Miami cruise ports are consistently humming with the movement of giant ships. The hulls pointed forward, displacing the salty water as they head towards their myriad destinations. Whether you are venturing into the Caribbean, taking a casino cruise or just a simple trip along the scenic Florida coast, Miami cruises are the most popular in America, servicing over three million travelers a year.

Many visitors to the city ignore Miami’s boundless nightlife and picturesque beaches to move straight to the high seas. After all, every major cruise line operates here. Carnival Lines takes advantage of Miami’s geographically convenient launching point for a Caribbean cruise, while Costa cruise lines would prefer to take you past Cuba, towards the Mexican coast and upper Central America. Like most of the lines that originate in Tampa, Miami cruises spend a lot of time traversing the western regions of the Caribbean – from Jamaica and the Dominican Republic to Latin American ports in Belize, Mexico and Costa Rica.

But Miami cruise ports are the leader in trips disembarking to the more exotic eastern end of the Caribbean. Celebrity, Carnival, Norwegian and (obviously) Royal Caribbean all base their operations out of Miami’s port. Though Norwegian specializes in trips across the Panama canal, they also offer Miami cruises to the Bahamas, Cayman Islands and both the U.S. and British Virgin Islands (islands that perfectly mix the familiarity of American culture with a tropical setting) – while more adventurous travelers can take on trips offered by both Carnival and Oceania lines that head further south, stopping in the luxurious French West Indies before visiting the jungle wonderlands on St. Lucia and Dominica. While these are certainly not the most common or cheapest cruises from Miami, they offer the most diverse experiences, giving those on board a glimpse into how different each Caribbean isle is from its neighbor. You can also catch a ship down to the islands of the Dutch West Indies - including the ever-popular isle of Aruba - but since they are located over 1200 miles from Miami cruise ports, most prefer to fly to these Caribbean isles.

Other popular cruises from Miami include those that offer casinos on board. Whether you are taking a short jaunt into the ocean and back or are taking advantage of one of the few casino cruises that spend the night in a Caribbean dock (usually the Bahamas), these trips are big with both high rollers and the common gambler alike. They offer all the food, entertainment and excitement you would expect from any casino – and if you want a short break from the gaming tables, there is the warm Floridian air and soothing waves to amuse and placate you. As long as you can survive the interminable wait as the ship heads out of U.S. waters.

The wide berth of cruises from Miami allows you to designate exactly what you desire from a boat trip. From a luxury liner that caters primarily to honeymooners to adventure cruises that stress time spent on land over that in the water, this is the number one port of call in the entire nation.