SO and I were first time RCI cruisers, but have been on Princess, Celebrity and Carnival in the past. Cruising isn't our first choice for vacations, but is something we try every few years.

Pre-embarkation: We flew in the day prior to embarkation and stayed at the Hyatt House in Dania Beach. It was supposed to have an airport shuttle every half hour, but when we called to let them know we had arrived and had our luggage at 3:15, we were informed that the next shuttle was at 4:00. Rather than wait 45 minutes, we took a cab which cost just over $25 with tip. The room itself was nice and large with a small kitchen, but we'll look for a different hotel next time we cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale - one that delivers on the shuttle promise. The hotel also was pushing a $11/person (I think, might have been more) shuttle to Port Everglades in the morning. There were two departure times and the shuttle would stop at multiple ships. We declined and used Uber instead and the cost was about $13 for both of us. Cheaper and private, no other stops.

Embarkation: We arrived at the port just after 10:00 am, a little earlier than planned due to the luck of finding an Uber driver in the immediate area. Embarkation began around 10:30 and we were on the ship before 11:00. We found a spot by the Solarium pool and changed into our swimsuits in the bathroom as rooms were not ready until 2:00. Bars were open and we were enjoying the sun and some drinks almost right away. We spent most of our sunbathing time while on the ship around the Solarium pool as the loungers there had padded coverings and the pool itself is adult only, which was enforced by the Independence staff. Also enforced was the 30 minute "saving" rule on sea days. We saw the staff taking towels off of "saved" chairs several times. Read more