With ten operating cruise terminals, the Port of Miami is recognized as 'The Cruise Capital of the World'. Terminal V is relatively new, opening in 2022, servicing exclusively Virgin Voyages. It is over 100,000 square feet in size, three stories, and is LEED Gold certified. It was my first cruise on Virgin Voyages, and there were some interesting things about the embarkation/disembarkation process worth noting.
My brother and I were just getting off of a Royal Caribbean ship in Terminal A on an early Saturday in Feb, boarding the same day on a Virgin cruise. We had received multiple emails from Virgin warning us not to come before our scheduled time, which was 2:30 pm. Since we had to get off the RC boat, well before then, we ended up spending lunchtime at Miami Beach.
We got an Empower ride share to Terminal V. Unfortunately, the driver decided to take a short cut that he didn't realize was closed. At that point, he strongly suggested that we walk, instead of him having to circle all the way back around (trying to make it seem like it was for our benefit). So we got out and walked, letting us experience how to walk to the terminal. The terminal next to V, Terminal G, is undergoing reconstruction, re-opening in late 2027, to handle more Royal Caribbean ships from Miami. They did open a small segregated lane to allow pedestrians through, but it's not particularly wasy. And to try to get a Lyft/Uber ride between A and V would be relatively inexpensive, but difficult to find a driver willing to take such a short ride with so much hassle. It will be interesting to see how RC will handle transfer between Terminal A and G in the future.
We got there by 2:15, and they had already called our time to enter the building. Once inside, the process was really fast, always moving once started, with no long wait to board the ship. This also meant our room was ready as soon as we boarded, so were able to take our luggage and unpack immediately. They don't tell you your muster stations upfront. Instead you find your room and it is marked there. This is intentional ... so you watch the safety video first, before going to your muster station.
Disembarkation was very easy as well. The biggest difference is that you must leave your room by 10:30 am.... all other boats we have been on, it is 8 am (to allow the stewards time to clean the room before the new passengers come). That's why new people don't board until past 2.
There was a huge line, that pretty much snaked its way through the entire fifth deck. But once it got moving, it went really fast, and we exited the boat before 8. There is a well marked common area for ride shares, and once again, choosing Empower gave us a driver faster than others using Lyft or Uber. read more