Background Information - Cruisers: My wife and I (both 31). This was our 2nd cruise, our 1st was on Carnival Paradise (7 Day - Western Caribbean) seven years ago.

Travel To Port of Embarkation - We flew out of the Twin Cities the day before our cruise. Flying Delta, we connected in Atlanta before arriving in Miami (on time) about 2 PM. Hotel Info - We stayed at the SpringHill Suites (a Marriott hotel) in Miami. Shuttle service is provided from the airport to the hotel. We called the hotel as soon as we had our bags and waited no more than 15 minutes for the shuttle to arrive. It was about a 15-20 minute trip to the hotel. The king suite (standard) was very nice and clean. The kitchenette area contains a microwave and mini-refrigerator, however, no utensils or plates were available to use. Bed was comfortable. There is no restaurant on site, however, a continental breakfast was also included which consisted of the normal breakfast fare. The hotel shuttle does provide transportation to nearby restaurants. The hotel rate was $79.99/night which I felt was a great value compared to other hotels in the area.

Instead of taking a cab to the port, we opted for the shuttle service coordinated through the hotel. It is not provided directly by the hotel but they arrange all the details with the service. Transportation was $10/person (cheaper than taking a cab for the two of us) with pick-up times of 10:00, 11:00, or Noon. We decided to take the 10:00 time as others at the hotel were doing the same. We checked out at 10 minutes to 10:00 and the driver was waiting for us. Transportation is in a passenger van with trailer attached for luggage. Took us no longer than 15 or 20 minutes to arrive at the port, with stops at each ship. Read more