Miami/FL - Transatlantic NCL - Feb 2025 - Chapter 04

Chapter 04

Boarding was delayed by about 15 minutes due to the late arrival of HB-JNB. The business class was fully booked, as was the first class, and I was glad to have secured a seat in the small business cabin with only 12 seats at such short notice.

In the two-row section of the small business cabin, I found the storage shelf above the monitors and the drawer below them to be very practical. However, the drawer was unfortunately still too small for a 16” MacBook Pro. 😂 Instead, I had to use the compartment next to the monitor. Overall, I found the available storage space to be somewhat lacking. In addition to my large MacBook, I also had an Apple Vision Pro with me, but there wasn’t really a secure place to store it, so I eventually had to put the headset back in the overhead bin.

Economy class must have been quite empty, as shortly after boarding, an announcement was made asking passengers to take their assigned seats and to switch seats only after takeoff if they wished.

With a glass of water and an ibuprofen — just in case — we took off almost on time at 1:00 PM, and by 1:11 PM, we were in the air.

As is typical with Swiss, the service was excellent, and with the second round of drinks, meal orders were taken right away.

I decided on the salad and the mushroom ragout. However, I forgot to take a photo of the latter. And because of the ibuprofen, I stuck to water and Coke. 🤣

After dinner, I watched a series on the Apple Vision Pro for about an hour and then went straight to sleep, actually managing to sleep until two hours before landing. That made the flight go by incredibly quickly.

We landed ahead of schedule at 4:57 PM local time in Miami. Thanks to Global Entry and quick baggage claim, I was already in my Lyft by 5:25 PM, heading to downtown Miami, where I had booked a one-night stay at the Hilton. Given the time of day, the ride into downtown took quite a while, so I didn’t arrive at the Hilton until around 6:30 PM.

The entrance is on Floor 0, from where an elevator takes you up to the lobby and check-in area. Another elevator then takes you to the guest floors. Unfortunately, the Hilton Downtown no longer has an Executive Lounge, which is a shame. In the evening, that leaves only the 1601 Lounge and the Brisa Bistro as options for using the F&B credit as a Diamond member. 😂 The restaurant is located right next to check-in, making it a rather busy and hectic spot. The bistro, on the other hand, has direct access to the hotel’s pool.

I had booked a King Room with a Bay View using points and was upgraded to a King Junior Suite with a Bay View on the 12th floor.

The hotel was completely renovated in 2018, but honestly, I’m not sure if they forgot about the hallways. They looked like they hadn’t seen a fresh coat of paint in 20 years. Maybe it just seemed worse because the hallways were incredibly dark — very little lighting and brown-toned wallpaper. A lighter color would probably make everything feel much more inviting. Unfortunately, the photos don’t quite capture how gloomy it felt.

The lobby and rooms are okay-ish, but they already look somewhat worn again. The shower in the bathroom was broken, the shower gel dispenser was empty, and there were no glasses for toothbrushes. 🙁 For one or two nights, it’s fine, but for a longer stay, I’d probably opt for one of Hilton’s more modern properties in Miami Beach. Compared to the InterContinental at Bayside Park, I’d rate the Hilton Downtown at least one category lower.

Since I lost an entire day in Miami due to all the issues the day before, I wanted to at least take a short trip to Bayside Marketplace in the evening to soak up the atmosphere. I grabbed a bite at Ben’s Pizza first, followed by a Coke at Margaritaville, right next to the Miami Sky View.

After a short stroll through Bayfront Park and past the Intercontinental—where we used to spend our time in Miami—it was time to take the Metromover back to the Hilton.

By 10:30 PM, I was in bed, but as always on the first night in the U.S., my body clock decided at 5 AM that it was time to wake up. So, I started the day quite early, but at least in a relaxed and unhurried manner.

Embarkation is already at 10:30 AM today, so there’s actually not much time left.

To be continued…

Written on February 7th, 2025 by Thorsten Scherf travel miami ncl