Pre-Cruise Breakfast

We are flying into Miami on a "red eye" prior to our November Regatta cruise. All the better restaurants in the airport are within the secure area and we don't want to leave our checked bags unattended at baggage claim. The restaurant at the Miami International Airport Hotel is closed for renovations. We are looking for a place where the three of us can have a decent, leisurely breakfast with our luggage in tow prior to going to the cruise terminal. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

You could take a taxi to Bayside Marketplace there are some places there

or a taxi to Intercontinenal hotel they will hold your bags while you eat in the restaurant ($$)

both are near the port

You could also ask on the Florida forum some locals post there & may have o9ther options

On the red eye, I assume you will arrive around midnight 1 am...

If so, then take a taxi to the Marriott Marquis hotel and book an exec floor, which comes with breakfast 6 to10 on the 20th floor with a stunning view of the ship and harbor. Other top class hotels with a concierge or exec floor offer breakfasts in their club room high up overlooking the world

After a good night sleep, have the great breakfast buffet in the club, and ask for late check out at 1pm. Taxi to the ship all the crazy will be over, no lines walk direct on the ship and relax with a drink,

Having just eaten skip the feeding frenzy in Terrace and opt for the relaxation and explore the ship

This is what I do, always board late even 2pm and your bags will beat you to the room, put stuff away instead of "fressing" and be on deck for the sail away and safety drill all relaxed

Thanks, Dan. Our flight leaves Seattle at 11:30 at night and gets into MIA at about 7:30 AM. We just need a place to spend a few hours over a decent breakfast and a bottomless coffee cup.

Any of the top hotels near the cruise port would be the best choice for breakfast, as you can safely check your bags there while you eat. I seem to recollect that the Intercontinental is closest. Just google "Best Miami hotels near cruise port TripAdvisor".

Here is a link to the breakfast menu at the Intercontinental.

http://www.icmiamihotel.com/var/icmiami/storage/original/application/5cb1e8e4d4bb7bccfdef0d038729a19c.pdf

The restaurant is called Ole and is outstanding.

Thanks, Dan. Our flight leaves Seattle at 11:30 at night and gets into MIA at about 7:30 AM. We just need a place to spend a few hours over a decent breakfast and a bottomless coffee cup.

Your bodies will not have appreciated flying all night (after having been up long before that). Do them a favor and reserve a decent basic hotel room (just something clean and quiet) in Miami for the night before and have them hold the room empty for your arrival early the next morning. Also request a late check-out. When you arrive, take a nap (or at least stretch out in the bed) for several hours, get up and take a nice shower, have a small snack and then go to the ship. This worked for us at least, and we felt so much more refreshed than trying to have a long breakfast and keep running on coffee.

you could check out some of the hotels near the airport that offer day room rates then just head to the port after noon if you do not want to sit around for a few hours

Your bodies will not have appreciated flying all night (after having been up long before that). Do them a favor and reserve a decent basic hotel room (just something clean and quiet) in Miami for the night before and have them hold the room empty for your arrival early the next morning. Also request a late check-out. When you arrive, take a nap (or at least stretch out in the bed) for several hours, get up and take a nice shower, have a small snack and then go to the ship. This worked for us at least, and we felt so much more refreshed than trying to have a long breakfast and keep running on coffee.

you will be dealing with 3 negatives

1. your departing SEA late and that is disruptive to your sleep patterns,

2. its a 3 hour time change, not much but it will feel like 3-4 am in WA to you, and your going to be dehydrated in the 3-4% humidity in the plane

3. your going to get hit by way high humidity which is a shock.

I cant imagine being hungry at 3-4 am.... have you ever done that? If not I would strongly suggest you think it through.

The ship dosent leave till 5 and you dont have to be on board till 3:30-4 .

Thats 8 hours. !!!

.. I totally agree with the siversweethearts in getting off the plane, take a shower, change clothes get re hydrated and get 3 or 4 hours of sleep then around noon have a cup of coffee and a brunch and board rested, and relaxed.

Hanging out drinking a ton of caffeine truing to compensate for only having 2 to 3 hours hours of airplane sleep ( unless your flying first in a lie flat bed) is going to further dehydrate and exhaust you,

The effects of pushing after such a nasty flight will screw -up your first day or 2 on the ship.... Its not a contest to get on the ship...be last and be ready to enjoy...not cope

If your 20 to 40 something you may pull it off if your 45-+ and haven't done this on a regular basis, like monthly in the past year, you have a very BIG, unpleasant, surprise waiting for you...

you will be dealing with 3 negatives

1. your departing SEA late and that is disruptive to your sleep patterns,

2. its a 3 hour time change, not much but it will feel like 3-4 am in WA to you, and your going to be dehydrated in the 3-4% humidity in the plane

3. your going to get hit by way high humidity which is a shock.

I cant imagine being hungry at 3-4 am.... have you ever done that? If not I would strongly suggest you think it through.

The ship dosent leave till 5 and you dont have to be on board till 3:30-4 .

Thats 8 hours. !!!

 

.. I totally agree with the siversweethearts in getting off the plane, take a shower, change clothes get re hydrated and get 3 or 4 hours of sleep then around noon have a cup of coffee and a brunch and board rested, and relaxed.

