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Screw it. I think we're booking a cruise this spring as long as my mom can house sit for 2 weeks. Going to finally do that trans Atlantic cruise which got cancelled in spring 2020. Not having a vacation since 2019 blows so I want to make it a big one.
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Jan 11, 2023 06:57
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So we're probably committing to this transatlantic cruise today. One of the things I'm unsure of is Miami. We will probably get there a couple days early and look around as we've never been and then head to the port departure day. Can anyone recommend a nice (clean, hopefully somewhat reasonable?) hotel/motel that isn't horrifically far from the port and maybe with something to do "in the area"? I'd rather get away from renting a car if possible for a couple days. What is the best way for getting to the port? Uber? Taxi? Do hotels that service the cruise ship industry run shuttles like how many run shuttles to the airport?
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Jan 13, 2023 16:12
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We spent a few days in Miami Beach before Christmas. It’s a super nice area and to my surprise, extremely walkable. There is even a free trolleybus for Miami Beach. Uber is easy to use in the whole Miami area. Miami downtown sucks and is the stereotype of a lovely abandoned downtown. Oddly, the Brickell district literally a block away is really nice and upscale, albeit not that much to do besides food and shop. Also it all depends what you like doing for where you should stay. If you want the beach then Miami Beach is the only option. If you want cheap eats, Miami Beach is not such a good option. For hotel, just set your budget and dates and look at the map on booking.com and click around. Shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes to find one that meets your price range in your target location.
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Jan 13, 2023 16:21
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Hotels near the cruise port like the Intercontinental in Brickell or the Marriott Biscayne Bay (which has some pretty impressive views in the corner suites — including views of the cruise ships — but not much within a block or two to do) afaik don’t have shuttles but the concierge can easily book a pretty inexpensive shuttle for you. Google “Miami Wynwood” and see if that appeals to you. It’s also fairly close to the port. Like Saladman said, your beach options are Miami Beach or a fairly lengthy drive. Edit: don’t get a car. Among other things, every hotel even remotely near the port will charge you $25-30 per night for parking. Plus driving in Miami isn’t fun. Edit2: From what I’ve noticed the last few years, hotel prices in S Florida are very extremely dependent on what time of year it is. Like the price range can be 300%. WithoutTheFezOn fucked around with this message at 19:58 on Jan 13, 2023 |
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Jan 13, 2023 19:44
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Yeah, getting a car really isn't even much of an option barring something incredibly weird and driving somewhere to visit a beach other than Miami beach probably won't happen. I'm thinking we might lean towards staying on Miami beach... probably just the 1 night. Maybe 2. Any specific recommendations for a hotel? There seems to be (at first look at google) TONS of non-chain hotels. Are there any real "must see" in the area that we'd kick ourselves if we miss?
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Jan 15, 2023 17:23
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Wynwood Walls is neat if you like good murals. The Wynwood area has a lot of murals outside the Walls museum too. Not a super pleasant area to walk in but plenty safe - just lots of big construction sites and the other inconveniences associated with early stage mass gentrification (eg few businesses - old ones closed down and new ones mostly not open yet). The Miami metro is an adorable little miniature elevated metro system, and free. I wouldn’t go out of my way for it but if you happen to be somewhere it goes I found it cute, not a word I would usually use to describe a transport system. Definitely not a *mass* transport system, each metro can carry like 20 people max, not even bus sized. Miami Beach has nothing in particular to see but it’s all nice and there’s a lot of art deco architecture. On the west side of Miami Beach you can get good views of Miami’s skyline from the Biscayne Bay Path. We found that there are a bunch of second rate tourist attractions which are all nice and cool but if you miss any particular one of them, or any particular several of them, then *shrug*. Miami Art District is neat for like 10 minutes because the architecture is interesting, then you realize every shop sells the same handbag for $18,000 and are like okay, I just want a burrito, so maybe it’s time to go somewhere else. I think there were literally three Louis Vuittons there and it’s tiny, just a bunch of boring upscale chain stores. I mean nothing against Louis Vuitton, but they sell the same exact stuff in every other one of their thousands of stores across the world so I don't get why anyone sees that type of shopping as a tourist destination. Anyway, still cool architecture in the Miami Art District. I found the mall in Brickell to also be really neat architecturally, but again it’s just a bunch of international chain stores inside so I wouldn’t go more than 15 minutes out of my way to go there. Actually I think that sums up Miami for me. It’s nice and I liked it but I also wouldn’t go more than 15 minutes out of my way for even a single thing there. E: I don't mean to sound down on it, we just spent 5 days/4 nights there and had a great time every day. We just never found anything that I would be like "omg you're going to Miami? You HAVE to do [x]." Saladman fucked around with this message at 18:08 on Jan 15, 2023 |
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Jan 15, 2023 18:02
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Difficult if you don't have a car but the Everglades is worth seeing.
