Car Rental from FLL to Port of Miami

[cruisinutsrus]

I have booked a car rental from FLL to the Sheraton, 2 miles from the Port of Miami. I have been told that we will need to take a taxi between the two. Has anyone else done this before?? It is a hassle, or woth the savings?? I have been able to book the two one way car rentals for $75, plus the cost of the cab, I think they said $10 each way.

 

I did just get a quote from ABC Limo, and found their rates to be approximately $60 more then the car rental. Has anyone used this company?? Can you comment on your experience??

 

Thanks for any input!!

 

Laurie

[Lindajlamarre]

Laurie...I sure can comment on ABC Limo. We used them last year and they were great...on time...waiting for us...no waiting for them. We take the limo from FLL a/p to whatever hotel we stay at in Miami. Then when we return from our cruise, we take the limo back to whatever hotel we're staying at in FLL. They were waiting for us when we got off the ship. All we had to do was call them from our cell and tell them when we were getting off the ship. NO problem finding them either.

 

We are using them again in April for our next cruise. Considered taking a taxi from FLL but I hear the taxi is about $60?+tip? My DH likes the personalized service and so do I, so we're going for the limo. And at the airport, no problem spotting them either...they just hold a sign with your name on it...in the baggage area I believe.

 

Go for it...use ABC!

 

Linda

[bankofdad]

Hi Laurie,

 

I just stayed at the Sheraton a few weeks ago (on a business trip), and our group will be pre-cruising there in April for a day. Here's what I thought about the hotel http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=125923 if you're interested.

 

Back to your question about the rental car. The Sheraton does have a Budget rental car counter right in the hotel. So you can rent your car at FLL and retrun it right at the hotel if you want to. If you do this, you will have to take a cab to the port (only a few miles away) because Carnival does not offer a shuttle from this hotel.

 

We were originally planning to do this, but changed our plan and are renting from Hertz. Hertz has a neighborhood location about a mile away from the Sheraton that offers a comlementary shuttle to/from the pier. This is the 354 SE 1st St location (sometimes refered to as the "Port of Miami"). This location is directly on the route between the Sheraton and the Port. They run shuttles every 15-20 minutes on days ships are in Port (according to the Manager at this location).

 

Hope this helps!

[Yakb0]

I rented a car to go between FFL and Miami. If you drop the car off at the airport rental location, the rental company provides a shuttle to the port. Some rental companies will also pick up at the pier. I found this very helpfull, as I had to change my return flight time, and having my own transportation, meant that I could have a relaxing dinner on the beach, instead of waiting around at the airport.

[marvholly]

I booked a car rental out of FLL 3/25/04 for a cruise several days later none have a drop off charge w/in FL. Returns are generally to MIA. Several of the BIG agencies (National and Budget) do NOT offer complimentary shuttle to the pier. I refused to deal w/ this lack of customer service and booked w/ AQalamo for about $5/day more and the shuttles were leaving constantly.

[born2crooz]

We did it for both legs of our recent cruise.

 

YES, it's worth it, especially on the return trip. We had a 5 pm flight and there was no way we were spending the day at the airport. The rental car allowed us to spend the day sightseeing without having to worry about the luggage. It also provided us with the transportation to the airport.

 

I think the Sheraton was maybe, a 10 minute ride at the most.

 

One hint, do NOT have one person in your party go for the rental upon debarkation. They will NOT be able to get into the port to pick you up without valid tickets!

[ocnd]

We are flying into FLL and renting a car (Thrifty), driving to Miami to spend the night. We are then going to return the car to Thrifty where they will shuttle us to the cruiseport for free. Got the car (Taurus or similar) for $30 - can't beat that.

[Ms_Pammy]

We are flying into FLL and renting a car (Thrifty), driving to Miami to spend the night. We are then going to return the car to Thrifty where they will shuttle us to the cruiseport for free. Got the car (Taurus or similar) for $30 - can't beat that.

 

Can you tell me where in Miami you return it to Thrifty? as Im looking to also rent a car from Clearwater to head to the Miami port and need a car rental place that will shuttle me to the port. Thanks Pam

[cruisinutsrus]

Thanks for all the advice. We will stick with the car rental. We arrive the day the ship pulls out, but having the car will allow us to make a stop at the store to fill our extra suit case. And the day we fly out our flight is at noon, so this will hopefully work better since we will carry our own luggage off.

 

We wish we would have more time to enjoy Miami, but we will take what we can get!!!

 

Thanks again!