We love Miami! Check out Uvaggio, Bin 18, Prime Cigar, Cigar Boutique of Little Havana. We always stay at Hilton Miami Airport.

Harvest Caye was GREAT if you're looking for a nice beach day. NCL sunk a gazillion dollars into constructing this port, so it's basically like a private island, except you don't have to tender, which is a relief. There are tons of lounge chairs available, both near the beach and near a beautiful pool. Some are shaded by umbrellas and are first come, first served, and complimentary. You can pay to rent a clamshell for the day, and I heard there were also some luxury cabanas, but did not check them out. There are water sports — including stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking, snorkeling, etc. — and multiple zip lines. There's a series of shops that seemed slightly nicer/unique/more upscale (or maybe just because they're newer?) than the usual cruise port shops. There was a stage where local folks sang, danced and performed musical instruments. There were a few bars/restaurants (the shrimp quesadilla from Laughing Bird was delicious). And, in my opinion as a nature lover, a nature center. They did not have scarlet macaws yet when we were there, but they were supposed to get them soon. They had several toucans and someone there to tell you about them; they were amazing! And a butterfly house where you could walk through giant blue butterflies. Pretty neat.

Costa Maya is a lovely port — again, especially if you don't feel like wandering far from the pier — and has changed quite a bit since the last time we were here. They now have swimming with dolphins and a lot more stores. My favorite addition was Aviarius, a self-guided aviary right in the heart of the action. For $10, you walked up onto these rope bridges high above the town. The bridges connected various huts and areas that contained exotic birds. Some really wanted nothing to do with you, but there were a few areas you could feed the birds. It was truly spectacular if you enjoy that sort of thing, which I do. I had an arm full of jandaya parakeets in 10 seconds flat. They were on my head, crawling on my shoulders ... ha. Very fun for a bird lover like me. You also could feed these giant blue macaws. And all of this was while looking down at the very pretty Costa Maya area. Best $10 I've ever spent.

Cozumel, we didn't have great weather at first, so the first part was spent wandering around in ponchos like big dorks. We finally parked at La Casa de la Habana for the day, since my husband is a cigar aficionado. They had great food, great cigars (for him), a clean and comfy atmosphere and a nice wine list. On past trips, we've booked an afternoon at Nachi Cocum, which I'd also recommend if you're looking for a secluded beach day.

Roatan we found to be pretty lackluster; there are some shops etc. at the port but otherwise it seemed like the kind of port where you really would need to take an excursion to make it worthwhile. It reminded me of Dominican Republic; lots of pushy salespeople in a clearly impoverished area with not a lot going on.