After many months of anticipation, we arrived in Fort Lauderdale a day before the cruise. Our accommodation, the Hampton Inn North, was comfortable and their shuttle service picked us up at the airport, delivered us to dinner, and to the cruise port. First impressions of the Sun Princess. Although 10+ years old, this old girl is impressive. The Italian marble in the Grand Plaza is one of the first things to catch your eye. She's every bit as impressive as some of the newer ships, although her atrium is only 4 decks deep.

THE STATEROOM: A balcony cabin on Aloha deck. Small, but sufficient. The balcony was tiny compared to other ships we've been on, but the cutout on the side of the ship was larger than on Caribe deck. Plenty of storage and the suitcases fit under the bed. The bathroom was tiny, but adequate. Our steward, Isabelita, was attentive and got us an eggcrate cover as requested.

DINING ROOM: We booked anytime and the Marquis Dining Room is a mirror image of the traditional Regency. We asked one of the head waiters on the first day for a particular table for 8:30 each evening and he arranged for us to have it. It was a table for 4, but we mostly ate alone, as we wanted. Our wait staff were Luis and Eduardo and we had very attentive service, and got to know much of their working and personal lives. We did not visit the Horizon Court except on the first day aboard, for lunch. Verdi's, the pizza restaurant, is quite nice, and the pizzas are very good. They could offer more ingredients, but otherwise we enjoyed it. Read more