Flymia

You want to get in the day before worst case. A late arrival into FLL is the best option for you it seems. A late arrival into MIA is not so bad either. You can either take an Uber to a hotel near Port Everglades or take a free shuttle to an airport and then an Uber to the port the next day. Traffic is not bad on a Saturday, an Uber from the MIA area to Port Everglades will be about $40-$45.00

But yes, get in the night before, especially flying from Pittsburgh in February!!

Other than the rental car option, I would say park at the port. Its extremely easy to navigate, safe, and covered. It is $20.00 a day, not cheap, but not crazy expensive either. The lots are right across the street from the cruise terminals.

Our flight is not until 8pm @ FLL Jan 19. Is it possible if we are one of early groups off ship to rent car and do WDW ? We've been to Disney before , so we are familiar .

Wait? Your flight leaves from FLL or MCO??

If FLL, then NO of course not. If MCO. Its possible. If you have been to WDW before, then you know the issues with a shorter time there, the lines (especially depending on what time of the year it is) the cost for a short day there, and the transportation time to get in and out of WDW as opposed to other parks, is a bit more.

But if you get off quickly you could say be at WDW by 10:30am and leave at 5pm.

If you are flying out of FLL, then no of course not. You would get to Disney at 10:30am and would have to leave by 2:00pm to get to FLL 90 mins before your flight leaves. Its about a 3:45hr to 4 hour drive non-stop with no major traffic issues, and that is going above the speed limit. You would want to give yourself at least 4.5 hours to do the drive, plus another two hours to get the airport and return your car etc..

The above is assuming your ship arrives at Port Canaveral. If its an Port Everglades arrival, the answer is, its not even possible.

The only reason to see Ocean Drive is to see the Art Deco Architecture, walk by the old Versace Mansion, and see the beach. The bars and restaurants for the most part are tourist traps. But it certainly is a place to see with the great buildings.

I would say have the cab drop you off at 8th and Ocean. There you can walk North along Ocean Drive, and then head towards collins and make a left two blocks later at Lincoln Road.

You would probably need an UberXL but that is the easiest option and sometimes the cheapest. $60-$80

MIA to South Beach is only about 11 miles but traffic can be bad sometimes. I would say 20-40mins depending on time of day and traffic.

South Beach to the Port should be no more than 20mins, again depending on traffic.

The easiest thing IMO is either book a car service ahead of time or just use Uber.

Uber will be cheaper as there is no tip. Depending on time of day FLL-Hotel and Hotel-FLL should cost about $30.00-$35.00 each way. If you are first time user you can probably get a $20 discount too.

Uber, you can request a larger Uber via the app as an UberXL.

The hop-on hop-off bus tour is a good way to get around the city. You can also have access to Downtown/Brickell from the metrorail at the airport. Uber/Taxi is fine too of course. I would not recommend the county bus.

Did you pay with credit card??

Dispute the transaction and get your money back.

Get a hotel in Downtown Miami or Brickell. Hampton Inn is a popular one.

As for Cuban food you have many good options. The most popular would be Havana 1957 or the famous Versailles Resturant that is in Little Havana. To get to the place in Little Havana just take an Uber.

If you want something other than Cuban, these are my favorite places in the downtown/brickell area:

Pollo y Jarras (1st street station)

Fratelli Milano (Bayfront Park Station)

Vero Italian Restaurant (Knight Center station)

Perricone's Marketplace & Café (10th Street station)

Burger & Beer Joint(10th Street station)

Crazy About You (financial district station)

Novecento (financial district station)

River Oyster Bar is a good choice too. (eighth street station) Not sure about prices here.

Garcias (take an uber there)

Havana 1957 if you wan Cuban food (10th street)

Why downtown/brickell? Because its close to the port and is a good walkable area. You can also stay in Miami Beach, and enjoy Lincoln Road and the Art Deco buildings of Ocean Drive. There is a Havana 1957 on Miami Beach too, on Lincoln Road. It all depends what "side" of Miami you want to see. I would really suggest staying in Downtown/Brickell the night before the cruise and see that area, and then stay in Miami Beach the day after and see there. Best of both worlds.

Hampton Inn is in a MUCH nicer location. If prices are the same, its not a competition really.

While the area the homewood suites is in, is a safe area, its pretty isolated and at night it will be empty. If you want to walk to places and have many options Hampton is much much better.

Because if you go to a hotel in Miami from FLL you have to pay for two shuttles, one to the hotel and one to the port.

 

Stay at a FLL area with a free airport shuttle and then you can take a $15 pp shared shuttle the next day.

 

Just common sense.

Which makes sense for a large group. But for two people with normal baggage. That comes up to a total savings of around $18.00

I'll rather be near the port and enjoy that area than worry about $18.00

For large groups. Absolutely that makes sense given the issues with get the ride twice. Unless the Miami Hotel has a POM shuttle for free.

A popular answer is stay in FTL and shuttle to POM. Why I have no idea.

You will have to do the longish FLL to Miami drive no matter what, why not get rid of it on the day you arrive and have a hassle free day of embarkation.

Arrive into FLL. If its only two of you take an Uber to your hotel in Miami. Downtown Miami/Brickell area is the best area to stay in for a cruise. The next day take an Uber to POM. It will cost about $5.00-$8.00 depending on where your hotel is in the Downtown/Brickell area to take an Uber to the port.

