After 2 Carnival cruises, we booked this HAL cruise because of the itinerary (Grand Turk, San Juan, and St. Maarten). The cruise also included a day on HAL's private island, Half Moon Cay, but we stayed on the ship instead.

We embarked at Fort Lauderdale, having driven to the Rodeway Inn and Suites near both the cruise terminal and the airport. We had purchased a package there which included one night, parking for our car during the cruise and a free shuttle both to and from the cruise port. The hotel was nothing fancy, but clean and efficiently managed. Compared to other offers in the area, it was a very good deal.

We absolutely loved this ship. It is a mid-sized vessel which we like. The public rooms are elegant, yet welcoming. For us, the range of activities was perfect, but I can see that families with children might be disappointed. I took advantage of three digital photography classes, while my husband enjoyed the art seminars. The library was wonderful, offering a variety of reading matter as well as puzzles and trivia contests. It was also a great place to sail into port because its windows offer broad views of each port with descriptions by the cruise director of various sites. Read more