My wife, son ( 8yrs) and I just returned from a 10 day Eastern Caribbean Cruise on board the Emerald Princess. This was our 7th cruise with Princess so we are pretty familiar with their product and service.
We booked our flights independently and left the Edmonton International Airport on Boxing Day. The cruise was set to depart on December 28th so we always like to leave a couple days early to allow for any unexpected delays and have a chance to unwind a bit before embarking the ship.
We have stayed in Ft Lauderdale before and this time we decided to stay at the Sheraton Beach Hotel. The hotel is in a great location right on the beach and is close to several restaurants and shops too. The room was unremarkable but good enough for two nights. The staff were very friendly mind you and made the experience that much better.