watergal

ruthnlarry - thanks to OP re allowing names of hotels, etc. it is Homewood Suites, Blue Lagoon and it's at the airport. It's a 'sister' property of Embassy Suites and suggested by the res agent who was incredibly helpful and personable. Hope this helps.

Would love to give you the name of the specific Hilton but not sure it would be allowed on CC. If you have a private message area perhaps that could be an alternative.

Thanks folks for your help. However, in the interim and after much research, I was able to find a Hilton hotel that offers an inclusive package that offers accommodations, parking for the duration, evening reception, hot breakfast, and transfers to and from the Port - all at a very affordable price.

We've never driven to Miami, but a very close friend of ours recommends:

 

https://www.choicehotels.com/florida/miami-springs/comfort-suites-hotels/flb13?source=gyxt

 

The folks on Cruise Critic sister site Trip Advisor seem to love Comfort Suites also.

The Hotel is smoke free and runs a free Shuttle to the Port, so it probably tics all of your boxes.

 

Good Luck!

Thank you JimandStan for your very prompt response. As a member of TripAdvisor also I've read some absolute horror stories re parking at the Port itself - everything from keyed cars to smashed windshields. I would assume this is peak season for the hotel industry with folks fleeing cold weather to enjoy the blessed warm sunshine so prices are high everywhere and just want decent accommodations where our car can be safely parked until our return.

We will be driving to Miami as we plan to stay for several weeks post cruise. Are there hotels CC members would recommend for a Stay and Cruise package? I know we could use the parking facilities at the Port itself however we'd like to stay overnight pre-cruise in decent accommodations but one that offers safe parking for our vehicle.

Would appreciate any/all comments.

I think I've read NCL does it that way.

Thank you, ORV. As NCL is the parent company of Oceania, I wondered if some of their policies extended throughout their fleet.

Seriously ???

 

What would be the point of offering a package is that were the case :eek:

 

AFAIK the gratuity is part of the package price

If I had known it 'were the case' I wouldn't have asked. You might want to soften your attitude.

Prices are in the panel on the right side

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/experience/value/beverage-packages/

 

PP/ per day once you sign up it is for the duration of your cruise

Is there an 18% gratuity affixed to each and every drink while utilizing the beverage package?

your 1 martini before dinner and a drink after are NOT covered in the basic package. As mentioned the pours are very short and most of us ask for a double to get what we normally get in a bar on land. Thats $25 for 1 martini and for an after dinner port a $20 to 30 for a class.

 

Just came back from a 17 day cruise with 10 sea days, kept a record and it was easy to build $100 a day

Prove it too yourself... go the first 2 days without the prem package and keep a record.. Then if you choose you can up-grade based on your real experience. It is not a problem to up grade several days into the cruise.

Thank you, Hawaiidan! You summarized it carefully, mathematically and succinctly!!

Was wondering about the beverage package as offered in their marketing scheme. In some, the beverage package includes all champagne, wine and beer during lunch and dinner. In the 'prestige package' it includes spirits, champagne, wine and beer....and there's the catch. 'Spirits.' If we would like a pre dinner cocktail or an after dinner specialty coffee, it's not included in the regular beverage package - the one we booked thinking it included everything regardless the name brands and confirmed with our 'agent.'

My question is: After speaking with Oceania, they tell me I can 'upgrade' when we're onboard. Even with the highest end vodka for a martini, it would appear our penchant for a martini before dinner is less expensive than upgrading.

Would really appreciate any and all input here.

[COLHOR=Blue][/color]

Was wondering about Oceania departure from Miami. Are there hotels nearby which would keep the car for a week should we stay overnight?....or is there a very secure compound whereby we could leave our car while we're at sea?

Haven't sailed on Oceania and looking forward to the experience. Loved Seabourn and as Platinum status with Princess, they really don't appreciate previous guests as they offer absolutely minimal to nothing while other quality lines are actively seeking business and offering little perks. In today's very competitive market, works for me.

Thanks for any and all input.

It was like the photos on the Coral Princess a couple of years ago; cheese, veggies and dip on the Crown and Sapphire.

Just off the Golden and there was NOTHING like these pictures portray! Tried it twice only to find pitiful semblances of tortilla chips and some left over salsa. Small pieces of cheese, nondescript crackers and some olives. As we passed on the 'drink of the day' the prices of other drinks are the same in any of the bars throughout the ship. It was crowded and the service was incredibly slow. Would love to have seen anything resembling what these pictures portray as we would have been regulars. We were anytime dining, which is really an oxymoron because you cannot eat 'anytime.' So we tried this venue to have a drink and an appetizer while waiting. Would rather wait in the Lobby Bar even though it was packed with anytime diners waiting with their anytime vibrators telling them when they could eat - anytime. :)

I have to tell you, I was so surprised when I was in Super Target this past week and saw TimTams. I live in the Tampa area so you just might see them at Super Target in the Fort Lauderdale area.

In Ontario they can be purchased at WalMart. Due to all the hype around these cookies, I purchased them. They taste like a chocolate covered graham cookie. :(

I like the scent, too, but on our last cruise, we never had our shampoo or conditioner replaced. It was good that we had brought some along. We were wondering if it was a cost cutting measure to allow each cabin only one bottle of shampoo and conditioner per week. We actually needed more than one bottle. Our steward was a nice guy, but our cabin often did not get cleaned until after noon, even though we were up and out for breakfast around seven each morning. He told us he had nineteen cabins to do each day. We were in a mini, so I'm guessing that most of his cabins were minis on the Dolphin Deck.

We just came off the Sapphire and had a mini on Dolphin deck with a steward named Noel who often looked haggard. He had 17 cabins to clean and said the highest number was 19 so you must have had that one. We rarely had our cabin cleaned before noon regardless we told him we were early risers and out of the cabin doing something. We shower in the evening as we can't go to bed with the dirt-of-the-day on us, in addition to lotions and sunscreen...which is good for us as Princess only allows one change of sheets for 7 day cruise!

Crazy question, but for those that have cruised the Sapphire recently, is the shampoo and conditioner that Princess provides good stuff or do you bring your own from home?

 

Thanks!

We just came off the Sapphire and there are bottles of eucalyptus shampoo, conditioner and lotion. I found it just a tad difficult to get it out of the container so was happy I brought a travel sized 'head and shoulders' with me. Additionally, we don't like the small bars of soap in the shower so this time we brought a full cake of Dove soap and it nicely lasted the entire week.