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Jan 15, 2023 21:10
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Saladman posted:. We just never found anything that I would be like "omg you're going to Miami? You HAVE to do [x]."
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Jan 15, 2023 22:37
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Low-key Miami Beach itinerary for a shorter trip: walk around looking at cool art deco (a tour is helpful if you're serious about it) and stuff like Española Way. Maybe take an Uber to Vizcaya. Go to Wynwood if you like murals and hipster stuff. Rent a car for the day and drive to Shark Valley at the crack of dawn if you really have to see the Everglades. Miami makes a lot more sense when you realize just how many people are there from Latin America to buy luxury junk for half of what it would cost back home. Great malls! For food, Miami Beach is notable for having outposts of random NYC places. Check that a gratuity isn't already included before you leave a tip. The best Caribbean and South American options are mostly in strip malls far from the beach but good words to see on a menu if you like meat are "parrillada" (Argentine mixed grill) "lechon" (mmm...roast pork), or "bandeja paisa" (ultimate Colombian gut bomb). Spanish food is also very good in Miami relative to the rest of the US. It's been long enough that I don't want to suggest specific places.
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Jan 16, 2023 00:00
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Zero One posted:Difficult if you don't have a car but the Everglades is worth seeing. Even better if you got a few days to spare just go all the way to key west and enjoy yourself.
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Jan 16, 2023 03:55
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OK - it's official. Booked and paid for this TA cruise in April, first real holiday of any sort since 2019. We get into MIA late Monday night, so we'll have Tuesday and then depart on the cruise Weds so it's really only 1 day in Miami so just need to decide if we want downtown or the beach. 3.5 hour layover in JFK which kinda sucks, BUT I've never been there and we have Delta lounge access so that will be decent as can be I suppose. Went through some of our old 2018 photos from our Med cruise on this same vessel and discovered we are 3 doors down from our old cabin but on the starboard side this time, which I specifically booked for the southern exposure). Itinerary: Miami->Bermuda(x2 days)->Azores->Cadiz->Barcelona/depart. A shitload of seadays lol. Starting to look at reservations for specialty restaurants which are included, but need to be reserved, which can also be reserved while on board. Tables for 2 are all pretty late (9PM) at this point except 1 day although it looks like if we are open to sharing a table we can do pretty much anytime. The other dining venues are all anytime/walk up so that's no problem. The main a'la carte dining room is absolutely fantastic though and I want to make a point of dining there more often.
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Jan 20, 2023 18:03
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My folks have become huge cruisers in their retirement, and have been begging my wife and I (along with our kids) to go on a cruise with them for years. We've always resisted because of opportunity costs for our own travel as well as all the horror stories we've heard personally about GI bug outbreaks on ships, terrible excursions, awful shipmates, etc. My folks are getting older, and so my wife and I decided to relent (very noble of us, I know) and we're sailing late June into early July. Sailing on Carnival, that is  Woe is us that are going on an all-expenses-paid cruise. I've read the thread, anyone got any survival tips for someone who really doesn't want to sail on skipdogg posted:a floating Walmart lol And to be more specific, anyone have any experience with the childcare center? We do not intend to drop our kids off at the crack of dawn every day or anything, but the wife and I will definitely want some time alone to ourselves.
