Might be an unpopular opinion but I preferred port of Miami experience better

[Disneygirlxo91]

Hi everyone! I am awaiting my test results to sail on the dream out of PC. Second cruise post Covid and honestly the arrival experience and efficiency of Miami in December for the magic was so much better! And even the workers at Miami were so much nicer.

 

[randumb0]

What are some of the reasons that you prefer the Miami port?

 

[Happy100]

Is this only due to the Covid procedures? Is it the terminal itself?

I suspect I will one day depart from Miami but haven't yet. I have sailed from Long Beach and Galveston and the experience is better for me in Port Canaveral because the Disney Terminal is better.

 

[Chrispy97]

The terminal in Port Canaveral is better. I wonder how much of a better arrival experience in Miami (and I agree it was pretty easy in January 2020) is due to fewer people because the Magic is a smaller ship.

I wonder what the Port of Miami will be like trying to board the Dream when it moves.

 

[Dug720]

The terminal in Port Canaveral is better. I wonder how much of a better arrival experience in Miami (and I agree it was pretty easy in January 2020) is due to fewer people because the Magic is a smaller ship.

I wonder what the Port of Miami will be like trying to board the Dream when it moves.

Miami has been doing ships the size of the Dream and larger for quite a while, so size shouldn't be an issue.

 

[kps7795]

The terminal in Port Canaveral is better. I wonder how much of a better arrival experience in Miami (and I agree it was pretty easy in January 2020) is due to fewer people because the Magic is a smaller ship.

I wonder what the Port of Miami will be like trying to board the Dream when it moves.

I personally prefer the Port of Miami but that's because it's only an hour away from me compared to a 2 1/2 hour drive. Terminal wise, Port Canaveral is MUCH nicer.

 

[iloveeeyore]

Much more beautiful scenery for sailaway in Miami!

 

[JimJoonie]

I personally prefer the Port of Miami but that's because it's only an hour away from me compared to a 2 1/2 hour drive. Terminal wise, Port Canaveral is MUCH nicer.

I’d have to agree with your thoughts here. I have to fly into Florida and the having the cruise terminals 15 min away from the airport is so convenient.

 

[Cheburashka]

Hi everyone! I am awaiting my test results to sail on the dream out of PC. Second cruise post Covid and honestly the arrival experience and efficiency of Miami in December for the magic was so much better! And even the workers at Miami were so much nicer.

My son has always preferred the Port of Miami. He likes the upper-level walkway with floor-to-ceiling windows on the way to the ship. It does add a slight feeling of drama to boarding.

I like sailing out of Miami because it's almost always warm, even in midwinter. And the view of the skyline as you sail away is impressive.

 

[epcotrulz]

For me, the arrival and departure at Miami was a sh*t show … glad some have had better experiences!

 

[mmouse37]

I found the staff outside the Miami cruise terminal pretty clueless when we were there in January. Definitely not DCL CM's. The line was basically self-governed by the guests on it and had no direction from the people outside. It was sort of a free for all. Once inside it went very smoothly.

In PC we tested and waited in our car in the parking garage as we were parking a car. That was nice to be comfortable with access to music, snacks, comfy reclining seats, temp control.

MJ

 

[epcotrulz]

Disembarkation was an absolute disaster … was told to wait in a line (without our luggage) since luggage was split into two different rooms then we had to get out of line to get our luggage (once we got into the second room). Minutes later watched people be allowed to retrieve their luggage from the second room and bypass the line. When I approached the person who was directing people and let them know they were giving conflicting information he just argued with me …

 

[CamColt]

We have sailed post covid twice, from PC, once needing a test and once not. We felt it went very smoothly and they really had it worked out perfectly. We have only sailed from Miami precovid but enjoyed that experience as well. While we missed the "Disney" terminal it was a beautiful city to sail out of and we had a great experience with the workers there as they gave us a little favor.

I guess I've been lucky with good experiences at both.

 

[JM_97]

I think a lot of people prefer PC because you can combine it seamlessly with Disney World, the terminal is Disney themed and there's the sentimental factor behind the location. However, there is not much to look at when compared to Miami.

 

[mousefan73]

Miami wins for us because in the future we can have a hotel night there and it’s a cheap quick Uber ride to port. Port Canaveral was always a PIA just to get there especially if dropping car Rental off. Sometimes it was quick and painless and other times it was chaos and misery.

We always drove to PC ourselves and there was always an add a stress of God forbid there’s a car pile up on the highway or something we miss our boat. So we always gave ourselves extra time What seem like we had a plan a half a day just getting from Orlando to the ship

 

[Pixarfans]

I liked the quick cab to and from MIA. The view on sail away was amazing!
We actually flew into west palm (it was cheaper) but the stress of getting the rental car to MIA and driving was not great. Next time I would fly to MIA.

 

[bobbiwoz]

As a senior citizen who needs a wheelchair to board, our disembarkation out of Miami on January 3 was amazing. They found us the two wheelchairs we needed, group of 4, and whisked us through the process.

 

[mmouse37]

In Miami in January we only had 650 guests onboard so I am sure that added to our smooth debark process. We were literally the only ones leaving the ship at 8:15. We had done Cabanas for breakfast then stopped back at our cabin to collect our carry ons and then headed off the ship. No line, no people in the atrium, no people in front of or behind us on the gangway. It was surreal!! Our luggage was in a group of only 12 other bags. We grabbed it and headed to customs which had a short line too. We headed across the street to the empty taxi stand and paid the $27 flat fee to airport. I am cruising again out of Miami on April 7th on the Magic and very curious to see how many guests on that cruise. Our FB group has less than 100 people in it.

MJ

 

[Cheburashka]

I found the staff outside the Miami cruise terminal pretty clueless when we were there in January. Definitely not DCL CM's. The line was basically self-governed by the guests on it and had no direction from the people outside. It was sort of a free for all. Once inside it went very smoothly.

In PC we tested and waited in our car in the parking garage as we were parking a car. That was nice to be comfortable with access to music, snacks, comfy reclining seats, temp control.

MJ

So if parking a car, you keep all of your luggage with you during testing, correct?

 

[tvguy]

I did 4 cruises out of Miami, but the last one was 1988. In those days the cruise line required you to arrive the day before and they threw in a free hotel room and transfers. NCL and RCCL both used the now defunct Omni hotel at the Omni mall with the disclaimed that if you forgot something, the hotel was part of the mall. They also warned NOT to leave the hotel property for safety reasons