. Lauderdale at a French Bistro.

Embarkation - Went to the Pier 2 at about 12:00 and were on board within 20 minutes. Baggage handlers were very efficient and pleasant. The wait time mostly consisted of the TSA screening. Check-in was quick with no waiting. Read more