Background: First cruise for the two of us (DH 43 & Me 34). We've booked cruises on and off over the past few years and always had to cancel for various reasons. We made a last minute (for us - 35 days out) decision to cruise over New Years. Chose the Indy because it was 8 nights and visited St Martin and San Juan (also Labadee & St Thomas). We love to travel and have been many places; however, all land based. We like really nice hotels, enjoy fantastic dining and having a variety of activities.

To preface, we did not enjoy this trip and my husband said he will NEVER (his emphasis) go on another after our experience. While there were many good things about the cruise, overall we felt that we are not cruisers at heart and would rather take a really nice land-based vacation any day. I understand this is a cruise board and there will not be (if any) those that agree, but I wanted others to hear our take on our first trip and just ask that the flames not be too terribly bad! It's just our personal preference, but respect those who do enjoy it. This is really, really long....

Pre-Cruise: Due to weather concerns, we chose to drive to Ft Lauderdale from TN. We drove 4.5 hours 12/23 and stayed in Macon GA. Got up on Christmas Eve and drove the rest of the way (8 hours or so) to Ft Lauderdale. No traffic issues and drove to the Embassy Suites on 17th St without any problems. Embassy Suites was great - the usual breakfast, managers reception, rooms, etc. Nice location and easy walking distance to restaurants. The hotel will let your park your car during your cruise for $5/day, but we parked at the port so we could get out of town quick (more to come on that) Read more