We sailed on the Explorer of the Seas from Miami on May 15th for our wedding on St. Thomas. We had a group of 47 and I coordinated the group through our local travel agent.

Precruise - FLL/Miami We flew into FLL. Would do it again in a heartbeat. It's a much smaller airport and easy to navigate. We got a ride to the Best Western Hotel Chateaubleau ($74/night group rate) using Tri-County Transportation and it cost $130+gratuity for 12 of us, well worth it. (We had a LOT of luggage, so it was a tight squeeze)

The hotel was great. They offered free MIA xfers for those flying into MIA and offered free port transfers. The rooms were clean and nice. (We did pop a few breakers with all of us using hairdryers at the same time!) The shuttle for the port leaves no earlier than 11:30am and you need to let the front desk know how many are in your party so they can plan accordingly. We were at the pier by noonish. Read more