It all started with booking two vacations back to back.  The first one was a Southern Caribbean cruise for just my husband and me.  Right after that was a family vacation with only my parents, brother and nephew.  I was very excited!

My husband and I went on our vacation all ready for adventure.

Celebrity Summit

When I say adventure, I really meant ADVENTURE…

Shark Dive

A wild dolphin decided to swim with us on our first dive

Zip Line

Then the last day of our cruise came and it was time to go home.  It’s always sad to end a vacation.  But I wasn’t.  I was ready for my next adventure.  Until I realized the cards have a different kind of adventure planned for me for the next days.

Our flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico got delayed for 3 hours and the earliest time they could get us back to NY was 11:05am the following day.  I got worried coz the flight for my next trip was at 1:30pm that same day we were now arriving in NY!  So here are the events that followed:

• I called my parents to take with them an empty carry-on and my portable hard drive (you’ll understand later).
• My parents picked us up at the airport.
• At the “pick-up” area, I transferred my dirty laundry from my previous trip to the empty carry-on.
• A lot of the photos my husband took from our trip were for his project that was due in a few days.  They were all saved in my laptop.  I started copying the photos to the portable hard drive so my husband can take it with him.
• My husband took over the car and dropped the family at the other terminal for our 1:30pm flight to Orlando.
• My husband parked the car as we wait for all the photos to get copied to the portable hard drive.  There were 70+gb of photos!
• After all photos were copied, my husband took the car, portable hard drive and the rest of our luggage from the first trip and went home.
• My family and I checked in, went through Security and waited to board our plane.  I breathed a sigh of relief looking forward to the vacation that was about to start.

But wait!  It got worse…

Sunday, November 13, 2011
Pre-cruise

We decided to get to Miami a day before cruise embarkation to anticipate any delays.  We flew Delta from JFK and flight was uneventful.  There was no delay flying out and we arrived 20 minutes early in Miami.

We booked the Hyatt Summerfield Suites near the airport.  It was a nice hotel and I highly recommend it.  However, their shuttle is not very reliable.  The shuttle took 40 minutes from my first phone call  to the arrival of the shuttle at the airport.  Check-in was a breeze and the unit was nice.

I called front desk to get us a cab that will fit 5 people and the cab was waiting for us as soon as we got to the lobby.  The cab ride cost $23+tip to Dolphin Mall.  The mall was huge.  Going back to the hotel however cost us $25+tip.  The cabbie was surprised we gave him a tip.  I guess they don’t tip cabbies in Miami huh?

The hotel was one block away from a shopping center with Publix.  So my husband and I went around 9pm and bought some midnight snacks and breakfast for the next day.  Our unit had a full kitchen.

Reviews after the jump…

Read on…

STAY DETAILS
November 13-14, 2011
2-bedroom trio
Rate: $222.98 via Expedia.com

I would highly recommend Hyatt Summerfield Suites Miami Airport if you want to be within close proximity of the airport.

We booked the hotel as part of a flight and hotel package via Expedia.  We only stayed one night as a pre-cruise accommodation.  We originally booked a 2-bedroom 2 king unit.  I called Expedia to upgrade to a trio (2-bedroom, 1 king, 2 queen unit), but they didn’t have any available in the system.  So the Expedia representative told me to call the hotel directly.  I did and the hotel representative made a note on my reservation that I was requesting a trio.  Upon check-in, the front desk staff saw the note and found us an available trio unit at no additional cost.

LOCATION
The hotel is about 5 minutes away from the airport, but we never heard noise from the airport.  It is one block away from a shopping center that had Publix, Chinese restaurant, Starbucks, Office Depot, etc. which was great.  There are a lot of stores along NW 7th St which is one block away from the hotel.  The hotel is a little far if you’re in Miami to go to the beaches.  But for a pre-cruise or post-cruise stay, it was perfect.  It cost us about $28+tip taxi from the hotel to the cruise port, $23+tip from the hotel to Dolphin Mall, and $25+tip from Dolphin Mall to the hotel.  You can also catch the 7 bus on NW 7th St to Dolphin Mall.

