My husband and I traveled with my niece and nephew to celebrate our 20th Wedding Anniversary. We sailed on the Carnival Fantasy out of Charleston, SC, which is a three-hour trip from our home in Fountain Inn, SC.

We stayed the night before the cruise at the Quality Inn at Patriots Point. The hotel had a special for cruisers. We got a suite for the night which had a kitchenette and seating area. It was very nice and included breakfast the next morning. For the reasonable price, we received transportation to the port and they picked us up after the cruise. We left our car there during the cruise. I highly recommend doing this. We also got to tour the USS Yorktown and Fort Sumter. Both were great history lessons.

Embarkment process in Charleston went very smoothly, but despite what you may read on blogs, you cannot take a power strip and extension cord. Mine got confiscated at the port. We went to our room (oceanview R119) and it was surprisingly roomy for two people. The bed was very comfortable and the shower was "hot." I am glad I took a shoe organizer for the back of the bathroom door. That kept our counters very clean. I also took some folding bins and put our suntan lotion and beach stuff in one, and misc. stuff in another. Read more