We arrived In Miami the afternoon before our cruise and stayed in the Holiday Inn Port of Miami. I got this hotel from my fellow Cruise Critic members and found it a good choice for us. However, if you wish to be anywhere else except near the port, you may choose to rent a car or stay elsewhere.
We arrived at the port around 10:50am and were on the Liberty by 11:35. So pleasant and easy. I went straight to the MDR to check our table location as I've had problems in the past. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find our table next to a window in a great location! It made dining all the more pleasant, and our waiters, Deo and Yogesh were as professional and courteous as they come.
Our last cruise was on the Mariner and the Liberty is a slightly larger version of this ship. I expected to feel that the ship was too large but that wasn't the case. We had two rooms, ours was a balcony and our sons had a promenade view room across from us.