Where would you stay overnight?

DH and I are sailing out of Miami on Carnival Liberty in Sept...not too excited about hotel choices there but do hear of a few good ones downtown. We like to get out and explore a little while staying ..but not sure Miami is the place for us. We have stayed many times in FLL...and love to hang around there..and then of course we love to see "our" ship in port just waiting for us to board. Not sure that is possible in Miami anyway..so my question is ...Where would you stay? Do a lot of you CC'S stay if FLL and drive down to Miami to board..if you stay in Miami...where abouts do you stay? We are not really looking to stay at airport..would rather be closer to port...and what is there to do there that isn't "too" risky? LOL

Thank you all for your help. I get a lot of good information on these boards.

Karen

Check out the Hotel Intercontinental in Miami. Great view of the port. Easy walking distance to Bayside, an out door mall with food, entertainment and some excursions. On top of all that she is a great hotel.

Greg

I agree about the InterContinental. Ask for a Harbor View room on checking and you will be able to see your ship when you wake up. There may be a $20 upgrade charge to the HV room.

I would do the InterContinental, as others have said, or the Holiday Inn POM. If you get an upper floor room facing the bay/marketplace, you can also see the ships coming in. It is cheaper than the IC, but fine for a pre-cruise stay.

We stayed at the Marriott, requested a intercoastal view, watched our ship pull in the morning of our cruise--very exciting. The night before we walked a couple blocks, (I have 2 boys-14 and 11 at the time) to an open air market--lots of shopping, restaurants, Bubba Gump Shrimp--very safe. Walked a block over then down to our hotel past the Miami Heat stadium. Really enjoyed our time there. Marriot, beautiful hotel, ate breakfast in the morning--buffet or made to order. Enjoy your cruise!:D

We stayed at the Doubletree Biscayne Bay - liked it so much we booked it again for our 11/13 cruise. Our room overlooked the bay and it was a 5 min. cab ride to the POM.

DH and I are sailing out of Miami on Carnival Liberty in Sept...not too excited about hotel choices there but do hear of a few good ones downtown. We like to get out and explore a little while staying ..but not sure Miami is the place for us. We have stayed many times in FLL...and love to hang around there..and then of course we love to see "our" ship in port just waiting for us to board. Not sure that is possible in Miami anyway..so my question is ...Where would you stay? Do a lot of you CC'S stay if FLL and drive down to Miami to board..if you stay in Miami...where abouts do you stay? We are not really looking to stay at airport..would rather be closer to port...and what is there to do there that isn't "too" risky? LOL

 

Thank you all for your help. I get a lot of good information on these boards.

 

Karen

I would not stay in Miami.

My DH is a Florida Native..and it is hard for him to visit Miami. he remembers when it was USA. We don't speak Spanish and in an emergency...that is a big drawback. If you are in a fender bender..and everyone is speaking Spanish...including the police except you..prepare to be screwed. Miami is the USA capitol of Staged Car accidents.

Actually, CC friends...hold your ground until another English speaker comes along. Ask someone walking by..they might help you. In such a case..God forbid...............CALL A LAWYER. FEIGN BEING ILL UNTIL YOU CAN CALL SOMEONE. SWOON. OR YOU MIGHT HAVE A NASTY SURPRISE WHEN YOUR INSURANCE AGENT CALLS YOU.....WITH A $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ BILL OR CANCELLED INSURANCE. Sorry. It is true. Just drive to the Port..don't get off of the Interstate..don't be a victim. REMEMBER You are in SOUTH FLORIDA..not the good old USA anymore.

CONSIDER....There are a lot of small areas..coming into Miami...from Palm Beach on Down A1A..it is one city. Coral Springs...off of Commerce Blvd. in FT.Lauderdale..near the Sawgrass mall..a huge attraction..Is a charming place. and I don't use that word lightly. they have lots of restaurants..up scale and chain..Like Marconi's Italian Grill...Motels..from ultra fancy to La Quinta Inn and the two there get high ratings...We stayed at the Comfort Inn...and it was nice. the area is paved...like a paved courtyard..so it is easy to walk from restaurant to stores........Very safe. it is upscale...but the safe factor is very high. And the mall..with every conceivable need to be met is there.

Not many tourists know about it..more locals. The Hampton Inn on Commerce in F.Lauderdale is very nice..good management..nice breakfast..very safe. Sometimes in the low season..you can use the Travel Coupons at the Holiday Inn at the F.L. Beach. NICE.

We stop at Stuart and spend the night sometimes. Low Rates..especially if you pick up a Travelo's Guide Coupon booklet and use one of them. This is not the High Season for Florida and you can find coupons for the Marriot...Hampton Inn (our fav) Holiday Inn...and a lot of times..breakfast is thrown in. they always have lush, tropical pools..

