This cruise was my sixth cruise (3rd with Royal Caribbean) and I have not taken a bad cruise yet. The cruises I take just keep getting better. The Independence of the Seas had plenty to offer for all ages and is a great option for families.

We cruised as a family of four. We arrived the day before in Fort Lauderdale and stayed nearby the cruise port and pretty close to the airport as well. We stayed at the Hyatt Place 17th St. Convention Center. They provided a free airport shuttle and breakfast was included. I would recommend staying here since it was very easy for us. It is not particularly close to the beach area, but there are plenty of restaurants and shops nearby. The cab fare to the beach was around $10 (flat rate). The day we arrived at the hotel, we signed up for the cruise port shuttle which is $7 a person from this hotel (not sure about others). I then found out that the cab fare to the port would be a lot cheaper. It was $15 for the four of us. It depends on how much traffic there is. We left at around noon and there was waiting to get in through the gates.

Embarkation was very easy and was organized. Have your set sail page in hand when arriving, because they will ask for it a lot. We carried our carry-on luggage on and had the porters take our big suitcase. We boarded the ship after about 20 minutes or so in the terminal. Rooms are not ready until 1-1:30, so we headed up to the Windjammer Cafe and started our vacation there. Read more