EPIC World Quest - Miami and the Florida Everglades (Embarkation)

Pre-Embarkation Activities

We’ve both traveled on cruises before in past lives and this is our first cruise together. There was a lot of planning that went into preparing for a 196 day around the world cruise. What to pack, pre-embarkation activities, and getting to the cruise terminal. Given the additional uncertainty of embarking on such an adventure in the middle of a pandemic provided additional opportunities and challenges. Our original plan was to do a one-way rental of an SUV from Nashville International Airport dropping it of in Miami and conduct a road trip exploring sites along the way. Wanting additional time with family, rental car prices and availability, and ever-changing requirements from local health officials led us to scrap this plan.

Oceania Cruises offered complimentary baggage shipping up to two suitcases per person, picked up at a location of our choice and delivery to our cabin before boarding. This service was a game changer. Anyone looking for a no hassle way to pre-ship bags – check out Luggage Forward at www.luggageforward.com. No more worries of how to cart suitcases and carry-on bags all over allowed us to travel lighter and modify our plan. UPS picked up our bags, we could track them the entire way, and we were able to travel light. So, we decided to fly Southwest Airlines from Nashville to Miami, arriving a couple days early, renting a car locally to explore South Florida. Since our Epic World Quest begins in Miami, Florida why not visit Everglades National Park.

While Miami is known for its nightlife, South Beach, shopping and Little Havana district, we decided with all the requirements, ever-changing rules and restrictions regarding travel during the pandemic, staying in the great outdoors around fewer people would lessen our chances of further complications. We hope to make it back to Miami and experience more of the cultural side of this vibrant city. Note: The National Park Service offers Military Pass to Active-Duty, Retirees, and Veterans for entry into National Park sites nationwide free of charge. With all that the National Park System offers, the $80 cost of an annual pass is still truly a bargain. The requirements for the military pass can be found at: https://store.usgs.gov/faq#Military-Pass.

Everglades National Park

We decided to stay in Florida City, Florida due to its proximity to the Everglades National Park and the cost of hotel rooms compared to Miami. The Earnest F. Coe Visitors Center gives a great overview of the Everglades, a truly unique National Park unlike any place in the world. After entering the park, we took the first turn-off to Royal Palm. There are raised boardwalk trails, the Anhinga and Gumbo Limbo Trails, that provide viewpoints for the flora, fauna, and fish. These trails are short and easy walks, but you could spend hours here taking you time watching the wildlife. Traveling back up toward the main road is a Nike Missile Base Historic Site, a remnant of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War.

The Everglades Nike Missile Site was once called “Alpha Battery” or “HM69” and is a well-preserved relic of the Cold War. Be sure to check with the visitor’s center for opening times and interpretive walks with the Park Rangers or retired military personnel that volunteer at the site. The site was completed in 1965 just a few years after the Cuban Missile Crisis and remained open until 1979. Nike Missiles were line of site Surface-to-Air (SAM) or anti-aircraft missiles. The missiles in the Everglades were part of the Homestead Air Force Base / Miami Defense Area. The missile currently on display in one of the missile barns was refurbished by a local technical high school.

Continuing down the main road (Ingraham Highway) there are spots to pull off and take short hikes. We enjoyed Mahogany Hammock and the Skeleton Forest, where we met a couple from Belgium that absolutely loves the American National Park System and travels to a new one every time, they visit the United States. The Ingraham Highway ends in Flamingo, Florida and it’s a great spot to observe many different species of birds (we saw several Night-Herons and Ospreys nest there) and even spotted some manatees swimming in the marina.

Note: there is only one tour operator here called Flamingo Adventures. They sell out often, so it is best to plan and pre-book your tour. We did the Florida Bay Tour (often called the educational and authentic Everglade’s boat experience) and thoroughly enjoyed it. We even spotted American Crocodiles (not alligators). The combination of fresh water and salt water in the Everglades makes this site the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles co-exist.

The Everglades Alligator Farm

If the Flamingo Adventures Florida Bay or Magnificent Florida Backcountry Tours are the authentic educational boat experience, the Everglades Alligator Farm Airboat Ride is the stereotypical, high-speed thrill-seeking experience. Just outside the Everglades National Park entrance is the Everglades Alligator Farm (www.everglades.com). If you were skunked spotting alligators in the Everglades, you are guaranteed to see them here. They have an area with hundreds of alligators they breed and conduct feeding demonstrations. Additionally, they provide fast paced airboat rides through the Everglades that are about 20 minutes in length.

We thoroughly enjoyed spending a couple days in Everglades National Park before embarking on our cruise adventure. In addition to exploring more of Miami in the future, we would want to spend more time in the Everglades. I recommend that anyone taking a cruise out of Miami to take a couple extra days to explore this truly unique National Park.

The Embarkation Process

Returning our rental car to Miami International Airport and getting a transfer to the Cruise Terminal was a simple and painless process. Due to the additional medical testing requirements to board the ship we were given specific slot times for embarkation. Once on board we were greeted by the staff of the ship with music and clapping. The Insignia was on its first voyage since the onset of the pandemic, 21 months. As we met our fellow passengers it was fascinating to me the number of passengers that have made multiple Around the World Cruises.

The 196 day Around the World Cruise consists of 10 consecutive segments booked end to end. Of the 400 passengers that embarked in Miami, only 78 were booked for the full voyage. We learned that passengers identified themselves as either “Worldies” or “Segies” based on whether they are booked on the entire voyage or just a segment. Most of the people we’ve met that are booked on the Miami to Los Angeles segment were drawn to the Panama Canal Transit and the timing of the cruise over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. We are excited to meet and learn the stories behind all of our fellow passengers.