Park and Cruise in Miami?

[croozluv]

Anybody know of a hotel we can sleep, park and cruise in Miami? I've called several and they seem to only provide transport TO the port - and you have to find your own way back to the hotel at the end of your cruise. Tried searching but didn't see anything, so sorry if this has been answered.:) Seems like the last thing I'm going to want to worry about at the end of a cruise is trying to flag down a cab/find a way back to the car. Thanks for any help!

[Fla Senior]

We stayed in Nov at Hyatt Place on 36th St. No charge to park and transportation to port. Think they included return as well. Nice place. Check it out.

[golfadj]

Go to NA homeports page and you should see several choices

[1stime cruiser]

Embassy Suites Miami Airport is a nice hotel but they charge you for transfers and Parking. The prices are reasonable though

[croozluv]

I will try all of these....Thanks!

[JohninDC]

Most of the hotels offering park and cruise deals are out near the MIA airport -- downtown and Miami Beach hotels charge guests $25-30+/day for parking. :eek:

 

I know of NO hotels offering free transport back from POM to your car -- figure about $25-30 for a taxi. :(

 

www.parksleepfly.com and www.stay123.com are two good sources. Besides the ES mentioned above check out the Springhill Suites Medical Center and hotels in the Blue Lagoon area near MIA. Hotels in Doral are west of the airport and can be a good value but will cost more in cab fare to get back to your car.

 

Budget options often suggested include the Comfort Suites North and the La Quinta East. Good luck! :)

[ricktwo]

In Dade County, I would be careful of which hotel lot/garage I left a vehicle in for a week if there is anything of value in the vehicle.

[croozluv]

Thanks for all the great advice. Thought I'd post what we ended up with in case anyone else is searching for this.

 

We've booked Comfort Suites on Minola Drive. it looks clean, updated and got pretty good reviews on TripAdvisor. Also, there is a bar in the hotel which is always a big plus! :D

 

Does anybody know how safe this area is? I will definitely plan on parking beneath a light or somewhere more visible.

 

For anybody wondering... The total cost plus tax came to $110. We're staying there Thursday night, checking out Friday, and there is free parking for the night we stay. We can leave our car there for $12/night and plan on doing that till Monday morning, essentially adding $36 to our cost. They have a free shuttle TO the Port of Miami, and we can then arrange with the shuttle company to pick us up at the end of our cruise. The hotel staff said they cannot arrange the pick up, but that the price is about $10 per person.

 

In total, for the stay + parking + shuttle we end up at around $166. This hotel has a free hot breakfast and free wi-fi too. I should note that I did get a AAA discount on the night we stayed. I feel like we got an okay deal.

 

Thanks everyone for the good advice!

[Angela61280]

How was the Comfort Suites? Just curious..

[summercruisin']

I'm not the OP, but I can chime in about the Comfort Suites on Minola. We stayed there last summer pre-cruise. The hotel is a pretty good value and seems clean. However, we had a few problems, and the parking situation is horrendous, if you are choosing to leave your car there for the duration of the cruise.

 

We arrived late at night to find they had lost our reservation (which they blamed on us, claiming we had booked the wrong Comfort Suites, until I showed them the paperwork I had brought with me showing their address). When I checked my credit card statement, I found out this mistake led to us being double charged, so I had a little aggravation to deal with when I got home. When we got there, there was nowhere to park (no available spots). They do not have near enough parking spaces for all the guests. They share a lot with another hotel. We were directed to park up against the building (the porter manhandled someone's moped out of the way) and to "be sure to get a real spot in the morning before the cruise, so your car won't get towed." So, at breakfast time, my DH and I had to take turns going outside to stalk people leaving in hopes of getting their spot (it was like parking at the mall the day after Thanksgiving!). Very aggravating! Instead of a peaceful breakfast before excitedly catching our shuttle to the port, we were parking lot surfing.

 

We got a spot and caught our shuttle....the shuttle provided by the hotel takes you to the port and is very convenient. They do allow you to arrange a return shuttle (with a different company) before you go. The cost was reasonable, and the return shuttle experience was just okay (had to cross the busy street by the port with all bags & kids to get to the pickup spot, had to wait about 40 minutes, driver stayed on his cell phone or messed with it the whole time he was driving :eek:). Back at the hotel, we found our car was safe and sound (other than a new 'ding' from someone else's car door), thankfully.

 

We felt like we got our money's worth, but we won't stay there again under the circumstances, especially since after I wrote a review on Tripadvisor they AGAIN tried to claim I was confused about which Comfort Suites I stayed in. Their street name was easy to remember (Minola), so I know which one we booked, stayed in, and reviewed.