Hotel during the Miami Marathon 2014... help?

[dreamr]

Hi,

I'm going to be returning to the Norwegian Epic on January 25, 2014. Excited! Though, someone in our roll call thread posted that our cruise is going to be leaving the same day as the Miami marathon, and suggested booking hotels and air very early to get the best prices. I keep checking certain websites for booking hotels and flights and so far, nothing allows me to select dates that far away.

 

So I have a few questions:

 

1. Approximately when will those dates open up so I can start searching and booking?

 

2. Would it be wise to book a hotel closer to the airport or closer to the port? My gut says stay as close to the port as possible so that there's a smaller chance of getting caught in traffic?

 

3. Should I go ahead and book my airfare this far in advance or wait until closer to sail date?

 

Thanks in advance!

[cruisegirl29]

I'm running the Miami half 2013.... I booked the courtyard marriott downtown Miami on LMT many months ago... And at decent rate. Before the group rates were available. I would keep checking & book a refundable rate then watch to see if you can find something cheaper as it gets closer. The rates actually increased so I'm thankful I booked well in advance! Flights you can only book 330 days in advance so you've got some time yet...

[bmckim]

Agreed. We are leaving on the day of the marathon this year and when we booked our hotel about 11 months out the prices were not bad. They seemed a little high downtown, but if you stay in the Blue Lagoon area, or Coconut Grove, you shouldn't have any issues. The biggest issue it seems is going to be dealing with Transportation/getting to the port. It may be worth it to stay downtown so that you won't have far to go. With the streets closed, it's going to be a hassle.

[kelkel2]

Hi,

I'm going to be returning to the Norwegian Epic on January 25, 2014. Excited! Though, someone in our roll call thread posted that our cruise is going to be leaving the same day as the Miami marathon, and suggested booking hotels and air very early to get the best prices. I keep checking certain websites for booking hotels and flights and so far, nothing allows me to select dates that far away.

 

So I have a few questions:

 

1. Approximately when will those dates open up so I can start searching and booking?

 

2. Would it be wise to book a hotel closer to the airport or closer to the port? My gut says stay as close to the port as possible so that there's a smaller chance of getting caught in traffic?

 

3. Should I go ahead and book my airfare this far in advance or wait until closer to sail date?

 

Thanks in advance!

1. I'm leaving this year on Jan 25th, which is during the Miami marathon and we booked our cruise in March of 2012. So, about 9 months out. We ended up doing some research and realized that a lot of hotels had rooms set aside in blocks for the marathon. We ended up booking the Holiday Inn POM in April. I would say you need to book now or as soon as the rooms open up. I'm not exactly sure when they open up, but they were open this year for us by March, so I would assume next year would be the same. I booked the Holiday Inn's cancelable rate knowing that if something nicer opened up I would cancel it and book something else. However, nothing ever opened up. You really need to book now and get a hotel secured if you are truly interested in staying in Miami.

 

2. If you are having trouble booking a hotel close to the port try closer to the airport or a few blocks away from the port. The farther away from the port you go the better off you will be getting a reservation, but obviously it will be a longer and more expensive taxi ride. I have noticed it's difficult to get a hotel with shuttle service to the port, as few seem to offer that. The marathon is ran in downtown, so all of those hotels near the port sell out very quickly. I never had any luck with discount hotel sites because most of them just didn't have any rooms to offer.

 

3. As far as airfare goes, I booked mine pretty early, by June, and that I also witnessed go up and up. To save money try flying into FLL instead. Miami seems to be much more pricey to fly into. We are fling into FLL and have a reservation for a shuttle through SAS which is $15/pp per trip.