Urgent help please... Transport from port in fort lauderdale to miami int airport

[Newbi]

Hi we are starting our cruise end of this week and forgot to book our transport from the port in fort lauderdale back to the airport in miami. We are a family of 5 ( 4 adults and an infant). Any ideas on whats the best way of travel?

 

Another question, our flight times have been changed, and we will now fly out of miami earlier than expected, we have to be at the airport in miami at 9 :30, will it be possible to get off earlier, and can anybody tell me how long it takes from the port to the airport...

 

Thanks

[chessbriar]

I would look at some of the limo companies in the area and not a shared ride. Some of the shared ride companies will provide private vans. SuperShuttle and SAS are shared van companies. I would call and ask if they can.

 

Expect a good 45 minutes between Ft Lauderdale and Miami. Immigration lines and getting luggage can make cause for great delays.

 

You will not get an answer from corporate as they only recommend flights from Miami after 1pm. Customer service on the ship will do what they can, but there is no promise. Keep in mind, there are hundreds of other people that want off the ship as early as possible.

 

I would call the airline and try to change your flight. If they changed your time, they will do what they can to accommodate you. They might even be will to change your flight to leave from FLL if possible.

 

I had the same thing happen to me for my cruise next week. I was sailing in and out of Miami with a flight from FLL. After changes made the getting off the ship and to the airport to stressful. I worked with the airline and they found me a flight out of Miami to accommodate me. I no longer had to shuttle between cities.

 

Call the airline and make the change, there are too many things that can delay you that day and make you miss your flight. Plus, do you really want that much stress your last day of vacation.

 

Good Luck

[cruisestitch]

Wow ..... that is going to be difficult to do.

 

I don't know what the earliest Miami flight that Celebrity recommends for Fort Lauderdale cruises, but being at the airport by 9:30 will be tough.

 

If I was in your shoes, I would call the airline and tell them that this change is not going to work for you and they should be able to find some other flights that would be better.

 

Are you flying domestically or internationally?

 

On the ship, you can request Self-Disembarkation. But with an infant this won't be easy. You have to be able to move all your luggage off the ship by yourselves with no help from Celebrity. You might not be able to use the elevators. You'll have the stroller, all the luggage. It won't be easy.

 

You should book private transport, I think, as a taxi big enough for all of you and all your luggage might also be tricky to come by when you are in a rush.

[cruising kirby]

Hi we are starting our cruise end of this week and forgot to book our transport from the port in fort lauderdale back to the airport in miami. We are a family of 5 ( 4 adults and an infant). Any ideas on whats the best way of travel?

 

Another question, our flight times have been changed, and we will now fly out of miami earlier than expected, we have to be at the airport in miami at 9 :30, will it be possible to get off earlier, and can anybody tell me how long it takes from the port to the airport...

 

Thanks

Princess offers transfers for a reasonable price but I doubt you will get a transfer to meet a 9.30am arrival time at Miami airport. (You can book transfers once on board). I think the earliest Miami transfer is for flights around midday.

 

The transfer time is about 45 minutes to one hour depending on traffic.

 

You can request to be first off the ship at 7.00am, with "independent arrangements", carrying all your luggage off the ship yourself. Then you could get a private transfer or a taxi to Miami airport.

 

I have never booked a flight out of Miami earlier than 12.30pm because customs/immigration at the port, waiting around for transfers, transfer time, airport delays etc always take longer than planned.

 

Can you change your flight? Often airlines will allow a change free of charge if their schedule change doesn't suit your arrangements.

[Newbi]

Thanks for the reply, we will be flying from miami to bahamas ( international flight) in our country we have to at the airport 3 hours before depature, but i know other countries have a 2 hr limit, any ideas?

[cruising kirby]

Sorry, I forgot which board I was on! We hav cruises booked with both Celebrity and Princess! Anyway my comments relating to time etc should still be relevant.

[cruisestitch]

What is the actual time of the flight?

 

You originally said that you needed to be at the airport at 9:30 -- so presume the flight is at 12:30?

 

But Bahamas flights might only require 2 hour check-in, so that means being at the airport at 10:30.

 

Still very difficult to do, but better than 9:30.

[teajak]

There is no way you could make that flight.Even if you got off the ship early you need to be at the airport 2 hours before your flight and traffic is horrendous at that time of day.

[cruising kirby]

Thanks for the reply, we will be flying from miami to bahamas ( international flight) in our country we have to at the airport 3 hours before depature, but i know other countries have a 2 hr limit, any ideas?

 

If you are saying that your flight departure time is around 12.30pm then it isn't so bad. However you will need to request to be in the first group off the ship, and I would organise a private transfer just to be sure. Whenever I have transferred via a ship organised bus, there is a lot of waiting around.

[Newbi]

Flight at 12:30 to bahamas. We dont mind carrying our own luggage, as we are doing a couple of flights we have to travel relatively light anyway. What is the chances of getting off at 7:00??? No idea whats waiting for us as this is our first cruise.

[cruisestitch]

You really have set up a very difficult situation.

 

Here's what takes place.

 

You gather at some spot, all luggage in tow, waiting for them to clear the ship. This ideally starts around 7 but could be later. Even as late as 8.

 

You move to the exit, jostling all the other passengers who have early flights and are beginning to get testy and are maneuvering themselves and their luggage as are you. You will also have, I presume, a stroller, so one of you can't help with the luggage. You have all arranged for Self Disembarkation, all wanting to be first off the ship. If for some reason the ship's clearance is delayed, people start to get a little panicky that they won't make their flights. It isn't pretty.

