This was our first cruise. My wife, 2 children (ages 7 and 9) and myself chose the Carnival Miracle mainly because of the itinerary (it left just before March Break and returned before the busy travel weekend...and the stops of Panama, Costa Rica and Belize seemed to be out of the ordinary.) We were a bit worried about the "fun ship" reputation of Carnival and were warned we would not get away from noise and partying. We booked on the Miracle anyway. Well, we were not disappointed!

PRE-CRUISE: The flight from Detroit to Fort Lauderdale the day before the cruise was a bit delayed due to weather. However, we finally got to Fort Lauderdale after midnight. We were booked at the Comfort Inn Airport/Cruise Port South on Stirling Road in Hollywood, FL. The shuttle service to the hotel had apparently ended for the evening (apparently it ends at 12:30 am) so we had to take a taxi. The cab ride cost about $20. We found the hotel clean and comfortable. I think we paid $149. There is a great breakfast buffet (included in price) in the morning. It's a great choice for pre-cruise accommodation. There is a free shuttle bus to the port which takes about 15 mins. Be sure to book it upon arrival at the hotel because they fill up.

EMBARKATION: As it was our first cruise, we really had no idea what to expect for embarkation. The process could not have been easier or quicker. We had pre-registered online all our documentation. We spent no more than 5-10 minutes in line and 5 minutes with the embarkation agent (there were at least a dozen agents which made the line move very quickly). The time from when we stepped off the shuttle bus until we stepped onto the ship was no more than 20-30 minutes! Read more