PreCruise Day in Miami

Hello! By some miracle of the travel gods, I happened to check prices on my flight from Milwaukee to FLL. We were supposed to leave at the break of dawn, connect in Baltimore and get in to FLL around 3, then planned to Uber to Hampton Inn Brickell. Spend afternoon relaxing. HOWEVER, a suddenly cheaper (!!) direct (!!) flight with great times now puts us in FLL at 11:00, so we have the day to explore Miami. Still planning to take Uber to our hotel.

After that, what would you do? Things I'm considering:

• keeping it simple and just going to Bayside Marketplace to hang out, maybe catch a boat tour
  
• walk around the Brickell area
  
• HOHO bus to see all of Miami - would love to see Little Havana?
  
• Uber to South Beach instead?
  

Our family is myself, my husband and 2 daughters aged 11 and 14. We are active and don't mind walking, love to visit new places! We will arrive on a Saturday.

Thanks for any suggestions.

My nieces loved doing the "Ducks " tour that we picked up in South Beach.

Or there are Bay tours from Bayside. ( I certainly wouldn't plan a whole day there.)

The hop on and off bus is a nice way to see the different areas.

http://ducktourssouthbeach.com

I would do South Beach.

Have them drop you off at the beginning of Ocean Drive near the art deco hotels in South Beach.

You can do a lot of walking as well as go on the beach.

Have lunch there.

Walk towards Miami Beach on the boardwalk.

It's a fun area to walk and to people watch and I think good for the entire family.

Keith

Some Photos from South Beach and Miami Beach.

We start on Ocean Drive with the Art Deco Hotels on the Left and the Beach on the right.

There are places to eat inside or outside followed by more hotels.

If you like to walk, as you proceed north you will come to a nice boardwalk. Hotels/Condos on the left and beach on the right.

We do like to walk so we make the iconic Foutainbleau Hotel a destination as I stayed there in the early 1960's when I was very young. I remember it through family photos.

As we turn around we walk towards South Beach.

Often we visit the Holocaust Memorial.

As we proceed towards Lincoln Road which has lots of stores and restaurants we walk by the Jackie Gleason Theatre and a nearby Synagogue.

We then walk Lincoln Road.

As I mentioned places to eat and shop. Some offer indoor dining and others outside dining.

Afterwards we will take Uber back downtown. We might walk around Bayside but I don't care to eat there. We just walk a little bit.

Depending on the day of the week there might be some entertainment.

There are many other options but this is what we might do for the day.

Keith

I want to go there.....NOW [emoji3]. I don't want to wait til our Miami cruise in 2019. Thanks for whetting our appetites

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I want to go there.....NOW [emoji3]. I don't want to wait til our Miami cruise in 2019. Thanks for whetting our appetites

 

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You are very welcome. ;p

Keith

Thank you Keith. This is awesome and gives us some ideas as well! P.S. Suekay, we booked our August 18 cruise after my wife said to me, I don't want to wait until March 19. I want to go now! lol. We were planning to go this March but had to cancel due to Church obligations but decided what the heck for August if we could swing it financially.

Lake Wobegon:

You are very welcome.

Keith

There are many other options but this is what we might do for the day.

 

Keith

Oh, my gosh Keith! Thank you for the thoughtful posts/directions and pictures!! I think it looks perfect, and I know my older daughter will love looking at the architecture!! Now I'm really excited!!

LakeWobegon you are very welcome.

Keith

Why not stay at a hotel that’s more central to where you want to be?

I had a pre-cruise day in Miami last year and stayed at the National Hotel. It had a gorgeous pool area (with bar/restaurant), beach area, and was right on Miami Beach. Also tons of stores and restaurants right outside the front door! Loved it and would definitely stay there again!

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Why not stay at a hotel that’s more central to where you want to be?

 

I had a pre-cruise day in Miami last year and stayed at the National Hotel. It had a gorgeous pool area (with bar/restaurant), beach area, and was right on Miami Beach. Also tons of stores and restaurants right outside the front door! Loved it and would definitely stay there again!

 

 

Wow, that place sure is gorgeous! But I have a great prepaid rate at the Hampton, since we didn't plan to be in Miami so early. Plus, they are sold out on my date anyways! But it really is spectacular and will keep it in my find for another year! :)