Need FL West-Crib Help

[nu2crusin]

What FL port is best: Port Canaveral Fort Lauderdale or Miami?

[Tarkus]

uh, best for what? close to you? most modern? easiest parking? choice in cruise companies or itineraries?

 

could you be a little more specific as to what you're looking for?

[not Cozumel again cruiser]

Kind of a wierd question cause usually you pick a ship or or an cruise itinerary and then go to where the ship sails............. However being a Floridian I can tell you that Miami is the biggest port of the three- all three ports have parking so it depends how far you want to drive to get to the ship- I am assuming that you are leaving from FL. Miami is quite beautiful, viewed from the ship at sailing so be sure to be on deck if you embark there. The Disney ships sail out of POrt Canaveral, some others too - it is a smaller port. I think that the real decision is where you want to go and on what ship. If you live near one of the ports find out what ships leave from there then you simply drive to the port, park your car and you are on vacation. Tampa is another cruise port on the west coast of FL. If that does not answer your question maybe you could be more specific about what you really are asking.........? I have cruised from every port from FL.

[nu2crusin]

How about best or easiest for getting in/out from the airports?

 

Does one typically experience more delays or problems than others?

 

How much hastle is the shuttle transfer from Orlando to Port Canaveral?

 

I am trying to narrow my decission on picking between:

RCI Navigator from Miami

RCI Marinor from Port Canaveral

or Carib Princess from Fort Lauderdale

for Western Caribbean in late August...

 

I will be flying in. All are the same itenary but with cost differences, so I am trying to weight all the pluses or minus's

 

Thanks in advance

[not Cozumel again cruiser]

First of all your cruise choices are great and you will have a ball. You could have weather delays at any airport in the summer thunderstorm season so try to schedule a morning flight in.. (Don't forget it is also Hurricane season) Anyway the trip from Orlando Airport to Port Canaveral is the longest about one hour or so by bus.. All shuttles are king of a hassle since you have to wait for the bus to be filled to go. My daughter took a cab from Miami airport to the pier and it took about 20 minutes about $ 25. Ft. Lauderdale Airport is similar- fairly close to the Pier maybe 15 -20 minutes by cab. You can actually see the cruise ships sometimes from the raised interstate highway not far from the airport .

[tinsel57]

Not being a big Miami fan, I'd opt for Orlando or Ft. Lauderdale. It's a longer drive from Orlando but it's an easy drive, Express way takes you most of the way out there if I remember correctly and the Orlando airport is real nice and very easy to get around. I'd fly in early and go grab a place on the beach for one night and you'd have a really relaxed boarding the next day.

 

Ft. Lauderdale is just as easy, just a different atmosphere. Every time I've ever been to Miami it's always been a hassle with congestion, etc. But that's just my small opinion.

 

I wouldn't let the arrival airport or cruise port weigh heavily. I'd be looking more at the ship, the location of available cabins and the itinerary!