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Jan 23, 2023 19:21
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First of all, Carnival is not a floating Walmart any more than Royal Caribbean is or any of the others. But if you go in with the mindset that it’s gonna be nothing but topless rednecks and Mama Junes then you’re probably not going to enjoy yourself. I have personally sailed on Carnival more times than any other brand and it’s a favorite. I’ve sailed Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Disney and Carnival is right at the top of the list. Don’t get me wrong, trashy people might be there but I’ve seen trashy people on every ship I’ve sailed. The kids clubs on Carnival are great. Our kids love them. I’d be happy answer any specific questions you have. I just take offense to “Floating Walmart.” It’s elitist and stupid.
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Jan 23, 2023 19:52
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Judgy Fucker posted:My folks have become huge cruisers in their retirement, and have been begging my wife and I (along with our kids) to go on a cruise with them for years. We've always resisted because of opportunity costs for our own travel as well as all the horror stories we've heard personally about GI bug outbreaks on ships, terrible excursions, awful shipmates, etc. My folks are getting older, and so my wife and I decided to relent (very noble of us, I know) and we're sailing late June into early July. It's pretty easy to just do your own thing and avoid interactions with other cruisers if that's what you want. I haven't sailed on Carnival but have several times on Holland America (also owned by Carnival), where the passenger age averages somewhere between "old as gently caress" and "corpse". At-sea, take advantage of the quieter areas you can find. Often there are multiple patio areas on the decks, and they can be pretty empty at times, especially at night. Most ships have multiple bars and cafe areas, so you can gravitate away from the crowds. Bring things that will be fun for you to do. Do you like reading? There are plenty of areas with a nice breeze and some shade. Board games? Bring a few and find an out-of-the-way table in an unused bar or the buffet area. Gambling? Well, the casino's gonna be busy, but if you go during show times or at off-hours, you can make it work. In-port, do some research before the trip and find some things that would be fun to do with the family. Avoid the cruise line's overpriced and often overcrowded official excursions. You can probably get specific recommendations in this thread if you tell us what your ports of call are. Just be sure you get back to the boat on time. They will leave without you. I've seen it happen. I've never cruised with kids, so I can't speak to activities. Holland America has some "Club HAL" thing you can send them to for the day. It looks like Carnival has something similar for 11-and-under kids. I guess send them for a day and if they hate it, figure something else out? GI and other outbreaks happen on cruise ships sometimes. Bad ones tend to make the news, so the rate probably seems disproportionately high. COVID seems like more of a problem these days. Sanitize often. Wear a mask if it makes you feel better. My 2022 cruise was fully-masked indoors other than when dining (which did make the policy kind of pointless), and it never felt like an inconvenience. Cruising might prove not to be your thing, but don't just assume it will be awful. Do some research on your specific cruise and plan out activities for you and the family if you're worried you'll get bored. But there's a lot to be said for just lounging in the sun/shade and not worrying about work.
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Jan 23, 2023 19:53
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Braksgirl posted:First of all, Carnival is not a floating Walmart any more than Royal Caribbean is or any of the others. But if you go in with the mindset that it’s gonna be nothing but topless rednecks and Mama Junes then you’re probably not going to enjoy yourself. I have personally sailed on Carnival more times than any other brand and it’s a favorite. I’ve sailed Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Disney and Carnival is right at the top of the list. First off, yeah, the floating Wal-Mart thing was kinda tongue-in-cheek, but kinda not. As I tried to communicate in my post I'm a bit sheepish about being afforded the privilege of going on a cruise when I really don't want to because of the prejudices I have against it. I call people out for being classist elsewhere in my life, that was bad of me, thanks for calling me out. Hell, I'm a Vegas guy, it's not like I haven't been around "Wal-Mart people" in my other travels, it's just the being stuck on a boat thing that's different this time and makes me nervous. I know I need to go into it with a more positive attitude, which is why I asked what I did, though it really should've just been reduced to "convince someone unexcited to go cruising to get excited." I don't have any specific questions about the kids club at the moment, but your recommendation for it is very reassuring. That alone has been helpful. WhiteHowler posted:At-sea, take advantage of the quieter areas you can find. Often there are multiple patio areas on the decks, and they can be pretty empty at times, especially at night. Most ships have multiple bars and cafe areas, so you can gravitate away from the crowds. Bring things that will be fun for you to do. Do you like reading? There are plenty of areas with a nice breeze and some shade. Board games? Bring a few and find an out-of-the-way table in an unused bar or the buffet area. Gambling? Well, the casino's gonna be busy, but if you go during show times or at off-hours, you can make it work. This is good advice, thanks. I'll pack a couple books and make use of these patios and other quiet areas. I do intend on hitting up the casino; my dad says it's always dead, so I guess I'll just see for myself. Even if it's busy I can always tunnel-vision some video poker at the bar or something.
