Tips to survive Miami airport:)

[Aldeya]

We're going on a cruise in September and flying to Miami airport. Almost every thread I've read about Miami airport is about how it's "awful, dreadful, a complete mess, one of the worst", etc, etc. You get the picture:)

 

So does anyone have any tips how to survive the famous Miami airport?:DAny tricks to get outtathere without loosing all the luggage and your sanity?:D Any hidden secrets how to make it to the cruise terminal in one piece?:D

 

TIA

[grandmato4]

Never had a problem flying "into" Miami airport. After all, we're only thinking good thoughts heading to our cruise;):) and we never fly the day of, always the day before or more. Remember to take your "patience pill" before getting off the plane and follow the signs and the crowd to the luggage pickup area to find your carousel(could require some extra patience;)) and stake out your spot while you wait to spot your luggage. It will show up (hopefully) just be patient !

 

Flying back out of Miami can require a whole lot more patience than flying in. Unless you booked that later afternoon flight, don't take the cruiseline shuttle as a taxi is so much quicker and easier. Expect lines to move slowly to check your luggage in and than again to move slowly to get through security. Anticipate the worst and it can only get better from there !:D

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise !

[travelntreats]

Only tip would be a bottle of "patience", but any airport with crowds (especially when dealing with cruiseline passengers getting off a ship) is going to be in the scheme of things. :eek:

 

Just go in with a smile... knowing you are going on a cruise.... then on the way back, just remember how good it is to get home again ! ;)

[Keith1010]

When you fly into Miami airport depending on who you are flying with and what gate you arrive and what are your baggage claim is you may have a very long walk. Of course, you may get lucky and it won't be so long. But, you may be in store for a long walk.

 

Like any airport the baggage may take a long time to arrive or you may get lucky.

 

If you fly back out of Miami from the cruise and need to check in at the ticket counter and/or check luggage there like any large airport you may have a long line. So, give yourself plenty of time to check in for your flight.

 

I've seen better airports and I've seen worse.

 

 

Keith

[Globaliser]

So does anyone have any tips how to survive the famous Miami airport?

Yup: Learn to speak Spanish.

[PennyAgain]

The walks can be very long and the lines slow. If you have a problem with walking insist on a wheelchair.

 

Don't cut yourself short on time.

[NHBob]

Like other posters, I've never had a problem flying into MIA other than some long walks and slow baggage delivery during peak periods.

 

Flying out of MIA is another story, especially on AA, but not as bad as their LAX terminal most of the time - follow Keith's advice about allowing plenty of time!

 

Bob

[Aldeya]

Like other posters, I've never had a problem flying into MIA other than some long walks and slow baggage delivery during peak periods.

 

Flying out of MIA is another story, especially on AA, but not as bad as their LAX terminal most of the time - follow Keith's advice about allowing plenty of time!

 

Bob

 

Wow, we ARE flying with AA in and out of the Miami! Is anything specific we need to know about AA terminal?

 

Our back flight is 2;15 pm. Hopefully we'll make it, we plan to use self-dembarkation option.

 

Thanks everyone for suggestions. I see that we'll need a LOT of patience and a lot of time. :)

[travelntreats]

Something terribly wrong would have to occur to miss a 2:15 flight.....you should not have any problems at all other than possibly a long wait at the airport before boarding the flight.

[Keith1010]

Wow, we ARE flying with AA in and out of the Miami! Is anything specific we need to know about AA terminal?

 

Our back flight is 2;15 pm. Hopefully we'll make it, we plan to use self-dembarkation option.

 

Thanks everyone for suggestions. I see that we'll need a LOT of patience and a lot of time. :)

 

You will be fine with a 2:15 PM unless something catastrohic happened.

 

It is those who book the early morning flights that to me have the problem.

