There was lots of postings on the Roll Call and I read all the reviews I could find, so I thank everyone who helped me plan this vacation!

We flew down 3 days early into Ft. Lauderdale and stayed with my dad, who lives about an hour north of Miami. We did not rent a car, so the morning of embarkation we took the Tri-Rail to the Metrorail and then a taxi to the port ($15). We were planning on taking a shuttle (instead of the taxi) but the next one was more than an hour wait. We decided this was too much of a hassle and will do it differently in the future.

We arrived at the port just before noon and there was a line of about 50 people before we could enter the building. We should have been paying better attention to the signage and missed the VIP check-in but still managed to get on the ship within a half hour. We ate lunch in Tsar's Palace dining room with our friends. While we were eating lunch, it was announced that the cabins were ready. Read more