This was our first cruise with RCCL and our first time out of Port Canaveral so we took advantage of it. We flew down two days prior to sail date into Orlando where we rented a car and drove to the Country Inn and Suites in Port Canaveral Checkin was a breeze and we found the rooms to be very typical. Nothing fancy but they do have a fridge and a microwave.

The day before our cruise we drove to Kennedy Space Center and spent over 5 hours there enjoying the displays and the bus tour. It seemed a little on the pricey side for what they have to offer and I was taken aback to find that they charge $10 to park there. You can't exactly walk there from any hotel and there is no public transportation to the center. Even with that we were awed by the rockets and the well presented history of space exploration. I felt it was worth the extra day in the area to enjoy the cruise.

Embarkation was easy. There were six in our party so we had two rental cars. We decided that the best option would be to drop off the luggage and majority of the party at the pier and return the cars. So a few minutes before 11am we dropped off my mother and son who were sharing a JS along with out spouses and drove over to drop off the rental cars and ride the shuttle bus back from the rental agency. By the time we got back to the pier (about 30 minutes later) my mom and son were already up in the Windjammer! We rendezvoused with are spouses and minutes later were enjoying lunch as well. Read more