Background: I took the 5-day cruise with a group of five - myself and my husband (early 30s), my brother (20s), and my parents (late 50s/early 60s). This was the second cruise for my husband and I and first for everyone else, and we all had a great time! We had two balcony cabins for the couples, and an interior upper/lower for my brother. We were all very happy with the rooms. Great views at a reasonable price for the balconies, and comfortable, fairly reasonable option for my brother traveling as a single.

Travel: We flew into Orlando the night before, rented a car through Budget, and stayed at a hotel near the airport. The next day we had an easy drive to Cape Canaveral, where we returned the car and caught the rental agency's free shuttle to the ship. We had to wait maybe 30 minutes for the shuttle with a number of other cruisers, but overall - it was convenient and saved us a ton of money over other transport options. Did the same on the way back, and we able to drive ourselves to Kennedy Space Center before flying home on disembarkation day. We did self-assist disembarkation, and it was very smooth. We woke up, ate breakfast, and were off the ship well before 9am. Plenty of time to see the space center before an evening flight.

Drinks: We stopped at a grocery store on our way to port and bought a 12-pack of soda and bottle of wine per person. No trouble bringing anything on board - just put it with our carry-ons. We also pre-ordered a few bottles of liquor by calling the Bon Voyage department a few days before sailing. We definitely saved a ton of money on drinks by doing things this way! Read more