There were four of us on this particular cruise. To reach Ft. Lauderdale we took the Cruise Connection from Sarasota, Fl. and arrived around noon time. The porters were there to take our luggage. A person from the Cruise Connection handed us stickers to put on our clothing for the return trip. We walked into the terminal and were directed to the reservation desk. However, once inside, we were given a number and directed to the wait area. There were already many passengers seated awaiting their turn. We sat for almost a half hour before our number was called and once at the reservation desk it took only minutes for us to receive our room key and have our passports checked. We were told we could go directly to our room, which we did.

Our stateroom was clean and immaculate. Plenty of closet and drawer space for our two week adventure. The bathroom was one of the largest we had seen on a ship. It included a soaking tub with shower. The only draw back here was that there was no step stool for entering and exiting. For some people this would have been a real hardship if they were not agile enough to climb in and out on their own.

Being hungry, we made our way to the Lido deck for the lunch buffet. We met our friends and found a table. Going through the buffet we found many of the items were gone and were not being replenished. It was only 1:15pm in the afternoon and we all thought lunch was until 3pm. No one at the reservation desk had given us the information that lunch was served only until 2pm. If we had known, we would have just dropped our carryons in the stateroom and gone immediately to the buffet. Or, as a suggestion, have a buffet set up in the reservation area for those just coming on board. What we also didn't realize is that there were other people who had embarked a week earlier for a 21 day cruise. Read more