ABOUT OUR PARTY: My husband and I, both in our 60's, have cruised on this ship twice before in 2010 and 2012 when it was still the "Destiny." We were eager to see how the refurb changed the ship and to experience the Port of Charleston. This was a five-day cruise visiting Nassau and Half Moon Cay. We cruised with our daughter, her husband, and our 8 and 10-year-old grandchildren.

THE NIGHT BEFORE: We drove from our home just 5 hours away the night before and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on Savannah Highway in Charleston. We enjoyed the comfortable and clean room and appreciated the free breakfast and free shuttle both to and from the Port of Charleston. We booked a "Don't Miss the Boat" package and were able to leave our car at the hotel for the duration of the cruise for free.

PORT OF CHARLESTON: I have cruised from Charleston before the pandemic and found the process to be a bit tedious as the port was small and things moved slowly. But on this first cruise for us since the pandemic, we felt the Port of Charleston had really stepped up its game. Everything was smooth and easy, getting us through the check-in process quickly, without any hiccups at all. As recommended by the cruise line, we used Verifly to store all of our information (including vaccine info and test results) and it couldn't have been easier. It took longer for security to inspect our sodas than it did to get through the rest of the check-in process. Kudos to all staff, as I was not looking forward to this and found it was simple and painless. Read more