Stayed at Embassy Suites near airport before boarding. Far from beaches but great rate with parking during the cruise.
Normal boarding and security in Miami. Staterooms not available until 1:30 (doors locked). Stampede at Lido Buffet. Beautiful sunset departure.LOTS of kids and families on this cruise. Much younger crowd than Princess last year. Standard inside cabin for 4 (FYI - there are nice showers in the gym if your bathroom gets jammed up). Very nice steward - Renato. 2 days at sea then 4 ports in a row: St. Maarten, St. Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk.
Pros: Great waitstaff in silver dining room - Wasan and Dewa were EXCELLENT. Comedians were all pretty good, especially Jim Brick. Samuel (from the professionals) gave great dance lessons. Karaoke was fun. Circle C kids club was okay but very crowded and difficult to find (empress room).