Departure- We got to our airport close to an hour before the flight was scheduled to leave. Due to construction at our local airport, it took about 20-25 minutes just to figure out where the long term parking was located. Once DH found it (he had dropped me off with the luggage where ya walk in), we went to the ticket counter, got checked in, collected our boarding passes and instantly got on the plane headed for Atlanta. We had around an hour's lay-over and boarded the plane early, and we got to Lauderdale as scheduled, by 1:30. We got our luggage and DH's bag was pretty much destroyed. There was an L-shaped tear in it big enough to see what was inside. Went to baggage claim and got a form done to submit so when we got back home it could be sent off & repaired. We found the Carnival rep, got on a bus within 15 minutes, and were transferred to the Fort Lauderdale Grande Hotel.

Fort Lauderdale Grande Hotel- Here it is, at least 1 review of a hotel that no-one ever talks about. Now I see why. When we checked in, it looked very nice in the lobby. Staff was friendly and helpful. No porters for luggage. They have valet parking and will get you a cab in no-time. Cabs are constantly in & out with staff outside to make sure you get one quickly. We went to the front desk and were offered a choice between a king or 2 full-size beds. We chose the king. Then, she said she had no kings available they were being cleaned. So, we took the full. They don't offer you the choice of smoking or non-smoking. We were assigned a room that was non-smoking. We couldn't have asked for a better view from the balcony. The port was directly across the street. This hotel is still under construction, I believe the tower rooms are still closed. Even though the lobby looked nice, the carpet in the hallways were stained, as were the walls. The rooms were no different however, the bed sheets were extremely clean (else we wouldn't have stayed). The water is discolored, and there's a sign that tells you that it has to do with the town's water system. The sign tells you the water is safe, but I didn't trust it. After we got to our room, we both took a nap. Then we headed to the lobby and the concierge recommended 15th Street Fisheries for a steak & seafood dinner. We grabbed a cab ($6). This place has casual & more formal seating with the casual on the one side with outside tables, and the more formal inside. We had a table right by the waterfront. There was no seafood/steak dish at all. You had to choose 1 or the other, so I ordered 1, DH ordered the other, and we shared. I wouldn't go here again, because it's not quite what we were looking for. We took a cab back to the hotel stopping at CVS along the way. DH wanted a new suitcase. Cab ride even with us stopping was a little over $10. We went back to the room, watched the gambling ship leave out, spent some time on the balcony, transferred his clothes from 1 suitcase to the new one, got the ship tags on them (the deck tags). Watched some t.v., we had to call the front desk for a remote control, there wasn't one in the room. It took them almost 30 minutes to get us one. Around 10 we called for a pizza delivery, when it arrived, the front desk called to see if we wanted to come meet him, or if we wanted them to send him up. Send him up please. After eating we went to bed. Check out is 11 and we were charged $1 for the phone call for the pizza. This hotel charges over $300 per night. There's even a sign on the door that says max charge is $400 per night. Not worth it. Maybe after renovations are done, but not now. Wouldn't want to stay there again until all work is done.

Embarkation- We checked out of the hotel at 11:00. We were told that the Carnival transfers bus usually cam by 12-12:30 at the latest. I think they finally showed up around 1:00. We got over to the pier & got off of the bus. There was a line, but not a bad one. We got right on into the terminal, and right off the bat were asked for our funpass. We had the docs, passports, funpass & immigration forms in our hands. Makes things much faster, a good idea to have it out & ready. We went through to a line and were called to the counter fairly quick. We were using traveler's cheques and had written cash over the credit card info spot on the S&S page. They tore that page out & kept it. They verified everything checked our i.d's, etc. and off to a line we went. Everyone was told that any metal you were wearing needed to come off, including belts, piercings, etc. Once through the X-ray we collected our things and proceeded through the line. We had to show docs & I.D. twice more before getting on the ship, so keep it handy. Everything was smooth and moved very quickly. When we got on board we went to the Venetian Palace where we were told to set up the cash on our S&S account. When it was our turn, they asked for S&S page out of the documents. We told them that they had torn it out at check-in. We handed them our S&S card, and put money down. Not sure why they wanted a page that had been taken, maybe it's something they should work on. Everything went smooth, even though the bus didn't show up until 1, we were at a bar with a foo-foo in hand before 1:30, and that was after we had gotten done in the Venetian Palace. So yes, it was quick. Our luggage arrived before 6, and we spent the day exploring. Tried to make reservations at Harry's for Valentine's but they were already booked solid. We made the reservations for Tuesday night. We went to the late seating as requested. In the hello speech, they stressed no shorts after the 1st night in the dining room. We met our table mates. We had 1 couple that we never saw again after the first night. We were at a table for 8, and the rest of the week, it was a table for 6. I did overhear the man say that his 1st dinner was the worst thing he'd ever had. Everyone else was happy. He struck us as someone that was gonna be unhappy no matter what. We went on to check out the casino, & then on to bed. Read more