Flymia

There is no need to go out to the airport. Take Trirail to the Trirail/Metrorail transfer station. Take Metrorail (free) to the Bayside station. Grab a cab or Uber from there to the port, about a mile trip.

Metrorail is not free, and there is no "Bayside" station. Think you mean take Metrorail to Government Center ($2.25 per person) and from Government center you take an Uber to the port $5-$7.00

Its not a bad trip. As long as you don't each have more than one piece of luggage it is pretty easy to do.

Palm Beach to Miami Airport, get off. You could then take a $18.00 Uber to the port or get on the Metrorail ($2.25 a person) to government center station, and then take a $5-$7 uber to the port.

When is the trip? New Brightline train might open this summer.

I live close to there, I pass by the Avis all the time, people always look miserable in line. Also creates lots of traffic with all the cars stopped there.

Its not hectic at all. I would stay in whichever area that 1. Make most sense for your budge and 2. You want to stay in. Downtown Miami/Miami Beach is typically more walkable dense for staying here with no car. It won't be an issue landing in FLL and staying in the Miami area. Remember, Port Miami is extremely close to Downtown Miami/Brickell and still pretty close to Miami Beach. Short taxi/uber rides.

You could also have no issues staying in the Ft. Lauderdale area and then taking transit Sunday down to Miami. If its not a large group an Uber is usually the best and cheapest choice. You can also take an Uber from FLL airport to the Miami area. Both rides will be around $40.00

Take a taxi, $7.00 pp is a rip off. No way should a cab cost more than $15.00 with tip, its such a short drive. If you don't want to spend more than that, have a decent car, and not get ripped off, as much as DH might not like it, Uber is still the way to go. But a taxi should be fine. Absolutely no need for a private car or anything like that.

I see that Uber is often suggested here. We don't use much in my neck of the woods, but I assume that it is a safe and reliable option?

It is the best option in Miami. It is safe and extremely reliable. You should be able to find a first time user discount/credit too.

Wow, really good feedback. And lots of options! I have 2 more days before all my flights will show online..... Yes, I am going to MSP. I typically will fly Delta or Sun Country, just depending on what is available. And I will never, ever, ever again do less than an hour layover due to missing a number of flights through American. Actually, I will probably never fly AA again, unless it is nonstop and super affordable.

 

Thanks for all the feedback. :)

Fares at FLL are typically cheaper. MIA non-stop options are American, Delta or seasonal flights from Sun Country. FLL is Delta and seasonal with Southwest or Spirit.

As with most answers it depends. I would say the earliest flight you want to get out of FLL is 10:30am. Just keep in mind, a later flight will be less stressful on getting off the ship, you could sleep a little more, have breakfast etc.. instead of worrying about catching a flight. FLL is 15min drive from Port Everglades, there will be cabs waiting, you could also take an Uber, that will be a little bit cheaper.

MIA on a Saturday (with no accidents) is about 35-45mins from Port Everglades. An Uberx will be about $35-$40 while an UberXL if you need more space will be closer to $60-$70. So keep that in mind, if you find a cheaper flight out of MIA and the times work, it makes sense to do it, as long as the time and prices make sense. Or maybe a non-stop flight from MIA but not from FLL etc.. MIA the earliest flight I would do would be 11:15-11:30am.

Anything in Downtown Miami or Brickell will suit your needs. Dense urban area. There are 4 different CVS/Walgreens within 3 blocks of my apt downtown. Publix in Brickell, Whole Foods in downtown.

Last December FLL was a madhouse - the worst I've experienced. Hot, crowded, nowhere to sit, long lines to get anything to eat, few choices, etc. Can't check luggage more than 3 hrs. ahead of flight.

 

I noticed there was construction going on. I'm assuming the airport is expanding - it surely needs it. Maybe a local can chime in and confirm this. I was in the SW concourse.

 

As has already been stated, no rude personnel, just too many passengers in too small a space. Makes me wish Tampa had more and varied cruise itineraries. My last airport experience in FLL made me not want to go back.

 

Roz

Correct, Terminal 1 is being expanded, mostly for Southwest Airlines and its international expansion plans. Terminal 4 is also being expanded to allow for more international arrival gates and more gates in general. Terminal 3 is ok, but can get very busy, terminal 2 is probably the one that gets the lease busy and has some room, but very little amenities.

FLL has grown so much over the past 10-15 years, it has out grown its small foot print. Same thing happened to MIA, but MIA had a major expansion and its a pretty good modern airport now.

Also is 95 going to be the best route? Hotel is right near the Miami airport

My suggestion is download the Google Maps App and just take the way it tells you to take. If you have a flat rate toll pass the best way will almost always be I-95 South to the 836, which is near by your hotel. With the flat rate toll pass take the express lanes there.

Are there any must see areas of Miami we should check out?

Depends what you want to do. Most people will say Ocean Drive/South Beach is a must see, along with maybe Lincoln Road. Vizcaya is an interesting spot, so is the Biltmore Hotel. Wynwood is great if you enjoy art. Little Havana for an interesting look into the history of Cubans in Miami.

This is a though one. I would agree with the above poster that if the Everglades is your goal, getting off the ship early and renting a car is the way to go. They won't let you stay on the ship that late in the day anyway.

If you go with the cruise tour, I would say take it, enjoy the tour, then either check-in your luggage or store it at MIA. From there you could take a quick Uber or I think there is a shuttle to near by Dolphin Mall.

If you do the rental car route the best way is get there early, so there is no rush and the lines are not to long.

