Just returned from a terrific 5 night Western Caribbean Cruise on the beautiful Liberty of the Seas. My wife and I went on this cruise to celebrate my 40th birthday. This was the 2nd nicest ship I have been on in 10 cruises ( the best being the Allure of the Seas in May 2011)

Pre-cruise:

We stayed 1 night at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina Hotel. Very nice, clean hotel. Unfortunately they did not have our room ready until 4:00 even though we arrived around 11:00. There aren't really any dining options at this hotel other than China Grill and the poolside cafe. We checked our bags at the concierge and took the water taxi to the 15th Street Fishery for lunch. The hotel is right in front of the water taxi so we took advantage of the $20 per person all day rate. We used the water taxi again later in the day to go to the Galleria Mall and grab some dinner. Read more