2009 CruiseCrazies ® Group Cruise

JoeyandDavid · April 29, 2008

OK it is NEVER to early to start mapping out plans .. we have NEVER sailed form the port of Miami..I think I know where it is but I am not quite for sure... If I may a few questions to get my preliminary research started:

Anybody with thoughts on these questions please feel free....

What hotels are generally recommended for pre cruise or post cruise stays for Miami

How far i guess the correct question is how much would a cab be if we booked a hotel on ocean drive in south beach instead closer to the pier.

Does anyone know if car rentals offer Free shuttles to the cruise port when returning a rental..

Approximately how many miles is key west from Miami ?? driving time??

zebra · April 29, 2008

Joey, we've never cruised out of Miami so I can't answer your questions. It sure would be much more fun staying on South Beach than close to the port though.

Key West is 100 miles from Miami and takes a couple of hours because of lots of low speed limits through all the keys. Why not plan on spending a few days there after the cruise, that way you won't have to rush to the ship. We love Key West - been there a few times.

lashl · April 29, 2008

Joey....Jackie is right about Key West. I drove down there once a month for RCA/Whirpool in 1970. Beautiful drive but pretty slow going.

Since I lived in Miami 38 years ago my hotel info is dated. Not one of my favorite towns!

Jackie....Large table are fine with us.

JoeyandDavid · April 29, 2008

Joey, we've never cruised out of Miami so I can't answer your questions. It sure would be much more fun staying on South Beach than close to the port though.
Key West is 100 miles from Miami and takes a couple of hours because of lots of low speed limits through all the keys. Why not plan on spending a few days there after the cruise, that way you won't have to rush to the ship. We love Key West - been there a few times.

David's never been ..i of course have visited a few times ...I was thinking of having David take a personal day on Friday so we could into MIA pick up a rental and drive down on Friday then spend the weekend in key west before heading to the port on Monday.... then we would fly directly home after the cruise... thus utilizing only 2 of his 4 weeks available staying any longer could hamper any other vacation plans we may consider.. does that make since?

zebra · April 29, 2008

That's great Steve! It looks like we're going to have a lot of fun at this table. Miami.... I totally agree, it's not our favorite city either, that's why we've never chosen a cruise out of there before.

Oh yes that makes sense Joey......

cruisetarp · April 29, 2008

Joey - you are so right - it is NEVER too early to start the planning of a cruise. I already have folders set up for the ship and each port. When I find info that interests me it goes into the folder & when it gets closer to cruise time I go through it all and decide what I want to keep and what no longer interests me. This is especially helpful when we are cruising on a new ship or to new ports. This also keeps my busy between cruises and helps the time go faster.

JoeyandDavid · April 29, 2008

This also keeps my busy between cruises and helps the time go faster.

Yes it does!!

zebra · April 29, 2008

I have a question - Joey remember the $500 reduction we got on our cabin after paying the deposit on the Millie cruise. I notified you and you guys got it too. Actually we also got a 2nd reduction for senior citizens on CC cabins, our TA stayed on top of things all the way through because we had booked early.

Question for John: If there are any special deals with regard to price reduction, eg. past passenger coupons, price reductions for seniors or ANY type of reduction for our cruise..... do you notify us and honor these???

sailingrose · April 29, 2008

We haven't sailed from Miami in several years so I have no truly current info. I'll have to check with some friends who have sailed from their recently or maybe some other Crazies can tell us their expereiences.

JoeyandDavid · April 29, 2008

I have a question - Joey remember the $500 reduction we got on our cabin after paying the deposit on the Millie cruise. I notified you and you guys got it too. Actually we also got a 2nd reduction for senior citizens on CC cabins, our TA stayed on top of things all the way through because we had booked early.
Question for John: If there are any special deals with regard to price reduction, eg. past passenger coupons, price reductions for seniors or ANY type of reduction for our cruise..... do you notify us and honor these???

Yes i do remember that humongous savings !!.. and yes if you see them before John does... just let him know... but John has assured me that he will watch out for price breaks along the way as well.... but to honest ... I have a feeling this one will sell fast....