Background: I have cruised 5 times before and wife has 8 cruises completed. We have done both Carnival and Royal, and were really split on which one to cruise with next. This cruise was without the kids. We are both in our 30's. Carnival price has been the decision before, with Royal running always a little higher. After this cruise, I have decided Royal is worth the extra money for what you get.

Hotel: Stayed at Westin on Fort Lauderdale beach. Great hotel with a great view. Got good price via priceline. Watched Oasis of Seas leave port from hotel room window. That is a really large ship. Negative was no self parking. Had to pay $25 a night for valet parking. Other negative was no shuttle to cruise port which is only about 2 miles away. I would stay again even with the negatives. Drove to Park N Go lot which was a lot cheaper than cruise port parking. Thanks to some of the member reviews on recommending this parking. I highly recommend parking there. Shuttle picked us up right where I parked and dropped us off right in front of terminal.

At Port Boarding: Carried most of my bags on board myself while checking just one bag. I must say that this was the fastest boarding I have done so far. The line went so quick that I couldn't get my boarding papers out in time. Took about 10 to 15 minutes total until I stepped on board the ship. Read more