DH and i stayed at the Intercontinental in Miami near the port. Its an AMAZING hotel. If you ever stay there you MUST request a Harbor View. the views are breathtaking. Its relaxing watching the sailboats, motorboats and most importantly the Cruise ships pull into port.We also had access to Club Intercontinental which was quite nice.

We took a cab to the pier and gazed at the Carnival Liberty it is a HUGE boat! it was next to RC Liberty of the Seas which is extremely larger. we arrived around 10 30am Carnival was starting the boarding process around 12 so we made good timing. That was an understatement. The boat arrived late because they were involved in a coast guard rescue. The Liberty rescued some people just off the coast of Cuba. Despite all the confusion we departed only a half hour behind schedule! way to go Carnival!

The interior decorations are very lively and beautifully decorated. I must agree with fellow CC'ers the layout of the ship is very confusing to say the least. Hubby and I usually learn our way around the ship the first day, but there are very confusing parts of the boat. Which leads me to the fish and chips stand. Excellent food! hidden gem indeed! We barely found it ourselves. it was never crowded we think the masses of the people didn't even know it existed. the Origami sushi stand was also very tasty. Read more