Paid off the cruise and got some questions!!

[KathyF.]

Paid off the balance today and also FINALLY got flights book.

 

We fly into Miami on Friday, January 28th to sail on the Liberty on the 30th.

 

Questions -

 

1.) Suggestions for kid friendly hotels in Miami?

2.) Best place to rent car in Miami? How to get for hotel to port?

3.) We will have our sons' 2 booster seats with us for the car rental. Is this going to be a huge problem with storage on board? They are both backless booster car seats.

4.) Flying United for the first time. Anyone know if they have tvs in the back of the seats?

5.) Arcade on board - how much are the games?

6.) Anything else we need to do before boarding besides booking excursions and perhaps dinner? We are not doing any of the special restaurants except maybe JR's.

7.) Link to the Compass for kid's activites?? I had it before but can't find the bookmark. We are doing 6 night Western (Costa Maya, Belize, Cozumel)

[cb at sea]

All hotels will be fine for families....

Some have airport shuttles, or you can rent a car at the airport and drive to the hotel. Taxis are plentiful.

How much storage you'll have depends on the room type you've selected! I'm sure there's a corner somewhere to stick the carseats.

Can't help you with United....we no longer fly them after 3 major delays on 3 separate flights, one causing us an overnight in the airport...no food, $18 in compensation....I HATE United!

You don't need to "pre-book" JRs....if you've chosen the type of dining you prefer (traditional or My Time), that's it! You're done!

[KathyF.]

Done is good!

 

Okay have to figure out hotels for 2 nights before and 1 after.

[KathyF.]

Anyone else??

 

Arcade costs?

 

Link to the kids activities? I saw them previously.

 

Anyone recommend a good hotel in Miami?

 

What is the closest car rental agency to the port?

 

Oh and just worried about the car seats as we have a standard room so may be a tight fit??

[cruisenfever]

Anyone else??

 

Arcade costs?

 

Link to the kids activities? I saw them previously.

 

Anyone recommend a good hotel in Miami?

 

What is the closest car rental agency to the port?

 

Oh and just worried about the car seats as we have a standard room so may be a tight fit??

I borrowed this link from a CC friend because I thought it might help answer some of your questions regarding your children.

 

http://photobucket.com/cruisekidpages

 

You also may find some answers on the Family Cruises forum.

[KathyF.]

Thank you for the link!! That's exactly what I was looking for!

[bus man]

United does not have TVs in the backs of the seats. However, most of their planes do have TVs that fold down from the overhead bins. In my experience, they don't typically use them if the flight is less than 3 hours.

 

Not at all to discount cb at sea's experiences, but I've had mostly good luck with United. Though they're not in the same league as Southwest and AirTran when it comes to customer service (IMO), they're quite a bit better than Delta or USAirways. I think the odds are in your favor that you'll have a good flight.

[ask2112]

Have a great time, Liberty is one of our favorite boats!

[cruisenfever]

Thank you for the link!! That's exactly what I was looking for!

You're welcome. I'm sorry I didn't think of it sooner.

[KathyF.]

You're welcome. I'm sorry I didn't think of it sooner.

 

 

Printed off some of the Liberty pages and showing it to the kids tonight to give them an idea of what kinds of things might be offered on board!

 

Now I have to start looking at hotels in Miami...

[crusinmama06]

Arcade costs range from 50 cents to $1.50/game -- so the money goes quickly. I try to keep my kids out of the arcade because they can play games in Adventure Ocean.

 

Car Seats -- you say you have a "standard cabin" -- I take the backless turbo boosters with us and have always thrown them in the closet or under the bed. I have even seen people on the family board ask a cabin steward to store them. Don't worry, you will find room somewhere. I have never seen someone come back and say "We had to sleep outside the cabin because the car seats took up too much space" ;):D

 

Hotel -- Holiday Inn Port of Miami -- we have stayed in the most expensive hotels in Miami (ahem, the Mandarin Oriental) -- and I keep coming back to the Holiday Inn as being the most family friendly hotel for cruising out of Miami. And here's why -- it's the closest to the port. It's across the street from Bayside Marketplace which opens up a ton of places to eat (or even shop for last minute items). Its budget friendly. It has a pool for the kids. And it has a restaurant on sight that serves breakfast for the morning you are leaving for the ship.

http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/en/miami/miabb/hoteldetail

 

Before boarding - RESEARCH your excursions! Come on over to the family board and read the ports of call board for each port. When I read that someone thinks there is "nothing to do in Nassau" then I know that person didn't do their research. Come over to the family board (if you haven't already) and name your ports and ask about specific excursions. We can tell you if we have been on that tour before or not. And if its good with kids.

 

You already got the links to the kids clubs. Its always at the link in my signature. The menu is there as well. Have a great cruise! :D

[KathyF.]

