We took the train from North Carolina the day before and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express across from the Casino. The hotel was clean but unremarkable. We were pleasantly surprised to see others who would be sailing with us there along with at least one Pinnacle couple. The shuttle from the hotel was already full for the early times so we decided to Uber it over. Less than $20 with tip.

As we were arriving some of the folks from the previous sailing were still milling about and looking for their rides. The site did not have a lot of signs and we had to carry our checked luggage over to trams to be loaded. Since we were so early, we grabbed a bench outside and less than 15 minutes later someone got us and we went through security and to the check-in process. Mostly painless, but the brace on my wife's leg seemed to puzzle the security people. Still, we were one of the first checked in and shown the suite lounge.

In the lounge, we were joined by some others including a nice couple cruising by themselves without their kids and family. Hi Tim and Tracy! We joked about the "difficulties" of getting to the port but agreed this was a smooth process. After about 15 minutes, they came and got us. As I mentioned, my wife had a knee brace from a broken leg and we got to enter the ship from deck 1 and not have to use the gangway. A nice option for those with mobility issues. Read more