My wife and I set out for Fort Lauderdale for our 10th anniversary cruise. Here's a little summation:

Ft. Lauderdale Westin Beach Hotel: Location couldn't be better. When we checked in, they only had a room available with double beds (reserved a king). The room wasn't up to Westin standards. Old, tiny bathroom. Room was filthy. But we really loved the location, and had great fun with the water taxis. The ship: The Equinox was awesome, and the new Elite benefits are so wonderful! The cappuccinos in the morning in Michaels club, the free boo ze at night, the free laundry and the free internet...very cool. Everything was great until the 8th day when norovirus creeped in! 350 quarantined, staff walking around with masks, bleaching everything. Fortunately, never came down with it! Seemed to me that the staff was very lax on sanitation prior to the outbreak. Honestly expected more than that from Celebrity. Itinerary: This wasn't our favorite in the Caribbean, but glad we tried it. Columbia was the worst port that we've ever been to. Horrible, impoverished place. Made us sad. We didn't make it past the shops in Panama. Grand Cayman was nice and we enjoyed the beach, though we really prefer the route with St. Maarten. Food: Our first taste was at the Oceanview Buffet, and it was pretty good as far as buffet food is concerned. Tried two of the specialty restaurants, Silk Harvest and the Tuscan Grill. Silk Harvest was very good and the Tuscan Grill was fantastic!!!! Try the Tuscan Onion Soup.

Staff: Our cabin steward was just ok. The staff in Michael's Club in the mornings was exceptional. Read more