Background: I am 39, DH is 42. This was our 9th cruise, 1st on HAL. We used our credit card points for this trip. We only had to pay taxes and the non-discounted fees. This was the reason we tried HAL.

Hotel and embarkation: We stayed one night pre-cruise at The Renaissance on 17th St. We used our credit card points for this too. Very nice hotel, clean and comfy. Our room was large and had a view of the port. We used a taxi from FLL to the hotel. Quick and easy. The fare was about $15. We took the Sun Bus to the beach area to soak in the local atmosphere. Great place to people watch. The fare was $.50 per person one way. We used a taxi to the port on Sunday morning. The fare was about $10. There was the usual traffic jam of people unloading luggage, but our taxi driver was fairly efficient at dropping us off at a good spot. Embarkation was very fast and efficient. We were on the ship within 15 minutes of entering the building.

Ship and stateroom: We liked the ship, but it felt "enclosed" and broken up to us. The ships we normally sail on feel very open with huge atriums and areas that flow one into the next. This ship lacked that, but she is very beautiful and well maintained. Our cabin was partially obstructed by the lifeboat rigging. The window let in plenty of light, but if I had paid for this cruise I would have chosen an unobstructed view or balcony cabin. There was plenty of storage space, and our cabin steward was very kind and efficient. We had a strong sewer gas smell one night, but it only lasted a few hours so I never reported it. Otherwise, our cabin was fantastic. Read more