My wife and I are 41 and 40 respectively, both professionals, and have cruised six times with six different cruise lines prior to this 7 night Western Caribbean cruise. While we have traveled extensively, my wife now has an unfortunate mobility issue due to a chronic disease. This makes cruising a preferred method of travelling for us.
We flew into Miami International two days prior to embarkation and stayed at the highly rated Hampton Inn Blue Lagoon. This is an excellent hotel in a good location for those interested in a pre-cruise, affordable hotel. We rented a car and toured Miami and also drove north up the coast. A valuable tip is that if you rent a car, you can return the car to the rental center and hop on a free shuttle to the port.
Arriving at the port at about 11:45 AM, the embarkation process was by far the best of any of the cruise lines we've been on. Seamless, quick and easy. Probably only took about 15 minutes from the time we got off the shuttle to the time we were boarding the ship.
Wonderful cabin for the price. They sell it as an obstructed view, but we had no concerns at all with the obstruction, as it was only if you wanted to look down toward the water. The cabin itself was very quiet, with a well designed bathroom. We would book it again.