Arrival - The plane ride was great, the stewardesses on board our Air Canada flight offered us their row at the back so we could have an extra seat. We put our 9 mo old DD between us and she slept the whole way to Toronto. From Toronto to Miami, we weren't so lucky, but she people watched and stayed amused the entire flight, managing to nap for about an hour of it on me. (This is a sacrifice all Dad's must make as my leg fell asleep. My DD fell asleep while I was in the worst position )
*** If you are looking to come to Miami Early and Rent a Car, Check out EZ Rent A Car at the Embassy Suites near the Airport of Le Jeune Blvd, They were pretty reasonable. We took a Grand Caravan for 3 days at $35.00 per day.
Embarkation - This was the nightmare I was not looking forward to. We arrived a little later than expected around 12:00 noon. I hoped to be earlier around 11:00 AM. There was no real lineup outside but once inside it was apparent we would be waiting. There looked to be at least 2000 people ahead of us (not quite, but lots of lines). To my surprise, the lines moved fast and in all honesty, we walked onto the ship about an hour later. Even though the lines looked deadly, it was very painless. Our DD had fun people watching and everyone in line enjoyed talking to her and admiring how happy she was. All in all, A+ for Carnival for getting us on the ship as painless as possible.