Miami/FL - Transatlantic NCL - Feb 2025 - Chapter 05

Chapter 05

I took a Lyft from the Hilton to the Port of Miami around 9 AM. The drive from Downtown to the port is very quick, and less than 10 minutes later, I arrived at the impressive NCL Terminal B. The place was already bustling with activity at that time. As soon as I got out of the car, my suitcase was taken care of immediately. NCL does a great job of quickly getting passengers’ luggage onto the ship.

Unlike usual, this time, I wasn’t heading to the HAVEN guest Check-In but rather the regular Priority Check-In. The terminal is divided into two sections for this: the left side of the hall is for Priority guests, while the right side is for all other passengers. Behind the security scanners, the division continues — Priority Check-In on the left, regular Check-In for non-status guests on the right.

Did the Priority Check-In save me much time? Hard to say, as both sections of the hall were quite busy. However, since the ship was only about 60% full with roughly 2,700 guests, I imagine that during full capacity, Priority Check-In would save a significant amount of time. In my case, it took about 30 minutes to get through security and receive my boarding pass and key card.

At check-in, I was offered an upgrade to a balcony cabin on Deck 11 for €160. Since I had originally booked a panorama room, I gladly accepted the offer. In fact, I had been hoping for such an opportunity since transatlantic cruises are rarely fully booked, leaving many cabins vacant. Naturally, NCL tries to sell as many higher-category cabins as possible.

Since I arrived at the terminal quite early, I had to wait a while before boarding. The process began around 11 AM, starting with status guests, followed by passengers in designated boarding groups. Overall, it took nearly two hours from my arrival at the terminal to finally stepping onto the ship. That’s a big difference from HAVEN boarding, where check-in and boarding via the private lounge elevator usually take no more than an hour.

Once on board, the cabins were, of course, not yet ready. Understandably, the room stewards first had to prepare everything for the new passengers. After a quick visit to my assigned assembly station to confirm my presence on board, I headed to the Garden Café for a relaxed lunch. The staff kindly reminded passengers that, even with a beverage package, taxes still apply to alcoholic drinks while the ship is docked in a U.S. port. This rule also applies to ports visited during the cruise, such as St. Thomas or other U.S. territories.

After lunch, I used the time until my cabin was ready to explore the ship and get familiar with my new home for the next 13 days. I kept checking the Find My app on my iPhone to track whether my suitcase had made it onto the ship. It appeared to be loaded around 3 PM, but it didn’t arrive in my room until about 7 PM. That wasn’t an issue, though, since I had packed all essentials in my carry-on.

The cruise director made regular announcements about which decks were ready for new guests. Deck 11 was completed around 2 PM, so I was finally able to drop off my carry-on and freshen up. At 18m², the cabin isn’t huge, but it’s more than sufficient for me alone.

NCL typically departs around 4 PM, leaving little time before the Sail-Away Party starts at the pool area on Deck 15. One thing I immediately noticed — and I don’t mean this in a bad way — is that there are almost no children on board. That’s expected on a transatlantic cruise outside school vacation periods. Normally, the pool area at this time would be full of kids, but this time, it’s completely different.

At exactly 4 PM, the cruise director introduced the crew on stage, and the party began. Departure was at 4:15 PM, sailing along the MacArthur Causeway towards the Atlantic. I always find the view of the highway, which connects Downtown Miami to South Beach, absolutely stunning.

I’m looking forward to the next 13 days on board and hope we’ll continue to have such beautiful weather. It’ll be another eight days before we reach the Azores.

To be continued…

Written on February 8th, 2025 by Thorsten Scherf travel miami ncl