Flymia

Holiday Inn Port Miami is an older hotel. Recent reviews on the board show that it is still pretty good. Check out TripAdvisor reviews. It is a great location, 5-10 mins to the ship. There are no free shuttles in the Downtown Miami/Brickell area, and its not needed. A taxi or Uber is a 10-min drive and should cost no more than $10-$15. Shuttles are usually charging $8-$10 a person, so usually a rideshare or taxi is cheaper. On hotels.com with a member login I am seeing the Hampton Inn Brickell (top pre-cruise hotel on the boards) at $300/night, which is not bad. YVE hotel is showing under $200/night for those dates in 2023.

Agreed, go to the airport, especially if you are flying out of the airport anyway. The rental car offices in Downtown are a mad house on the weekends when I pass by.

Some sites, like Hotels.com will give you a refund if you find a cheaper rate later on.

There are plenty of better Cuban restaurants that won't have a wait. But, Versailles is the classic restaurant of Miami. For a first time visitor it is worth the 15-30 min wait. If the wait is long, plenty of options near by like La Carreta right across the street. They both have parking lots.

Ultimately itinerary is going to prevail, as it did. Generally both Lauderdale and Miami are much easier given how close they are to airports. Port Canaveral you have a 60-min drive from MCO. There is an airport close to the port. Melbourne, but it has pretty limited service.

Thanks for the review. Always interesting to hear about visits to Miami. Glad you enjoyed Versailles. It is not the typical place locals go, but the food is good there. It is very "old school" and a classic Cuban restaurant. It is a staple of the Cuban community in Miami. Hispanola way is a good suggestion. Surprised to hear the food was not that good at Osteria. I have not been in many years, more than 5-6 years so maybe it has changed. Overall seems like you were able to enjoy the area. Glad to hear it.

Parking is like in Fort Lauderdale, right there in front of the terminal.

Guess they are using the office building garage next door. Not "on site" but right next-door.

Unless you are solo no point in that. A taxi/rideshare is only $30.00

17:00 depart means getting to MIA around 14:00. So not a whole lot of time. Then what do you do with your bags if you do not have a car. Issue with the a car is the amount of time to get it and take it back. I would see if there were any post-cruise excursions that send you to MIA. Alternative is going to Dolphin Mall (storing bags) and then a quick taxi to the airport. If you find a place to store bags in Downtown Miami (Bayside may have a place) that is a good option as you can go around the area easil by foot or metromover and then get a taxi over to the airport or even take the metrorail to the airport.

With an arrival mid-day I would focus on what you want to do that day, and what your budget allows. S.E. Florida is not that large (geographically) on typically on weekends traffic is not a big issue. So flying into FLL is not a big deal, FLL is considered an airport for Miami. Budget will be the first key and second what you want to see and do that day. Regardless staying in either Miami or Ft. Lauderdale will be fine for the cruise. Personally, I would not limit my hotel search to hotels that have shuttles or have scheduled shuttle stops. Just pick the hotel you want, and worst case (which is my preferred way) just get a rideshare to the port. From Miami if you stay in Downtown/Brickell there are no shuttles and no need it is a quick 10-min drive to the port.

Just get two taxis or two ubers. Likely less than hiring a private SUV.

Any specific types of food? My choices that fit that: River Oyster Bar Edge Steak and Bar Crazy About You CVI.CHE 105 niu kitchen Make reservations.

Very cheap. Not part of the building, guess one of the lots near by they have a deal with.

I believe they do, I see their stand on the street all the time. I think I read in another post it is $50/day though.

Your closet public garage is going to be 190 NE 3rd St, Miami, FL 33132, known as College Station Garage. Anything else is private, and likely not available or will cost $50+ a day. I don't remember the overnight rate. YVE also have valet. There is also a garage at 255 NE 1st St, Miami, FL. That is private, not idea on cost.

No garage, they do have valet, no idea how much they charge. There is a public garage near by, not sure what the overnight rates are. At least $25/day. It is brand new, I would not call that area "Wynwood" everyone is trying to say they are Wynwood. To locals that is Midtown Miami. If you have a car it is a convenient location. I don't like the location without a car, though for a night a rideshare will be quick and easy to just about anywhere.

I have not seen any poor reviews since COVID. It is an awesome location, best area to stay in Miami if you want to be off of Miami Beach.

Tripadvisor is the best to check how the property it. It is a great location though. No need for shuttle, it is a 5-10 min drive to cruise terminal. Plenty of taxis or rideshare on an app, cheap and short ride.

Huh? Do you mean Bayside? We have some homeless (actually getting better) but Downtown Miami is exceptionally safe. Sure maybe don't walk in the park at night. But the area is busy on the weekends. If you want to do all that rent a car, or be ok with doing rideshare around. Nothing wrong with Metromover or Metrorail during the day, but it will take longer to use transit on a weekend than driving.

No. But not needed. Just catch a rideshare ($10-$15) or a taxi. To the OP: I understand your saying 10-mins is short for some and long for others, but there is actually nowhere in Brickell that is farther than a 10-min walk to a supermarket and there is nowhere in Brickell that is farther than 2-4 minute walk to a place to eat. This is one of the most urban and dense area in the U.S. That being said, Hampton Inn Brickell is IMO by far the most popular and recommend mid-range hotel for cruisers, and it is right next to all of that.

They will have either the tunnel or bridge off Biscayne Blvd. open. The marathon won't stop the port all together. I think both will be open by 8am as the finish line is south of the port and the start time is 6am.

I agree, if you can don't do the bus transfer, that is a big waste of time. Just grab an Uber it is a 20-30 min ride. Inside the port there can be traffic, but on a Saturday/Sunday going from MIA to the Port Entrance is easy. 8-miles. Of course I suggest you fly in the day before, and enjoy Miami. Stay in a hotel near the port Downtown Miami/Brickell, and it is even easier. I never take the risk of flying in day of.

You can add stops to an Uber on the app.

Depends on what you want and price range. 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 There are also some typical places that offer good meals like Capital Grille, Trulucks etc.. I am not a big fan of the what I call "Instagram" places like Sexy Fish or Komodo though they are popular.