What to do in Miami for 4 hours?

[Travelcat2]

We will be disembarking the Riviera 9:00 a.m. and do not have a flight until 3:45 p.m. If we didn't have luggage with us, I could think of things to do but not with luggage. Would appreciate any suggestions!

 

Thanks much:)

[andante]

Hi,

 

We have a twelve hour wait in Miami. I have found a hop on hop off bus that meets you at the cruise port; stores your luggage and leaves you free to use the service. There is then a bus that takes you to miami airport....only thing is I am not sure when the first one leaves, but if interested you could look on the internet.

[StanandJim]

We will be disembarking the Riviera 9:00 a.m. and do not have a flight until 3:45 p.m. If we didn't have luggage with us, I could think of things to do but not with luggage. Would appreciate any suggestions!

 

Thanks much:)

 

The most practical solution to your luggage dilemma is to get a car and driver for the day.

Touring wise, I'd suggest something self contained, such as Vizcaya

http://vizcaya.org/

[cbb]

You could walk Lincoln Road--lots of places to eat and the people watching is amazing!

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g34439-d109886-Reviews-Lincoln_Road-Miami_Beach_Florida.html

[Travelcat2]

Thanks so much for the suggestions. I'll check them out.

[dlouise]

As a Miami resident I would suggest the new Perez Art Museum. Its in the city quite close to the port. There is a wonderful restaurant inside so you can spent a large part of your time there.

You could also take a cab to Wynwood and tour some of the galleries there. There are restaurants there and fabulous street art on view.

There are lots of things to do here if you take the time and read up on the city.

If you are going to be here during Art Basel, the first week in December, the city will be buzzing and its all very exciting for visitors.

[rubysue]

We just got off Regatta last Tuesday in Miami and had time to kill until a flight at 3:00. Destination Services offered the HoHo (Big Bus) package for $69 a person. This included baggage storage, pickup at the ship by the Big Bus, one or two ninety-minute loops of the city, depending on your time constraints (with the option to get off and catch the next bus) and transfers to the airport from Bayside Marketplace. It was very fun and we had a quick break at the Marketplace between loops to use the facilities, etc. We saw Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, Little Havana, and South Beach, among other attractions.

 

Yes, for those allergic to booking anything on the ship, this might not be an option, but we thought it was reasonably priced and fun.

[RJB]

The most practical solution to your luggage dilemma is to get a car and driver for the day.

Touring wise, I'd suggest something self contained, such as Vizcaya

http://vizcaya.org/

A little too self contained for me. If you get a car and driver there are much more interesting places to see. South Beach is number one. World famous. Not so much Vizcaya even though it is a nice place to see. :):)

[JPR]

We had a bit more time and took a taxi to nearby Jungle Island and had a nice time for three hours there, followed by a delicious Asian fusion small plates lunch at Zuma in the Epic Hotel.

Edited November 7, 2014 by JPR

[orchestrapal]

As a Miami resident I would suggest the new Perez Art Museum. Its in the city quite close to the port. There is a wonderful restaurant inside so you can spent a large part of your time there.

You could also take a cab to Wynwood and tour some of the galleries there. There are restaurants there and fabulous street art on view.

There are lots of things to do here if you take the time and read up on the city.

If you are going to be here during Art Basel, the first week in December, the city will be buzzing and its all very exciting for visitors.

 

Fantastic new Spanish Culture Art Museum. The building alone is worth a visit and only 5 minutes from the pier by taxi.

[ORV]

We had a bit more time and took a taxi to nearby Jungle Island and had a nice time for three hours there, followed by a delicious Asian fusion small plates lunch at Zuma in the Epic Hotel.

 

What did you do with your luggage in the meanwhile?

Edited November 7, 2014 by ORV

[StanandJim]

A little too self contained for me. If you get a car and driver there are much more interesting places to see. South Beach is number one. World famous. Not so much Vizcaya even though it is a nice place to see. :):)

 

On a normal touring day, or even a port call, I might be tempted to agree with you, however, the OP will have had a hectic morning getting off of the ship which will soon be followed by an afternoon hosted by the NSA at the Airport.

 

By my estimation, Vizcaya is about as adventurous as she needs her early afternoon to be....

 

-although I must confess that a few hours at the Perez, followed by a glorious luncheon on the terrace at Verde is not a bad way to end a vacation...:rolleyes:

[Travelcat2]

I didn't mention in my previous post that we will also be spending a day (November 28th) in Miami so these suggests are really appropriate. In terms of our debarkation day, I need to look at where to store the luggage so our only option may be the HoHo bus (while not our first option) so that the luggage can be stored. I suppose we could go to the airport - either check in or store the luggage and take transportation from there.

 

We would love to have lunch in a lovely spot where we can people watch but can't really do that with luggage.

 

Appreciate the time all of you have taken to respond to my question.

[hondorner]

...We would love to have lunch in a lovely spot where we can people watch but can't really do that with luggage.

We'd love to come down and have lunch with you, but you disembark on 12/13 and we'll be in New Orleans, boarding American Queen for a Mississippi River jaunt. Next time!

[Hambagahle]

Jackie -

Lincoln Road in South Beach has a LOT of restaurants, most of them with outdoor dining. The people watching scene is terrific. One of my favourites for breakfast/lunch/brunch is Balans. There is a really great Argentinian grill restaurant called Baires Grill. And the best Thai restaurant I have ever eaten in (including all the time I have spent in Thailand!) is the Khong River house, just off Lincoln Road on I think Meridien Avenue. You need a res. for that one!

 

In the "Design District" there is "Michael's Fine Food" which also has outdoor dining. This is a place where you can try a lot of different things - sort of like Tapas - as they come in various portion sizes.

 

Happy eating!

Gerry

[andante]

I have been in direct contact with this company in Miami. They confirm that they have a service from the port (luggage storage etc), and that the tour can be purchased on board. The price they give ( by e.mail and on their site) is $54....not the $69pp that the previous poster paid.

[RJB]

On a normal touring day, or even a port call, I might be tempted to agree with you, however, the OP will have had a hectic morning getting off of the ship which will soon be followed by an afternoon hosted by the NSA at the Airport.

 

By my estimation, Vizcaya is about as adventurous as she needs her early afternoon to be....

 

-although I must confess that a few hours at the Perez, followed by a glorious luncheon on the terrace at Verde is not a bad way to end a vacation...:rolleyes:

Well said. There are a number of different ways to go, and thay are all good. :):)