My wife and I booked this cruise back in September and looked forward to getting away. This was our third Carnival cruise. We were particularly excited about this trip as we were in a Category 12 suite and were excited about Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay.

We flew from Detroit to Orlando on Spirit the day before and it was a relatively painless experience. We rented a car from Thrifty using the Orlando Magic Card (found it online) and received a pretty good rate both ways. They provide a shuttle to the port and were very helpful.

We debated about where to stay the night before the cruise. Being the start of spring break and the end of Bike Week, rooms at the Country Inn and Radisson were $129. Since we were only staying less than 12 hours, we opted for a less expensive alternative. We stayed at the Luna Sea Motel in Cocoa Beach for $89 and received pretty much what we paid for. They offered free breakfast at two local eateries. It was a clean motel with a pool and friendly staff. No more, no less. Read more