Florida Motorcoach Transfer

[maryland]

Hi - We've jus booked the Crown for March and are thinking of using the Motorcoach transfer from Jacksonville. Has anyone used this service before (from anywhere in Florida)? We're wondering how it is. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[GingerCandy]

Hi - We've jus booked the Crown for March and are thinking of using the Motorcoach transfer from Jacksonville. Has anyone used this service before (from anywhere in Florida)? We're wondering how it is. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

Not sure what motor coach line you would use, but we have used the Cruise Connection from the west coast of Florida to Fort Lauderdale/Port Everglades many time and always been very pleased with the service.

[Dietemann]

Not sure what motor coach line you would use, but we have used the Cruise Connection from the west coast of Florida to Fort Lauderdale/Port Everglades many time and always been very pleased with the service.

We, too, have used Cruise Connection from Venice, FL several times. Comfortable buses, we made a couple of stops on the way to pick up/drop off other passengers and use the "facilities" at the pick up points. No food allowed on bus. The driver put on a movie for us, small screens throughout the bus.

You will have to provide your own transport to the pick up/drop off point, usually a McDonalds or similar. We have had neighbors do the honors or called a cab when no one was available.

We now do a lot of one way trips to/from FLL because we like Transatlantic cruises, so now we rent a car one way because the bus company charges almost as much for the one way as the round trip.

[1 HappyCruiser]

We've been using Cruise Connection & after the next trip it'll be the last. There's nothing wrong with them but they've raised their prices so much in the last few years that driving + parking is cheaper in the long run. Also on disembarkation day you'll be the last ones waiting to leave both the ship and the terminal area since you have to wait till after 11 for the bus to arrive. Considering the negatives & the fact that we can walk off the ship at 7:15AM in most cases we can be home by the time the bus even arrives at the terminal. ;)

[GloriaF]

We've used Cruise Connection a few times from Jacksonville to FLL. Jacksonville was the first stop, so you had to be at the MCDonald's on Phillips Hwy by 5:30 - 6:00 AM, and there were lots of stops to pick up other passengers before arriving in FLL. When we first started using this service the fare was $25RT which couldn't be beat, but as someone pointed out over the years the fares kept increasing until it was just about as cheap to fly from JAX to FLL on Air Tran or drive. Then Cruise Connection discontinued servicing Jacksonville, and I did not realize they had started again. That is news I am glad to have, but not sure we will use them due to their higher fares.

 

We usually drive down a day early, stay at the LaQuinta Hollywood, leave our car parked in their safe parking lot and take the shuttle to the port. With the cost of the LQ room and the taxi back to pick up our car, it is about the same as driving down the day of the cruise and parking in the port garage. The advantage is that we don't have to drive in the day of and start the cruise tired. For us, it's like the vacation started a day early.

 

Whatever you decide to do, enjoy your cruise!!

[maryland]

Thanks for the comments. Princess is actually offering the motorcoach service so I don't know if that is different from the cruise connection bus or not. Any other info would be greatly appreciated.

[Dietemann]

Thanks for the comments. Princess is actually offering the motorcoach service so I don't know if that is different from the cruise connection bus or not. Any other info would be greatly appreciated.

The Cruise Connection service was offered through Princess.

[1 HappyCruiser]

The Cruise Connection service was offered through Princess.

 

Princess offers it but they charge more if the arrangements are made through them. If you intent on going by bus book directly though the bus company Cruise Connection & save some money. You'll be sitting right next to a person who made reservation through Princess.

[maryland]

Very interesting because when I checked the cruise connection price direct online it was actually more than what Princess would charge (shhhh).

[1 HappyCruiser]

Very interesting because when I checked the cruise connection price direct online it was actually more than what Princess would charge (shhhh).

 

If the past that was very true but for our next trip I told our TA to go ahead & have Princess book it thinking, of course it would be cheaper. To my surprise they added an additional $5 per person to the on line cruise connection fare which is totally out of sight in the last year or so.

In the future it'll be nice to get home knowing that the bus hasn't left the port yet.