A little history - DH and I have sailed approx 19 times on Carnival, Celebrity, NCL, and Windjammer. This was our first time on RCCL. I planned a family reunion cruise for 9 and though we had sailed together on Carnival in the past, decided to try RCCL.
Precruise- We flew in the evening before the cruise to Miami and stayed at the Red Roof Inn near the airport. Cost was a factor in my decision and though we found some things wrong with our room, overall it was fine for a one night stay. They offer comfortable beds, a very small continental breakfast, and shuttle service to and from the airport and to the cruise port. There is a Bennigan's restaurant next door, where we had dinner. There is no other restaurant within walking distance.
Embarkation- We arrived at the cruise port around 12:00 noon and started processing onto the ship immediately. It was very fast and took us approx 45 minutes to walk on the ship. We weren't allowed to go to our cabins so we headed for the Windjammer Cafe for lunch. No map of the ship was given out on arrival, it would have been helpful.