?My wife and I (early 50s) sailed on the Grand Princess (our second cruise on this ship) in late February 2012. We flew into Fort Lauderdale the day before the ship's departure and stayed at Extended Stay America on the 17th Avenue Causeway ($165 plus tax). Next door is a Holiday Inn Express, but it's $209 plus tax, though has a full hot breakfast. Extended Stay has a very basic continental breakfast and no shampoo in the rooms. This is a great location for cruisers, as nearby are the port and two malls, liquor stores, a CVS pharmacy, a Walgreens pharmacy, and several restaurants. At the airport we waited a half hour for the hotel shuttle, checked in, and headed to dinner at Quarterdeck restaurant (so-so food and service) on Cordova Avenue.

The next morning we walked to Total Wine & More to buy a few bottles of wine and beer for the cruise. It's not that we want to avoid what Princess charges for wine in the dining rooms, but the list is basically the same unimaginative one for the past decade.

The hotel has a free shuttle to the port, but by the time we arrived all but the noon slots were filled and we like to get to the port earlier. It took awhile for a taxi to arrive, as 23,000 people were boarding the several ships here the same day. The taxi was about $15 including tip. Because we are Platinum members of the Captain's Circle, we went to the separate waiting area for priority boarding. After several minutes check in started, and we were on the ship at 12:05 p.m. After seeing our cabin we headed to the Horizon buffet for lunch. The breads and desserts are now across from the main buffet area, freeing up room and improving traffic flow. Then it was off on the scavenger hunt to visit the various departments like Photo, Spa, Shops, etc. and get Read more