Holiday Inn POM was good for our precruise stay - right across the street from Bayside Market and just a short walk to CVS for last items pickup. Do ask for a upper floor harbor view - it was great to wake up early and see our ship turning around in the harbor

DH and I are sailing out of Miami on Carnival Liberty in Sept...not too excited about hotel choices there but do hear of a few good ones downtown. We like to get out and explore a little while staying ..but not sure Miami is the place for us. We have stayed many times in FLL...and love to hang around there..and then of course we love to see "our" ship in port just waiting for us to board. Not sure that is possible in Miami anyway..so my question is ...Where would you stay? Do a lot of you CC'S stay if FLL and drive down to Miami to board..if you stay in Miami...where abouts do you stay? We are not really looking to stay at airport..would rather be closer to port...and what is there to do there that isn't "too" risky? LOL

 

Thank you all for your help. I get a lot of good information on these boards.

 

Karen

You can stay at the Hampton Inn at Port Everglades..(F.L0 they have coupons now .... go online to the travel guide) watch a lot of ships go in and out..and then a 15 mile drive on the safe interstate to Miami's Port.

How bad is Miami? And it about time someone told tourists the truth. The Police in Miami carry AK 47's and they are still pittifully out gunned. The dredges of the Caribbean, Central and Latin America live there..........it is Old Havanna on Steriods.

We have stayed at Holiday Inn POM several times and find the location perfect. Bayside Market is fine for exploring and having some dinner. I wouldn't walk around the local streets at night, but, you can't beat the view in the morning watching the ships arrive. Be sure to request a "port facing room". And as someone mentioned there is a CVS within safe walking distance to purchase wine and they had a surprisingly decent selection IMHO.

Both times we cruised out of Miami we stayed at the Intercontinental. Last time we booked it by using Last Minute Travel. Got a great rate. I would stay there everytime I go to Miami.

We always stay at the downtown Intercontinental. Close to Bayside, you can see your ship come in and a quick $10.00 cab ride to port.

We almost always stay in FLL when cruising out of Miami. Hotels are cheaper typically and we get to spend a day or two on our favourite beach - the Hollywood Broadwalk. Enjoy a day at the beach, grab some food, walk up and down the broadwalk enjoying the day - people watching - ahhhh can't beat it man. Now we occasionally will take a short 4 day cruise out of Miami (like this coming fall) and in these cases we stay at the Holiday Inn at Bayside for typically around $150 a night. We wander around Bayside Marketplace, soaking up the great atmosphere there. Then the next morning we have breakfast at the Cuban restaurant there outside if its warm while we watch our ship in the distance.

We cruised out of Miami last year and stayed right at the airport in a nice cluster of nice hotels area. We stayed at a Hilton Garden Inn. We felt safe when we saw all the nice--very nice, and CLEAN looking hotels all together off the interstate. You'll have plenty of days to enjoy views. There's a famous golf country club course really close by. Very high society. However, we ate at an Applebee's that night before and had the RUDEST waitress ever. The type you only see on sitcoms, lol. But the area was CLEAN (as you can see, 'clean areas' are super important to me). Now I hear that the other side of the interstate is rough. But you can tell just driving down the road which side is which. If you absolutely couldn't stand being at the airport, and just had to see the ocean that night before, do what the other posters recommended and stay in Fort Lauderdale. Right on the ocean is clean and nice there. (I especially love "Little Fort Lauderdale") Stay away from the port area to be really safe.

I am enjoying this helpful post. We are cruising out of Miami next year but I think that I will take the advice of the other posters and not stay overnight in Miami. Safety is huge for us.

I am enjoying this helpful post. We are cruising out of Miami next year but I think that I will take the advice of the other posters and not stay overnight in Miami. Safety is huge for us.

Miami is like any other big city in the US. There are areas you are better off not being in. You should feel safe staying in Miami, we always have. As I said in my other post I prefer FLL but we've stayed in downtown Miami a number of times. We just make sure we stay close to Bayside and we've never had an issue. To me FLL is a better place because you can have a better time at the beach (nicer than South Beach IMHO and certainly cheaper) and its only a 30 minute drive to Miami anyway.

I stayed at the Holiday Inn POM and loved it. We were in a corner suite on the 8th floor and had a great view of the ships! Bayside Market is directly across the street with plenty of options to shop and eat.

We have cruised out of Miami several times, and we LOVE Miami. DW and I have even gone there on numerous occasions for a long weekend get away. As a general rule the people are friendly, I've never had any communication issues, and with a little common sense in mind have NEVER felt unsafe in any way.

