Expert: Linda - 11/24/2008

Question
my wife and i will be taking a cruise on royal caribbean freedom of the sea in march 09. we will be driving to miami florida from texas. what will be the best place to stay overnight and is close to the port. would you recommend a parking garage and the best way to get to the port from the parking garage with all our luggage

Answer
Hi Eddie, you will be leaving from the port of Miami.  There are LOTS of great hotels in downtown Miami, which is right across the causeway from the port.  If you are SURE you are going, I suggest you use Priceline.com.  You can put the bid in for what you want to pay and if accepted, that's the price you pay, HOWEVER, you can't change or cancel your reservations once booked.  We've stayed at most of the hotels there as we go to visit friends leaving from there and don't want to party, then drive home.  If you google "downtown Miami hotels", you'll see just how many there are.  The only one I would put at the bottom of the list is the Holiday Inn.  If you ask for a port facing room, you'll be able to see your ship coming into port the day you leave!

When you arrive at the port entrance, they'll ask you where you're going and may ask you for drivers license the cruise ticket...depends on who you get.  The signs are VERy well marked on where your ship is located, that's a piece of cake.  You will pull up to the curb and unload your wife and suitcases (they will sure you're unloaded in about 15 seconds flat!)  Leave wife and suitcase and follow the signs for the parking garage.  REMEMBER WHERE YOU PARKED!  You will need to park the car, then head back to the wife.  By this time, the porters will have taken your luggage and hopefully left your wife :).  Meet up with her and your carry on luggage and head inside the terminal for embarkation.  MAKE SURE YOU FILL OUT YOUR TAGS AHEAD OF TIME,  fill out your Bahamas visa card and have handy your passport, credit card, completed immegration form.  Be sure to tip the porters at least $1.00 for each bag.

On your return, you will nab a porter, he'll load his cart and off you'll go to the car.  (Trust me, worth more money to get him to take your stuff for you then getting the car and driving back thru the madness)  There is now a neat little gizmo I think was at Bed, Bath and behond, it's a little sound wave hicky you put on your luggage and when you hit the button, it beeps....would be quite handy when you're in a huge warehouse full of suitcases that all look the same!  Be sure to take lots of $1.00 bills for your tipping.

On board, we like ice in the morning, afternoon and evening.  First day we give our room steward $10....we always have ice!

For another terrific site, to to cruisecritic.com, join, (free), then navigate to message boards, Royal Caribbean, then you can post the same question there or search the archives for the same question that has been answered by others.  It's a GREAT site.  Also, if you are part of cruiscritic and there are more than 20 going, they put togther a party, which is a neat way to meet others...BEFORE the cruise you chat, then face to face on the cruise. Really nice to do!

Ask away if you have more questions.

Linda