First cruise in 14 years, I need help please!

[fitgirl36]

Hello all,

We are coming from Cleveland to cruise out of Miami in May. I am a direct flight kind of person so I'm pretty sure I will pay the huge amount (ugh) to get me from Cleveland to Miami nonstop on American. we purchased transfers but the two hotels Disney offers for their transfers seem a bit pricey to me. Would someone help me out with a nice hotel for one night and a reliable way to get to the port the next morning? My family is quite a bunch of nervous travelers so I am willing to pay a bit more for ease of things but those two hotels were out of my price range. Thank you, thank you for any help!

 

[lilsonicfan]

Haven't gotten there yet, but we'll be staying at the Comfort Suites Miami Airport North - free airport shuttle and free shuttle to the port. The area is pretty basic and not very exciting, but we are only flying in the night before, so won't have much time to explore Miami in any event. And the price was great - around $170 for a room for five of us (looks like a pretty spacious room too).

 

[Weedy]

FYI: a change since you last cruised is that you need to pick a Port Arrival Time. You can do this when your booking window opens. If you’re Silver (1-5 cruises) you can do this 90 days prior to your cruise. When you arrive and check in you will be given a boarding number.
The terminal in Miami opens at 11am the earliest PAT is 11:15-11:30. They usually start boarding 11:30-11:45

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

When we left out of Miami, I had reserved the Comfort Suites Miami Airport North for the reasons PP notes. We ended up booking an earlier flight, so we were in Miami by 10am the day before we sailed. I canceled the Comfort Suites reservation when I found a room at the InterContinental via Priceline at great rate (approx $100, if I recall). A short cab ride to the port from there made it easy.

 

[fitgirl36]

Thanks everyone! Your help is greatly appreciated!!

 

[lklgoodman]

Can't help with hotels, but have you checked Southwest for flights? We live north of Columbus, Ohio and get tickets for direct flights for usually around $100 pp. If Southwest flies from Cleveland hopefully the tickets would be similar to what we pay.

Edited to add: I totally spaced out that you were flying to Miami and not to PC, the SW prices I mentioned were from to Columbus to PC, hope you are able to find what you need.

 

[clten]

Also for the flights, check if you have options flying into Ft Lauderdale. That can be less expensive. We used SAS transportation to get down to Miami and they were great.

 

[kiford]

Also for the flights, check if you have options flying into Ft Lauderdale. That can be less expensive. We used SAS transportation to get down to Miami and they were great.

A friend of mine often cruises out of Miami but always flies into Fort Lauderdale. He says that the port is reasonably equidistant between the two airports and he loathes the Miami airport with a passion. Unfortunately, I don't recall who he used to transport to the port; he also flies in the day of the cruise rather than staying overnight (I wouldn't myself but...his choice and he knows the risks).

 

[Sunshine2U]

We've stayed twice at airport hotels because of cautious travelers and late afternoon arrivals. Hotel shuttle from airport to hotel (Sheraton using SPG points). Then we got a private minivan for trip to port because we can control time and arrive exactly when we want. The hotel can recommend and make the call for private transportation.

 

[LNMom]

Check Google maps. MIA is 10 min to port vs FLL 30 min in clear traffic. I would only fly into FLL if the ticket price is amazing.

You can stay almost anywhere, airport, coral gables, coconut grove, downtown, south beach. None are very far from the port.

Determine arrival time and price you’re willing to pay. If you get in early, then enjoy a bit of Miami. If late, then go for best hotel price which will likely be at the airport (and many have airport shuttles).

Happy Sailing!!

 

[GatorMomInNC]

FLL is much farther than MIA from the port. From MIA, there are some hotels that will give you free shuttle to both, so you spend no money on transfers, but you can't do that flying into FLL. But Southwest ONLY flies into FLL and they are usually quite a bit less expensive, especially if you are checking bags. I did check though and NO DIRECT FLIGHTS from CLE so I guess you are sticking with American into MIA There is an old thread on another website about what hotels do shuttles both ways - not sure how accurate it still is: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTop...o_from_airport_cruise_port-Miami_Florida.html

I am flying into FLL in March for a DCL cruise because I have a companion pass on SW so my son flies for free. I would have preferred a non-stop to Miami, but couldn't justify spending so much more money...But it is a pain to figure out transportation in FLL. You can stay in a hotel near FLL and get transportation from SAS for $15 each. I don't like to do that arriving at the port because I am too excited to wait for other people, so I am going to cab it, but I am using them to get back to the FLL airport after.

 

[Capitalangel]

I have done it both ways ( flying into FLL and into MIA) and prefer FLL especially with kids. When we flew into Miami we stayed at Comfort Inn Miami Airport North and they had transportation to the port ( it was about 4 years ago so may have changed). We used express shuttle Miami ( I believe) both times ( to MIA for one and from our hotel in FLL to the port/ back from the port to FLL after the cruise).

 

[hcox31]

Definitely consider flying into FLL. We were able to fly into FLL and stay at a holiday inn at a reasonable price the night before. We used Jiffy Jeff for $15 pp to the port the next morning. They were reliable and efficient.

 

[Engineeringbella]

We're flying into FLL, spending the night using SPG points and taking SAS to the port the next morning. Found that Spirit was cheaper than Southwest even with checking bags, so we're giving that a go.

 

[fitgirl36]

Thanks everyone for your replies. We decided to fly into Miami still figuring out the hotel for the night before. I appreciate everyone's help!

 

[ahain]

For the cruise we just completed in December, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Port of Miami. If you poke around on their website, they offer a pre-cruise package that includes breakfast for 2 and shuttle to the port the next morning. We took an uber from MIA airport - maybe 10-15 minutes to the hotel. The hotel is close to the port and is located across from the marketplace, so it was nice to be able to spend time walking around the afternoon/evening before the cruise. My family (3 of us) stayed in a Bay-view King bed suite, (which had amazing views of the bay.) I rose early and was even able to watch the Magic pull into port Note that I initially had booked a 2 bedroom "standard" room (I suggest booking a room type that allows changes/cancellations if you're booking early), and then kept checking the hotel website up until 2 weeks before our cruise, when I was able to snag a deal on this great room - ended up getting the bay-view suite w/pre-cruise package for less than my original "standard" room reservation.

 

[Dug720]

Big fan of Hampton Inn & Suites Blue Lagoon.