Pre-Cruise Travel
As I am a teacher, I often travel alone at Christmas.  For Christmas 2010, I invited my mother and sister on a Carnival 4-day cruise from Miami, Florida, to Key West and Cozumel.  My mother and I flew on American Airlines from DTW to MIA and met my sister at the Miami airport.  We flew in the night before the cruise just in case of bad winter weather or delays and decided to stay at the LaQuinta Inn Miami Airport East because of their reasonable rate ($82.80 + tax for 3 people, including breakfast) and included shuttles (from airport and to cruise port).
Room 301Room 301
Our room at the LaQuinta was room 301 with 2 beds.  The room had no smell, soft bedding, good air conditioning, a working TV, a good shower, and was pretty quiet (even close to the airport).
The only negative was the included wifi didn't really work.
dinner at Bennigan's
There was a Bennigan's in the parking lot of the hotel, so we ate there.  Food was good with casual dining prices ($10 burgers).
To MiamiDay 1 of CruiseKey WestCozumelDay at SeaAround Miami