This post is coming to you live from Miami International Airport. The time is approaching 6:30pm, with just over 3 hours to go before boarding time.

The good news is; disembarkation went pretty smoothly. I left the ship at about 10am with the dance hosts, and a mini-bus took us to the airport. The even better news is that there was a baggage storage place at the airport, where I was able to leave my suitcases for $14 (about £8 I think). This gave me a good chunk of the day, luggage-free, to be able to catch a Miami Dade Transit bus to Downtown Miami and enjoy the city. So, as it turned out, I needn't have worried!

Everybody is so polite on the buses! People couldn't jump up fast enough to offer their seat when a woman or an elderly person boarded, and when a guy in an electric wheelchair boarded - well, you wouldn't believe the efforts taken to ensure his comfort and safety. An electrically-operated ramp appeared out of nowhere to allow him easy access, then the driver himself came out of his cabin to make sure the wheelchair was safely strapped in - remarkable! All of this must have taken about 5 minutes, without a single grumble from any of the other passengers, before we continued on our way.

When I finally arrived at the hub of the city - the Bayside area, it was teeming with passengers from the Balmoral (those who are on Fred Olsen charter flights and a few who had been on excursions).

So, I finally got to  see Horatio Caine's city, with its soaring tower blocks and its busy freeways. I ate at a small pasta place and sat out on the verandah looking out over the harbour, and was shortly joined by a couple from San Francisco, who are holidaying in Florida. This was a godsend, since we spent a good hour and a half talking; mainly discussing the differences between the US and the UK. We talked politics (no, they hadn't voted for Bush, either), taxes (I'd seen a strange couple on the ride in, wearing Statue of Liberty costumes and brandishing banners saying 'Income Taxes' - turns out, their deadline for putting in their tax returns is looming). We discussed language differences, food habits and movies. What a fantastic way to while away the time!

I arrived back at the airport by taxi - which cost me a whopping $23, and within 10 minutes, I'd collected my bags and joined the queue for the Virgin Atlantic check-in.

All of this went very smoothly - too smoothy - I'm waiting for something to go wrong!

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