Is anyone familiar with the Miami/southern FL area?

[Jeafl]

We are cruising on the Liberty next June and have roughly 3 days in that area after the cruise.

 

We are having trouble deciding if we want to stay in Miami, or go somewhere else for that time. Either way we are renting a car, so that is not a problem. Is there enough to do in the Miami area (other than the beach) or does anyone have recommendations for going elsewhere? We thought about Key West, but we are not sure if there is enough to do there for 3 days either.

 

By the way, we are a group of 9, with all ages from teenagers to parents in their late 60's.

 

Any suggestions are appreciated. :)

[amjdcm]

key west is just more beach time. miami is beach and night clubs. these are not really family orientated locations to vacation. i would go to orlando and do either disney, universal or busch gardens in tampa. both locations are only a three hour drive away.

[sopbs]

We will be sailing on the Valor in November. We are going to stay in Coconut Grove. Checked it out on the internet looks like a great place. Has anyone else stayed there?

[salty dingo]

If you have never seen the Everglades, you should visit the National Park. Also, the west coast of FL (Marco, Sanibel, Naples) are very nice and family-friendly, great beaches and wonderful shelling.

 

I'd try to avoid the touristy places like Orlando unless you have a bunch of money to spend in theme parks and attractions.

[Schasz]

key west is just more beach time. miami is beach and night clubs. these are not really family orientated locations to vacation. i would go to orlando and do either disney, universal or busch gardens in tampa. both locations are only a three hour drive away.

 

You would have to have a heckuva heavy foot to make the Tampa area in 3 hrs. from Miami. I am living in Plantation a suburb of Ft Lauderdale and I have a home in Palm Harbor, FL a suburb of Tampa. It is a 4 hour drive if you decide to not obey the speed limit and more like 4 1/2 if you do.

 

To the OP if you still have not completely gotten your beach time out of your system there are some nice opportunities for beach and snorkeling. Last weekend we went to Red Reef Park in Boca Raton and did some nice snorkeling. Hollywood Beach in Ft Lauderdale has a nice boardwalk. In Miami there is of course South Beach and Lincoln Road...Vizcaya is an interesting place too.

 

I moved here to South Florida from Palm Harbor and I actually think this area trumps my old home base for things to do. Having a car and doing a bit of searching the internet you will be surprised how much you can find to do in South Florida.

 

John & Shari

[Jeafl]

Thanks for the suggestions! Orlando would have been a good idea, except fo rthe fact that we just got back from spending 10 days at Disneyworld a few weeks ago. I think my husband would rather have someone shove hot pokers in his eyes than spend any more time there in the near future! LOL

 

Here's another question. From a monetary standpoint, which area would be cheaper as far as hotels go?

[djneph]

To the OP.

 

I am originally from Miami (lived there all my life until 2 years ago). Don't listen to some of these folks. There are TONS of really nice family things to do in Miami. I think you will like what there is to do. While many of the attractions may not compare to the mage theme parks like Disney or SeaWorld, they are still very nice and quaint in theie own way. Here is a list of things you should google that may interest you. Some of these areas are more expensive than others, but not as expensive as Disney.

 

MIami Museum of Science and Planetraium

 

Viscaya - awesome place, the garden is beautiful

 

Ventinian Pool in Coral Gables - very nice pool.

 

Everglades National Park

 

Museum of Discover & Science in Ft. Lauderdale

 

Coral Castle - A single man built it for the woman he loved, people don't know how he did it.

 

Parrot Jungle

 

Miami Children's Muesum

 

Boomers in Ft. Lauderdale - has a rollercoaster, video games, go-karts

 

Miami Seaquarium

 

I would start with these searches and I think you will see something that may grab your interest.

 

If you need more info let me know.

 

Steve

[Schasz]

Thanks for the suggestions! Orlando would have been a good idea, except fo rthe fact that we just got back from spending 10 days at Disneyworld a few weeks ago. I think my husband would rather have someone shove hot pokers in his eyes than spend any more time there in the near future! LOL

 

Here's another question. From a monetary standpoint, which area would be cheaper as far as hotels go?

 

I live and work in the Plantation area of Ft Lauderdale and I really like it as it is so centrally located. If you look at websites like Hotels.com you can find good bargains wherever you decide to stay. I found very reasonably priced hotels here in Plantation.

 

From where I live in Plantation I can be at any of the Ft. Lauderdale beaches in 15 minutes. South Beach is 35-40 minutes to drive. Oh! Almost forgot Los Olas is a nice shopping and restaurant area in Ft Lauderdale. I've been told to check out Delray Beach and that would be about a 40 minute drive from Plantation. In any case lots to enjoy in South Florida.

