After three years in a row sailing aboard our beloved Legend, we decided to try something new. We loved the Legend largely because it's very easy to navigate and there are fewer than 2,000 passengers. That, and our favorite port of call, Roatan, Honduras, is one of her stops. We chose the Valor based largely on it being an 8 day cruise, 4 ports of call, and 4 glorious days at sea! We approached it with some trepidation as she holds close to 3,000 passengers and some previous reviewers commented on getting from the front to the back of the ship easily. The Valor is a wonderful ship and we fell in love quickly.

We stayed at the Comfort Suites North Miami airport the night before we sailed. We picked this hotel based largely on recommendations and the fact that you get free transportation to the port of Miami. Wow! This place was incredible. You get a 5 star hotel at a 2 star price. Our room was easily as nice as any Embassy Suite, they have a bar downstairs (not free) and the rudimentary complimentary breakfast in the morning - eggs, bacon, waffles, etc. And, the shuttle to the port wasn't your typical 15 passenger hotel bus. Nope, they had a 33 passenger shuttle that pulled a trailer with your luggage. This was a first class operation. We left the hotel around 10:30 and by noon we were eating lunch on the Lido deck.

Embarkation was easy enough. Sure, there were lines, but you stand in one line, take care of an activity, then move to another. In Tampa, after security, it's one great big line to an undersized waiting/holding area. Here, there was plenty of space for all and the overall process was efficient. There was way more walking here than in Tampa, but from my perspective, if I'm moving, I'm making progress. Read more