Carnival Conquest Embarkation Day

We've Finally Arrived at Port of Miami

After finishing our breakfast at the SpringHill Suites Miami Airport East/Medical Center hotel we got our luggage and came back down to the lobby. We asked the desk clerk if we could catch the 10:30 AM shuttle to the port instead of the 11:00 AM. She made a quick phone call to Carlos, one of the drivers, and asked if he could do a quick run to Port of Miami at 10:30 AM. He said he was available. We think that he probably regrets that decision even now, many days later.

Thank You Carlos!

Can You Say  Grid-Locked?

Date Start: Sunday, February 2, 2014 @ 6:15 AM (EST) Address Miami & Miami Beach, Florida 601 Biscayne Blvd. Organizer's Website http://www.themiamimarathon.com

What normally takes about 15 minutes round-trip for Carlos to shuttle someone to the port, took more than an hour just to get to the Port of Miami thanks to Miami's finest being out in force rerouting traffic. The race was over, by the time we got there, but barriers were still in place and Carlos was forced to detour several times away from the one and only street that takes you over the bridge and to the awaiting ships.

That probably wasn't the worst of it for him - the road back over the bridge looked twice as bad. Oh, did I mention that the hotel now had both of their vans stuck in this grid-lock with people waiting at the hotel to get to the airport and folks at the airport waiting to get to the hotel? We know that the hotel put some people in cabs to get them to the airport. Hats off to the staff at this Marriott property - they certainly know how to take care of their customers.

As the green SpringHill van drove off in the distance, we snapped the image above to capture the moment of relief as our long journey from snowy Chicago to the Port of Miami was now over.

Boarding Process

We had one large suitcase that needed to be checked so we gave that to a porter and headed into the terminal building.   After showing our boarding passes and passports, we were directed through security and to the VIP check-in room (one of Carnival's VIFP benefits for our status level).

The wait wasn't long since we were next in line.  Our paperwork was processed, our photos taken, and Sail and Sign cards issued.   

We got some refreshments and found seats in the lounge near a family of three and began trading cruising stories to pass the time away.  Before long, they made an announcement that they were ready to board the ship.  A photo opportunity, a few checkpoints, and were were now inside the ship in the lobby.  

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As is typically the case, the cabins aren't quite ready when you board early, so what do you do instead?   If you guessed EAT LUNCH - you were correct.    We'll continue our embarkation day story in our next installment.    Be sure to read the entire series of articles.  We are taking you along for the entire journey with commentary, tips, and of course, pictures.

Pre-Cruise Hotel Stay in Miami

SpringHill Suites 

Miami Airport East/Medical Center

Another key ingredient to attaining that stress-free cruise vacation, during winter months especially, is finding a hotel either near the airport or pier for a pre-cruise one-night or longer stay.   On our Carnival Conquest cruise we opted for a Saturday night stay at the SpringHill Suites by Marriott near the airport.   Note that there are two different locations, so be sure to know which one you've booked.

Arriving at MIA, Miami's bustling airport, we retrieved our luggage and looked for signs which guided us to hotel shuttles.   To be on the safe side, we gave the hotel a call to find out if they were on their way to pick up passengers and found out that they would be there in about 10 minutes.  We told them we were located near the Copa / Delta terminal and they told us to watch for a green van.

Recall that we mentioned two different locations.   The first van that showed up was for their South location and when the driver asked which location we wanted, a quick email check confirmed that wasn't the van for us.

Shortly after that, our van arrived and the driver loaded our luggage and off we went.  It was a short ride to the hotel and after checking in, we went up to our room and dropped off our luggage.   The hotel has a restaurant / bar in the lobby so we decided to stay in for dinner.  We picked two different meals and shared them:   flat-bread pizza and Cuban sandwich.  

For those that don't want to stay in for dinner, the hotel does offer a shuttle to Bayside Marketplace which is near the pier.  We've eaten and shopped there on many other trips and would recommend it to anyone that still has energy to venture out after their flights.   If you don't want to be tied to the shuttle's time schedule, you could get there by cab or Miami Metrorail.

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We inquired about transportation to the pier, and found out that the hotel provided shuttle service for $8 per person.   We selected the 11 AM shuttle and went up to our room to relax.

In the morning we had a full complimentary breakfast and then inquired about an earlier shuttle to the pier.   They were able to accommodate us.  In our next article, you'll find out why that became a wise move.

Pre-Conference Stay in New York

Welcome to New York 
LaGuardia Airport

Greetings from New York City.   We followed our own advice and have arrived one day before our National Conference Cruise from New York's Manhattan Terminal to Bermuda on Norwegian Breakaway.

We landed at LGA around 2 PM and retrieved our checked  bag from baggage claim and called our hotel, Marriott's SpringHill Suites, requesting a shuttle pickup.

Upon going outside, we were amazed to see the passenger pickup lane filled with cars parked waiting for their passengers.   Coming from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport,  this scene was shocking since it would not be allowed.   After about 20 minutes, our shuttle van arrived and we were off to check in.

Next stop - Metro bus and train to site of the World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial.
We'll share more information about this visit in another post.  See our Facebook Page for more pictures.