Tips for Cruising

If flying in to Fort Lauderdale, we found it easier to rent a car rather than taking a shuttle. We rented with Avis for around $50/day and no one-way fee. We used $5 of gas and a taxi from the downtown Avis branch to the port was around $8, plus we were able to do a little touring & last minute shopping. It was around the same price for two people, but so much more convenient than the shuttle option.

Prior to departure, I dropped the luggage and my mom off at the port. The luggage guys took the luggage right out of the car and onto their carts for loading – way easier than hauling it to the car rental office and into a taxi. There was an area for her to wait inside out of the heat and I was back in about 15 minutes. So easy.

Bring bottled water. We stopped and picked up a case of water, which was a great decision. I brought an extra bag to put it in as you can check more bags on the ship than you can on the plane. There was filtered water available at all of the dining establishments on our ship, but with all the health scares, you cannot reuse a cup or put a water bottle on the water dispensers (which is good sense). The ship sold large water bottles but with quite a mark-up, and they permit you to bring bottles on board, so why not? If you wish to reuse your bottles, a funnel would be helpful. (This is also worth considering for soda drinkers).

Don’t forget any toiletries. I didn’t see toiletries in the onboard shops (including sunscreen), so if they were there, the selection was extremely limited.