PREMISES
The hotel was clean.  The lobby was small, but there were plenty of seating for guests to hang or wait.  The grounds was well kept.

STAFF
Since we only stayed there one night, we only got to meet the front desk staff.  They were very nice and willing to help.  I always bothered them for a taxi that would accommodate 5 people and we never had to wait.  A taxi was always waiting for us as soon as we got to the lobby.

ROOM
Our room (327) was nice except for the face towel left on the floor in the king bedroom.  I guess housekeeping don’t vacuum the floors after every guest.

Read on…

Friday, June 17, 2011
Disembarkation – Port Canaveral FL

We were given Green 5 luggage tags which has a disembarkation time of 8:25am. There were other luggage tags available by Guest Relations that you can grab (yes, no lines). I was able to grab some Green 32 luggage tags with disembarkation time of 9:30am.

We had a nice leisurely breakfast at the Windjammer Cafe and had enough time to head to the meeting area (Sound of Music Theater) for our disembarkation. Disembarkation was very quick and we didn’t wait long to find our luggages at baggage claim.  The disembarkation procedure is included in Day 4 Cruise Compass.

Porters were on hand to help (no charge). The same porter that helped us when we embarked approached us. She was very nice and friendly.

Friday, June 17, 2011
Orlando / Kissimmee, FL

We went to Cocoa Beach to get some gas and proceeded to the beach.  Our phones sent us to the beach entrance on N 1st St, but it had a small metered parking lot and no other amenities.  There were hotels all around.  We found this umbrella and chairs and decided to sit.  Then we were approached by someone telling us that it was for rent for $25.

We asked and were told about Lori Wilson park.  The parking lot was spacious and free.  There were restrooms, water fountains and drink vending machine.  There were signs for hammocks, but we weren’t able to check it out.

We went to Merritt Square Mall for lunch then headed to Kissimmee, Florida to check in our timeshare condo at Vacation Village at Parkway.

Reviews after the jump…

Read on…

Monday, June 13, 2011
Embarkation – Port Canaveral FL

I like how I could check in my flight on my phone and I didn’t have to print my boarding passes. I got to the Delta terminal at Laguardia airport around 5:40pm and I haven’t seen a line that long for Security. I was worried, but I was able to catch my 6:55am flight. I had a rolling carry-on, a backpack and my camera bag. But at the gate, they only allowed 2 bags, so I had to check in my rolling bag at no charge. Unlike American, US Air and United (7-hr flight!), we were served complimentary drinks and choice of pretzels, peanuts or cookies during the 2 1/2-hour flight. I always look forward to the cinnamon cookies, they’re my favorite.

My uncle and his family checked in at the Hyatt hotel right in the Orlando International airport the day before. My uncle was waiting at the hotel atrium which was also the airport’s atrium before you get to baggage claim.

The hotel was pretty nice and big, but the elevators were located in only one side of the building so it was a long walk going to the other side where my uncle’s hotel room was located.

We drove to Port Canaveral for our Bahamas cruise on Royal Caribbean Monarch of the Seas. It was pretty easy to get there – I-528 E all the way until you see signs for your ship’s terminal.

Cruise lines usually have daily newsletters that contain the day’s activities, specials, and other info.  These daily newsletters get delivered to your stateroom the night before except of course on embarkation day.  Royal Caribbean’s daily newsletter is called Cruise Compass.  Below is the Cruise Compass on embarkation day, click here to download the Cruise Compass for the entire cruise.  It was in our cabin when we checked in.

Reviews after the jump…

Read on…

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Monday, June 13^th, 2011
4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The Gansevoort Miami Beach

See the latest trends for your wedding at this one day only event.

I got two complimentary tickets to the Wedding Salon event in Miami on November 10, 2008 and I’m giving them away in a contest!  To enter, leave a comment below.  Contest ends 9pm EST on Thursday, October 30.  A winner will be randomly selected and announced on Friday, October 31.

The Wedding Salon is the world’s first luxury wedding showcase, featuring must-have products and services for the sophisticated bride and groom.
 
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Click here for a recap of our experience at the Wedding Salon event in NYC.