This was our 5th cruise - we have spent 3 with Carnival and one on NCL. We took our 12 yr old son and 14 yr old daughter, and mother-in-law. We picked the Grand due to the stops on Jamaica and Grand Cayman.

We flew out of Des Moines for a pre-night at Embassy Suites in Ft. Lauderdale - a great spot where we could see the tops of the cruise ships in port from our hotel balcony. The Princess rep met up at baggage and loaded us on a Greyhound for the short trip to the hotel. The only downside was the strong pitch for a tip ("This is how I feed my children")from our driver.

They picked us up at 1:30pm the next afternoon for the 5 min trip to the dock. Princess does have a great embarkation process. We were on board within 10 minutes of entering the building. Just make sure you have your boarding pass printed out and the health form they give you at the hotel. Read more