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Jan 23, 2023 20:04
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I've come to realize in the 3 years since I made that post that I'm just not a cruise person. I don't care for them and for the price I rather fly to an all inclusive in Mexico or the Caribbean. We spent 5 nights at Excellence Playa Mujeres for roughly the same price as we paid for that 5 day cruise out of NOLA and enjoyed it much more. Both trips cost about the same when you considered everything like parking, excursions, onboard ship spending, etc. 100 times out of 100 I'll go back to EPM instead of setting on board a cruise ship. I may try another cruise in the future. We vacation with my brother in law and his family and they love cruising and my kids want to try it, but it's going to be on one of the new ships, and it's going to be a longer cruise, probably a 7 day. To be fair a 5 day cruise on the Valor out of New Orleans is probably not a fair way to judge Carnival overall. That ship was old as hell. TJ the cruise director was awesome though. We didn't have a bad time on the cruise, it's just not for me. The highlight of my trip was getting off the boat and spending the day at Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel.
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Jan 23, 2023 20:12
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I think I'm not naturally a cruise person. On a regular cruise I very much avoid people and make my own fun. The secret is to find a chartered cruise that matches your interests. A chartered cruise is going to match my demographic more closely and have a ton more activities I'll enjoy. Specialty cruises I've been on or have friends who have recommended: - JoCo Cruise: General nerdy cruise with a focus on music. Lots of gaming and crafting too. I've been on this four times, it's awesome. - BGG@Sea: All boardgaming cruise with a huge library. Sells out fast. - D20 Cruise: D&D on a boat -- there are a bunch of these apparently, but I know people who went on this one and liked it. - Dice Tower Cruise: Another boardgaming cruise. I have friends who went and enjoyed it, but personally it would feel gross giving Dice Tower money. If you're more into music, there are all kinds of genre-based cruises, including several EDM cruises with actual names. My ex went on a Coheed and Cambria cruise. I mean... if that's your thing. The cool thing about chartered cruises is that they generally have most of the same features as a regular cruise, on top of the specialty stuff. You still get to visit neat ports. There are still excursions. There's good food and pools and drinking and gambling. You just ALSO get a fully-featured video game arcade or concerts by well-known comedians or DJs or whatever.
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Jan 23, 2023 20:31
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Judgy Fucker posted:This is good advice, thanks. I'll pack a couple books and make use of these patios and other quiet areas. I do intend on hitting up the casino; my dad says it's always dead, so I guess I'll just see for myself. Even if it's busy I can always tunnel-vision some video poker at the bar or something.
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Jan 23, 2023 22:26
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It's ok not to be a cruise person. I can understand it's not for everyone. I'm not a camping person but people seem to find sleeping outside on the ground and peeing in a hole for a week fun but I am not one of those people. I like a lot of activities on cruises like trivia and crafts and eating as much as I want. There really is something to do all the time and surely you can find something fun, even if it's just reading out on the deck or playing bingo or cards or something. As for the kids, there's no set time you have to drop them off every day. You can drop them off and pick them up whenever you want. The hours on the kids clubs are usually like 10 am to 2 am or something like that. If your kids are old enough they can check themselves in and out of the clubs too. Our kids are teenagers and they do that a lot. They do crafts and games and dance parties and all kinds of fun things. Our kids really love cruising because, as teens, we give them some freedom to roam so they don't have to stay glued to us all the time. We just make them roam in pairs and check in every hour or so. WithoutTheFezOn posted:On the Carnival cruises I’ve been on, there’s also a band that plays in the evening at the bar just outside the casino, too, to help pass the time. There's almost always live music SOMEWHERE all the time on a Carnival ship. We've really enjoyed some of the bands. Carnival is a really good time.
