We chose this cruise on recommendation of our AAA agent and for an itinerary which included the ABC Islands. We stayed at Cruise Port Inn in Fort Lauderdale for two nights prior to embarkation and anticipate that after the renovation now in progress, it will be a much nicer place to stay. The staff were very friendly and helpful in spite of the physical mess. The breakfast area was a crowded disaster, and public areas were overcrowded and less than clean. The room was clean and adequate and fairly quiet even tho we backed onto a busy road.

The embarkation process went smoothly and our luggage was in our rooms by the time we arrived. Our room was on the 4th deck over the Theater. I would not book this room again as we heard the last performance every night from our room, as we were usually in by 10-10:30PM. We heard nothing from the rooms around or across from us.

We had asked for first dinner seating with our traveling companions, and were waitlisted, therefore did open seating every night. We never had to wait long for a table unless we chose to dine with just the four of us and even then was never more than a 5-10 minute wait. I enjoyed the larger groups, but found with more than 6 at a table, it was very hard to hear and carry on a conversation with anyone but the person on either side, and as there were mostly elderly on board this was an issue every night. Also, we never became familiar with the dining room staff as those at assigned tables did. The food in the dining room was great, especially enjoyed the fresh fish choices nightly. We also ate at the Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto's, and had wonderful meals and unhurried service for both nights. We frequently ate at the Lido for lunch and although they offered the same options daily, there was enough variety to keep us satisfied and the service was as attentive as in the dining room. Read more