Embarkment: We came down a day early and rented a car one-way to Port Canaveral.  This is cheaper than using the cruise shuttle AND you really want to get there a day early to avoid any possibility of missing the ship.  We spent some time in Cocoa Beach and hit the tourist sites such as Ron Jon Surf shop.  We stayed at the Raddison which is a pretty nice place.  They also have a shuttle to the airport, but Avis seemed less crowded and there was no price difference in returning the car Saturday night or Sunday morning.  So, Sunday morning we ate breakfast at IHOP, went to Avis, jumped on the shuttle and was at the port in 10 minutes.  We arrived about 11:30 and was on the ship by 11:45-12:00.  The rooms would not be ready until 1, so we headed up to Windjammer for some food, then out to the pool desk to soak up some sun. 

After that, we checked out our room...Interior aft.  It was pretty cramped but nothing I didn't expect.  The bed was confortable and the shower "tube" was always an adventure.  The various comedians always made fun of the tube J 

Onto dinner.  Overall, the food was OK in the main dining room.  Definetely a bar below where it used to be.  2 years ago I had a hard time deciding what to get, and usually wound up ordering multiple apps, and 1 or 2 entrees each night.  This cruise, I had a hard time finding something I did like.  One night, Chicken Marsala was the "chef choice" and the entire table sent theirs back because it was so salty...seemed like it was sitting in a brine solution or something.  Read more