Miami International Airport CCL check in

[1sttymecruisin]

In a couple of weeks my family and I will be sailing for the first time. We're starting our trip with a long road trip from Arizona to Miami. I wonder if we can check in at the Miami airport the day of the cruise to save time and hassle with little ones. Does anyone know if you can check in at the airport without actually having a flight?

[thinfool]

Don't you need to drive to the port to park?

 

Diverting to the airport would be a mess, dealing with unfamiliar roads and traffic and finding a place to park....then driving to the port and finding another place to park.

 

The port is a lot more organized than you seem to think.

[fishywood]

Welcome to Cruise Critic. You may want to also post this question on the dedicated Carnival Cruise Lines board.

 

I certainly do recall reading of others that have done exactly as you propose. But there are a lot of other factors that influence whether or not it is actually practical to do:

 

Where are you staying the night before your cruise?

How were you planning on getting to the Port from MIA?

Where will you be parking your vehicle for the length of the cruise?

 

Deviating to MIA rather than going directly to the Port may work out if you are still outside greater Miami the night before. But an additional unloading and reloading of your vehicle strikes me as a lot of extra "time and hassle with the little ones". Just finding a parking space at MIA at that hour is time consuming; there are no separate close-in short term spaces as you find at most other airports. Then taking your entire family into the terminal just to make the walk back to your car after however long the line takes there? Hopefully someone that that makes sense to will come along with their experience.

[Hlitner]

As a general rule, the only folks that are entitled to transfers from the airport to the cruise port are those that booked their air through the cruise line...or paid an extra fee (which is more then just taking a taxi) for the transfer. The cruise line reps at the airport have a list of those folks they are to greet and arrange transfers. Furthermore, you do not actually "check in" for a cruise at the airport. That must be done at the cruise port where you will have to clear security, fill out your short health form, get in the proper line, and wait to be checked-in and get your cruise card. All the folks do, at the airport, is get folks (on their list) to the transfer vehicle. Everyone still must go through the cruise port check in process.

 

 

Hank

[Essiesmom]

I think that the folks who have answered here do not understand what the OP is asking, nor have they sailed Carnival from Miami. Carnival cruises has a desk/kiosk in Miami airport where guests can check in for their cruise. Then they can take the Carnival transfer to the port. Or, as the OP wishes to do, drive their own car to the port. At the terminal, carnival passengers must have chosen a time to check in, and are not allowed into the terminal until their assigned time. But those that have checked in at the airport can bypass the lines, go directly through security and get their zone number for boarding. An advantage for those with small children. For the OP, the hangup is the airport parking. EM

[cb at sea]

Much easier to just check in at the ship, if you aren't flying into Miami! Plus, parking AT the port allows you to start home (or wherever you're going) immediately after the cruise, without needing transfers or cabs to the airport..

[ander43]

We are flying into MIA the day before our cruise, we usually stay in a hotel by the port and buy FTF, on this cruise (Splendor 14 Jan) no FTF So we are thinking of staying at the airport hotel and walking over in the AM and do the airport check-in. Anyone ever did this?

[sid_9169]

In this case, it totally makes sense to check in at the airport kiosk. They check your paperwork / passport. They used to give you your ship card there, but Carnival has been testing a new system, where your card is in your mailbox on the ship. I do not know if they're still giving the card at the kiosk. From there, it's a quick taxi or uber to the port. There is a designated "airport check in" line, although they have also been enforcing the assigned check in times, so I'm not sure if this will circumvent that...

We are flying into MIA the day before our cruise, we usually stay in a hotel by the port and buy FTF, on this cruise (Splendor 14 Jan) no FTF So we are thinking of staying at the airport hotel and walking over in the AM and do the airport check-in. Anyone ever did this?