Cruise Guide
Miami
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Miami Cruise Guide

Overview

Befitting the surging migration from Latin America and the Caribbean, Miami pulses with cultural interplay and a constant desire to be at the cutting edge. But unlike the optimistic melting pot that made America famous by the 20th century, metropolitan Miami is more the stew pot, with neighbourhoods retaining the distinct ethnic and national identities of their recently arrived residents. Latinos form the majority of registered voters and elect first-generation Hispanic-Americans to every significant government office, including Congress.

The subtropical climate keeps not just the air hot and humid, but lifestyles, too. Skyscrapers, performing arts venues and the world's busiest cruise ship port mark the downtown.

Sightseeing

Miami has been a tourist destination, acclaimed for its beaches and temperate climate, since tycoon Henry Flagler cut a path for his railroad through the swamps and palm trees at the end of the 19th century. Holidaymakers come for its ever-larger beachfront hotels, restaurants and nightclubs.

The Little Havana community has cigar-making shops, Cuban restaurants and shops dispensing wee cups of café cubano. Coral Gables, on the southern edge, is home to the University of Miami, art deco architecture epitomized by the grand Biltmore Hotel, and is at once casual and upscale.

South Beach is probably most recognisably ‘Miami,' with its sherbet-coloured art deco buildings seen in TV shows and movies such as CSI:Miami, Miami Vice and Bad Boys. South Beach boasts superb Atlantic Ocean sands, popular with everyone from elderly retirees to the glistening, hard bodies perfecting suntans to display in hot nightclubs on Ocean Drive. Ocean Drive and nearby Collins Avenue are also fronted by the trendiest boutiques and restaurants - frequented by visiting movie stars, musicians and resident celebrities such as Gloria Estefan and Donatella Versace.

Highlights
• South Beach
• Little Havana
• Metrozoo
• Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
• Coral Gables
• Vizcaya museum and villa

Tourist Information

Greater Miami and the Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau
701 Brickell Avenue, Miami, USA
Tel: +1 30553 93000.
Website: www.miamiandbeaches.com  

Shopping

Miracle Mile in downtown Coral Gables has quality galleries, boutiques and department stores, while the Bayside Marketplace, adjacent to the cruise port, has touristy shops and artisans' stalls. For more upscale and trendy shops, head to South Beach's Lincoln Road Mall and the open-air CocoWalk in Coconut Grove. For ideas on sprucing up your home, head to the 200-plus showrooms of the Miami Design District (NE 36th to NE 41st Streets, between NE Second Avenue and North Miami Avenue).

Where? Miracle Mile, Bayside Marketplace, Lincoln Road Mall, Coconut Grove, Miami Design District.
What? Designer clothes, arts and crafts, homewares.

Eating Out

Miami's restaurants cater to most tastes and wallets. Seafood is on most menus, prepared in Caribbean and Latin American styles. A landmark restaurant is Joe's Stone Crab, on South Beach, where everyone who is anyone - and lots of people who wish they were - head for this delicacy, as well as fried chicken and Key lime pie. Elsewhere, steak and barbecue are standards.

Miami specialities
• Crab.
• Fried chicken.
• Key lime pie.

When To Go

This is the tropics, though breezes off the Atlantic can reduce the sauna-ish atmosphere. June to November is hurricane season when impressive thunderstorms are far more common. December to April is mild, but never cold.

Hotels

Accommodations range from gaudy if upscale American hotels to surprisingly minimalist rooms on South Beach. Every national chain is here. High season is December to March.

Getting There

By Water

Port of Miami
1015 N America Way, Miami, Florida
Tel: +1 30534 74800.
Website: www.miamidade.gov/portofmiami

By Rail

Miami Station Building
8303 NW 37th Avenue, Miami, Florida 33147
Website: www.amtrak.com

By Air

Miami International Airport (MIA)
PO Box 025504, Miami, Florida 33102-5504, USA
Tel: +1 30587 67000.
Website: www.miami-airport.com

Transfer Times

Nearest Destination

Miami.

Transfer Distance

3.2km (2 miles).

Transfer Time

5 minutes.

Key Facts

Region

Florida

Time Zone

GMT - 5.

Currency

US Dollar ($) = 100 cents.

Language

English. A significant amount of Spanish is also spoken.

Location

Southeastern edge of Florida, USA.

Population

409,000.

Government

USA is a federal republic of 50 states.

Religion

Roman Catholics are about one-fourth of the population, Protestants are the bulk of the rest, with a Jewish minority.

Social Conventions

Businesspeople are generally expected to dress smartly, though the open-collared Latino shirt (the guayabara) is widely accepted. Americans tend to be less formal than Europeans in business dealings.

Tipping: Note whether the service charge of 10-20% has been added to the restaurant bill, which is common in Miami.
Miami is one of the most popular destinations for Cruise & Stay specialists Virgin Holidays Cruises. A family favourite is to spend a week exploring the attractions of Southern Florida before cruising out past they keys.
As part of the Virgin family Virgin Holidays Cruises has long standing ties to holiday making in Florida, offering cruise deals on many fly cruise holidays in conjunction with Virgin Atlantic.
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