I'm starting to change my mind and now need help!

[westernmom]

I put a deposit on our cruise with air last Oct. Our final payment is due Mar 6. Now, after reading these boards, I am having second thoughts about the air part. I thought I was doing the right thing because this is our first cruise and we aren't familiar with all of the in's and out's of doing things. The $$$ isn't my biggest concern as much as the the time that they might fly us out. We are flying out if Salt Lake City to Miami. I had the impression that they would fly us out in the middle of the day, put us up in a nice hotel, and then we would be shuttled to the port and meet up with our luggage in our cabin. It sounded like it took a lot of the hassle out of the trip to me! But, now after reading these boards they say we will probably be flying a red-eye, etc.

 

If that's the case, I would rather go ahead an book my own flight and hotel, etc. But, the shuttles to the hotel, the port, etc. bugs me. And, I need to find a hotel....

 

HELP!!! Any ideas to help me? I see a lot of people stay at the Holiday Inn. Don't they have a shuttle to pick up guests at the airport? Or, am I just too small town and have been spoiled by these types of services?

 

Any suggestions would be really appreciated.

[BlueHerons]

Since you are coming all the way from Salt Lake City, why don't you fly in two days early and see some of Miami's gorgeous beaches?

 

You could take a reasonable flight, get to Miami in the evening, get a good nights sleep and have an entire day and night to see Miami then head off on your cruise.

 

If that isn't an option, start pricing out airfare (www.ITASoftware.com ) and figure out what you'll need to spend to get to Miami.

 

As far as hotels go, what is your budget?

 

I would not worry about shuttles because rental cars are cheap in Florida and cabs are plentiful.

[westernmom]

I wish we could do that but we are already having to take a day off just to get to Salt Lake (not retired - yet).

 

As far as the hotel I figure around $100 - $150.... Prices are so different than around here in Idaho. We can stay in a very nice hotel here for $100!

 

That's a great site. I just had to book a flight for my daughter to San Francisco for a fitness conference and wish I would have had that! It's so simple and quick. Much easier than most site.

 

If we fly into Miami, would the Holiday Inn be a decent choice?

 

Thanks for the interest.

[DesrtDrmr]

HI Westernmom,

You can check out hotels by using some of the big online travel agency search engines, and then go directly to that hotel brand and book. You can also see if they have shuttles to and from airport, cruiseport, etc.........or you can call and ask, once you have settled on two or three. Otherwise you can just get a cab. ALSO, you can use the cruiseline shuttle service to get you back to the airport from the dock, as long as you have plenty of time. I haven't cruised out of Miami, but have used these methods in several other cruise ports. We always fly in a day early. ALSO, you can book your hotel through the cruiseline. It might cost a bit more, but you can get there from the airport, and then use the cruiseline shuttle from hotel to ship. Usually transfers are included when you book your hotel through the cruiseline. Check with your travel agent or cruiseline........whoever you booked through, and set it up that way. You then have the best of two worlds, flights of your own choosing, and hotel and transfers through the cruiseline.

Have a great cruise.......you'll be an old hand next time,

From an ex-Idahoan........... :)

[ocngypz]

Did you book your cruise and air with the cruiseline? or with a travel agent?

 

What cruiseline are you sailing with?

[FunCruiser56]

We always book our airfare seperate from our cruise.We want control over the flight times and it is almost always cheaper to book yourself.We usually look on travelocity, orbitz to check flight prices and times.

 

As for transers. When you land in Miami pick up your luggage and walk out the doors there are many taxi's waiting to take you where ever you want. It will cost you about $30 for up to 4 people in a cab to get to downtown Miami.

The same for the return trip when you get off the ship there will be cabs waiting. We paid $9pp + tip. So very easy...

Go to the holiday inn website and check out the rates for the time you go. You can book now and if you find something better cancel it later. They book up very fast so don't wait too long. Again you can catch a cab from the HI to the port or wait with everyone else at the hotel and catch their $$ shuttle.

HI is right by bayside marketplace so you will have plenty of shopping/resturants within a short walk.

 

Funcruiser

[plarimer]

We always fly in a day early and then rent a car - very cheap in FL. We always stay in a hotel somewhere where we would like to see something - such as the Keys, the beaches or something. We relax in the morning and return the car to the rental lot around 12:00. Every car rental agency has a free shuttle to the port and they come about every 15-20 minutes.

 

At the end of the cruise, grab a taxi back to the airport - very reasonable prices.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[megr1125]

If you fly into MIA, you can also take SuperShuttle to your hotel. In MIA they don't take reservations, but I think it ws about $20 PP or less.

 

You just get your luggage and go out the doors. They have a little kiosk. You may have to wait about 10 minutes but it was easy.

 

They Holiday Inn Bayside seemed ok. I went in and looked around. It's right across from Bayside Marketplace. There are some places to eat and little shops. Nice for a couple hours. Also you have a great view of the ships.

 

You should be able to get a decent airfare and hotel rate. You just have to shop around......you have a few days. I guess you could just cancel the air/hotel part. I always book air and hotel separate and on my own. I am nuts about getting to my destination early.

 

Good luck.

 

Also, check out tripadvisor.com for hotel reviews. Remember, these are by travelers, so they are subjective. But they will give you a little background on the various places.

[KLV2cruz]

Cheer up and don't worry. Call and speak to your travel agent or Carnival. They can, for a fee customize your flight to your satisfaction, both coming and going. They will do it right on the phone just ask for custom air. If you do go into Miami early look online and find a hotel that is close by or something your would like. Most have taxi service to the pier. Call the hotel you choose directly and speak directly to the resi office as they might have some specials not listed. Don't panic. The time change is throwing you off. Miami can be a lot of fun if you get an early enough flight. You can even book your own flights if you want. Just let Carnival know before your documents arrive, so you don't get an extra charge. Good luck and Happy Sailing.