Hanging out drinking a ton of caffeine truing to compensate for only having 2 to 3 hours hours of airplane sleep ( unless your flying first in a lie flat bed) is going to further dehydrate and exhaust you,

 

The effects of pushing after such a nasty flight will screw -up your first day or 2 on the ship.... Its not a contest to get on the ship...be last and be ready to enjoy...not cope

 

If your 20 to 40 something you may pull it off if your 45-+ and haven't done this on a regular basis, like monthly in the past year, you have a very BIG, unpleasant, surprise waiting for you...

I agree with pretty much everything Dan says. HOWEVER, sometimes circumstances preclude these ideal solutions. It appears that the OP has plane reservations for a same day arrival and, since plane reservations these days are engraved in stone, Dan's and other "ideal" solutions are not possible.

Having arrived in Miami from SEA on what appears to be the same flight on two previous occasions my first recommendation would be the Airport Hotel. Since that is closed for renovation the Intercontinental is the next best option. In either case the staff is used to folks lingering over their breakfast. Last time we fell into a long conversation with the people at the next table who had just gotten off of the Riviera. Arrived at the port about 11:30 and were onboard by 12:15. We visited the specialty dinner reservation desk first to make some changes in previous plans then to the Terrace where we ran into some friends and shared a bottle of wine. Got into our rooms around 2 and had time to rest and clean up and unpack before sailaway. Scored a 6:30 reservation in Polo (steamed lobster, a first day tradition for us) and went to bed fairly early. Woke up the next day feeling fine.

My point is that while this is not ideal it is not impossibly unpleasant. It is doable. By the way, I was 74 last time we did this. Perhaps I am in better shape than Dan :D

Robbie

Your bodies will not have appreciated flying all night (after having been up long before that). Do them a favor and reserve a decent basic hotel room (just something clean and quiet) in Miami for the night before and have them hold the room empty for your arrival early the next morning. Also request a late check-out. When you arrive, take a nap (or at least stretch out in the bed) for several hours, get up and take a nice shower, have a small snack and then go to the ship. This worked for us at least, and we felt so much more refreshed than trying to have a long breakfast and keep running on coffee.

It appears that the OP has plane reservations for a same day arrival and, since plane reservations these days are engraved in stone, Dan's and other "ideal" solutions are not possible.

And why not? We based what we said on arriving in Miami (as the OP noted) at 7:30 a.m. the day of the cruise. As we said, we have done this and it worked.

similar situation

when we fly overseas we arrive early morning usually we fly in before the cruise so we head to the hotel drop our bags & keep moving

we go eat & walk around until we can go to the room

Then we have a short nap until about 5pm (might not work on the cruise ship because of muster drill)

then we try to stay up until our normal bedtime or at least 9pm ;)

Next day we are usually good to go

Everyone deals with jetlag differently

If I were to go to sleep when we got there it would just throw my body clock off worse than waiting & having a short nap

YMMV

similar situation

when we fly overseas we arrive early morning usually we fly in before the cruise so we head to the hotel drop our bags & keep moving

we go eat & walk around until we can go to the room

Then we have a short nap until about 5pm (might not work on the cruise ship because of muster drill)

then we try to stay up until our normal bedtime or at least 9pm ;)

 

Next day we are usually good to go

Everyone deals with jetlag differently

If I were to go to sleep when we got there it would just throw my body clock off worse than waiting & having a short nap

 

YMMV

Right - we do pretty much the same. As you say, napping just throws off my body clock even worse. But some folks like Hawaiidan and Silver Sweethearts prefer a different approach. Their choice and I am sure it works for them.

The OP had apparently already decided not to get a room either the day before or day of arrival but was simply asking where to get breakfast. I kind of rose to the bait of Dan's rather detailed advice and, particularly, his firm statement to the effect that if you don't nap, "you have a very BIG, unpleasant, surprise waiting for you..." So I gave my experience with arriving in Miami from SEA at 7:30 AM on sailing day and not having an "unpleasant" experience. It is entirely a matter of knowing what works for you.

Different strokes for different folks :) No offence intended to anyone.

Robbie

Robbie

I am int the 60-70 range, I used to fly a lot when I was in the 40-60 range trans con and international flights from SFO ranging from 5 to 15 hours, and did so several times a week... at all hours of the day. and even in business and first you discovered the benefit of sleep and moisture were far more beneficial than ANY other solution, and to ignore basic biology is a very

un wise path.

The harder you push your body the harder it will push back...from experience its a game with real consequence if you try to beat it and ignore reality.

The concept of different strokes is all well and good in the belief we are all very different people. The reality is we are all pretty much the same except we think we are different but are really not.

The Marriott courtyard at the MIA airport will pick you up, has killer good beds and a very good buffet breakfast... and its fast and reasonable then its a $28 cab to the ship in 20 min around 2 pm

I am int the 60-70 range, I used to fly a lot when I was in the 40-60 range trans con and international flights from SFO ranging from 5 to 15 hours, and did so several times a week... at all hours of the day. and even in business and first you discovered the benefit of sleep and moisture were far more beneficial than ANY other solution, and to ignore basic biology is a very

un wise path.

 

The harder you push your body the harder it will push back...from experience its a game with real consequence if you try to beat it and ignore reality.

 

The concept of different strokes is all well and good in the belief we are all very different people. The reality is we are all pretty much the same except we think we are different but are really not.

 

The Marriott courtyard at the MIA airport will pick you up, has killer good beds and a very good buffet breakfast... and its fast and reasonable then its a $28 cab to the ship in 20 min around 2 pm

Perfect advice for those who must arrive on the day the ship leaves.:eek: