Introducing Miami
Miami is positioned on the mainland of Florida. Offshore, due east in the Atlantic ocean, there are a series of barrier islands. Furthest south of the islands is Key Biscayne. Next to the north is Virginia Key, followed by Fisher Island, and finally comes Miami Beach. The body of water in between the barrier islands and Miami is Biscayne Bay.
Miami started as a modest rural township. Next when a railroad was extended to the township, its warm temperatures and coastline setting were attractive to newcomers, so the settlement expanded rapidly.
At the beginning of the twentieth century resort companies looked to the Atlantic coastline of Miami Beach, and thus commenced the construction of the fashionable Art Deco buildings at South Beach. The storms of 1929 resulted in major devastation to the island, but was just a blip as new properties were built as rapidly as before.
The 1960s saw a big influx into the city of Cuban refugees, escaping the control of Fidel Castro. This meant the city inherited the atmosphere of a Latin America city, with lots of energy mixing with a laid-back lifestyle.
Miami has now grown into an important hub for industry, tourism, the arts and entertainment. The port is a huge undertaking and Miami is often described as the Cruise Capital of the World. Miami cruise port welcomes all the well-known cruiselines, with sailings to the sunny Caribbean or beyond.
Take a Tour of the city of Miami
South Beach (also known as SoBe)
This famous Art Deco designed oceanfront district has everything, fine restaurants, laid-back cafes, up-market boutiques, a long, wide beach, wonderful people-watching, beautiful historic buildings and hip shops. SoBe is about twenty minutes from the port by cab.
Coconut Grove
Coconut Grove, built in the late 19th century, is Miami’s oldest area. It’s a place of eateries, trendy galleries, bars and fashionable shops. Tour Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, an early 20th century estate designed by a businessman with the aim of recreating a Renaissance like property.
Fairchild Tropical Garden
Botanical experts should head to the Fairchild Tropical Garden, here a group of man-made lakes wind through lush plants and trees.
Coral Gables
The Coral Gables area was founded in the 1920s, and has an assortment of cool bars, contemporary galleries, fashionable boutiques and classy restaurants. Bring swimsuit and make for Venetian Pool, the unique public pool hewn from a rock quarry.
Little Havana
For a taste of Cuban life today, visit Little Havana, the place where lots of Cubans settled after leaving their homeland. Walk down Calle Ocho, stop at a cafe for some real Cuban coffee, make a trip to the Cuban Museum and watch cigars being rolled at the El Credito Cigar factory.
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
Bill Baggs Cape Florida Park is sited at the southern side of Key Biscayne island. It is the home of a historic lighthouse first constructed in 1825 and rebuilt in 1846.
Spend some time at the State park to swim, surf, hike, picnic and sunbathe on a superb length of sandy Atlantic beach.
Bayside Marketplace
This large shopping mall is within easy walking distance of the cruise terminals. It’s an open air mall, so can be very hot in summertime. There are lots of souvenir stalls, fashion stores, bars and restaurants.
Available Cruises
The range of cruises available feature the Eastern Caribbean (San Juan, Tortola, St Thomas and St Maarten), the Western Caribbean (Belize, Grand Cayman, Roatan and Cozumel), the Bahamas (Freeport and Nassau), or the Southern Caribbean (St Johns, St Kitts and Barbados). More extended cruises are occasionally on offer, like South America, the Amazon and trans Panama canal to the west coast of the USA. For a full listing see cruises from Miami.
Cruise Ship Terminals
The Port of Miami is located at Dodge Island, a piece of reclaimed land in Biscayne Bay formed by the merging of three islands, Lummus, Sam’s and Dodge. It’s only five minutes from Miami center to the cruise port. Port Boulevard, which runs over Biscayne bay, links the city to Dodge island.
Eight cruise terminals operate at the cruise port. The B/C, D, E, F and G terminals are located at the north coast of Dodge island, terminal H on the west, and terminal J on the south. The container ship berths are along the south coast of the island.
Cruise terminals D and E, which began operations in 2007, are the most modern. These are designed to host mega ships. The total length of all cruise ship berths is some 2500 yards. Eight cruiseships can be docked at the same time. Each terminal has the basic amenities, like cafes, bars, check in, shopping and cab ranks.
Extra passenger facilities at terminals D and E include airline style check-ins, conveyor-belt like baggage processing, and a one stop Multi-Agency Facility, for US Customs and Border Protection, Immigration Office and United States Department of Agriculture.
For the port’s website see Port of Miami.
Getting to the Cruise Terminals
By Road
From the North
Take I-95 south and turn off at 3B Bayside. Head southwards and make a left at 5th Street. 5th Street crosses Port Boulevard bridge. Carry on over the bridge and follow the signs to the required cruise terminal.
From the South
Take I-95 in a northerly direction and leave at NW 2nd Street. Carry on to NW 5th Street then make a right. 5th Street will lead onto Port Boulevard bridge. Continue across the bridge and follow signs to designated terminal.
Long term parking is priced at about 25 dollars a day, and should be booked by phone.
There is a free minibus to take you from your car to the cruise terminal.
By Air
Miami port is just seven miles from Miami International Airport. To travel from airport to cruise port, take a cab or jump on the shared-ride supershuttle bus.