We had a flight on American out of Bush Airport at 5:30PM and dropped of Rockefeller shortly after 2PM so we could get to the airport early to avoid the anxiety that is Houston traffic. We were parked at The Parking Spot 2 and ready to get shuttled to the terminal by 3:15PM. This proved to be a good thing as 3PM was shift change for all the airport workers and the shuttle was packed and traffic was a HOT MESS. We didn't even arrive at our terminal until after 4PM. Once inside the terminal we noticed American Airlines was PACKED with people and only 2 workers checking people in. While waiting we learned that over 20 flights had been diverted to Houston since Dallas had a small tornado/ storm that morning. It was beyond chaotic. We already checked in online so only needed tags for our checked luggage and luckily I found a machine that was working and we bypassed about 100 people in line to get our luggage checked it!
Moments before we took him to our dog-sitter! I swear he knew what was about to happen and gave us all kinds of "puppy eye" looks! WE LOVE YOU ROCKY!
Why we FLY IN A DAY EARLY
IAH was a complete disaster this day and were just grateful we were not a part of this mess. We found out while in line, our flight was delayed by over an hour. While this was frustrating, it was better in the long run as we may not have made the flight with all the hassle of checking in and security! TIP- Many people fly in to embarkation ports the MORNING of their cruise, but if the flight is delayed like ours was... You could miss the ship! ALWAYS fly in AT LEAST 1 day/ night before to avoid any issues, concerns and anxieties!
We parked it at Cadillac Bar and Restaurant and enjoyed a plate of nachos while we waited for our plane to arrive. The flight was delayed 2 more times before arriving at 7:10PM. We did not leave Bush until nearly 8PM. The flight was not bad but the delays made us both anxious and the airplane itself was very hot.
CHEERS to vacation!
We arrived at MIA at 11:45PM (EST) and hurried to get our luggage and get to the hotel shuttle bus area. It seemed our whole flight was waiting for shuttles. Embassy Suites finally arrived shortly after midnight and we were on our way to the hotel. We arrived, got checked in and made it to our room very quickly with a fairly packed hotel lobby for after midnight- I was impressed.
I love the TWO ROOM suites at Embassy Suites. It is so nice to have a MASSIVE room and then an extra living room to chill in!
We ordered a recommended Meatball and Chicken Parm sub sandwich before calling it a night around 1:30AM. It may not have been the ideal way to start our vacation but it was just the beginning.
TIP- The Embassy Suites ap says to meet on Level 1 for Shuttle pick up but this sign said otherwise. I called the hotel and we had to go to Level 2 for ALL hotel shuttle pick-ups!
The Meatball Sub was YUMMY!
A view of the Embassy Suites from our 8th floor room!
The line for the made-to-order omelet station. The line was about 15 people deep at 8:30AM.
We then grabbed an Uber to make our way to South Beach. Chris had never been to Miami and I had not spent real time on South Beach in my trips to Miami in the past. We started at a mall area called Lincoln Road Mall where we stumbled upon a great Italian place for drinks. But the sticker shock from this left us needing to drink LOTS OF WATER (the drinks were $22/each). We then walked over to the actual beach and took in the views of the gorgeous blue waters of the Atlantic.
The Carnival Conquest- Where it ALL BEGAN for us in 2006 on our 1st Cruise with Chris's family!
Check it out- Carnival Conquest 2006.
Just ONE of the massive yachts we saw on the bay in South Beach!
These $22 drinks were good... Not $22 good, but nice!
I loved this gorgeous part of South Beach!
We spent about an hour on the beach just walking on the white sands and taking it all in before realizing we had walked on to a beach where we were fish out of water. It was quite a sight to see... In fact we saw a little too much of some people! We took that as a cue to go get some lunch and more sunscreen. Even just an hour in the beach sun took a toll on me and was as red as a strawberry and very thirsty and already dehydrated.
Another bucket list check off- South Beach- Miami!
The crystal clear blue Atlantic waters NEVER disappoint!
It is just GORGEOUS!
Hello from South Beach!
Happy VACAY to us!
A massive 9-12" iguana ran across the beach- It was cool!
Chris once he realized which beach we had walked past.
I still loved it! Goodbye South Beach- We love you!
We meandered over to South Beach Brewery about 3 blocks from the beach as it was recommended by a fellow travel blogger. TIP- I was expecting a MUCH bigger and overall better brewery but we did enjoy our Beer Flight and the cost was average for breweries. I was SO HOT from the beach and I drank our beers too fast... I would pay for that later when I was dehydrated.
These beers were DELICIOUS! I really liked the Strawberry!
I live in HOUSTON- Why am I not acclimated to this?
I was sweating and SO RED. I tried to drink water but I was almost nausea just drinking it and keeping it down. I was already dehydrated at 3PM and still had to walk all over South Beach. I only applied sunscreen 1 time and I was already burnt with the South Beach rays. I would pay for this later...
We then asked a local for a great place to get a Cuban Sandwich and they recommended Puerto Sagua a few blocks away on Collins Street just off of the South Beach waters! This turned out to be a local favorite of over 60 years in South Beach and family owned and operated. TIP- This place was delicious and the Cuban sandwich was exactly what we wanted- not to mention the prices were almost as cheap as 60 years ago and the service was phenomenal! I would HIGHLY recommend anyone visiting this for a Cuban lunch when in South Beach!
This restaurant is on Collins avenue just west of Ocean Drive in South Beach.
The very extensive menu!
I got the MEDIUM Cuban Sandwich- It was PERFECT! ($14.95)
We grabbed a few souvenirs and then took an Uber back to our hotel to try and avoid Friday Miami traffic. We got back to the hotel and then opted to take a nap and try and recover from our sunburns and dehydration.
On our way back to the Hotel we passed Loan Depot Park- Luke has this stadium in his TOP 5 of his favorite stadiums!
We woke up and went to the FREE Embassy Suites Social Reception in the lobby. We enjoyed free snacks and strong drinks and just sat and enjoyed each others company while a local musician performed in the lobby. TIP- This Embassy Suites did a great job with this reception and we enjoyed it a lot. It is located near MIA airport and offers a shuttle to the cruise terminal and a FREE shuttle to/from MIA airport! It was relatively cheap compared to hotels ON the actual beach in South Beach.
A view of the MASSIVE pool at Embassy Suites!
Good Evening and CHEERS from the Embassy Suites lobby!
A recap of our day in South Beach!
However, I was still not feeling 100% from the sunburn and dehydration and the drinks did not help! I called it an early night around 8PM and got to bed! I spent a good portion of the night sick in the restroom trying to recover from dehydration. TIP- DRINK WATER! Oh and apply sunscreen AND DRINK WATER! This was such a ROOKIE MISTAKE! Oh and again... DRINK WATER!
It was NOT a great way to start our vacation but the next day was CRUISE DAY and that is the BEST DAY EVER!
Up Next... Embarkation Day aboard the Independence of the Seas!
God is Good... ALL THE TIME!
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- March 2019
The Norwegian Breakaway- November 2018
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- 2018
Carnival Legend- ALASKA- 2016
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