Getting there: We flew in to FLL on May 29th and took Ace Tours and Transportation shuttle to Miami. We had reserved a ride and they were waiting for us at the airport. It took about 45min for the trip.
We stayed at The Royal Palm Hotel in Miami. What a pretty hotel, and right on South Beach. The hotel had some mixed reviews so we were a little nervous but everything was great. You can easily walk to Lincoln Rd which is full of shops, restaurants, and lots of people watching. There is a Walgreens and CVS right around the corner as well as a discount beach supply store "Wings" where we picked up some flip-flops (and an umbrella when it poured rain!). There is a little French bakery just on the corner (turn right out of the hotel parking lot) where we had a great brunch before heading to the Port of Miami on Saturday.
Transportation to the port was delayed as our pre-arranged shuttle (Ace Tours) did not arrive until about 30 min after the scheduled pick up time. It was about a 15 min ride to the port, and we arrived around 11:30 am.
A great location in relation to the Lido deck. We just went up the stairwell (close by) and we were in the middle of the action!