First off, some background on me that surely influences my review. This is our first cruise after 29 yrs of marriage. I've resisted cruising for a long time. I'm a "control freak" and don't like crowds. We travelled with another couple . . . our travel buddies.

We got to Ft. Lauderdale the day before our cruise and Holland America (HAL)arranged transfer from the airport to a hotel and from the hotel to the ship on the following day. When we arrived at the Ft. Lauderdale airport there was no Holland America representative to be found. Princess had reps all over the place - - I'd say 10 or more different reps. Finally after waiting around for 15+ minutes we had baggage claim page for a HAL rep. He finally showed after another 15 min. Then after 10 min of negotiating with their contracted bus service he led us on a 1/4 mile hike outside the terminal (all of us pulling our own luggage) to the bus pick-up location. Bad start, but luckily things improved from there.

Our hotel was nice, but it was in an industrial area without any nearby restaurants/bars. The HAL rep in the hotel was very nice and helpful. Took a cab to a great (fairly expensive) seafood restaurant and transfer to the ship the next day went without a hitch. Read more