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Jan 23, 2023 23:56
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My wife and I don't think we're cruise people, but we booked the Disney Wish 3-night for our anniversary. We are peasants and will get the latest booking window for excursions and specialty dining. Any suggestions? I think we'll be fine if we don't do anything, just explore the ship and hang out, but wondering if it's impossible given our lack of status
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Jan 24, 2023 01:08
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Omne posted:My wife and I don't think we're cruise people, but we booked the Disney Wish 3-night for our anniversary. We are peasants and will get the latest booking window for excursions and specialty dining. Any suggestions? I think we'll be fine if we don't do anything, just explore the ship and hang out, but wondering if it's impossible given our lack of status It's the Wish, so you're heading to Nassau and Castaway Cay; I can't speak to Nassau, we didn't get off the boat, but Castaway you should be fine to do anything you would want to do besides a cabana, those will be long gone by the time you're able to book. Specialty dining, you've only got the two options, Palo Steakhouse and Remy; I heard good things about both, neither were that interesting to me (given I was with family) and I found the dining rooms absolutely fine (note that unless you want pizza, you're either dining in the MDR or specialty, as the buffet and the other pool deck options are still not open during dinner hours). Given it's an anniversary, you should at least investigate, though you may find spots booked up when you're able to. If you're on Facebook, join the group for your cruise date, people will usually post when they're going to cancel their reservation for...anything that's booked up. That said, those are it for things that require reservations, everything else on the ship you'll be able to get in and out as you please. The lounges are all fairly small for a ship this size, but I still rarely had a problem getting a table to grab a drink. If you don't get a specialty reservation, you'll still have a great time.
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Jan 24, 2023 02:07
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Omne posted:My wife and I don't think we're cruise people, but we booked the Disney Wish 3-night for our anniversary. We are peasants and will get the latest booking window for excursions and specialty dining. Any suggestions? I think we'll be fine if we don't do anything, just explore the ship and hang out, but wondering if it's impossible given our lack of status Those three nights are gonna fly.  That’s a really quick cruise.
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Jan 24, 2023 02:54
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skipdogg posted:I've come to realize in the 3 years since I made that post that I'm just not a cruise person. I don't care for them and for the price I rather fly to an all inclusive in Mexico or the Caribbean. We spent 5 nights at Excellence Playa Mujeres for roughly the same price as we paid for that 5 day cruise out of NOLA and enjoyed it much more. Both trips cost about the same when you considered everything like parking, excursions, onboard ship spending, etc. 100 times out of 100 I'll go back to EPM instead of setting on board a cruise ship. I was exceptionally clear though, being under 50 they're absolutely going to be the young crowd on a cruise like that. Braksgirl posted:First of all, Carnival is not a floating Walmart any more than Royal Caribbean is or any of the others. But if you go in with the mindset that it’s gonna be nothing but topless rednecks and Mama Junes then you’re probably not going to enjoy yourself. I have personally sailed on Carnival more times than any other brand and it’s a favorite. I’ve sailed Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Disney and Carnival is right at the top of the list.
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Jan 24, 2023 14:55
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slidebite posted:A good friend of mine is going to try an ultra cruise for the inverse of your reason. They typically do to Mexico for 2 weeks at a time and pay 5-figures for "OK food and booze" and a relaxing time, but really wants to try spending a similar amount of $$ and see more of the world on basically a floating 5-star hotel. They've never cruised in their lives but will try later this year. It all depends on what you’re looking for. Carnival has the best blend of activities, price, food, and accessibility to taking a cruise compared with others I’ve tried. If you’re looking for an ultra quiet ship though, Carnival isn’t it. You can find quiet spaces but the main objective is to party, eat, drink, and dance. Some people hit a few of those harder than others. 😄
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Jan 24, 2023 15:32
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I think that's totally fair and to be honest a lot of disappointment could have probably been mitigated by doing more research first.
