Miami Cruise Port - few hours between two one week cruises

[hotlady29]

Hello to all the experts out there,

Am travelling on Carnival Glory in June on two separate one week cruises.

Carnival itinerary has her arriving at 8 am and departing at 4 pm. What can we do in the few hours which we are docked. Presuming that you can walk off Miami cruise port as last time we were there we were taken directly to the ship and on return picked up a airport shuttle directly outside the ship. We then left luggage at airport and caught the Airport Flyer bus to South Beach and spent day there until returning to airport for flight home.

Know that the HO HO buses will be around somewhere but is there anything else we can do in the few hours available to us

Many thanks in advance for the advice I know I will get from you,

Elaine

[Keith1010]

Elaine, when you arrive you will have to get off the ship to go through customs/immigration and won't be allowed back on until the ship has been cleared.

 

A couple of things that come to mind are:

 

You can go over to Bayside which is across the bridge. You can take a taxi or if you like to walk it is about a 1.5 mile walk in each direction There are lots of stores around there.

 

Another option is to take a taxi over to South Beach. It's a fun place to walk around and to people watch.

 

Keith

[Capt_BJ]

1. Just hop a taxi at the pier and go back to South Beach .... you know what to expect. BUT SOMETIMES the traffic out to SB can be really bad ....

 

2. Just outside the port is BAYSIDE. Locals will mostly poo-poo Bayside as touristy .... well you ARE tourists, right? Lots of shops, water side bars, places for lunch ... several operators of tour boats that will take you around the homes of the rich and famous in the area. Walkable to get to ... but I’d take a taxi in June due to HEAT.

http://www.baysidemarketplace.com/

 

3. Take a taxi to Coconut Grove. The Grove is another entertainment and shopping area ... this one is more popular with the locals. Lots of shops and places for lunch.

http://www.miamiandbeaches.com/places-to-see/coconut-grove

 

4. This one is a little bit off the wall . . . go swimming in a spring fed pool built in 1923

The Venetian Pool is an aquatic facility unlike any other in the country. It has been enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world, and is still one of the main tourist attractions for those visiting the City of Coral Gables.

 

The pool was created in 1923 from a coral rock quarry, where much of the original coral rock was used to border and further accentuate the pool. It also features two large historic lookout towers, with a view to the City Beautiful.

 

The 820,000 gallon pool is fed with spring water from an underground aquifer. In the spring and summer seasons, the pool is filled and drained daily!

 

Of course the aquifer is not the only feature that enhances a visitor’s experience. There are two waterfalls that provide a scenic backdrop as well as the cave-like grottos which provide a fun experience for swimmers.

 

No matter how hot the air, the water is cool here . . . http://www.coralgables.com/index.aspx?page=167

 

5. Viscaya ....

House, Gardens and Collections

Vizcaya features an architecturally significant Main House with 34 decorated rooms, ten acres of formal gardens and diverse collections including European antiquities, American art commissioned in the 1900s and century-old plants. The estate is unusual for retaining so much of its original character, configuration and collections. Caring for Vizcaya’s spectacular historic elements and sharing them with others are our ongoing challenge and priority.

 

this is near ‘the Grove’ http://vizcaya.org/

 

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now what should I do with my one day stop in South Hampton on QM2? :D