Well here we go!! A little background. My wife, 2 girls 6 and 8 and I all went on this trip. This is our 2nd Carnival Cruise. The 1st for the girls. I heard all the good and bad reviews, but went with an open mind.
1.- Flight down.
We flew down the day before and got into Miami at about 3:30PM. We booked the Hampton Inn Miami Airport West with a rate of 120.00 for the night. The hotel had recently finished a full renovation and was very nice. They offer a free shuttle to/from the airport, and have a complimentary full breakfast. We really enjoyed it, and the kids loved the pool.