[westernmom]

I cancelled the air part and saved $1125! Re-booked on my own for $585 and we decided that we would have a post cruise day too! So booked a hotel with a complimentary shuttle to the airport and pier for both pre and post cruise for a total of $250. So now we can use the extra almost $300 for a car or whatever we want! Sweet, huh?

 

I really appreciate all of the comments and suggestions from everyone. I guess I was just a little uptight about flying into Miami and connecting with it all. You guys just gave me the confidence to do what I knew I should have done all along!

 

THANKS!

[megr1125]

now THAT is my kinda deal!!!

 

It's fun to save all that money. I love my TA, but one I used for other stuff years ago NEVER got me a good deal. Now with this one, I either book everything solo, or give her the info and have her do all the booking.

[palmtre2]

I did the same thing for our second cruise last year - I cancelled the air portion and booked non-stop flights way cheaper (CCL was charging us $404/pp) and flew in 2 days early. The savings in airfare allowed us to reserve a towncar for the drive to our MIA beach hotel and to pick us up at the pier. I was the same as you nervous about trying to make all the arrangements myself since I had Carnival do it all for our first cruise. I'm a bit of a control freak so I did it all for this years cruise (my 4th) for not just my family but for 2 others as well!!!!

[caribbean dreams]

Don't worry, Carnival will let you cancel the air portion of your cruise anytime before you pay final payment. Holiday inn's prices start at about $110+ tax, there is no free shuttle service but you will still be saving a lot of money booking the flight on your own (we saved $800 this time) and spending money on a taxi.

We always fly in a few days early to see the sights and are always glad we did. Great idea about the rental car, i have suggested this to my hubby who always says "how will we get the car back to the rental company" now that i know they will bring you back for free, i thinks the rental car is a go.

[mcfaddensfarm]

Westernmom, from a fellow Idahoan, I know what you were facing. Flying anywhere to the East coast from here is a major pain and the airfare usually sucks!!:( Glad to see you came out ahead! I've never tried driving down to SLC & leaving from there. We're sailing on the Freedom from Miami in October and are flying from Boise into Miami. I recently saw the price drop on the airfare on one of the online travel sites & decided to book it. Glad I did because now it's gone up again! We don't run into very many fellow Idahoans who cruise, so it's nice to know there's more of us out there!:D By the way, in your picture is that Spuddy Buddy in your hand?

[flashdog_1]

That is such good news! i feel so good for you. Have a wonderful time in Miami before and after your cruise!

[VentureMan_2000]

I wish we could do that but we are already having to take a day off just to get to Salt Lake (not retired - yet).

 

As far as the hotel I figure around $100 - $150.... Prices are so different than around here in Idaho. We can stay in a very nice hotel here for $100!

 

That's a great site. I just had to book a flight for my daughter to San Francisco for a fitness conference and wish I would have had that! It's so simple and quick. Much easier than most site.

 

If we fly into Miami, would the Holiday Inn be a decent choice?

 

Thanks for the interest.

 

I've done a bit of research here... Holiday Inn, Port of Miami is a decent hotel (like a best western) right across from the pier and bayside marketplace - that has a lot of great restaurants.

 

MIA to Port cab is $24 flat fee... so that is what I'm expecting to pay to the hotel. From H.I. to Port is another $10. There are not any free shuttles at the hotels down-town.

 

Also, try using sidestepdotcom for air. very good for shopping fares and flights.

[westernmom]

Mcfadden,

 

Hi! It is great to hear from another Spuddy Buddy! That's my daughter and yep, that's what she's holding. We know Nampa very well. Spent a lot of them there at the Idaho Center for the Snake River Stampede. She was a rodeo queen..... In fact that pic was taken at Miss Rodeo USA. She will be back at the IC next month for the hs dance competition. She's a coach for American Falls. I wish I could go, but we have our bull sale that same weekend. But, I might run over next Sat for the Boys State BB tournament. Depends on how the West Jefferson boys do....

 

We usually always fly out of SLC. Last year I was able to get a flight out of IF for only $100 more each and we usually spend the night in SL and with the drive down that was cheaper than doing that. But this time it was around $200 more per person and so we decided to go that way. It's about the same for us to drive to Boise or SL but flying out of Boise has never been any cheaper for us.

 

Do you cruise alot? Please email at jmwilding@yahoo.com and we can chat about it!

[FrogCruiser]

Which hotel has the free airport and pier shuttle service? Sounds like a deal to me !!

[RevSmith]

OK calm down...I am a seasoned cruiser...but even we have problems. Last July we were to fly to Canada for an Alaskian cruise. We left early on the morning before the cruise...well weather, and luck, etc. we did not arrive in Vancouver until 4 am. on the day of the cruise...which ment 24 hours with NO SLEEP. We had a motel room which we used to shower in...and eat breakfast...took a cab to the docks. At 12:00 they opened the gate and we boarded...we were in our room a little before 1:00 and in our bed about 5 minutes later. We slept until the munster drill....did that, came back unpacked, ate and went to sleep...by the next day we were well rested and ready for our cruise...all that rest really helped us enjoy the cruise...too much panicing and your cruise will be ruined...so relax...this is your vacation...but it won't be perfect unless YOU make it perfect.

[westernmom]

Frogcruiser,

 

It's the Baymont Inn near the airport. I hope it's a decent place, but I don't figure we will be there very long anyway.

 

I just need clean.....

 

They stated that on their website, so I called, and I emailed the place to double check on it. I think we are going to go ahead and rent a car post cruise to do some sight seeing.

 

I got it at a really good price so figure what the heck we'll give it a try. If we hate it, we will do something different next year!