This was the 29th Cruise on eight different Cruise lines for my wife and I, our eighth Cruise with Celebrity, and our third on Solstice Class ships. We have developed a love for this class of Ship after sailing on the Silhouette last April and doing a TA on the Equinox last fall. The Eclipse and it's crew did not let us down. This was the second time we had done this same Itinerary after sailing it on the Constellation in Jan. of 2012.
We flew to FLL two days early as we have usually done over the last several years and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express for the first time. The HIE was very nice and the staff excellent. A light breakfast was provided in the am and the rooms were clean and comfortable. We rented a car for the second day from Gold Coast Rentals which was the second time we have done so. They pick you up at your hotel, and when you drop the car off they provide a free shuttle to the pier. Cars are new and well maintained and the prices are very reasonable.
Embarkation went very smoothly after we arrived around 11:30am. We had a few minute wait after checking in but we were allowed on board by 12:00 and on our Cruise. We grabbed a cocktail and wandered the ship a bit before getting a snack just before 1:00. Cabins were available by 1:30 and then we could grab a couple chairs and start the tan going.