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Jan 24, 2023 16:02
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All of the cruise lines are going to offer something slightly different. Carnival might not be their thing and that's ok. I'm about to take my 18th cruise next month and 9 of those have been on Carnival. I've done some of the very old small ships, and their bigger newer ships. It can be a whole different experience each time. Anecdotally, Princess was my least favorite cruise experience. The ship was fine but the clientele was very old (we're in our mid 40s and we were some of the youngest guests aboard) and i found some of the people to be pretentious. There were a lot of reasons why, but the worst cruise service I've ever had was on Princess. It wasn't my favorite trip. My point is, it's not necessarily Carnival's fault that people don't like cruising. Maybe that line isn't a good fit or they just aren't people who enjoy cruising. All those things are valid. But to bash Carnival for it seems unfair. And I'm done apologizing for Carnival now. We're cruising on Disney next month and all I need is the Fantasy for the Grand Slam. Gotta work that out.
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Jan 25, 2023 00:28
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I don't think anyone needs to defend anything, I totally get people like different things and can accept that and I am genuinely glad that you seem super happy with them Carnival is very successful so it must appeal to a group of people very well or else they wouldn't be as successful/investing as much as they are. FWIW, Princess was our last cruise we had Sept 19 and it was, OK, (not awful, but not really good either) but I doubt we'd do another one either. It was a week which I thought was long enough for a fair shake to experience the clientele and amenities. Changing topics: Motion sickness medication. I think we touched on this a long time ago but might be worth revisiting. I've heard that a UK drug called Stugeron is sworn by some as almost magic by some of those that take it. Anyone here familiar with it versus, say Gravol? The active ingredient does seem to be different. Stugeron=Cinnarizine Gravol/Dramamine=Dimenhydrinate I was thinking we might be able to buy some in Bermuda (2-3) days into the trip but if we can get something else the same on this side of the ocean beforehand that would be more ideal. Mrs. Slidebite can get affected from time to time on rough seas and gravol/dramimine has mixed results. Other home type remedies like ginger and similar seem to be pretty much a placebo to her.
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Jan 26, 2023 16:09
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Just realized the other day that we'll be on board during Easter. I've never done a holiday on board so curious as to what they'll do. I suspect some massive brunch? Be curious to see. Also, and probably more importantly, Easter Sunday is our last day on Bermuda which kinda sucks because I wanted to do the Zoo/aquarium (15 years ago it was impressive) and the crystal caves... but I can't help but think they are going to be closed for the Easter Sunday. Might just have to spend the day exploring Hamilton. E: Just checked, looks like the zoo/aquarium is only closed for Xmas so should be good if that's the day we hope to go. slidebite fucked around with this message at 18:05 on Feb 19, 2023 |
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Feb 19, 2023 16:19
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They'll throw a dude overboard on Friday and raise him back up on Sunday and that's supposed to be Jesus, hallelujah.
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Feb 20, 2023 01:14
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Lmao that would be awesome if they did a re-enactment
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Feb 20, 2023 01:30
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slidebite posted:Just realized the other day that we'll be on board during Easter. I've never done a holiday on board so curious as to what they'll do. I suspect some massive brunch? Be curious to see. They may do a brunch but I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t do a ton. They may have an egg hunt for kids.
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Feb 20, 2023 17:41
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I just got home from JoCo Cruise on Holland America. We've talked about it here before, but JoCo is a chartered cruise for nerdy people. Music, games, cosplay, crafting... All in a very inclusive and welcoming space. The charter itself was as fun as ever. Holland America, however, cut back on amenities. Buffet hours were more limited than before, especially in the evening hours. There are definitely fewer stewards to cover the same number of rooms. And even some of the simple stuff is gone now - like towel animals appearing during turn-down (or turn-down service being offered by default). It was still a lot of fun, but there's a steady downward decline in what your thousands of dollars buys you.
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Mar 13, 2023 10:53
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WhiteHowler posted:I just got home from JoCo Cruise on Holland America. We've talked about it here before, but JoCo is a chartered cruise for nerdy people. Music, games, cosplay, crafting... All in a very inclusive and welcoming space. Yeah, there were fewer staff in general. The handout said that there were 840 or so crew members on board, this sailing, and I think previous years we've had at least 1k or more. It made a noticeable difference, although the staff were all trying their hardest and the rooms were getting a full clean daily.