In response to the OP we stay at the Double tree Biscayne Bay pre cruise, and have always been very happy with the service and experience. :D

Several years ago we stayed in a very nice hotel in Hollywood. FL. I think is iwas the Holiday Inn (I looked that property up and it appears to be the same place.) It has a really nice pool /hot tub area and I tihnk we even had dinner on site. We definitiely felt like our vacation had already begun. To top it off, Wwe got a GREAT AAA rate that was half what other comparable properties were charging. We drove to port, so distance/transportation to port was not an issue.

We have cruised out of Miami several times, and we LOVE Miami. DW and I have even gone there on numerous occasions for a long weekend get away. As a general rule the people are friendly, I've never had any communication issues, and with a little common sense in mind have NEVER felt unsafe in any way.

 

In response to the OP we stay at the Double tree Biscayne Bay pre cruise, and have always been very happy with the service and experience. :D

Try getting into a fender bender and see how much you enjoy it. And you are correct. Miami is a lovely city..the language issue is seldom insurmoutable We have always found at least one English Speaker in a WalMart's or something at the pharmacy. We always make sure we have a full tank of gas..and carry a cell phone with us..with a camera so we can video tape any incidents if we should ever be so unlucky again.

Check online..Miami is notorious for staged car accidents. Be Very careful about that. A cell phone taping...which can be used later to prove what happened is the safest protection. Don't argue with anyone. You won't be able to understand what they are saying..and that is deliberate.

and for the Pom Poms...I get so angry at people who spoil the vacation of a family that might have saved for years to take a cruise..or to see the Beach. Once a family or couple has been caught up in something like that....the cherished vacation is gone...or full of worry. Plus being scared.

Cities that tolerate that behavior...I am not staying there. If others enjoy, that is great. Different strokes for different folks.

Until they invent a spray that can used on people to make them truthful and honest..other than have too times..I am never again driving in Miami Florida. And I would not stay there overnight. Not if they put me up free at the Hilton.

We live in Florida. We know how beautiful it is..how sweet the people are..but common sense..to me.........stay on the safe side. In Fort Lauderdale....In Hollywood. In Boynton Beach. In Coral Springs. Even down towards the Keys. All beautiful. All safer.

Loved the Intercontinental!! It was one of the best pre-cruise stay experiences we have ever had. The festivities started that first night at the bayside market place. So much fun..The location is perfect.

DH and I have stayed in Miami twice pre-cruise and never did we feel unsafe.

The first time we flew into Miami and stayed at the Holiday Inn Biscayne Bay. It was nice and just across the street from Bayside. We walked to Bayside at night and never felt unsafe. It was a short taxi ride to/ from the pier/ airport.

The second time I made a deal with William Shatner and landed the Hyatt Regency Miami for $60 a night. While not at the bay, we had amazing views of the Miami river. This hotel was soo nice! We had flown into Orlando on this trip and rented a car and drove up the coast without incident. We also used our rental car to visit Bayside and Palm Beach without incident. We visited several local restaurants and shops and never were in a situation where no one spoke English or we felt unsafe.

We are staying at the Holiday Inn this year. Last year we stayed at a nice hotel as well (can't remember the name but it wasn't a "brand name" hotel). The front desk staff was VERY RUDE. Hopefully the Holiday Inn will be good... "Port" one on Biscayne Boulevard. I will let you know when I come back... I set sail in one month! wow.

As far as traffic... it is like any other big city, lots of "one way" roads and lots of crazy cabs. Treat they city like any other city, be aware of your surroundings and stay in the "tourist" areas.

DH and I are sailing out of Miami on Carnival Liberty in Sept...not too excited about hotel choices there but do hear of a few good ones downtown. We like to get out and explore a little while staying ..but not sure Miami is the place for us. We have stayed many times in FLL...and love to hang around there..and then of course we love to see "our" ship in port just waiting for us to board. Not sure that is possible in Miami anyway..so my question is ...Where would you stay? Do a lot of you CC'S stay if FLL and drive down to Miami to board..if you stay in Miami...where abouts do you stay? We are not really looking to stay at airport..would rather be closer to port...and what is there to do there that isn't "too" risky? LOL

 

Thank you all for your help. I get a lot of good information on these boards.

 

Karen

I also recommend the Intercontinental. It is going for $128 for Sept 7th on last minute travel . com

Bill

Thanks for all the responses ..out of all the wonderful things I hear about bayside ..I would really love to give Miami a try ..so I think I may just do that.. I also got a little feedback from my boss who is from down in that area...keep the responses and suggestions coming please...I really take to heart the wealth of information I have learned here..