We flew in from Detroit one day early in order to plan for the unexpected. We enjoyed our day in Ft. Lauderdale&we saw lots of the hurricane damage (trees uprooted, roofs damaged, signs blown out, etc.). The hotel (Bahia Mar) we stayed in had just finished the boat show two days earlier&so there was a lot of activity with the tearing down of displays and docks. The hotel seemed a bit weathered and we were a little disappointed. Our original reservations were at the Hyatt but were cancelled due to the hurricane damage.

We enjoyed running along the beach in Ft. Lauderdale and eating twice at the restaurant with the swings. It seemed to be a safe area and was about 1.5 miles from the cruise dock. We paid $15 for our ride to the cruise ship on 11/9/05. We arrived around 11:00 a.m. or so. We had a great driver who had escorted many famous people around the area. He had some stories.

At the dock, the lines were long -- I am not sure what the deal was. It appeared that the previous cruise was getting out late possible due to customs problems. Anyway we met some wonderful people in line. Read more