Miami airport questions/pre cruise

[waterbugohio]

Can anyone give me some insight on Miami airport? We are doing a girls only weekend cruise in April. A few of us can join up on flights but one will be coming in on her own. She has never travelled alone before and only flew a few times with her husband. She is starting to get nervous about the airport and finding the right shuttle.

 

How confusing is Miami airport?? how large?? she will not be checking bags, so she will be able to go directly to ground transportation. I will be arriving several hours earlier, but considering taking the free shuttle from the hotel back to the airport to pick her us, just to put her at ease/

 

any suggestions??

[JohninDC]

Miami is not JFK or LAX, but it's not small. Signs point you to the transportation options - when we flew in we called the hotel and they let us know where to stand for their shuttle. The shuttle vans are marked with the hotel signs/names - just wave when you see yours approaching. Since you are coming in early, decide if it is too confusing for your friend - if yes, then go back and wait for her. If not, just give her cell a call with hints after she lands. Good luck!:)

[MiamiSpartan]

There is also some construction going on in the terminals at the moment, which does make things a bit more confusing....especially in the AA terminal near baggage claim....

Just a heads up...

[FLAHAM]

As there appears to be no great rush, perhaps it's a good time for her to learn how to get out of an airport on her own.

[tmitchell82]

Can anyone give me some insight on Miami airport? We are doing a girls only weekend cruise in April. A few of us can join up on flights but one will be coming in on her own. She has never travelled alone before and only flew a few times with her husband. She is starting to get nervous about the airport and finding the right shuttle.

 

How confusing is Miami airport?? how large?? she will not be checking bags, so she will be able to go directly to ground transportation. I will be arriving several hours earlier, but considering taking the free shuttle from the hotel back to the airport to pick her us, just to put her at ease/

 

any suggestions??

 

MIA is not a small airport. Not sure if you are all on the same airline or not as that can determine which concourse/terminal you come in on. If you are all coming in on AA, you are in one concourse/area, but if one group is on AA and another is on Delta, you may be more spread out. If you are looking to meet, it might be easier for the group who gets in first to go to the other if time permits. If your friend is very uncomfortable navigating the airport, I would go to her and meet in the baggage claim. Cell phones are always good in these situations as well.

[waterbugohio]

We are actually flying in at very different times. I am actually flying in to FLL at 10AM, and she is not getting into MIA till 2. She is flying from Canada on Westjet, not sure where that will take her.

 

I will be at a hotel right near MIA airport that has free shuttle service, I will probably check with them and see if I can shuttle over with them to find her. Not sure if they will let me do this. Would rather not have to mess up the afternoon going back and forth, but we kinda talked her into this trip and she is pretty nervous about it. She won't have bags checked so she won't have to find baggage claim, just finding ground transportation and the shuttle.

 

thanks for all insight.

[miamiyogi]

Make sure to ask the hotel where to pick up the shuttle. Ground transportation is on two levels at MIA- upstairs (Departures) and downstairs (Arrivals-Bag Claim).

 

I will bet the shuttle only circulates the upstairs area (Departures). If that is the case all your friend will need to do is exit the airport and find the shuttle.

 

The only time passengers go downstairs is to claim a bag.

[waterbugohio]

Make sure to ask the hotel where to pick up the shuttle. Ground transportation is on two levels at MIA- upstairs (Departures) and downstairs (Arrivals-Bag Claim).

 

I will bet the shuttle only circulates the upstairs area (Departures). If that is the case all your friend will need to do is exit the airport and find the shuttle.

 

The only time passengers go downstairs is to claim a bag.

 

Thanks for this info. This is the kind of things I was hoping to find out for her. So if you claim a bag then you have to go back upstairs to catch most shuttles?

[FLAHAM]

Thanks for this info. This is the kind of things I was hoping to find out for her. So if you claim a bag then you have to go back upstairs to catch most shuttles?

 

 

No you don't. The vast majority of shuttles pick up at the arrivals level just outside of the baggage claim area.

[BlueHerons]

If this is her first time, it would be a lot less confusing and intimidating to take a cab than to have to dick around with a hotel shuttle.

[FLAHAM]

If this is her first time, it would be a lot less confusing and intimidating to take a cab than to have to dick around with a hotel shuttle.

 

 

Surely you have noted by now that there is no length most posters won't go to in the interest of avoiding a taxi.

[BlueHerons]

Surely you have noted by now that there is no length most posters won't go to in the interest of avoiding a taxi.

 

LOL! So true. I cannot figure out why so many people insist on a shuttle when it is a PIA and you waste more time. Also, you have to stand around and wait for a shuttle when you can hop in a cab.

 

I certainly am not hanging around Miami International Airport for a shuttle.

[waterbugohio]

LOL! So true. I cannot figure out why so many people insist on a shuttle when it is a PIA and you waste more time. Also, you have to stand around and wait for a shuttle when you can hop in a cab.

 

I certainly am not hanging around Miami International Airport for a shuttle.

 

 

Sorry, but some of us need to watch our money flow. Apparently that is not the case with you, must be nice.

 

While I appreciate the advice of most people on this thread and will consider the taxi if the airport is to confusing for her.

[BlueHerons]

Sorry, but some of us need to watch our money flow. Apparently that is not the case with you, must be nice.

 

While I appreciate the advice of most people on this thread and will consider the taxi if the airport is to confusing for her.

 

This has nothing to do with money.

 

Your friend will be standing outside the Miami airport for an undeterminded amount of time waiting for an airport shuttle.

 

That is much more intimidating than hopping a cab especially in Miami.