Let’s get this out of the way. I hate Miami. 🙂
It’s big and it’s congested and it takes forever to get from one place to another.
When I landed at Miami Airport on Thursday, I left the gate area and went to baggage claim. As I was getting in my eighty thousand steps, I saw an employee walking toward me and I said, “This is a HUGE airport.” He grinned and agreed. I said to him, “It’s so huge that I deplaned in Miami and now I’m walking to Orlando for my luggage.” He cracked up laughing.
The hotel was an “airport hotel” and you could indeed see the airport from my hotel window. Yet it took about thirty minutes to get from the airport to the hotel because of congestion.
Speaking of “congestion” — yes, it’s on my mind 🙂 — my congestion is much better. I did not sleep well because of all the coughing I did. But by this morning, my voice was beginning to return and I was feeling better. I’m tired today but I think I’ll be okay.
Coming to the Port of Miami today, the shuttle driver told us, when asked about how long it would take, that it was fifteen minutes from the hotel to the port and we probably won’t get there for forty-five minutes because of the traffic. He was right on target.
The Port is HUGE — there were nine ships in port and traffic to bring all those passengers in — and it took about forty-five minutes.
Once we were able to get off the transfer shuttle, though, things really kicked into high gear. Royal Caribbean has check in down to a science. From getting off the shuttle to going through security, to boarding the ship, it took less than ten minutes.
My room is a different room than I typically get. I always cruise in a balcony but there were no ocean view balconies available for this cruising so I got a Central Park view balcony. I think I will like it for the week. On top of everything else, there is entertainment in the evening down in Central Park and I get the benefit of sitting on my balcony and listening in.
Tomorrow we will be at Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean’s private island. The captain informed us as we were leaving Miami that we will share dock space with the Legend of the Seas, Royal’s newest and world’s largest cruise ship. She just finished her maiden transatlantic voyage and Coco Cay will be her first port on her Caribbean runs. I’m looking forward to taking pictures of her tomorrow.
After dinner, I decided to rest up. I walked the ship a bit, got some soda, and came to my room. I was schedule to see Mama Mia tonight, Allure of the Sea’s Broadway show. The problem is that it’s a two and a half hour show and I don’t think I have two and a half hours of sitting in the theater in me tonight. I didn’t want to walk out halfway through because I couldn’t keep my eyes open.
More tomorrow. I can hear the pillows on my bed calling me.
g’night