We started off by coming to Fort Lauderdale a couple of days early and we stayed at the Hilton Marina. First, the review of that hotel: we would stay there again as the rooms were nice and the location was excellent due to its proximity to the cruise terminal. I wouldn't recommend eating there as the food was expensive and the service was not great, although the coffee bar in the lobby was okay. Now on to the cruise itself.

The port was very nice and getting on the ship was a breeze. The ship itself is absolutely beautiful and our stateroom is one of the best we have ever had. We loved the staff, all of them were awesome and fortunately we had the premium drinks package so the drinks were all included. I must say, the buffet on the Apex was one of the best we have ever experienced and we went there every day for lunch (which was unusual for us).

The big downside of the cruise would have to be the ports - we really didn't like any of them. When we got to Belize the ship anchored quite away from the dock so tenders were required. We opted to stay onboard but talking to people afterwards the majority said they got off the tender, took one look around and got right back on the tender for the return to the ship. Read more