Our recent experience to/from Port of Miami

We recently took a cruise out of Miami. For our one previous Miami embarkation, we had flown into Lauderdale on Friday, stayed in a motel near FLL, drove a rental car over to Florida’s west coast on Saturday, then turned in the rental and took a rental-car shuttle from downtown Miami to the ship on Sunday. After that cruise, we rented another car, spent the day in the Everglades, stayed overnight near FLL, then flew home the next day.

This time I wanted less Florida time. I wondered about where to stay, how to get to the port, where to buy wine… all of the usual questions. These are my answers. YMMV.

Embarkation on Celebrity Equinox was Monday Sept 3 (Labor Day).

We flew into MIA Sunday afternoon, took a short shuttle ride to Comfort Suites just north of the airport in Miami Springs. A six block walk or so to Airport Cafe and Liquors to buy our allowed two bottles of wine. Good looking food on their menu but it was too early so we headed back to the motel. At dinnertime it was raining hard so we walked to a next-door motel which had a cafe of sorts. [Note: Comfort Suites has a Happy Hour, bar, and food available on weekdays; but not on Sundays.] [Also note: Comfort Suites was quiet, comfortable, had a decent buffet breakfast.]

A gas station across the street also had some sandwiches etc available, and walking to and from the Liquor store we saw a few other places to eat. But it was raining at dinner time… Monday morning we took a shuttle provided by the motel to the cruise port. No charge, but one needs to reserve a time slot when checking in. We left the motel about 11:15am, and we were checked in and onboard by about 12:30, headed for lunch.

Disembarkation was on Friday, Sept 14. We were assigned Departure Group 9, could have requested an earlier departure if we needed it. We didn’t. Our Group was called about 8:20am, we walked off with a brief pause to talk with Captain Kate, picked up our luggage (two small carryons), walked through immigration/customs. Signs for Global Entry, but no separate Global Entry line. No biggie, the lines were moving fast. At the curb by 8:50am, onto shuttle by 9:15am. We had pre-booked a shuttle to the airport via KSA Tours, the same group that provides the Comfort Suites shuttle; I think it was $10, maybe $15/pp. They pick up every half hour or so. We were at the airport and at the ticket counter, luggage checked in, by 9:55am. The TSA-Pre-check lines were short, we could have easily caught an 11:00am or earlier flight. But I had been cautious, and thus we had several hours to explore MIA and try to find a sit-down restaurant. There is one.

Bottom line: it is quite possible to minimize the time hanging around in South Florida before/after POM cruises.

Stan

Thanks for the detailed feedback - hope the rest of your cruise went as smoothly as pre & post-cruise. ;)