Miami Madness
We are down to less than 2 months
So, as I mentioned before, the cruise departs from Miami and we are flying in the day before. Our flight is due to land at 17.05 local time and we have a Port Arrival Time, as I mentioned before, of 12-12.30.
So, with such a short time – just 18 hours – in Miami, you would think that we might take a slightly relaxed approach, maybe a quick dinner on arrival night, a late breakfast the next morning before dropping the rental car back to Miami Airport and catching the shuttle to the port.
Uh-uh! Not the Alcock-Buckland party. No, we are hitting the ground running. Here is the run-down of what we have planned for the 18 hours – 12 if you count the fact that we will be asleep for some of it (although I am not sure Tony has allowed time for sleeping in the busy schedule).
Thursday 30th April – Land approximately 5pm, collect rental car (from Dollar) and drive to the hotel. We did have a group booking at the Doubletree set up by somebody who was originally on the same cruise, however that person is no longer sailing and it all got a bit complicated. We were concerned about the risk of turning up and finding we had nowhere to stay so decided to book elsewhere. We got a great rate at the Hampton Inn & Suites Miami Brickell downtown. It is currently rated No. 1 on TripAdvisor, has a free breakfast and, most importantly, complimentary tea and coffee 24 hours a day (a must for anybody travelling with Gary)!
After checking in, there is just enough time to drop off our bags before heading out for dinner at a local restaurant,
Burger and Beer Joint. There are two in Miami, one is a short walk from the hotel and the other is on Miami Beach. Which one we go to will depend on how late it is and how tired we are.
If we go to the Miami Beach location, we will be dropping in to
Shake Shack for dessert in the form of the famous Concrete.
Gary and I discovered Shake Shack on our visit to New York last summer and fell in love with the Concrete – frozen vanilla or chocolate custard ice-cream with added mix-ins (think McFlurry on speed!) I am particularly keen to try the Vice Crispy Treat while I think Gary might opt for the Shark Attack.
Then, and only then, we may retire to bed as we have an early start.
Friday 1st May - Back when we began planning what we might like to see and do in Miami, I mentioned that I have always had a hankering to walk down Ocean Drive (blame the Lighthouse Family for that one). We discovered a few options that have good views over the ocean and port area, particularly South Pointe Park where, allegedly, you can view the cruise ships moored up at the port. Being a keen photographer, Tony suggested that it might be nice to head over to South Beach early enough in the morning to catch the sunrise – 6.44am people!
In reality, we know we will be up early so it shouldn’t be too much of a stretch to drag ourselves out of bed and over to Miami Beach to see the sunrise. Gary has opted out so will remain in bed until we come back for breakfast, after which we will load up the car and drive back over to Miami Beach to explore.
On our list of places to see are:
Miami Holocaust Memorial
Britto Central Art Gallery
Ocean Drive
We will also make time to visit Shake Shack for a Concrete fix if we didn’t have time to get here the previous night.
At around 11.30 we will set off for the port, where Theresa and I will be dropped off with the bags while Tony and Gary return the car to Dollar at the airport. They will either catch the shuttle back to port or grab a cab if the wait for the shuttle is too long. To alleviate the risk of repeats of previous years’ issues, the guys will stick together and will have mobile phones (switched on) and cash with them. Plus, of course, they will have their photo IDs to allow them access through security at the port. Hopefully, by the time they arrive, Tee and I will have checked us in and we will be ready to board. What can possibly go wrong????