Flymia

You are in the perfect spot. The options are endless. 

My favorites: 

Some of the spots in Brickell I enjoy most: 

River Oyster Bar

Edge Steak and Bar 

Crazy About You 

B Bistro + Bakery (for breakfast) 

In Downtown(you can walk or take Metromover) 

CVI.CHE 105 

niu kitchen

If you want off the boat seafood (uber) 

Garcias 

As for shopping, Brickell City Centre is right there, though mostly higher end. 

My favorite Italian spot in Miami is in Coral Gables, Luca Osteria. You need to make reservations weeks in advance. Very good, and in a great spot in Coral Gables to walk around and enjoy the evening. My second favorite Italian spot is also in Coral Gables Fratellino Ristorante. Also, need to call and make reservations weeks-month in advance. 

2 hours ago, cruisewingman said:

Thanks for the affirmation @Ashland! 

 

Any suggestions for trip home? A car rental seems like a lot of trouble to get from POM to MIA upon disembarkation.

 

I don't mind renting a car the day before the cruise because it gives us flexibility for at least one activity, dinner, and a ride to the POM.

I would only take my child without a car seat on a large bus. There might be option to reserve an uber with a car seat, or other transport. Or just take a bus offered by the cruise line. 

Also note, the car seats rental cars give are horrible. Made that mistake once, and will never again. Last trip that we flew, we took two car seats without. Airlines check it for free. It was a pain in the airport. But we were going to be in and out of a car the rest of the 5-day trip. 

For one day, I guess their own seat is ok. Also depends on the kid. 

Miami Airport is busy late a night. There is only about a 2-3 hour window between 1am and 4am when there are no scheduled passenger flights. Otherwise, there are always planes going in and out. 

16 hours ago, vadersprincess12 said:

Thanks!  Prices are just nuts, but as everyone says, it's Miami.

Yes, they have gotten crazier the past two years. They do fluctuate a lot if there is an event in town. Boat Show weekend a hotel might be $500.00 and the very next week $225. 

Best way is hop in a rideshare. It is a 20-30 min drive depending on traffic. Public Transit will take much longer if you don't get there right on time. Except for going up and down main corridors, like the free buses or Metromover in Downtown/Brickell public transit is very lacking in Miami and should be avoided in order to make best use of your time. 

If you are driving on a weekend avoiding tolls should be fine. 

As to what to do. Boca is close enough to West Palm Beach to drive up there and enjoy something in that area. Even just driving along the beach front and seeing the estates that are there. 

I really enjoy Delray Beach and Atlantic Ave for dinner. An even closer drive from Boca than West Palm Beach. Great options for dinner there. 

Personally I prefer Delray over Boca as it feels (though it really is not) more isolated. We have gone up there for quick 2-night trips, and it feels completely different than Miami. Nice spot to spend a weekend. 

1 hour ago, vadersprincess12 said:

Our flight arrives just before 10:00 p.m. and I did check the airport hotel but the reviews are horrible.  I know it's just a place to sleep and shower until the next morning, but things don't sound really clean.

Right, no I meant an airport area hotel. There are tons of hotels in the area to chose from. I have also heard the airport hotel is not great, but I do think they recently did some work to it. 

Have you checked out the Embassy Suites Miami Airport? In reality the airport is close to Miami. Just a 20-min drive and you can be by the port too. Just check prices. 

Are you arriving late at night to stay at a airport hotel? 

Hard Rock is a very nice resort with tons of places to eat, shop, large pools, great spa, and a large casino. But it is not near anything else walking wise. It is a destination of its own. Also not near the beach. 

 Pelican Beach Resort is on the beach, and while not in a walkable dense area, it is a quick rideshare ride to one of my favorites areas in all of the Miami area, Las Olas for a nice evening and dinner. 

If you want a stay in place Vegas type resort Hard Rock. If you want a more Florida on the beach and take a quick drive to go to a nice area of Ft. Lauderdale, Pelican Beach. 

Rideshare Uber/Lyft is by the far the easiest option. Taxi will do it too, but it will be more expensive. Unless you need a large SUV or Van, then a UberXL or Taxi will be around the same price. 

Unless there is an absolute need, why not drive in a day early? What is the downside other than a hotel night? Drive in, and enjoy the city and have an easy embarkation day. 

Brightline will the best option so long as service starts, which it is planned to start. 

If not, there are plenty of flights between FLL and Orlando on various airlines, and even from MIA to Orlando as well. Quick flight 30-mins. 

You could also drive if you wanted to. It is a rather easy drive straight up the Florida Turnpike and is done in around 3.5-4hours without stops. It is really not much slower than the train, it is just the need to rent a car and drive. Not sure if you will want a car, or if you will be staying on property or near property in Disney where you don't need a car. 

Both Brightline and flight take you to Orlando airport where you'll need to find a shuttle/taxi/rideshare to Disney Hotel. 

11 hours ago, BoozinCroozin said:

I have been watching hotel prices in Miami as well. They are insane for a 1-night stay. We are debating about not staying near the port area. We fly into FLL. At the end of the day, we will only have a room for about 15-hours. Of that only 8-hours in the room. Is it worth spending so much? We found Aventura has 4* hotels for about $135. 4* near MIA is about $125-$150. I am perfectly fine with saving the money at this point and not be close to the Port. I do have a reservation at Yve, but it is $275 after resort fees. I can cancel that up to 24-hours before arrival. 

 

I will be keeping my eye out on Hotwire for deals of the day.

$275 is not bad. Take into consideration the cost of getting to and from the port from other locations if you are flying in and the time. I would stick with YVE. 

Miami hotel prices are very dependent on time of year and events. If there is a big event in town prices will be a lot higher than usual. 

I used Turo in Honolulu after my rental reservation was cancelled. It was great. But it certainly is not as easy as a car rental It cost a little bit more than my rental, about $150.00 but I was driving around in a $80,000 car. 

But I had to pick the car up myself, and then drop it off at the same spot, premium fuel etc.. It is not that simple, and you'll need to find a car that will let you drop it off somewhere else, which people charge a good fee for. 

Again, just get a car rental at the airport and return it at an airport. Coming in from Miami get a car at MIA and return it at FLL. Or take a taxi/rideshare/shuttle to FLL and get the car there. The off-site rentals near the ports are horrible. MIA is a very easy car rental facility. 

19 hours ago, nhraformula00 said:

What do you mean squeeze into a Spirit Flight? If you have not flown Spirit in about 3 years, they have replaced 80% of their planes and have plenty of leg room. A lot more than they used to have. 

Unless you buy a seat with more space, they have 28-inch leg room, mall tray table, and crazy thin arm rest and no seat recline. 28inches is about 2 inches less than standard. On the other side JetBlue has 32-34 inches in their standard seats. 

A Sprit A321-NEO fits 235 passengers. Same exact airplane (without first class seats) for JetBlue fits 200 passengers. Those 35 extra seats come in due to small amount of leg room. 

11 hours ago, aimcat said:

Just wondering closest and easiest way to get rental car from port? I checked the app and looks like to get Uber or Lyft there will be very hard. 

It will not be hard to get a Uber or Lyft anywhere in Miami. So is your question how to get a rental car? If so, then you grab an Uber/Lyft to Miami Airport and rent a car there. Or grab an Uber/Lyft to FLL airport and rent a car there. Any other rental will be more time consuming and complicate matters. 

1.5 hours north is still Broward/Palm Beach county. Unless you are in the extreme western portions of Palm Beach I would be surprised to see limited rideshare. But an 1.5 hour rideshare is not the norm. 

It is a small regional airport, so there won't be much to report. Only downside is limited flight options if flights get delayed or cancelled. 

That is a pretty low rate. I would bet to say anything on Miami Beach at $275/night won't be better than 3-star. 

Other options in better locations that may be in the range is the Hampton Inn in Brickell. Doubletree is great, but a little isolated compared to being right in Downtown or Brickell. 

15 minutes ago, Diver2014 said:

I worked in downtown Miami for 13 years on Biscayne Blvd.  Most co workers parked in the parking garage.  Break ins were a daily occurrence.  Just because Premier Cruise Parking is in a parking garage doesn't mean it's any safer.  Park at the port.  You spend thousands on a cruise, why risk not having a car or what's left of it when you return?

I lived in Downtown Miami for 5-years, and parked my car every single day and night in a public garage. My grandparents lived there, and parked in the same public garage for 11-years. 

Not one break in. 

Cars get broken into, it happens, it is not some serial event or issue in Miami. I tell people to avoid it due to the time involved,  and the scam like practices of these parking companies, the the $10/day savings is not worth it. 

Picking up at Miami Airport and dropping off at FLL is your best bet. 

5 hours ago, Fivelinks said:

I'm nervous to leave my car even at the port but can't fly. Will definitely spend the money and park at the port thanks to your advice. Do you have any advice on where to stay that is safe the night before? We have been considering stopping 3-4 hours before Miami like in the Titusville area or something like that.

Miami is not some dangerous city you need to avoid. So don't stay away from the city just because of some fear that it is dangerous. Anywhere in Downtown Miami, Brickell, Coconut Grove, Miami Beach. All safe and nice areas. And plenty more. That being said staying 3-4 hours away might make your trip easier or cheaper. No idea how long the drive is how you are planning on splitting it up. 

The port parking is ridiculously safe. The port is on an island, with two ways in and out with police 24/7. Not many safe places to put your car. 

I don't know about Taxis but plenty of rideshare. 

Not an issue at all. As the other poster stated allow time and value the time/money saved. $200 a ticket is worth it. If it was $50 a ticket (assuming two tickets) I might not do it, but if you are saving hundreds it seems like it would worth the extra time. 

Just based on location and reviews, Hampton. It is a fantastic location for enjoying Miami.