After lots of research my wife and I chose the Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas for our first cruise experience. We chose this ship because it was the newest and largest ship with many activities. I have wanted to cruise for a long time and was finally able to convince my wife to try it out for my 40th birthday. It was great and there was so much to do!

We flew into Fort Lauderdale the night before and stayed at an airport La Quinta -it was better than expected. In the morning we arranged a Ride Share service that picked us up at the hotel and dropped us off at the Port of Miami. It was $15 a person plus tip. We used MJS transportation both times and would use them again. We were the last ones to be picked up by MJS so the trip was 45 minutes to the port.

Embarkation was a breeze in about ten minutes from when we dropped off our luggage to getting on the ship. It helps to have your security photo entered prior to the trip. Read more