We flew to Ft. Lauderdale the evening prior to embarkation and stayed at a Sleep Inn that was about 10-15 minutes away from Port Everglades, with free shuttle service. For those of you that are wine enthusiasts and don't already know that you can bring on as much Wine and Champagne on the ship as you wish, we went to Publix (a 3 minutes walk from the hotel) and purchased 6 bottles of wine before making our way to the ship.

We did do our online check-in prior to arriving in Florida and although we had only a Guaranteed Balcony, our room information was ready when we entered into the building. The whole process may have taken 15 minutes. The staff is very friendly and efficient.

Our Cabin (8143) was ready for us by the time we made it on board (around 2 p.m.). This cabin is located all the way Aft on the ship, which was a great location, with a great view. The only downfall of being right at the back is the slight noise and vibration from the propulsion of the ship's engines. Read more