Family Cruise!

This cruise report was originally posted on the Cruise Critic website forums (without photos.)

After enjoying our two cruises on the Carnival Paradise we realized we had been bitten (quite badly) by the cruise bug!  After many not-so-subtle hints from the kids, we decided cruise #3 would be with the whole family. This crew included the two of us (both within weeks of turning 50 years old!); our oldest son (24) and his wife (21); our middle son (21) and the baby...our 17 year old son. Also traveling with us would be my sister from St. Louis (40+). The cruise took place the week of August 14th to 21st, 2005 to the western Caribbean on the Carnival Victory.

On August 12th we (Bob, myself and two younger sons who were living at home) drove the 3 ½ hours to Minneapolis where we met up with our oldest son and his wife. I had booked a night at the Microtel Inn & Suites in Eagan that offered a park 'n fly package enabling us to leave our cars there for the week.

On Saturday morning our group took the hotel shuttle to the Minneapolis airport for our non-stop flight on Northwest Airlines to Miami. Although my sister lives in St. Louis, she actually booked a flight to Miami that connected in Minneapolis which put us all on the same flight. Sounds weird, but it worked. It was one of the cheapest options for her and kept her from traveling alone. After waiting in very long lines in the airport, we met up with her at the gate.

Bob (the pack mule) attempting to get too much luggage up the escalator!

The youngest son had been dating the high school exchange student from Brazil all summer and as luck would have it, she was also at the airport. Her flight from the previous night had been cancelled so #3 son got one last chance to see her before she took off for South America! A special time for them both!

A short flight later and we were in Miami!!

After arriving in Miami, the 7 of us took two cabs to the Holiday Inn Port of Miami...one car taxi and one van taxi. With all of our luggage it was still a tight fit. Cost for each cab was around $21 before tip. I had booked the “Sail Away Package” at the HI that was to include free breakfast and a choice of a sightseeing cruise on Biscayne Bay or drinks at Bayside Marketplace for two people per room. The cost of the package was $99/room. The website said that additional people were $15 each, but after making several calls ahead of time, I was assured that the $99 room cost was for up to 4 people.

When we checked in we were given the coupons good for the options mentioned above…but only two per room. I inquired about purchasing additional coupons for $15 per person, but the people working the desk were clueless. Eventually they called out a supervisor (who also knew nothing.) I had printed out the hotel web page that mentioned that additional people were $15 so she said they would honor it. The sightseeing cruise alone would have cost $13 per person so I figured $15 for the cruise AND breakfast wasn’t too bad. She printed out the extra 3 coupons that we needed and said she would put the $45 charge on my credit card. (Note: The extra charges never did show up on my credit card.) Had I booked the room without the Sail Away Package, it would have cost over $100 so it turned out to be a good deal.  Our rooms were side by side on the 7th floor overlooking the Port of Miami with a great view of the cruise ships docked there. The four “kids” were in one room and Bob, my sister and I in the other. The Holiday Inn is directly across the street from Bayside Marketplace…an outdoor shopping complex with various shops and restaurants. 

View from our hotel window.

Dark clouds were forming so we decided to first have some dinner and then check about the cruise on the Island Queen later on. There is a food court on the upper level at Bayside that has many, many different ethnic food offerings. After wandering around the whole food court (and getting many samples along the way) we all chose different types of food and sat on the outdoor patio to eat. By the time we shopped our way back to where the Island Queen boat was docked, it was nearly 8:00.   

It never did rain, and in hindsight we would have been much better off taking an earlier cruise. Apparently the evening cruises are booked more as “party cruises” and the music was blaring so loud that we all came home with headaches! The music was turned off temporarily while we cruised past the million dollar homes and the guide told us all about who lived where. Unfortunately by then it was so dark that we couldn’t really see any of the homes. (Oldest son said the cruise made him feel like a stalker…)   

This is about all we could see of the mansions along the waterfront.

Bridge over Biscayne Bay in Miami

Back at the hotel we could hear (plain and clear) an outdoor rap concert that was going on across the street in a grassy area by Bayside. The kids decided to go over and check it out while the old folks went to bed. They didn’t pay to get “inside” to see the concert but said it was Jay Z and Kanye West. An advantage to staying at the HI is the closeness to Bayside, but that’s also a disadvantage. The rap music and huge amount of traffic following the concert made it really hard to get to sleep. Also during the night I was awakened by the people in the next room who obviously had a little too much to drink. Finally at 4:30 a.m. I called the desk to complain and eventually someone came to quiet them down.