Celebrity Eclipse - Transatlantic Broadway and Boardwalks - Day 16 arrive Miami

Sat Nov 13th (day 15) Miami, FL, USA


Miami - end of the line -culmination -the last port; I prefer finale, it has a slight sense of grandeur that befits crossing the Atlantic Ocean at  an average speed of 21mph.


We arrive early morning and admire the billion dollar yatchs & watch the coastguard boats cruising up & down. In Europe, we tend to go for the walk off with our bags, self service style, but as our flights don't leave till late this afternoon we decide to spend the morning on the ship bag free - we are among the last group to leave.


Its hot, it's too hot - if that wasn't bad enough its also horribly sticky. We have spent many a Christmas in Orlando at WDW and had nice warm days and cool evenings but this is just a little uncomfortable. Does one month and a few degrees south really make so much difference.  The irony is the last time we were in Miami we strolled along the beach on a  grey cloudy day in July whilst being battered by a sharp breeze and all I could think  was "Jesus.. its just like Morecambe"

 If the heat wasn't bad enough Miami Port's curbside chaos is enough to put you off embarking/disembark here ever again. We have a car booked to drive us to the airport but our finding it or him finding us takes at least 30 minutes of patience, a hefty phone bill and descriptions of what we are wearing before a black sedan finally pulls up.

Safely bundled inside and with bottles of cold water we are on our way to the airport. The driver asks what time our flight is due (little does he or we know at this point) but on discovering it's in the evening he makes the suggestion we should dump our bags at the terminal and take  a local cab to a seafood restaurant a mile from the airport. 


A flight of local beers and glasses of Sauvignon, we tuck in to some lovely spiced shrimp and fish. Catch of the Day is a great find, full of locals and very tasty. We have ' Cuban' coffee to finish. Woo, now I'm awake!


 Reluctantly, we take a taxi back to the airport and check in. Having only ever flown with Thomas Cook once before on a long haul, I remember it being late and non existent for customer service. This time we didn't choose TC,  the flights were included with the cruise. Well the planes here but needs a tyre replacing. It takes another 36 hours until that tyre is replaced - we spend the night and the following day in the nearby Sheraton.. and 2 days in Miami airport! What a fiasco TC. We will never willingly book you again.
Good to be home anyway - we can finally start watching that Breaking Bad box set.

In Summary apart from the useless airline full marks to Celebrity. An unforgettable trip in lots of ways.

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