Port of Miami Questions

[Mom3Girls]

Hey, fellow cruisers, my dh and I are sailing on the Disney Wonder next February, for a W. Carib cruise. We're driving down from the Tampa area. I do most of the driving. I've never driven to Miami before though, and to avoid frayed nerves for when I get lost (not if, I KNOW I'll take a wrong turn at least once lol), I'd like to go the day before and stay at a nearby hotel, preferably one that has a "stay and park-while-you-cruise" package.

I've seen many posts here for NYC and Baltimore, but nothing yet for Miami. Any suggestions?

I did find a parking service, Premier Parking. Anyone have any experience with them? They also service other ports, as well as a few airports, but none in my usual cities of Philadelphia or Tampa.

[Langley Cruisers]

Originally Posted by Mom3Girls

I've seen many posts here for NYC and Baltimore, but nothing yet for Miami. Any suggestions?.

You're actually on the wrong board; that's why there are no Miami suggestions.

Go here to the Florida board, and use the "Search this forum" function on the right hand side of the page. Type in "Miami park hotel" or something similar and you will get a number of hits. It is discussed regularly.

Here is the link. This thread will be moved there soon anyway.


http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495 --->click here

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[Mom3Girls]

Thanks, Karen. Sorry about being on the wrong thread, I was given the link to this one, so at least I don't feel completely stupid, just a little LOL!

[JohninDC]

Check www.parksleepfly.com and www.stay123.com for hotels offering cruise parking deals. As all downtown Miami and Miami Beach hotels charge their guests $25-30+ per day for parking all of the hotels offering these deals will be out near the MIA airport.

Some of the budget motels will include a "free" shuttle to POM -- none offer free shuttles back to your car. From MIA area hotels you should plan on spending $25-30 for a taxi to/from POM.The ride takes about 15+ minutes.

Favorite cruise parking hotels from these boards include the MIA Embassy Suites (free happy hour! ) and two hotels in the Blue Lagoon neighborhood - Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites - with nearby shopping and dining options. A budget option with mixed reviews that seems to be good enough for lots of cruisers is the LaQuinta East.

Off- site parking in Miami is a real gamble - crime and security are issues in downtown Miami ; some have reported good results and big savings in parking fees, while others have returned to vandalized cars. Parking at POM is convenient, covered and secure for $20/day.

You could skip Miami and park at a hotel in the FLL area and then use SAS (www.ridesas.com) or another shuttle operator to get you to POM for about $15 per person each way.

Good luck!

[miamiyogi]

The advice usually given on this board is to come to Miami the day before the cruise to avoid the hassles of a delayed flight. However, for you, your only about 5 hours away. If you left at 6am you should be in the Miami area by 11. That gives you five hours to find the port. I don't care how lost you got, you could find the port accidentally in that amount of time.

It's a pretty straight forward drive. Once you're on the downtown side of I 95 all you have to do is follow the picture of a cruise ship. It's only one exit a left turn and you run right into the port.

[Mom3Girls]

Thanks, miamiyogi and johnindc, you've boh given me enough info that I will have some homework to do lol. But that's okay, because it's all for the cruise, so how bad can it be, right?

(Miami hotels charge for parking? Wow, the only times I've encountered that is in the middle of a large city like Philadelphia or NYC! Never saw that at a beach town! If I end up not finding anything in town or at least by the airport, I probably will look into staying about an hour's or two drive away, I can deal with that much the morning of departure lol.)

Again, thank you both!

[JohninDC]

Originally Posted by Mom3Girls

Thanks, miamiyogi and johnindc, you've boh given me enough info that I will have some homework to do lol. But that's okay, because it's all for the cruise, so how bad can it be, right?

(Miami hotels charge for parking? Wow, the only times I've encountered that is in the middle of a large city like Philadelphia or NYC! Never saw that at a beach town! If I end up not finding anything in town or at least by the airport, I probably will look into staying about an hour's or two drive away, I can deal with that much the morning of departure lol.)

Again, thank you both!

Miami is not a beach town - it's closer in size to Philly. Have a good cruise!

[SNJCruisers]

Originally Posted by Mom3Girls

If I end up not finding anything in town or at least by the airport, I probably will look into staying about an hour's or two drive away, I can deal with that much the morning of departure lol.)

Again, thank you both!

Your best bet would be to wait a few months until the 2013 hotel schedule comes out for the stay park fly hotel locations using the two previously mentioned websites or trinity reservations dot com. It is stupid to stay at a hotel an hour or two away from the port and then pay to park at the port when you can get a package that includes your parking at a hotel near the Miami cruiseport.

[LoriO]

Originally Posted by miamiyogi

The advice usually given on this board is to come to Miami the day before the cruise to avoid the hassles of a delayed flight. However, for you, your only about 5 hours away. If you left at 6am you should be in the Miami area by 11. That gives you five hours to find the port. I don't care how lost you got, you could find the port accidentally in that amount of time.

It's a pretty straight forward drive. Once you're on the downtown side of I 95 all you have to do is follow the picture of a cruise ship. It's only one exit a left turn and you run right into the port.

We are also coming from Tampa and after much research, I think this is by far and away the best advice I've come across. Thanks for helping us make our decision!

[miamiyogi]

Originally Posted by LoriO

We are also coming from Tampa and after much research, I think this is by far and away the best advice I've come across. Thanks for helping us make our decision!

If somehow you do get lost. Stop at a gas station, resturant, etc. and ask for directions to Bayside (almost everyone in this town knows how to get there). The entrance to the port is on the immediate North side of Bayside (Port Blvd)