We chose Princess because right now it seems to be the only cruise line that offers r/t panama canal cruises and I'm really glad we did. I booked this trip over a year before we sailed (I'm a bit anal and love to plan and research) so I had plenty of time to dream and fantasize about the trip.

Now to the fun part.....

We flew down to Ft. Lauderdale the night before, as I had to work and I will not fly and sail on the same day - too many horror stories. We stayed at the Comfort Inn on Stirling Road which offered a free shuttle from the airport to hotel and free shuttle to the cruise terminal. We came in after 9:30 pm and had to wait a fairly long time for the shuttle and I was a little put out because I told them I would be arriving late and they assured me that it wouldn't be a problem. The hotel was clean, if not a little "tired" looking, but the sheets and bathroom were clean and I was only there one night, so it was fine. We met some friends there who we were talking to on CC for over a year (I started the roll call for this trip) and it was so much fun putting faces to names. Read more