 

John & Shari

[tappyperry]

Miami has LOTS to do. Take a drive or two on Ocean Drive in South Beach. People watch at an outdoor cafe on Lincoln Road(stroll the shops while you're there) Great food, Great nightlife, something for everyone, really. Parrot Jungle Island is a great park with great shows for the family. Of course, there's the beach.

Aventura has a great shopping mall and is between miami and Ft. Lauderdale.

 

Speaking of Ft. Lauderdale, it's only 40 minutes away from Miami, so there's another place to check out. Heck go A1A and enjoy the scenery.

Palm trees just make every thing better. :cool:

[JoeKewlCruisn]

We are cruising on the Liberty next June and have roughly 3 days in that area after the cruise.

 

We are having trouble deciding if we want to stay in Miami, or go somewhere else for that time. Either way we are renting a car, so that is not a problem. Is there enough to do in the Miami area (other than the beach) or does anyone have recommendations for going elsewhere? We thought about Key West, but we are not sure if there is enough to do there for 3 days either.

 

By the way, we are a group of 9, with all ages from teenagers to parents in their late 60's.

 

Any suggestions are appreciated. :)

 

Jeafl,

 

We are going on the same cruise! I dont know about you but I cant wait...but I am crying because it is still a looong time away! I live in the Fort Lauderdale/Miami area- if you want to know any specifics just pm me and we can chat. This is a very diverse area and there is definietly lots to keep you busy.

 

Dont worry, we will be sailing soon enough!

[Jeafl]

Jeafl,

 

We are going on the same cruise! I dont know about you but I cant wait...but I am crying because it is still a looong time away! I live in the Fort Lauderdale/Miami area- if you want to know any specifics just pm me and we can chat. This is a very diverse area and there is definietly lots to keep you busy.

 

Dont worry, we will be sailing soon enough!

 

That's great that we will be on the same cruise! It does seem like a long ways away, doesn't it? Hopefully it will go quickly. :)

 

Can you recommend any good hotels pre and post cruise in the Miami area? I tried the Miami port board and haven't had much luck.

[UFQ202]

We have sailed on the Valor twice in June and we usually stay a few extra days also. We travel with our kids and their friends. Last June we had 16 people.:eek: The night before the cruise we like to stay at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Miami-Airport/Blue Lagoon. They have a couple of suites with two bedrooms and bathrooms. They are close to the airport and it's easy to return the rental car. We have used Thrifty and Alamo and both of them offer free rides to the cruise terminal. When we get off the cruise ship we just jump on the shuttle back to the car rental place. We like to stay postcruise at the Hilton Suites in Boca Raton. They are so nice and clean and near the highway and Flordia Turnpike. They have a beautiful pool, nice gym and are near a big mall. The best part is the amazing cooked to order breakfast every morning. I feel like I'm on the ship still. They also have a happy hour in the evening with free drinks for the adults and soda for the kids. We used AAA and got the rooms for around 110 dollars per night. The only draw back is the internet is not free in the room but you can use the computers in the business office for free. My kids really liked going to South Beach in Miami and spending the day there.

[JoeKewlCruisn]

That's great that we will be on the same cruise! It does seem like a long ways away, doesn't it? Hopefully it will go quickly. :)

 

Can you recommend any good hotels pre and post cruise in the Miami area? I tried the Miami port board and haven't had much luck.

 

If you go to portofmiamihotels.net you can find the hotels closest to the port. Bayside is also down there next to the port entrance and Heat's House and is interesting to explore. In reality, one cant really recommend anything specific because the truth of it is it is all about your budget...you can go big, really big, or stay on the conservative side...and there are decent choices for each.

[sharecruises]

Key west is NOT really "beach time">> the beaches of Broward and Dade are much better

 

I would suggest staying in the Fort Lauderdale area...

 

family friendly...lots to do....beautiful beach that is NOT roped off by hotels, it is a public beach

 

You can visit the everglades here and ride an airboat, see gators...really unique

 

ride the water taxi...

 

if you have kids they would enjoy the old Jungle Queen...hokey but fun

 

Fort Lauderdale Beach has everything that any Carribean port for beach stuff...often cheaper...parasail, etc

 

http://www.sunny.org

 

IMHO Fort Lauderdale is fantastic...I still find new things to do here all the time

it is not as big city as Miami

 

Orlando and the parks are also great..but they are a whole vacation in and of themselves...rushing up and seeing one park is not all that much fun IMHO

[Schasz]

Key west is NOT really "beach time">> the beaches of Broward and Dade are much better

 

I would suggest staying in the Fort Lauderdale area...

 

family friendly...lots to do....beautiful beach that is NOT roped off by hotels, it is a public beach

 

You can visit the everglades here and ride an airboat, see gators...really unique

 

ride the water taxi...