Lastly, it seems like your cruise is this summer? Keep in mind how brutally hot and humid it will be in the Everglades that time of year. I would never suggest anyone go there past 12:00pm. Especially with the frequent thunderstorms around 1:00pm. Its nasty out there that time of year. The Everglades is fantastic, just keep that in mind.

I planned on using UBER but i planned on using a lot of money on that the day before. But since I'm taking your mom now money's no option.

 

 

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Well that makes perfect sense then.

I can't help you if you don't want to know different options or even give us the purpose of your hotel. If you are just staying there to sleep after a night flight in, it can make sense to stay by the airport and try to find the shuttle. But if you are going to be there all day, saving $27.00 (if hotel price is not the issue) is not worth it being stuck in an airport hotel. We are giving you different options here. Some people are not aware how close and cheap the port is to the city, nor how close and cheap the city is to the airport.

The free transit from hotels is rarely worth it.

Yes there are a few places to eat before security but not much. There are plenty of areas to sit as well. Depending on what airline you are flying after security has tons of more options for food, sitting down, and shopping, so check-in as soon as you can.

Your plan regarding rental car and uber is more than reasonable. Its a great plan really.

As for hotels, is there a particular budget? And if you want to spend time on the beach/ocean then Miami Beach is the best bet. Remember, Miami is not on the ocean and has no beaches, its only on the bay. There are plenty of nice hotels in the Downtown Miami and Brickell area with nice pools and views, but no beaches. Traveling between Downtown Miami/Miami Beach is easy via Uber and not expensive. Miami Beach hotels, I would focus my search on hotels east of Washington Ave, and south of 27ths street. Really at that time of year you should get some good deals, even on beach side hotels.

Ok so let's forget SB that's why I said preferably. So what's the best hotel near the airport that offers shuttle?

 

 

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Well what do you want out of the hotel? Is it only a place to sleep one night and that is it?

Honestly, given the cost of cruises, I don't understand the penny pinching on transportation. I understand it for hotels, as hotel cost can get high, but an uber from the airport to a for example a downtown Miami hotel cost max $20.00 and the uber from Downtown to the port will cost between $5-$7.

If hotel price is not the issue, just get somewhere in Downtown Miami or Brickell, its extremely close to the port. You could still do South Beach, which is still a pretty easy ride to the port.

What time do you arrive into Miami?

Will be flying home from FLL at 7am the morning after our cruise.

 

Is the airport and security usually crowded early in the morning or mostly in the afternoons after the disembarking ship passengers get there?

 

 

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I have flown out of FLL in the morning many times, last Saturday I flew out at 6:45am. The security line was fine, and the terminal was not crazy busy. The only downside is some terminals have very few options for getting even a coffee. If you end up in terminal three (not sure what airline you are flying) get coffee, bagel etc.. in the stand between the F and E gates there is never a line. When I was there it was still hard to get a seat at our exact gate, but lines were not crazy long. Its still a pretty busy time at an airport like FLL that is not a big hub and has lots of early morning flights leaving to the hubs.

No it's the just the two of us (though my wife will probably bring one entire suitcase just for her shoes) I just don't accept the Uber concept on principle.

Ok... That being said shared shuttled is the cheapest option as a cab would be $70-$80. Uber/Lyft would be half the price of a cab and done in less than half the time of a shared shuttle.

There will be Uber's too. Don't worry about that, MIA is a massive airport, and the only hours of the day passenger flights are not leaving or arriving is pretty much 1:30am-3:30am. Also at that time at night the drive from the airport to the hotel you mentioned should take no longer than 15-18mins.

What do your clients want? Do they just want a place to sleep and that is it? Are they coming in later at night or in the day?

There are a few hotels in the downtown Miami area (extremely close to the port) that are more budget hotels, Holiday Inn Port Miami, YVE Hotel. contact hotels and see the rates you can get.

Thanks for the feedback. We won't do Uber, so a bit of "sightseeing" picking up other pax before heading to the port is quite acceptable. That would probably still get us to the ship by 11 or 11:30, which is perfect.

Too many bags/people to not do Uber?

The only issue with FLL is how small the terminals are but how busy the airport is. Very few amenities, few places to eat, few places to grab a coffee etc.. But its a very busy airport.

I really don't know, but I am sure someone will chime in. The issue is almost all the hotels that offer this, 1. are not in great areas that are nice to stay in, 2. Don't offer a shuttle back. Parking at the port, if you need to pay is $20/day. Its really not too bad, and the savings with parking somewhere else won't be that much compared to the total cost of your trip. Parking at the port, as you know, is very easy and by far the best option to park.

Well Uber is by far the cheapest and most recommend option. But just take a taxi as the others stated. No need for a shuttle bus that will take longer.

If I'm figuring everything correctly.. Fll to our hotel will be roughly $35-40 in an uberx assuming two people and four bags fit. The followingmorning , there is 6 of us and I would say 10 bags; the hotel shuttle is 12 bucks a person so 60, or two ubers for roughly 60 total. Or the car rental being 65 total and big enough for all 6 of us the next day to drop it off at the airport drop off and then the free shuttle to the port.

 

I think.. Atleast .. Lol

Where is your hotel? If its close to the port you could just do 3 ubers for a pretty low cost. I just don't see where renting a car for just the drive from FLL to Miami hotel makes sense.

From Fort Lauderdale to Miami it's just two of us. From our hotel to the cruise there's 6 of us with quite a few bags and the shuttle is 12 bucks a person. So I figured an uber for us two with 4 bags from FLL to our hotel is going to be roughly 50 and the shuttle the next morning would be about 60. The suv is 65 total. Is the whole returning the car and getting to the port via shuttle fairly easy? Would this be the route you guys choose??

It depends where your hotel is. What hotel you staying at?