I just returned from a 5 night Western Caribbean cruise on Enchantment of the Seas. I am 27 years old and went on this trip with my parents who are in their 50s. We've been on several cruises in the past and have loved all of them!

Hotel: We left Friday night and didn't arrive in Fort Lauderdale until 1:30 a.m. We stayed at the Hampton Inn because they had a free shuttle 24 hrs a day from the airport to the hotel. They also had a free shuttle to the port in the morning and breakfast was included. We wanted to leave for the ship on the first shuttle, however, since we arrived late, we had to sign up for the 12:30 p.m. shuttle instead. If you are going to arrive late to the hotel like we did, I suggest calling ahead of time to be put on the list for the earlier shuttle. At first I was disappointed that we couldn't leave for the ship until 12:30 p.m., however, it worked out well since we were able to sleep in, eat breakfast, and go for a swim before we left!

Embarkation/First Day: Embarkation was a breeze. There was no line and we were able to get on the ship with no problems at all. As soon as we got on the ship, we ate at the Windjammer and then went to our room. We dropped off our things and then took a tour of our ship! My father really wanted to go to Chops, so as a special treat, we decided to surprise him and make reservations. By the time we got on the ship, they were booked for the whole week except for the first night. Read more