I just returned from an Eastern Caribbean cruise aboard the Epic. I am 34 and my husband is 37, and this was my 4th and DH's 3rd cruise. We previously sailed with Carnival on an ill-fated honeymoon cruise, and I sailed twice on Holland America. We were traveling with a large group of almost 30 adults who were celebrating my brother's wedding which was to take place on St. Thomas. There were no children in our group so there will be very little in this review about the kids activities on board.

Getting to Miami:

We traveled late on Friday night from DFW and arrived in Miami after midnight. By this time the shuttle running from the airport to the hotel (the Fairfield Inn Miami West) had stopped running, so we hailed a cab and payed the $32 with tip to take us to the hotel. The hotel was clean, but apart from that, was not particularly impressive. It must have previously been a motel. Hubby walked to a nearby gas station in the morning to buy a couple 12 packs of diet coke to bring aboard. We did enjoy a light complementary breakfast before taking the hotel shuttle to the port ($10/pp). The shuttle to the port left around 11. When we arrived at the port, we were on board within about 15 minutes. Swiftest embarkation yet. Read more