FLL-Downtown Uber will be around $35.00-$42.00

If you take a taxi, instead of an Uber double all prices above.

Well you already booked the hotel, but for others, I would never recommend bookings a hotel just based on shuttles, especially port shuttles. Uber and even taxis are not expensive given how close the airport is to Downtown Miami.

And an Uber from Downtown Miami to the port will be in the $5-$8 range. Getting to Port of Miami from Downtown area, Miami Beach or even the airport is pretty easy.

9:30am is too early IMO. If the ship is running late for some reason, such as weather there is a chance you won't get off in time. I have had a ship for a 7am arrival still pulling into port at 6:45am and then not clear with customs to allow people off the ship until 8am. Add in some time to clear immigration and customs yourself, and drive to the airport etc.. 9:30am is just way too early.

I would say don't get all stressed about your departure and pick a later flight. MIA is a busy airport, and lines and traffic can be bad in the morning. You would want to get to the airport by 8:00am the latest for a domestic flight.

To get from the North Terminal/AA Terminal you just exit security and turn right and walk over to J and the TSA office will be on your left once you went the check-in area that looks more modern spacious. Its a quick walk, no need to take a shuttle, no need to walk through parking lots. This will have to be done outside of security though.

I have not been in Concourse F in a long time, but it is not a terminal with American Airlines flights, so if you have an AA ticket TSA may give you a hard time going into Terminal F as its not connected to any other terminal. Also, I don't think its a great lounge anyway. The best lounge would be the Centurion Lounge in Terminal D, if you have an Amex Card. Of course there are also Admirals Clubs in D as well.

For dinner, go back into D. There are a lot of options there. The best choice for a quicker easier dinner is La Carreta which is right by Gate D-37. It's good food, for normal prices. Its Cuban food, and good Cuban food, so if you did not have a chance to get some Cuban food in Miami here you go. The Counter by D32 is pretty good too, and there is also Shula's at D17 and many other choices. By far the most choices are in the D gate area. If you decide on the Amex Centurion Lounge, the food there is always good.

How many bags do you have? An Uberx will be cheap if you don't mind all getting into the car that seats 4. An UrberXl will be more expensive in the $60+ range. Of course those prices are for all four people, with no tip, as Uber does not allow tipping.

I agree with you terminal 1 is an easy terminal. Small with no amenities, but for the typical Southwest flight it gets the job done fine.

Last 3 flights out of FLL were on JetBlue, American and Southwest. Southwest was a 10:00pm flight out, terminal was fine. Terminal 3 American/JetBlue is packed in the evening and mornings I have used it. Not even places to sit sometimes.

I don't go to airports for amenities, I go to get in and get out. The last thing I want to do is pay the highway robbery prices just to have a hotdog.

 

Since you hangout/work at/fly in and out of MIA, how would you know what FLL is like on a daily basis?

I don't hang-out or work at MIA. That's just my username. I fly out of FLL almost as much as I fly out of MIA these days. I live in Miami, travel a decent amount, on different airlines. Out of my last 6 trips out of South Florida 3 of them involved flights into and out of FLL. I am very familiar with the airport, as would anyone who travels often that lives in the area is.

While you may not appreciate amenities to make the travel experience smoother and more comfortable many others do. Like I said, it all depend on each person's needs/wants.

Obviously, I completely disagree with your biased information. Anytime I've been through MIA it was a mess, especially international flights. I've always found FLL to be simple, quick, easy and I don't have to walk a mile or so to get to the baggage section.

International flights are always more of a hassle than domestic. That is just the way it is. Both airports have their plus and minuses. It is true FLL is small in area, so there is certainly less walking to do. But FLL also has much fewer amenities. Terminal 3 is a mess on the morning and evening, with almost no where to sit. Terminal 1 has few eating options. Terminal 2 is the same, and its an old terminal. Terminal 4, is under construction right now for the most part, but when done it should finally be a decent international terminal.

It all depends on the travelers scheduled, destination etc.. Both airports are fine. But its not longer the case that FLL was some great alternative IMO. It used to be say 10 years ago. But now FLL is the crowded one with all the renovations completed or almost complete in MIA.

Flying into Ft Lauderdale is not a problem, it's a blessing.

That really depends on the airline and time of day. FLL is a mess these days, both inside the terminal and outside. MIA has a lot more amenities, and options for travelers in the airport.

Do not pay any heed to this person! A1A is NOT a "nice drive."

 

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Why? For someone who is not from the area they may enjoy seeing all the condos and hotels on the beach driving over several bridges etc.. It sure beats boring I-95 going up North, especially if you are on I-95 in the afternoon going North.

No, there are zero beach front restaurants like that. Nothing is actually on the beach other than the beach.

As for where to go. The beaches on Miami Beach and North are all very similar with South Beach being the busiest and most populated.

It really depends on where you are staying and what you want to do other than go in the water.

By far the easiest way to get to Downtown Miami, and the cheapest for 1-4 people is getting an uber at FLL. The ride will be direct to your destination and cost no more than $40-$$45.00, sometimes even less.

As for hotels, search the board and you will see tons of options in the Downtown Miami/Brickell area. While many don't have shuttle services, its really not a big deal as you can easily see on a map Downtown Miami and Brickell are very close to the port. It will be q $5-$7 Uber ride from there to your ship, or a bit more for a taxi. Very quick too.