We had been planning a cruise for over a year to celebrate a couple of milestone birthdays birthdays. Our first choice was a Southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan, but due to the hurricane last fall, that became too complicated to get to for the group, so we selected the Exotic Eastern Caribbean cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale instead.

There were a total of 15 in our party, coming together from different parts of Canada to celebrate together. Embarkation went smoothly, and we even got VIP treatment due to the birthday celebrations! We were ushered in through the VIP entrance, and given priority boarding as a wonderful perk!

The first day was spent exploring the ship, getting familiar with the layout and the cabin. Most of us were berthed very close to each other on deck 2, with 3 couples having selected balcony cabins. Those of us on deck 2 were in aft cabins. The cabins were roomier than on some of the other ships I had sailed on and were clean, and the beds were amazing! So comfortable! I do have to say though, one couple in our group had to be moved from their assigned cabin, as it was very very noisy - their cabin # was 2461. On days 1 & 2, the noise from below (not sure if it was the engines, or pipes, or what) made it impossible to sleep. The rest in of the cabins were a bit noisy as well, but not as bad as that particular cabin. Read more