Carnival Legend, 8-Day Exotic Southern to St. Marteen, Barbados, and Martinique, departing Fort Lauderdale 1/24/04.

PRE-CRUISE: This was the sixth cruise for my husband, Roger, and I. We flew to Fort Lauderdale a day early via US Airways. This was our first time on US Airways, and we were disappointed with how little room there was between seats and that we had to seat separately on both legs of our trip to Fort Lauderdale. Otherwise, the flight was uneventful and arrived safely on time.

We had booked our pre-cruise stay at the Ramada Fort Lauderdale Airport/Port Everglades free due to multiple stays at like hotels. Their website claimed a restaurant, bar, and free transportation to and from the airport and pier, so we figured this was a deal we couldn't beat. After picking up our luggage, we phoned the Ramada to ask where to catch the van, and they directed us to an area to wait nearby. We waited ... and waited ... and waited ... almost an hour. Others waiting on other hotels had waited more than an hour. We were one of the lucky ones picked up within an hour. Read more