We love getting out of the cold Northeast this time of year to the warm Caribbean. This year we luckily chose a cruise that was unaffected by last summer's hurricanes and went to the ABC islands. We prefer leaving from Port Everglades to Port of Miami, so this cruise was ideal all around. We arrived in FLL the day prior to departure and were concerned when we were checking into our hotel and received phone call, text message and emails advising us that the cruise prior to ours had norovirus. We were told not to arrive prior to 12:30 PM due to extra sanitization measures being performed. Embarkation was slower than usual since everyone seemed to arrive at the port at the same time and there were long lines. For the most part however, check in moved quickly despite a bit of disorganization caused by people arriving simultaneously and being unclear about where the end of the line was. That being said, we were able to proceed through the zigzagging lines relatively quickly and were aboard ship in a little over a half hour. Although we had purchased additional sanitizing wipes as a precaution, we were very impressed by the measures taken by this ship's staff. All flowers, salt and pepper shakers were removed from dining tables all around the ship. Staff served everything from the OVC, including beverages. Every menu was wiped down prior to being seated in every restaurant we frequented. Seats, tables,railings,elevators and theater were also consistently wiped down more than usual for the first three days of the cruise. Although a bit inconvenient to some, we appreciated the extra precautionary measures and they seemed to work well. After three days, things returned to normal.

Our cabin (Aqua Class A1) was port side deck 12 on the hump and had an extra big balcony. It was mid-ship near the elevator and the Captain's Club desk. It was extremely quiet. The view was unobstructed, not windy and our stateroom attendant, Ian, was among the best we've had. He learned our preferences quickly, was very attentive, had our room made up quickly both morning and evening.

We dined in Murano the first night for a 50% discount and as always, it was wonderful. We both had the Lobster Murano, and Crepes Ballon Rouge for dessert (both our favorites). As always, the service was impeccable, attentive without being overbearing and the food and wine was delicious. The rest of the cruise, we dined in Blu. We thoroughly enjoyed both the food, service, ambience and view. The maître d in Blu, Ante, was the hardest working, pleasantest, and most available maître d we've come across in all of our cruises. He addressed us by name on the second afternoon of the cruise when he saw us at lunch in the OVC. We had the same waiter and assistant throughout the cruise in Blu, Elvin and Diaz, and we were very pleased with their service. We also especially enjoyed the breakfasts in Blu. Read more