This was our first Princess cruise and our 3rd overall. I have to say that it was a great cruise from beginning almost to the end. More on that later. We flew in the day before the cruise and stayed in the Crowne Plaza Hollywood hotel. Nice hotel, but a little far from the port. The taxi cost was $35 from the hotel to Port Everglades. We will stay closer next time.

Embarkation: Arrived at the port at 10:30 and received the first boarding (after elite and priority passengers). Began boarding at 11:30 and we went straight to the Passengers Service Desk and signed up for the Ultimate ship Tour. We were 11th and 12th to sign up so we were hopeful. More on that later. Embarkation was incredibly fast and we were in our room by 11:45 even with a stop at the PSD. Luggage was at our room an hour later and our room steward (Mariana) greeted us with a huge smile and our tickets for our excursions. She was great. Our room was spotless and she always greeted us with a smile and a "can I get you anything?"

Ship: Beautiful. Loved the colors and decorations were very high class. The ship was extremely clean and even though it is new they were constantly polishing her and doing touch up painting. Read more