Embarking the ship was fine but disembarking was horrible. Long lines (even though we had time slots?) with employees just directing people to cut in wherever. ...
We sailed MSC and they do not have their own terminal or garage so parking is wherever you can find it. No one out in the traffic areas to help assist you on where to go. Pretty much chaotic from the moment you pull into the port. The gentleman that was at the entrance of the garage was helpful on where to find spots in the garage and there was a bus that pulled up to take us to the terminal. ...
The port was nice and did the job. Everything is well labeled and easy to find. My only tip is... leave plenty of time to get there. You have to cross one bridge to get onto the island that the port is based on. When there are cruises are leaving traffic takes a LONG time to get there. ...
We chose a "Daycation" through Daycation.com -- you can sign up for a 20% first time discount. We chose a hotel in Miami Beach that offered free baggage hold, access to their pool, beach and umbrellas. Food/drink were additional. We chose the Hotel Riu, and liked it enough. The hotel next door offered nicer cushioned beach lounge chairs which would have been nice. We took a cab from the Pier ...