Best Hotel for precruise stay in Miami?

DH & I are cruising out of Miami in Jan 06:D and would like to spend a few days in the Miami area prior to cruise. I am hoping that someone can give us a few good ideas for hotels to check into. Not trying to break the bank, but more important is a good hotel, convient to port and all. Any suggestions??

Thanks,

~A:)

Depending on your age - if you are over 60 - Not because the hotel is for the aged but you can get a fantastic Sr discount. My recommendation is the Hyatt Regency Miami. Close to Bayside Market - great hotel and if you are on RCCL you get a 20% discount on meals.

When we looked a couple of years ago in March - Web rate was $239 ( high season)

AAA rate was $169 - Much better but we found a Sr. rate ( our friends were there too and they were 70) and the rate was $112. I was going to be 61 that fall and when I mentioned that to the res clerk and she saw we had stayed there before - she gave us the rate as long as we had the AARP card.

I LOVE the Hyatt

Holiday Inn Bayside Marketplace is directly across the street from Bayside Marketplace and close to the pier. We stayed there in April and loved it. There is also a Walgreens ( I think that's the name) around the corner in case you need anything.

Biscayne Bay Marriott gets my vote. Great view of the port and a nice hotel.

Thanks to everyone for the ideas so far.:) We are still quite a ways out from travel, but I am an OCD:o travel planner, so I have been researching heavily since we booked our cruise.

We have friends in Southwest Florida that are going to drive to Miami to meet us, and we plan to spend a few days in Miami and take a few days to drive to the Keys. We are in the late 20's - early 30's age range, so no SR discounts for us:rolleyes: ... but are looking for a fun but not "Spring Breaky-ey" atmosphere.

Any hints for accomodations in the Keys?

Thanks again

~A:)

Hello...My wife and I have stayed at both the Hyatt Miami and the Biscayne Marriott and both were just great! Both are very close to the pier and Bayside Marketplace and the Hard Rock Cafe.

We will be cruising again on December 11th from Miami on RCCL and will be staying the night prior. Again, we did book the Hyatt through RCCL. The rate was $160 total for the night. I assume it's a bit more than if we did it on our own, but I figure, I will be spending a lot anyway enjoying the cruise, another 30 or 40 dollars extra for the room isn't going to bother me, plus, RCCL will handle my transfers and luggage.

Have a great trip, and by the way, my wife who is a counselor always says i have OCD.

Regards,

Dave

Just remember if you eat at the hotel - mention you are on RCCL.

We ate at Japengo for dinner and the waiter asked if we were on a cruse - we said yes. He asked which one and we said RCCL - we got 20% discount on dinner. Said present the receipt in the morning at breakfast for 10% discount. Turns out we got 20% there as well.

I wonder if they give ya a discount if you said Carnival or another cruiseline?

I've stayed at the Hyatt three times ... am planning on the Marriott for the next cruise (hopefully use Mariott points for it). The Hyatt is quite nice, but I would like to try something new.

Best thing about the Hyatt is relaxing on your balcony. I've always asked for a room on the side overlooking the river. Watching the river traffic is a nice way to relax and get into vacation mode ... especially when you've just escaped the Ohio winter.

One frustration kicks in the next morning, though. You are so close to the pier, you can taste it, but there is no way you can see if the ship is in port ... there's always this nagging worry that somehow, something prevented your ship from arriving that morning and you have no visual assurance that your vacation is going to happen as planned. (I will insert here that I am a professional worrier.) I understand the Marriott has a good view of the port and you will wake up to see her docked (except the early risers who can watch her cruise in).

As for the RCCL provided service on transferring you and your luggage to the pier ... unless they have gotten better at it, take a taxi. In 2002, we had a noon transfer (supposedly). We got lots of assurances and "thank you for your patience" comments, but the sheer logistics of transferring all those people and loading all their luggage on busses and individually identifying your luggage to the bus driver translates into huge delays. I should have copied the smarter folks I saw walk off the elevators and into waiting taxies. It was well past 2 when we finally got to the pier ... and then we hit the huge line! We didn't make it to the Windjammer for 'lunch' until 3:30. I was ready to eat a table leg.

There is also The Inter Continetal, HolidayInn in the area please keep in mind that the area is not all that Great to be walking around at night. Dont listen to all the hype I work at the docks and I lived in the area of Downtown Miami for awhile. If you do decide to stay I would stay in the area around the Hotels and the Tourist areas, And do your exploring during the day. Besides all that Miami is a beutiful city to check out. Little Havana is right around the corner and if your big on History the area is full of it. Also, check out the local museums the Biggest is next to Goverment Center you can take the People Mover there. The People Mover is Free and can take you all over the Place in the Down Town area :). Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions at iggi1@netrox.net

Have you checked out the South Beach area? In Miami we stayed at the Holiday Inn which is so convenient to Bayside where there is plenty to do. Hard Rock Cafe is right there. Ask for a room facing the Bay (8th or 9th floor) so you can see your ship. Don't have their breakfast buffet though, go across to Bayside to eat. We stayed at the Hyatt in Key West in January. It is located close to all the action (Mallory Square/Duval St) Got it on Priceline for $100 a night. If you go through Priceline to bid for Key West pick "resort". I was told to do that in order to get a place near Duval St.

Holiday Inn South Beach area had a great AAA rate last time I booked it through Hotels.com. Check out all the internet sites and call them yourself. I like staying right on the beach and being able to walk around South Beach.

Thanks for all the info... I am really excited for our vacation and it is still over 7 months away... anyone else suffer from vacation overload... yikes... i just hope i make it... Anyway... I have copied/pasted all this info into a word doc, so my next step is to check out all the suggestions... Thanks again!:)

We always stay in South Beach. It's great for walking around, shopping, dining, people watching, etc. You don't need a car. The beach is right there. You can find a few reasonably priced hotels -- South Seas, Holiday Inn, etc., if you look. It's a 15 minute cab ride to the pier. And, staying in South Beach makes us feel like the vacation has already begun!