I just returned from my 8th Carnival Cruise, aboard the Carnival Valor. I must say, this was absolutely one of the best cruises I've gone on. It wasn't just the ship but I also had 18 other people in my group and we had a fantastic time.

My husband, nephew and I started our cruise out with a pre-cruise. We left Washington National Airport at 6:00 am. The flight was right on time. Arrived at Miami at 8:25 am and off to pick up our car rental from Hertz. I was able to drop the car off at our hotel. We stayed at the Marriott Biscayne Bay. I highly recommend this hotel. There was a group of 17 of us that stayed here. I secured rooms for this group at $129 per night and those that stayed, had wonderful views. The hotel had all amenities needed including a mini-mall that connected with the Doubletree Hotel and Hertz. Marriott offers an all you can eat buffet breakfast which was about $17.00 pp. Belgian waffles, omelets, etc. Standard price for a hotel like Marriott's.

Some of the fellas in our group opted to go to South Beach while the ladies walked around looking for a place to get a manicure. Ended up passing the Miami Ink tattoo place. It was open and there was a line. Hung out at Bayside that evening. Live entertainment going on, a bit of shopping, a quick bit and a large drink from Fat Tuesdays. Woo hoo!! Everyone enjoyed Bayside. Read more