HUNKY

The charge for the week is $30 per person per day, so $420 total for two people for a week. It can not be booked in advance. Upon boarding head to the Sanctuary and the manager will show you which loungers are available for the week. There are some under the canopy, and others in partial or full sun.

Royal and Regal Princess also has the Sanctuary (at additional cost) which has super comfortable padded loungers with towel service, afternoon tea and snacks, outdoor showers, and seating areas all under canopy. Great views over the bow of the ship.

December 2014 we opted for an inside cabin, but booked the Sanctuary for the week. It was truly like having a giant balcony. Our loungers were up front, so great views when we weren't snoozing.

Unfortunately, the nearby adult only pool is not covered and tends to be a bit breezy. This pool area has quite a few shaded loungers. FYI - no additional charge for these though.

UberX drivers have 1 million dollar coverage provided by Uber when carrying a rider. In addition to providing coverage to an UberX driver while online without a rider.

It's time for the taxi companies to step up their game. There would be no market if cabs and their drivers were in better condition!

Caribill - The expectation is that quality Internet service is a given. The "new economy" expects and does work while on vacation, and to be accessible round the clock.

Young people are choosing the latest smartphones and top tier data services over new or better vehicles. Heck, they expect in car wi fi!

Putterdude makes a very valid point. If you've cruised in the past few years you've enjoyed overall lower prices. Now that people have more confidence in the economy prices have risen as has demand.

It has always baffled me when unemployment rates are mentioned on the TV news. I'm more concerned about the rate for established professionals and high wage earners than minimum wage workers and high school kids living at home. Princess, and all other cruise lines, want their cabins booked with guests who spend money on board. It doesn't matter if you're a loyal cruiser, or retired, if you are not generating revenue you are not their target guest.

Regarding internet access, younger cruisers will demand higher speeds and always on connectivity. The first cruise line to provide this will certainly snare a large percentage of new cruisers.

Prepaying specialty dining on Celebrity gets you a discounted price. According to their website up to 31% off. That's probably why some people like to prepay.

Janie - believe it or not, but you can't prebook your Sanctuary spots either! Nothing wrong with a company being a late adopter. Just sets the bar higher when they introduce prebooking. Gives you a reason to get onboard early and avoid the buffet!

Friend of YYJ - It sounds like your friends are the perfect candidates for the Enclave. They would be using it twice a day...Cooling down by taking the walk over to the steam/sauna rooms.

Instead of booking a balcony on Regal, we just booked the Sanctuary, to pair with our inside cabin. Biggest balcony we've ever had! It was nearly private. I imagine the Enclave is similar.

There are plenty of places to grab a bite that early in the morning. Just be aware they are not located outside security. You will need to stay in the secured area. I know of only one restaurant located outside of the secure area. Although, it is 24/7.

There is no free steam room or sauna on Regal. The Enclave, where the steam rooms and sauna is located does have a charge. This area includes heated loungers and a hydro therapy pool. There are no day passes. It needs to be booked for the entire cruise.

It looks like you got a pretty good deal on the cost of your hotel room. I'm seeing a $191 rate for the night of 22 JAN 2016.

Since your hotel is about 17 miles from the airport and Port Everglades a rental car will be your best option. Pick up your car at the airport and do a drop off near the port. Make sure the rental car agency has a shuttle to get you to your ship!

A taxi from the airport to the Doubletree Sawgrass Mills will be about $43 plus tip. A Budget rental car is about $60 for the day.

The Florida Panthers hockey team plays at BB&T Center at Sawgrass Mills, you might be able to get tickets and see the Red Wings play!

Yes the blocker could be added at dry dock along with the glass panels. Although it was still windy at the pool on Regal.

The retreat pool has had a wind blocker installed, and the retreat pool cabanas have a glass wall to block some wind.

$8.95 per minute, beginning once a satellite connection is made. You are charged even if your party does not answer the phone. Using your cell phone might be less expensive.

I see that the Ritz Carlton Fort Lauderdale has a bon voyage package which includes transfers from the airport to the hotel, then to the port the next day. Does anyone have experience with this? In particular, do they use a limo service, taxi or shuttle bus for the transfers? Not really interested if they use a shuttle van. (Hertz and Avis at FLL have some awesome cars available.)

I'd like to start our November cruise on Royal Princess on a high note.

Instead of a shipload of volunteers going to the same spot, how about "volunteer" shore excursions. We thoroughly enjoyed helping the animal shelter in Kauai by taking a dog out for the day. The Hyatt partnered with the shelter, and it truly helps the animals. Carnival could partner with a specific charity and provide the labor.

I think people compared Royal to previous Princess cruise liners while Regal is compared to the Royal ship. There are some small, but for previous Princess cruisers significant changes. For instance, the aft pool, the wind blocker at the retreat pool and the somewhat promenade deck.

Oddly, you can reserve specialty dining online with Cunard, Costa and Carnival. I can't imagine that Princess will not be doing the same in the coming months. Maybe even via a phone app?

Thanks for the help! I've had good experiences with Budget in Florida.

Using your Amex card try BCD S208200. Great discounts! Be sure to sign up for a free RapidRez FastBreak #. At many locations you can skip the counter.

Does anyone have experience with using Budget car rental for a one-way rental from the Fort Lauderdale airport, dropping off at the Port Everglades location? In particular, how was the shuttle service? At Port Canaveral, I have dropped off luggage and passengers at the ship before returning the car.

I wish the Sanctuary Cabanas were nicer! Upgrade the furniture, put in a mini fridge and safe, include sodas and snacks and sunscreen products. Dredge so that a dock can be put in. We LOVED our cabana on Disney's island and all twenty were reserved at $400 each.

I wish the cabin air conditioning would actually get the space cold! Like 67 or 68 degrees. I find it crazy that I need to bring a toolkit to override the mechanical limiter, or have to learn the "secret code" to bypass the settings.

It's much easier for the chilly folks to put on a layer. I really can't go much past a wife beater and shorts, and still be able to eat in the buffet!

I just put on hold a November cruise, to my surprise my confirmation says complimentary grat!

Colo - I agree that it hasn't been too difficult to make restaurant reservations onboard, but I think it would be a nice option to be able to reserve in advance.

Now if I could only get a one pound lobster tail with my filet mignon at the Crown Grill.