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Mar 13, 2023 14:45
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So departing in 10 days from Miami for our TA cruise. Thanks christ, I am so looking forward to this. We're staying downtown in the Brickell area. What's the best way to get to the Port (J if it makes a difference) Book a shuttle with the hotel? Taxi? Uber? Our requested time to board the ship is ~2PM. Is traffic mayhem on a weekday around that time (barring accidents, stuff like that of course). My gut is uber as I find them handy but open to suggestions. Just wife and I with nothing huge for luggage. A google maps makes it look like you could drat near walk it, other than dragging the luggage behind you that is.
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Mar 23, 2023 22:59
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Uber, if your hotel doesn’t have a free shuttle. No idea about that but do hotels in the US have free shuttles anywhere, except sometimes airport hotels? If you need to save $5 urgently for some reason you can take the free elevated metro from Brickell to the FTX Arena and Uber from there. We did that over Christmas to get back from Brickell to Miami Beach when there was a game going on and the entire downtown area was totally blocked with traffic. It also doesn’t look like it is even legal to walk across the bridge from downtown to the port. I don’t see any sidewalk on that bridge so even if legal it looks like a bad idea. Even if you could walk, like on the Venetian causeway going to Miami Beach, it would be an absolute garbage way to save $10. If you’re worried about traffic then just keep an eye on it, or go earlier. Also the requested boarding time on the first day isn’t like a hard cutoff like for a flight… most likely. You can check what the actual boat departure time is, if it’s like 6pm or if it’s like 4pm. In any case it doesn’t seem like it should be very stressful, traffic or no, since even if you are crazy unlucky and there is absolute gridlock on the bridge for some reason then you could walk.
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Mar 24, 2023 00:04
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I wasn't serious about walking lol Just how close it seems. Yeah, I think Uber is probably going to be the way we'll go unless the hotel does offer something. I'm not terribly concerned about the check-in times, the ship is probably only about 70% full at most. So there will probably only be about 500ish people. Regent tries to stagger it over a few hours just to keep the crowds down. The Miami traffic is a total unknown to me though. Thanks for the insight.
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Mar 24, 2023 00:14
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slidebite posted:So departing in 10 days from Miami for our TA cruise. Thanks christ, I am so looking forward to this. Uber, if your hotel doesn't have a shuttle. Traffic isn't usually mayhem, but they won't be mad if you show up earlier either and you'll be fine if you show up later too as long as you're on board and prepared to show up for the safety muster (usually around 3pm, if departure is at 5pm). The requested time is more to keep people from swarming the boarding area in an effort to be first on board. Don't try and walk it, google maps makes it look deceptively walkable and the port authorities are going to be confused and annoyed if you try and just walk in. Also be sure to have your ID on you and ready to present, they'll want to see it before letting you through. Fake edit: just realized that you said Miami, not Fort Lauderdale. What I said about traffic doesn't apply, because I know gently caress all about what Miami traffic is like. The rest is still valid.
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Mar 24, 2023 01:26
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I am usually pretty chill about big city traffic, but Miami absolutely sucks to drive in. Sucks big sweaty rhino balls. Not A Fan. However, your hotel will be really close to the dock, so on that trip it won’t matter.
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Mar 24, 2023 03:08
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Been in MIA for a day now. City isn't quite what I expected, but in a good way. Spent most of the afternoon at the Frost museum and it was relatively straight forward to get to from Brickell. On the way back stopped via bayfront (market?) the tourist trap not far from the pier. Bustling, people everywhere, but oddly I didn't see any ships in port or at least from what I could see at the viewpoint from the science center or the area around the market. Booked a shuttle from the hotel yesterday, just need to confirm it and hopefully a late check out and we'll be good to go. So far so good, but the flight from JFK to MIA between atrocious passengers and mayhem the Delta employees themselves caused running the gate.
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Apr 5, 2023 13:06
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No ships in port doesn’t seem too uncommon for the three or four times I’ve been down there. Also keep in mind they have pretty fast turnaround. As in, pull in to port at about 8am, unload, reload, and leave around 4pm. Have fun.
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Apr 5, 2023 14:58
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