This was our 2nd cruise (1st with Carnival), Grand Princess being the 1st. After 5 years of being a travel agent I was hesitant to book a Carnival Cruise because of what I'd previously heard about it being a party ship. My husband and I were celebrating our 5th anniversary and my little sister was graduating high school so we took her and my mom along to celebrate both occasions. We were paying for part of my sisters way price which was a huge part of why we booked this particular itinerary and ship.

*NOTE We left the night before on the red eye from Seattle on Alaska Airlines. Dreadful! I'm generally an Alaska fan but the small 737 was packed and there were no pillows or blankets left by the time we boarded. Our exit row seats didn't recline and the temperature of the flight was cold. The steward/stewardesses were not very pleasant either which made for an all around uncomfortable flight.

Since we were on a budget I found that the cheapest way to get from the airport to Port Canaveral was to rent a car with Avis. We drove the 45 minute distance to the Cape Canaveral Avis location for drop off. They had a shuttle to the port which was very convenient. Read more