7 people precruise in Miami

[bzbintc]

I have a family of seven (4 grandparents, husband and I and daughters 10 and 14) trying to visit Miami for two days before our cruise out of POM in late February. I’m looking for suggestions on where to stay and how to get a rental car big enough to carry us and all that luggage. I figured we’d rent a car so we can explore the area. Can’t find any good prices on flights in or out that time of year. FT Lauderdale seems to be a decent option because I can fly out the day we return at 3:30. Can I rent from Ft Lauderdale airport and return near the POM?

[CruiserBruce]

The biggest issue is a vehicle seating 7, plus the bags. Seating 7 is not out of the question, but including the bags will add a challenge. I would resolve this first...because there are always shuttles.

 

As to hotels, there are MANY threads here on both areas. Given your group, and your likely desire to put more than 2 in a room, I would suggest any of the "Suites" type hotels, like Embassy Suites.

 

As to renting and returning, I think there are one of two places to return relatively close to the Port, but the majority require return to the airport.

[JohninDC]

There are some extra large vans, but they are expensive to rent and a challenge to park :(

 

You can skip the car rental and use Uber and Lyft to get around - traffic in Miami and Miami Beach is bad and parking is expensive (most downtown hotels charge guests $25-30+ per day to park :eek: )

 

One UberXL and one UberX will get all 7 plus bags from FLL to downtown Miami - about $35 for the UberX and closer to $70 for the XL. From there you can ride public transport or catch a hop-on/of bus tour to see Miami and Miami Beach. I would book a hotel ASAP - Feb is peak tourist season and prices will be high. Hampton Inn Mary Brickell gets great reviews, includes "free" breakfast, and is close to lots of nearby dining and shopping options.

 

You could stay in the FLL area and enjoy the beach, water taxi, etc. www.sunny.org has lots of FLL area tourist and hotel info. Use either a shared shuttle service (SAS, QLS, Go Airport, etc.) to get to POM for about $15 per person, or use the combination of UberXL and UberX described above.

 

Good luck - have a great cruise! :D

[nhraformula00]

that totals up to 8 people??????????????????

[JohninDC]

that totals up to 8 people??????????????????

 

Good catch! ;)

[bzbintc]

that totals up to 8 people??????????????????

 

You're right. I still have a hard time remembering that my father is no longer with us. I guess I included him when mentioning grandparents.

[bzbintc]

Thanks for the info on the van. I was worried about that most of all. We may opt for two vehicles but that doesn't help with parking.

Soooo, with no car in Miami or its surrounding areas, where is the best walking friendly area to stay? I was told Hollywood beach area is nice too. Thanks for the help.

[JohninDC]

You can stay in the FLL area - www.sunny.org has lots of FLL area hotel and tourist info - we like the downtown/17th street area with lots of nearby dining options and easy access to the water taxi. Then shuttle or use two Ubers to get to POM the morning of your cruise.

 

Hollywood offers a boardwalk that is popular, and the new Margaritaville resort - I am not too familiar with Hollywood, so hopefully a local will chime in.

 

Your other option is to stay in downtown Miami; the Mary Brickell area is very popular with lots of local dining/shopping options, public transport, hop-on/off bus tours to see Miami/Miami Beach, etc. Use private transport (Larry's Limos) or two Ubers to get from FLL to downtown. Often suggested hotels include JW Marriott, Conrad Hilton, Hampton Inn, Four Seasons, Homewood Suites and the new Atton Brickell. Two more Ubers or a couple of taxis will get you from downtown to POM the morning of your cruise.

 

You can rent a car one way - FLL to Miami; for 7 plus bags you'll need an extra large van. Traffic and parking fees would discourage me from renting a big van, but it is your call. National, Alamo, Thrifty and Enterprise offer free shuttles between their MIA airport location and POM. Avis, Hertz and others have downtown locations (about a 10-15 min walk from the Brickell area hotels) close to POM - they usually offer shuttles or you can drop off passengers and bags at the port before returning the car and then only the driver needs to shuttle/Uber/taxi to POM.

 

Good luck! :D

[BNBR]

Hollywood Beach, 100%. It's an EXCELLENT idea to stay there. John, it's a a "broadwalk" as there isn't a "board" in sight! Lol. But yeah, I have family that lives here and even they do staycations on the broadwalk. It's an excellent place to be.

 

Margaritaville is pricey but if it's within your budget, go for it. It's a central location right in front of the clamshell (live music venue) among other things. Personally, I think it's the best, most "resort" like spot in South Florida by far. We go down there quite a bit for drinks at Landshark and to enjoy the music and people watching. Absolutely love it.

[lindalo5032]

Hollywood Beach, 100%.

Margaritaville is pricey but if it's within your budget, go for it. It's a central location right in front of the clamshell (live music venue) among other things. Personally, I think it's the best, most "resort" like spot in South Florida by far. We go down there quite a bit for drinks at Landshark and to enjoy the music and people watching. Absolutely love it.

 

Would you recommend Margaritaville for kids and people who don't drink alcohol?

[BNBR]

Would you recommend Margaritaville for kids and people who don't drink alcohol?

 

Absolutely. They have a great resort pool with waterfalls, slide, flow rider, beach chairs, bicycle and other activity rentals, etc. It's on the broadwalk that has playgrounds, water features and what not too. We take our kids down there all the time.