Miami>Pearl>Amtrak>Hotel

[SailBabySail]

Good afternoon everyone :) There is only one place to go to with questions about one's next cruise and that is here on CC. We are booked for April, 2014 on the Pearl leaving out of Miami. We are taking Amtrak from NY because I am nervous about flying. It will be a long ride at 31 hours but I think it will be fun if not tiring. So, I do have a couple of questions.

1. Does anyone know if the Amtrak station is near the cruise port?

2. Is there an inexpensive hotel/motel very close to the cruise port? And, if so, what would you recommend.

3. We have never been to Honduras, Belize or Cozumel so can anyone offer any tips about these ports.

4. I've heard the Pearl is a great ship and I would assume pretty much similar to the Gem which we have been on. Am I right about that?

Whatever you can tell me would be most appreciated. Getting started early with planning...and I can't wait for April :D

 

[Demonyte]

I can answer only to two questions:

 

- Pretty much all inexpensive hotels are around the airport (usually $15-30 cab ride from POM depending on location), the cruise dock is right in downtown where the hotels are more expensive.

 

- Pearl is very similar to Gem, only big difference that I know is that Gem is only ship in Jewel class that has the interactive tv system. So on Pearl one can't check their account balance without going to guest services and asking for a print out. Otherwise Pearl is pretty similar (some venues might be at different locations but the main layout is the same), with Gem they are the two ships in Jewel class that have climbing walls and bowling, Jewel and Jade don't have those activities onboard.

 

Besides Jade, my first contact to NCL, Pearl is by far my favourite ship in the fleet (haven't sailed on Gem....yet :D).

[SailBabySail]

Thank you Demonyte.

[watermonkeytim]

The Amtrak station is no where close to the port. The Metrorail does run right next to the Amtrak station, but is quite a few stops away from downtown where the port is. Personally I would probably take a cab, only because of the convenience. If you are looking for a cheap hotel downtown, close to the port the Hilton might be your best bet. You cannot really walk to the port from that hotel even though it is the closest, best to cab it from the hotel.

 

Depending on how long you are in Miami prior to your cruise, you may consider staying on South Beach. There are tons of hotels on the beach and is a 10 minute cab ride from the port. There is also much more to do on South Beach, only thing downtown is shopping really.

 

Have fun!

[sdmike]

You will want to take a cab from the Amtrak station to wherever you are staying. No other good choices, especially with luggage.

 

There are reasonably priced hotels near the airport that have free shuttle service to the port area. You just need to verify at booking.

 

There are hotels downtown close to the terminal, but since the only way to get out on the terminal island is a freeway, there's no way to get close enough to walk. The Holiday Inn is popular. We stayed at the downtown Hilton and it was fine. Priceline can get you into the Intercontinental for cheap (4 star downtown). A cab from these hotels out to the cruise terminal is under $10

 

You can read my Epic review for information on what we did in Roatan and Cozumel. Also check the port of call boards for those stops.

 

Enjoy your trip

[Host Star]

Hi there,

for port information go to our ports of call boards..there you can post on the specific port and I'm sure you will get an abundance of useful information...also check your roll call there may be other cruisers looking to share activities or tours

 

happy cruising

[Knobhdy]

I can't help much with the port specific questions, but as someone who has done multiple 24+ hour rides with Amtrak, all I can say is splurge on a sleeper car. All your meals are included; you get access to a bathroom (and sometimes shower) that's not being used by everyone else in your car and the next; and while the beds aren't the best things I've ever slept on, they sure beat trying to sleep sitting up.

 

 

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