 

Keith

[ejohnny]

My cruise docks outta Everglades at 5. We land in MIA at 1130. Do you guys think that'll be cutting short??? I'm renting a car outta MIA and dropping it in FLL. (I know there is taxis, limos, buses and trains - but i have a free rental day and its pretty much the only time ill get to use it).

[Twickenham]

My cruise docks outta Everglades at 5. We land in MIA at 1130. Do you guys think that'll be cutting short??? I'm renting a car outta MIA and dropping it in FLL. (I know there is taxis, limos, buses and trains - but i have a free rental day and its pretty much the only time ill get to use it).

 

The good news is that, even if you're flying out of YYZ, you will have pre-cleared immigration/customs, so nothing in MIA on that side to delay you.

 

However...

 

-30/45 minutes for luggage;

-30 minutes to pick up car;

-45/60 minutes for the drive between MIA and FLL car rental drop-off;

-10/15 minutes to drop off car;

-10/15 minutes to get to Port Everglades;

 

You're looking at arriving, optimistically, at Port Everglades at between 1:30-2:30. As you need to be checked in by 3:30 to be able to board, then yes, you are cutting things fine, with really no contingency time.

[ejohnny]

-30 minutes to pick up car;

.

 

It usually doesn't take more than 10 minutes because of my gold card. But yah you never know.

 

What happens say if i get to the port at 4? Do they make exceptions or is it a hard cut off point at 330?

[6rugrats]

It usually doesn't take more than 10 minutes because of my gold card. But yah you never know.

 

What happens say if i get to the port at 4? Do they make exceptions or is it a hard cut off point at 330?

 

Government regulations state the passenger manifest has to be turned over 60 minutes prior to departure, and most cruiselines require you to check in at least 1.5 hours before the ship sails. Do they ever make an exception? I don't think they can.

[Twickenham]

It usually doesn't take more than 10 minutes because of my gold card. But yah you never know.

 

What happens say if i get to the port at 4? Do they make exceptions or is it a hard cut off point at 330?

 

The cutoff time is a security requirement by Homeland Security (or whichever agency takes care of these things). The actual legal cutoff time is 1 hour before sailaway I believe, but the cruise lines make it 1:30 so as to be able to put together the final passenger manifest.

Not long after this was implemented, there was a long thread detailing how a bunch of passengers were denied boarding in San Diego because they had missed this cutoff time. I remember one story - details may be different, but the jist was this: he dropped off his wife and daughter, then went to park. They checked in without him, just under the wire. By the time he got back to the dock, the cutoff time had passed, and no amount of begging on his part would get him on the ship.

Personally, I'd be looking to see what was available the day before flight-wise.

[pms4104]

It usually doesn't take more than 10 minutes because of my gold card. But yah you never know.You likely will need to wait outside your arrival terminal for the car rental shuttle ... the wait alone could be more than 10 minutes.

 

What happens say if i get to the port at 4? Do they make exceptions or is it a hard cut off point at 330?Since the decision rests with Homeland Security and not the cruiseline, you should count on being there per the guidelines rather than hoping for any concessions.[/quote]

My comments in red.

[Keith1010]

My cruise docks outta Everglades at 5. We land in MIA at 1130. Do you guys think that'll be cutting short??? I'm renting a car outta MIA and dropping it in FLL. (I know there is taxis, limos, buses and trains - but i have a free rental day and its pretty much the only time ill get to use it).

 

Why in the world are you renting a car?

 

Here you are saying you are worried about getting to the port on time so why would you add in something like another 1 hour to rent a car. Free is good but free in this case is not a smart move.

 

Take a shuttle. If you go to the Florida board folks will direct you to a few shuttle services. Off the top of my head I think a recommended one is SAS and there might be Super Shuttle.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

It usually doesn't take more than 10 minutes because of my gold card. But yah you never know.

 

What happens say if i get to the port at 4? Do they make exceptions or is it a hard cut off point at 330?

 

Again, don't rent a car. This is just not smart.

 

Hopefully, none of us have ever had to answer this question with actual experience.

 

If you hava a TA have them find out for you.

 

Again, there is no need to make this harder than it is.

 

Ideally you should fly in the day before but since you are not doing this do not further complicate this situation by renting a car. It just is foolish IMHO.

 

Keith

[ejohnny]

Again, don't rent a car. This is just not smart.

 

Hopefully, none of us have ever had to answer this question with actual experience.

 

If you hava a TA have them find out for you.

 

Again, there is no need to make this harder than it is.

 

Ideally you should fly in the day before but since you are not doing this do not further complicate this situation by renting a car. It just is foolish IMHO.

 

Keith

 

Haha - thats what my finacee said about renting a car. I would have loved to fly in the night before. Idealy that would have been the best choice. But we are getting married on Saturday and this flight is the first flight out.

 

You maybe right. It might just be easier to get a cab/bus or whatever. Does anyone know how bad traffic can get on the I95 North on a Sunday around that time (12pm). And i think that Sunday (Nov 21) is the Thanksgiving sunday - so i am not sure if that makes things better or worse.

 

P.S. I'm not sure if this is what you what consider hijacking a post - but if it is - i'm sorry!

[6rugrats]

Haha - thats what my finacee said about renting a car. I would have loved to fly in the night before. Idealy that would have been the best choice. But we are getting married on Saturday and this flight is the first flight out.

 

You maybe right. It might just be easier to get a cab/bus or whatever. Does anyone know how bad traffic can get on the I95 North on a Sunday around that time (12pm). And i think that Sunday (Nov 21) is the Thanksgiving sunday - so i am not sure if that makes things better or worse.

 

P.S. I'm not sure if this is what you what consider hijacking a post - but if it is - i'm sorry!

Congratulations! No, US Thanksgiving this year is 25 November.

[Twickenham]

Haha - thats what my finacee said about renting a car. I would have loved to fly in the night before. Idealy that would have been the best choice. But we are getting married on Saturday and this flight is the first flight out.

 

I guess that's a good excuse then ;) Congrats on the nups!

 

I'd forget the freebie car rental (can you use it in one of the ports of call?) and grab a taxi. $75-80 should get you from MIA to Port Everglades.

[ejohnny]

I guess that's a good excuse then ;) Congrats on the nups!

 

I'd forget the freebie car rental (can you use it in one of the ports of call?) and grab a taxi. $75-80 should get you from MIA to Port Everglades.

 

thanks --- thats a good question - im gonna check that out right now.....

and yes - look like I can. I dnt if i would do it though. if wife wont let me drive in Miami, i doubt that she will in St. Martaan lol

[Fattony]

Yup: Learn to speak Spanish.

 

Yuck, yuck, yuck. Aren't we funny. OP: that's a joke about how many people in Miami speak Spanish, not about the airport itself (poster was reaching). For me the only big problems with MIA are: security lines on departure and, on arrival, lack of signs after Immigration and Customs to find hotel courtesy vans.

[Globaliser]

OP: that's a joke about how many people in Miami speak Spanish, not about the airport itself (poster was reaching).

To be fair, it's actually one of those only-half-in-jest jokes. Many people working at Miami airport seem to speak Spanish as a first language. It probably doesn't bother many Americans very much, but many people from the UK find it very hard to understand anything that is said. Most of my flights to Miami are with a group of relatively infrequent British travellers, so I have first hand experience of watching their inability to comprehend the spoken "English" there.

 

Other than that, Miami's a big airport, much like many others (including the permanent building works), ie no big deal.

[jagoffee]

Miami is not one of my favorite airport. I have found that incoming international luggage wait to be very long. As stated it is usually fine arriving into Miami on a domestic flight, but departuring can be very busy on days that have a lot of cruise ships in port especially if there are any weather delays in the U.S.

The AA's Admirals Club is one the better one, so it might be worth a one day pass if you are in the airport for a long time.