Miami
A cruise preview
The city is becoming more and more radiant. You can see that it is thriving and that time is moving forward.
Cruise ships of all kinds sail from its port all year round. In the past we had taken one through the Minor Antilles and another through the southern Caribbean that crossed the Panama Canal.
We decided to take the Norwegian Cruise through the Western Caribbean. It sailed in mid-January from Miami, so we arrived a few days early to relax and sightsee.
We chose to stay in Brickell. We found the Indigo Hotel at a reasonable price, considering the high cost of lodging in the city.
From there it was easy to get around, whether by Uber, train or even the trolley. From the airport we arrived by train, with a good connection.
The next day, we took the Miami trolley, which has an app that guides you to the stops. There are different lines that run through the main points of the city. It is free and its frequency is quite fluid.
From the neighborhood it took a little more than half an hour to get to Wynwood Walls, to get lost in its colorful streets, trying to discover new murals and graffiti.
It is the area of emerging artists and you can tell that it has managed to impose itself in the world of the real state because there are constructions everywhere.
From there, we left -in another trolley- towards the Design District, again, to wander among the shop windows of the big brands that are an attraction in itself.
Then, we spent some time for the essential shopping in Midtown Miami. On our way back, we hesitated to enter the Pérez Art Museum, which we had visited some time before, but we did not find the temporary exhibition available so interesting.
The next day, we decided to tour Brickell and its piers. We also wandered around its shopping mall, the Brickell City Center, before getting ready to board our cruise ship.
Here's a note of warning. The port of Miami is gigantic. That day there were eight ready to leave, which is why it is essential to be cautious and arrive in time since the trip by Uber or cab can take a long time.
Once we had checked in and were in the giant floating hotel, we went to discover our cabin. We had decided to go with the club suite cabin option with balcony, so it was very spacious and comfortable.
The Norwegian line offers a package with drinks included, so it was very tempting for us to have drinks as appetizers and after meals.
Cruise ships -usually- offer a variety of restaurants included in the package, some buffet and some a la carte, and some speciality dinners, this is for a fee.
In truth, the business of the cruise, from our point of view, is the extras, such as specialty restaurants, tours in each destination, internet, typical free shop products, games (such as raffles or bingo) and, of course, the casino.
In our case, we always ended up prioritizing junk food, because of how tasty it was. Therefore, our favorite bar restaurant ended up being O'Sheehan's, with its proposal of classic Irish pub dishes, such as the Fish n' Chips, the Pub Hot Dog, or the Blue Cheese Burger.
We had included in our package two dinners at specialty restaurants, so we chose to try Cagney's Steakhouse, a steakhouse that offers American-style steaks, where Black Angus beef is served. Another day we made a reservation at Moderno Churrascaria, a Brazilian style steak restaurant, espeto corrido type, that is by the method of slow cooking meats on an iron or long sword, which are served at the table by gaúchos. Very funny and tasty. On the table some cards have one side green and the other red. If one wants to be served and start the round of passes of the gaúchos with the long swords with different cuts, it is a matter of turning it green and turning it over when you are satisfied. Here's how it works.
The chosen itinerary involved two days of sailing and stops in four countries. First we visited Roatan, the Honduran island known for its offerings for snorkeling and diving enthusiasts. Then, a full day of beach time at the shipping company's resort in Belize, Harvest Caye.
The next day, the giant docked in Cozumel, Mexico's largest island at the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula.
After the second full day of sailing, we disembarked in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, where we decided to sightsee and walk around and not prioritize the beach and the sea so much.
Fortunately, we were blessed with sunny days, where every cloud was appreciated for its strong at times.
On the way back, after seven days of cruising, with excess weight, because it is impossible not to fall into the temptation of the all-inclusive system, in which we ended up eating and drinking too much, and at the cruise port we took a Lyft to the Miami International Airport. A flight of less than three hours to Guatemala awaited us, so we could check off our list to walk the cobblestone streets of Antigua.