We flew out of Milwaukee on a nonstop flight into Ft. Lauderdale the night before our cruise. We would highly recommend this to prevent any traveling snags. We stayed at the Ramada Airport/Cruiseport. The free shuttle service from the airport and to the cruise port was the reason we chose this hotel. It was a nice place to stay.

DAY 1 Embarking was organized and it didn't take too long. After getting on the ship, we went to make our Chops reservations and grab a couple of drinks. Then we wandered around the ship to familiarize ourselves with the layout. Next we headed to the Windjammer to grab a bite to eat. The multiple buffets offered lots of options. After lunch, we met our fellow CC members at the Oasis bar. We hung out there for a couple of hours and then went back to our room to get cleaned up and ready for dinner. Our bags arrived without a hitch even though the random search of bags did include mine. I found my things were a little strewn about and they left me a nice note.

We had late seating for dinner. Overall, we thought the food quality was very good and there were several options for each night. After dinner, we headed to Boleros and found our drink prices were a bit lower there. We went to the Viking Crown to meet some people and then called it a night. The music that night turned into more rap than anything and we decided not to stick around. Read more