So, the cruise from Miami started on Saturday 21st December. We arrived one day early and stayed at the Comfort Suites Miami Airport North. This is the motel that provides free transfer from motel to the Port of Miami. I thought i was the only smart one to book at this motel. But no - there were so many people staying at this motel - that they had to bring in a huge bus to take us all to the Port.! But the Comfort Suites is a newish Motel, the rooms were nice and clean, the beds were comfortable. The only issue I had was the breakfast area was small. There were so many families trying to grab their breakfast in a small area.

Once we got to the Port of Miami - we dropped off our luggage with the porters and headed into the Carnival complex. Checking was a breeze, they checked all our passports and paperwork and told us to wait for 1 hour.

We were on the Ship by 11:30am. Buying that Faster to Fun pass for $50 from carnival is a must. It allows you early entry to the ship and it gives you VIP status when you need to go to the Guest Services booth on the ship. If you do not get this pass, then you will be one of the unlucky ones standing in line for 15-20 minutes waiting to see one of the Customer Representatives. Just buy ones of these. Read more