My wife and I with our 2 children (ages 5 ½ and 2 ½) flew in from Los Angeles to Miami on April 24, 2009 and stayed one night in Miami before embarking on Carnival Liberty on April 25, 2009. We rented a car from Hertz upon arrival and stayed in a hotel in the Coconut Grove area of Miami.
We like the Coconut Grove area because it is nice and has many nice family restaurants. It is also close to downtown and the cruise terminal (about 5-7 minute drive).
In the morning we arrived at the terminal at about 1:00 p.m. There was a huge line of people waiting and the line was not moving at all. We thought that perhaps we should come back a little later when hopefully the lines subsided.
Ample closet space, average balcony size, bathroom was good, the bunks were cumbersome and we wished for roll aways which we were told are no longer permitted.