We booked this cruise almost a year ago as a combined birthday/holiday celebration. Our two daughters turned 18 and 21 within 4 weeks of one another, so we felt this would be a nice, quick trip to take with them. It would be their first cruise, and the 3rd for DH and me. We decided to fly down to Ft. Lauderdale a couple of days early to enjoy the weather and spread out the very expensive airfare over more time. Arrived at our hotel, the newly renovated Courtyard Ft. Lauderdale, around 11 and enjoyed spending the day outdoors. Had lunch at Sangria's and dinner at Primanti Brothers. Delish!! Second day was a repeat of the first, with a couple of hours spent on the beach.  On Thursday, we grabbed some smoothies before heading over to the port. The valet at the hotel told us their van would take us to the port- omitting the cost of $9 per person! A cab would have been half that! Live and learn- we are seasoned travellers and should have known better than to assume anything was free! Oh well, I'll deal with Marriott on that issue separately.

We were dropped off at the port at 11:40 and were checked in and at the Windjammer by 12:05. Absolutely wonderful embarkation process- I guess most of the people arrived later, because the ship was totally full. The food in the Windjammer was adequate; nothing to write home about. We enjoyed a quick bite before heading down to the dining room to check out our table, which we asked to change (the location really didn't appeal to us- right on a corner where many people, including the waiters, would be walking all over us). The maitre'd offered us a choice of 2 other options, sending a waiter with us to check them out. He was very helpful, and offered his opinion of which table would work out better. We went with his suggestion and were not disappointed. Next we went to see our cabins, then changed and headed up to the Solarium pool.2 of us took the tour of the spa and health club- it's a really nicely equipped facility, with lots of treadmills and elliptical machines, as well as weight machines. The other 2 were lucky to snag 4 lounge chairs right by the pool. At around 4:15 we went back to the cabin to prepare for muster, which occurred at 4:30. Sailing was delayed about 1/2 hour due to late arriving passengers, and at around 5:30 we sailed from Ft. Lauderdale.  Dinner on night 1 started 45 minutes later than usual, so early seating was between 7 and 7:30. At 7, we joined the line outside the dining room then headed to our table. We met our waiter, Rico,and our asst. waiter, Edmund, both from the Philippines. They were fantastic- friendly and efficient throughout the whole trip. By night 2 they knew my younger daughter wanted a diet coke with her meal and I drink decaf coffee. Really great service! Dinner was excellent, with many delicious options to choose from. After dinner we headed to the theater for the welcome show, then up to the Cosmopolitan Club for drinks.

Day 2 was a day at sea. Went to the health club and enjoyed a 30 minute walk on the treadmill, then to the Windjammer for breakfast. Again, the food was adequate and it was very crowded. We spent the morning sitting around the Solarium pool, then went to the dining room for lunch. That was a great decision, as the food was great and the service excellent. Returned to the Solarium pool for the afternoon. Headed back to the cabins around 3:30 so we could get ready for formal night. Had a delicious dinner in the dining room, then took our formal pictures, before heading to the theater for the evening's entertainment. Read more