 

if you have kids they would enjoy the old Jungle Queen...hokey but fun

 

Fort Lauderdale Beach has everything that any Carribean port for beach stuff...often cheaper...parasail, etc

 

http://www.sunny.org

 

IMHO Fort Lauderdale is fantastic...I still find new things to do here all the time

it is not as big city as Miami

 

Orlando and the parks are also great..but they are a whole vacation in and of themselves...rushing up and seeing one park is not all that much fun IMHO

Could not agree more with you. Before I moved here I found a La Quinta Hotel in Plantation, FL for $69 a night on Hotels.com. Lots to do in South Florida for a family. My family comes down here every week and we find something new and fun to do all the time.

[mrsbean1990]

Rapids waterpark in West Palm is a lot of fun.

[sharecruises]

oh and in Broward (Ft Lauderdale area) we also have Sawgrass Mills...a huge tourist attraction in itself, fantastic shopping

 

and Seminole Paradise...Hard Rock Hotel, Casino and sooo much more, really nice

[Lori44]

Nobody has mentioned the Miami Zoo. We are spending a few days post-cruise in October, and I was thinking the zoo might be a nice family outing. Any thoughts?

[cschultz]

We have sailed on the Valor twice in June and we usually stay a few extra days also. We travel with our kids and their friends. Last June we had 16 people.:eek: The night before the cruise we like to stay at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Miami-Airport/Blue Lagoon. They have a couple of suites with two bedrooms and bathrooms. They are close to the airport and it's easy to return the rental car. We have used Thrifty and Alamo and both of them offer free rides to the cruise terminal. When we get off the cruise ship we just jump on the shuttle back to the car rental place. We like to stay postcruise at the Hilton Suites in Boca Raton. They are so nice and clean and near the highway and Flordia Turnpike. They have a beautiful pool, nice gym and are near a big mall. The best part is the amazing cooked to order breakfast every morning. I feel like I'm on the ship still. They also have a happy hour in the evening with free drinks for the adults and soda for the kids. We used AAA and got the rooms for around 110 dollars per night. The only draw back is the internet is not free in the room but you can use the computers in the business office for free. My kids really liked going to South Beach in Miami and spending the day there.

 

 

We are renting a car from Alamo for our September cruise. How long of a drive is it from the airport to the port? We plan to use Alamo's shuttle. Is it a mad house at the car rental place, and do you need to wait long for the shuttle? What time would be best to return the car?

[Jeafl]

Hmmmm. Ft. Lauderdale sounds tempting. I haven't been there since spring break in the 80's. I wonder if they will let me back in... ;)

[crusinpsychRN]

key west is just more beach time. miami is beach and night clubs. these are not really family orientated locations to vacation. i would go to orlando and do either disney, universal or busch gardens in tampa. both locations are only a three hour drive away.

 

3 hours! It takes me 4 1/2.

[CruisingAmazona]

Thanks for the suggestions! Orlando would have been a good idea, except fo rthe fact that we just got back from spending 10 days at Disneyworld a few weeks ago. I think my husband would rather have someone shove hot pokers in his eyes than spend any more time there in the near future! LOL

 

Here's another question. From a monetary standpoint, which area would be cheaper as far as hotels go?

South Beach would probably be the most expensive. I just returned from the Gulf Coast of Florida, you can get some really good deals in Fort Myers and that's about a 20 minute drive from Sanibel. Sanibel beaches are VERY family oriented. There are lots of things to do in Miami, but beaches are probably the main event and you may be very tired of them at the end of a cruise. Coconut Grove is very nice and well centered to travel all of the Miami/FTL area.

 

I've lived in the Miami area all of my life and just recently moved a bit north to the western suburbs of Fort Lauderdale, any help I can give you, just ask.

[CruisingAmazona]

3 hours! It takes me 4 1/2.

yeah! Neither Tampa nor Orlando are 3 hours from Miami - I live north of Miami and it's still 4 hours +!

[RHefley228]

Coral Castle - A single man built it for the woman he loved, people don't know how he did it.

 

I also grew up in Miami, and I had no idea it was still there; I assumed it had been demolished like a lot of the other old Florida attractions and replaced by a subdivision. There were at least two movies filmed there: The Wild Women of Wongo used it for their dragon-god temple in the 1958 film, and the 1961 film Nude on the Moon used it for the moon people's home.

 

I do think the kids would like an airboat ride and seeing the Seminole or Micosukkee alligator wrestling. Both tribes also have casinos.

[TrentS]

key west is just more beach time. miami is beach and night clubs. these are not really family orientated locations to vacation. i would go to orlando and do either disney, universal or busch gardens in tampa. both locations are only a three hour drive away.

 

I'd LOVE to know how you get from Miami to Tampa or Orlando in 3 hours! :confused:

 

And anyone who thinks Miami doesn't have any family friendly places to visit doesn't get out much! Miami, and Key West for that matter, are a heck of a lot more than beaches and nightclubs!!! :rolleyes: