POM - Where does family wait while I pickup/dropoff rental?

[mysparky]

We're a party of 11 and I'm renting a van to drive to POM. My plan is to drop everyone off at the port and then return the rental car. When the cruise is over (:() I'm taking a taxi back to Avis to rent a van again and then drive up to FLL for the day.

 

My question is this....where does my family wait while I'm doing all of this? I'm sure we can figure this out on embarkation day because I know there's a waiting area, but when we disembark, does everyone just wait out in the hot sun until I return with the car (which could easily be 30-45mins)?

[JohninDC]

You get off the ship 45+ minutes before the rest of your group - let them wait on the ship (breakfast in the MDR?). Call via cell when you are picking up the van - by the time they get off, pick up bags and clear customs you should be waiting on them. Good luck!:)

[shoppgirl]

The PP's suggestion is a good one. We were planning on having my DH take the cab by himself to the MIA Rental Car Center and then driving all the way back to the POM to pick us up (party of 8). But it is quite chaotic once you leave the building after retrieving your luggage and not many benches or places to wait outside with so many people also waiting for transportation. We decided to all pack into 2 cabs and we all went to pick up the car together, thus saving my DH the trouble of finding his way back to POM and trying to find everyone to load up the vehicle. We weren't sure how long it would take to get the car, and the thought of having grandparents and young children waiting outside (most likely standing too as there aren't many benches) in 90+ heat was not ideal for us. It worked out well for us, but then we only needed 2 cabs to get there. Your party is much larger. I was not prepared to have my DH leave the ship first alone. I didn't know if I would have any problems taking the girls off without him present at customs. So we had to leave as a group. Paying the additional $24.50 plus tip for the 2nd cab was worth it so we didn't have to worry about coordinating pick ups, dealing with waiting etc. On our day of disembarkation, customs was slow (3 agents for all the non US citizens on the ship!) and it took us an hour to get through the lines. So keep that in mind when trying to time it all.

 

Good luck with your planning too!

[mysparky]

Thank you both for the quick response. I was kind of thinking that disembarkation would present more of a challenge, but wasn't sure. You've both given me food for thought - thanks!

[cruiseman40]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=862127

 

We're a party of 11 and I'm renting a van to drive to POM. My plan is to drop everyone off at the port and then return the rental car. When the cruise is over (:() I'm taking a taxi back to Avis to rent a van again and then drive up to FLL for the day.

 

My question is this....where does my family wait while I'm doing all of this? I'm sure we can figure this out on embarkation day because I know there's a waiting area, but when we disembark, does everyone just wait out in the hot sun until I return with the car (which could easily be 30-45mins)?