I recently had a grand opportunity for a one-night, invitation-only cruise to get a first look at Norwegian Getaway during the christening celebration at her new home port of Miami. Since we had to fly there from Virginia for such a short trip, Mr. Travel Maestro (Todd) and I decided look into pre- or post-cruise options. Of course, art deco South Beach or tony Boca Raton were options, but given that it was only 30°F in Virginia, we were yearning for more of a Jimmy Buffet-style getaway. When Todd suggested “Keys,” I thought that was too far to go for just one night, but it turns out, Key Largo is very accessible from Miami and there are plenty of things to do.

Due to today’s full airline flights and the domino effect of delays, Covington recommends a pre-cruise overnight stay to avoid missing the ship. Most Miami cruises embark between 12-3 pm, giving you plenty of time to make the hour drive up from Key Largo if you opt for a pre-cruise overnight. Alternatively, you might like to stay over after the cruise, like we did. Miami cruises tend to disembark between 8-10 am. Including transport from the pier to the rental car station, paperwork and a comfortable drive, we were easily in Key Largo for lunch!

Key Largo is the first major island of the archipelago that extends southwest from the Florida mainland, just south of Miami. The 113-mile Overseas Highway (Highway 1) is an impressive feat of engineering that connects the chain of islands by 42 bridges. Addresses are denoted by mile-marker (mm) numbers, which descend to zero at the furthest point, Key West.

Just a few miles down Highway 1, at mm 106, we spotted The Florida Keys Visitor Center. Since this trip was somewhat of a fact-finding mission and I simply can’t pass up a brochure-gathering opportunity, we pulled in. We were greeted by Kenny, the gregarious owner and ‘Activities Specialist.’ He asked how he could help us and we asked for a lunch recommendation. Thirty minutes later, I felt like we were old friends! Kenny has lived on the Keys for a couple decades and knows all the best experiences and the people who run them. He arranged a boat tour for us to see manatees and mangroves (more on that in a moment), and suggested some restaurants (and gave us discount cards). Travel Maestro tip: DO stop in to see Kenny. His shop sells tours and souvenirs, but he’s not all about the tourist dollar. He’s truly proud of the Keys’ unique environment and lifestyle and wants to share it.

A word about the Keys lifestyle: the tempo is relaxed; the residents are congenial and free-spirited. Those who settle there might be musicians, writers, retirees, hippies or salty sea dogs. There probably aren’t many (if any) time-clocks to punch there and the folks seem very accepting of each other and visitors. It’s very easy to slip into island time, turn off the technology and simply enjoy the beauty of the ocean and island panorama.

And beautiful it is! On Kenny’s advice, we drove to Jimmy Johnson’s Big Chill (mm 104) for an alfresco lunch of absolutely fabulous fish tacos. A lone musician played for the outdoor bar and restaurant while we watched the sailboats, motorboats and kayaks come and go. Travel Maestro tip: When they say “fresh fish of the day,” it means it came out of the water that morning!

After lunch, we walked right down to the dock and met Captain Jerry who took us out to see the mangroves that are the base of the keys and to look for the gentle manatees. Normally, it’s a six person tour, but Todd and I were the only ones signed up, so we enjoyed a private tour and a great rapport with Captain Jerry.  He told us more than I can remember about the Keys’ wildlife and gave us further insight into this wonderful laid-back lifestyle that is so prevalent in the residents.

Finding manatees isn’t guaranteed, but we did indeed see several, including a mama and baby! In fact, I was hanging off the stern, arm outstretched to within about three inches of a huge papa manatee, covered in barnacles. He was as interested in me as I was him and we locked eyes for quite some time, but he stayed just out of my reach. Unfortunately, my camera battery died minutes before, but this was one of those rare experiences that I would have missed if I’d been trying to capture the photo. Travel Maestro tip: The manatees are endangered and highly protected, but this is one of the few places you can actually touch them in the wild.

Late afternoon we checked into our hotel, the Marina Del Mar. It is a 76-unit, pet-friendly hotel with studios and 1- and 2-bedroom accommodations overlooking a nice little marina. Like many other structures along the upper Keys, it appeared to date to the 1950s, but it was clean, charming and inexpensive; perfect for our overnight.

After depositing our bags, we headed out down Highway 1 to Robbie’s Marina in Islamorada (mm77.5). There were quite a lot of local vendor stands of art and souvenirs and another musician serenading the restaurant. But we were there to feed the huge Tarpon from the pier! We bought a bucket of 3-4 inch bait fish and walked out on the pier while the giant Tarpon swarmed around the docked boats in wait. As we dropped bait fish in the water, the Tarpon splashed and jumped on the treat in a furious flurry. Pelicans floated nearby ready to steal any morsel they could. Travel Maestro tip: This made people of all ages squeal in delight and was great family fun for about $5!

Our last stop was Marker 88 in Islamorada (yes, located at mm 88) for cocktails, the sunset and dinner on the beach. Another fabulous restaurant that we can thank Kenny for recommending, it’s clearly popular with locals – the quintessential sign of quality. It was packed just before sunset and when we walked out on the pier for a photo op, I understood why.

Yet another lone local musician was playing guitar under a gazebo. The bar served lots of keys-colored top-shelf drinks – I had a key lime martini and Todd had electric lemonade! Tables for two to 12 were scattered over the sand, including super-cool covered glider-rocker picnic tables. Kids played and danced, a 30-something group of friends dined and laughed, and couples romanced as the dusk became moonlight. We stayed for hours just enjoying the ambiance – and of course great seafood. It was a perfect ending to a lovely day.

After a comfortable night and breakfast at the hotel, we headed back to the mainland. I had booked us on Royal Princess for vacation. (Hey, Travel Maestro needs vacations, too, but I’ll tell you about that ship soon!) We drove the hour and 45 minutes to the Port of Ft. Lauderdale, dropped off the rental car, and checked in at the ship, proving that Key Largo is easily accessible and a delightful overnight before or after a cruise from Miami or Ft. Lauderdale.

For more information about pre- or post-cruise stays, contact Covington Travel’s vacation experts.