I took this cruise with my two sisters (both mid 50s) to celebrate my 40th birthday. I'm a fairly experienced cruiser (12 cruises under my belt), and usually sail Celebrity, but decided to give Holland America a chance because we wanted to cruise the Eastern Caribbean and Celebrity had nothing there during this time.

We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale the day before the ship left and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on State Road 84. It was a short ride to both the pier and the airport. The hotel was wonderful. It is the newest hotel in Ft. Lauderdale and the facilities are practically perfect. A complimentary shuttle picked us up at the airport and took us to the pier the next day. A full continental breakfast was served that included toast, hard-boiled eggs, pastries, cold cereal, yogurt, fresh fruit, milk, juices and coffee. Complimentary internet access is also available. Our room was large and had two queen-sized beds (versus doubles), coffee maker, DVD player, fridge, microwave and a nice desk with two comfy chairs. The bathroom was spotless and included shampoo, conditioner, lotion and nice soaps, and the best shower head and towels I've had in a hotel room in quite a while. The staff was friendly, and allowed a late checkout (12 noon) the next day. It was a great start to our vacation.

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