April 10 is finally here after booking our first cruise 330 days ago. The crew is my wife and I, stepson, his friend (both 14), and my mother. We leave for the airport at 7am for an 11 am flight from Newark NJ to Ft Lauderdale, FL to begin our trip. Check in was very quick and we were at our gate by 9am.
Flight left on time and arrived in FLL at 3:00. We decided to rent a car for the drive to Miami. We stayed at the Marriott Courtyard at Dolphin Mall. Hotel was nice and convenient, just what you expect from this type of hotel.
On Saturday (April 11) we returned the car to Avis at the Miami airport and took a cab to the port. There were 5 of us and we piled into a sedan taxi, luggage and all. We had so much luggage that the trunk would not shut in the car, but the driver assured us that it wouldn't be a problem. We took his word for it and we arrive at the port around 9:30, looking like the Beverly Hillbillies, trunk lid up and the luggage hanging out. Oh well, nobody knows us, right?
We had 4 people (2 adults and 2 kids). Now the two kids are 14, but are 5'10", 180 lbs, so they are adults. We were cozy. Sofa bed is a joke. If you are taller than 5'6", you will have your head or feet hanging off.
The room view was great, back end of the hump, nice location. Great location to steps, elevators and promenade.