THANK YOU!!!!! I'm telling my 7 year old to bring his own $$ for the arcade.

[The C]

Paid off the balance today and also FINALLY got flights book.

 

We fly into Miami on Friday, January 28th to sail on the Liberty on the 30th.

 

Questions -

 

1.) Suggestions for kid friendly hotels in Miami?

2.) Best place to rent car in Miami? How to get for hotel to port?

3.) We will have our sons' 2 booster seats with us for the car rental. Is this going to be a huge problem with storage on board? They are both backless booster car seats.

4.) Flying United for the first time. Anyone know if they have tvs in the back of the seats?

5.) Arcade on board - how much are the games?

6.) Anything else we need to do before boarding besides booking excursions and perhaps dinner? We are not doing any of the special restaurants except maybe JR's.

7.) Link to the Compass for kid's activites?? I had it before but can't find the bookmark. We are doing 6 night Western (Costa Maya, Belize, Cozumel)

 

1.) Not many kid friendly hotels in Miami. However look at resorts specifically on the beach. In the South Beach area of Miami Beach there is Jungle Island and the children's museum off of the MacArthur Causeway so if you stay in South Beach your just 10 mins from that.

2.) If you must rent a car for Miami rent from Hertz. It pains me to say so because I hate Hertz with a passion and prefer Enterprise, however I know for a fact there's a Hertz office downtown Miami and you can take a taxi over to POM (port of Miami) I'm still unaware of car rentals that will take you or pick you up from POM as they have to pay extra fees to enter and exit the POM as a commercial vehicle (taxis do too but they need the business)

3.) If your staying at a hotel and plan to return to that hotel for a night after your trip ask them if they'll keep it for you while on your trip. That will clear some space for you in the cabin. Keep in mind though that if you decide for tours riding in cars (not busses) you may need these. So decide your excursions in advance online so you know if you'll need them. If you aren't staying in the hotel afterwards its probably best to keep them as going to pick them up would take extra time.

4.) Never flew United, however have a tough time imagining no TV's on seats anymore. Check Wikipedia. Type in United, if you scroll down eventually on the article it will talk about their fleets. After my increased flying both domestically and internationally I find it to be rather accurate. Also check seatguru.com and seatexpert.com they both have info for specific flight numbers.

5.) Arcade is on board. Its in the childrens area however it has it's own entrance so the teens dont have to wander through the younger kids area and vice versa. Prices vary based on game and game type.

6.) I recommend booking excursions in advance ONLY if you are 100% you understand what you read and have NO questions. Many times the first day is At Sea, and you can talk to the explorations desk in the morning (typically next to 'pursers'/guest services desk) and they can in detail explain everything. At the end of the day if something goes wrong and you talked to THEM (on board) you may be able to get recourse if something doesnt follow what they say. If its your own misconception you are SOL especially if you didnt talk to someone. I always wait til on board and have never missed an excursion I wanted. Just be prepared to do it early so you dont miss out!

 

Secondly ensure prior to leaving your home have all docs that prove your citizenship (hopefully passports.) If your children have different last names be prepared to prove that either you have custody or that the other parent is aware the child is exiting and re-entering the country. Port Agents will shed no tears if you are missing docs and must be denied.

 

7.) Sorry I have no kids so I cant answer this one.

 

This is based on my experience with RCI and knowledge of the Miami area as a Miami local and hospitality professional.

[Kim4]

3.) We will have our sons' 2 booster seats with us for the car rental. Is this going to be a huge problem with storage on board? They are both backless booster car seats.

 

 

I took two big Britax Marathon car seats (not booster seats) on the Freedom of the Seas (identical (mostly) to the one you're on), and we were in an interior room. My two mega-seats fit in the bottom of the closet just fine, so you should be great with backless booster seats.

 

I strongly recommend going over to the ports of call board...but I see you're going to Cozumel. I did the Passion Island excursion with my kids, and they LOVED LOVED LOVED it. Just a suggestion :)

[KathyF.]

Thank you so much!!

 

I will check out wikipedia for United Airlines as I'm getting conflicted info.

 

My sister's family has done several RCI cruises so we are doing couple excursions they have recommended.

 

I just keep hearing how tiny the interior cabins are so I was imaging storing the carseats would be a PIA but sounds like they should fit find in the closet.

[KathyF.]

2.) If you must rent a car for Miami rent from Hertz. It pains me to say so because I hate Hertz with a passion and prefer Enterprise, however I know for a fact there's a Hertz office downtown Miami and you can take a taxi over to POM (port of Miami) I'm still unaware of car rentals that will take you or pick you up from POM as they have to pay extra fees to enter and exit the POM as a commercial vehicle (taxis do too but they need the business)

 

 

And this is valuable info as I was wondering about dropping/picking a car rental up at the port.