Background We are from WI, in our mid 30s and cruised with my sister and her husband, who are in their mid 40s. We like to drink, explore and relax on our vacations. This was our 4th cruise. All have been with NCL (Majesty, Spirit, and Star previously) and have been 7 days. We chose this cruise because it was very inexpensive, and it was this or no winter vacation.

Pre-cruise We flew into Miami on Saturday to spend a few days unwinding before embarkation. I find this really helps me make the most of the cruise. We spent Saturday night on the outskirts of Miami. Sunday we drove the southern route through the Everglades (Hwy 41). We saw a TON of gators literally right on the swamp next to the road. A much better drive than "Alligator Alley" on the tollway. There are some good "nature center" stops along the way. We spent Sunday afternoon in Marco Island and Naples. Marco Island was a lot of fun.

Embarkation We had a rental car, so my husband dropped three of us at the pier (it was fairly easy to find and signs were well marked to get to the right ship) and he went to return the car at the airport. My sister and her husband entered around noon and had about a 20 minute wait to even start check in (they were handing out numbers). Not bad, really. I waited outside the terminal on a bench for my husband to return in a cab. He was back in about 45 minutes and we were able to check in quickly in the Latitudes line. Staff was very friendly. NCL crew on board put on a good "welcome aboard" greeting. I didn't really miss the "welcome aboard bubbly" they are no longer doing. Read more