Some background: We have been cruising since 2003 having sailed on 7 previous cruises, all on Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Princess. We try to sail the newer ships. On this cruise it was just my husband and self and our youngest, our 16 year old son.
Precruise: We flew down the evening before the cruise and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Convention Center. The airport shuttle was prompt and the driver polite but we were a bit disappointed in the hotel. It was quite old, rooms small and the elevator did not work on the day of check-out (we were on the 4th floor). On the positive side, the hotel was well-located, a walk from several restaurants and shopping. We did not use the hotel's shuttle to the port as it was cheaper to take a cab for the 3 of us.
Embarkation: We were in the cab by 11:15 am and onboard the ship by 12:20! It was an easy smooth embarkation. We carried on 3 bottles of wine and a 24 pack of soda without a problem. Rooms were not ready until 1:30 pm so we spent our time eating at the Lido and laying by the aft pool with the great view of the other ships in port.