 

Then you queue for Immigration and Customs. You show your documentation and exit the terminal and look for the pre-booked transport. You won't be able to book Celebrity transport because your flight is too early, I'm reasonably sure.

 

All of this can easily take an hour.

 

Then you have around a one hour drive to the Miami airport.

 

It is going to be tight, you're going to need to be cool, calm, and collected.

 

Really, call the airlines and see if there isn't a later fight they can move you to.

[Newbi]

Didnt even consider it to be a problem originally, thanks for the feedback

[isdoo]

Sorry, can't see you making it - I would speak to the airline now and rebook on another flight.

[fleckle]

Hi we are starting our cruise end of this week and forgot to book our transport from the port in fort lauderdale back to the airport in miami. We are a family of 5 ( 4 adults and an infant). Any ideas on whats the best way of travel?

With 4 adults and an infant, I would not even consider ship transfers but would book a private van or limo.

 

It should cost around $120 for a private limo from the Port Everglades pier to Miami airport.

 

For example, call Quality Limo - toll free 1-888-757-0021

 

or South Florida Limos 1-877-920-2002

 

 

Under normal conditions, you should be fine for a 12:30 flight out of Miami Airport, but realistically there is no way to predict what delays may occur or how long it will take to clear your ship that morning.

 

For peace of mind it would be better if you could transfer to a flight leaving an hour or two later, but if not, know what your backup options would be if you should miss your flight (always a good idea in any case for travelers taking any flight).

[Newbi]

Fleckle, thanks for the numbers, changing the flight time doesnt seem to be an option. I know there could be delays but i dont want to set myself up for disaster. If i leave a hour for the drive from fort lauderdale to miami - we should be off at 9:30. If we are first in the que and self- disembark.... Is this possible?

[cruisestitch]

Possible but not likely when every other person in that queue also wants to be first.

 

"Excuse us, can we be first off? we have an early flight "

"So do we!". "So do we!" "us, too "

 

And so forth. Sorry to be the bearer of such pessimism.....

[teajak]

If you have never seen the people that are lined up with ALL that luggage and everyone trying to be first you just can't imagine how bad it is.Take into consideration if this is a work day the traffic from Fort Lauderdale to Miami at rush hour makes it a nightmare.If it is a Sunday you have less people at customs. Sorry to be so pessimistic but the stress alone would be terrible.

[2theship]

Someone else has already mentioned SAS Transportation. They are very reliable. I don't have their info handy but if you Google it you'll find them. You all might check the cruise tt website to see how many ships are arriving that day. That could give you some clue as to how much chaos you are facing.

[fleckle]

Possible but not likely when every other person in that queue also wants to be first.

 

"Excuse us, can we be first off? we have an early flight "

"So do we!". "So do we!" "us, too "

 

And so forth. Sorry to be the bearer of such pessimism.....

Cruisestitch is absolutely right. It is not unusual to have over a hundred people doing self-disembarkation and they all want to be first off.

 

There may be an orderly line, or it may be a mob scene. You may have a long wait for an elevator if you need to use one with a baby and stroller.

 

Disembarkation may begin at the expected time, or you may be standing there waiting in line at the exit for an hour or more, anxiously checking the time every few minutes. Then there is the immigration line to go through, and even if you are in the first group off your ship, there may be other ships disembarking their passengers there also.

 

Sometimes only a few immigration officers show up, and sometimes they are late, with long lines of waiting passengers snaking around rope lines. Other times you can breeze right through.

 

 

Newbi, you are looking for assurance that none of us can honestly give you because we simply don't know what conditions you may encounter that day.

 

One thing I would suggest is to keep a cell phone with you when you exit the cruise terminal so that you can call the company that is picking you up and contact your driver to describe what you are wearing and where you are waiting.

There is typically a big mob of people outside waiting to be picked up and the drivers may need to keep circling around, or they may need to wait in a long line with other vehicles waiting to pick up passengers.

 

It is a lot more reassuring when you can stay in telephone contact with the person who is picking you up rather than just standing out there at the curb wondering whether or not your ride is going to show up.

 

If you are unable to change your flight time that day and miss your flight, you should be able to get a distressed passenger voucher for a discounted rate at a hotel or motel near the airport.

 

Okay, I realize this is not at all the response you wanted, but it is better to be aware of alternate possibilities in advance rather than be left dazed at the departure gate not knowing what to do if your flight should leave without you.

 

[Algebralovr]

Someone else has already mentioned SAS Transportation. They are very reliable. I don't have their info handy but if you Google it you'll find them. You all might check the cruise tt website to see how many ships are arriving that day. That could give you some clue as to how much chaos you are facing.

 

SAS isn't an option since they do not do Port Everglades to Miami airport. In fact, someone recently posted they were no longer picking up at Port Everglades at all.

 

I recommend one of the private car services provided. Remember that you'll need to have the infant in a car seat, so tell the limo company to sent you a car with a car seat already installed if possible.

 

Since you have a flight at 12:30, you should actually be ok, just have a car read to go and be certain to be speedy getting off. Make sure your customs paperwork is ready and that you don't buy much, nothing you'll owe on as you come into the US.

 

Good luck!

[garycarla]

Knowing it is a 12:30 flight, and not 9:30 helps. Then add in intl flight. And then add in infant.

 

It can be done, but very tight. Does anyone in the group have any issues that could slow down getting off the ship (immigration), or slow down at airport due to intl?

 

Do not, repeat, do NOT book cruise transfer. That is the slowest way to go.

 

As to the 2 hr or 3 hr thing. Our experience is they do not hold to that. That is more of a good advice deal. But, Miami airport can be a zoo, which could cause delays.

 

Side note - most airlines are a bit more flexible is THEY change your flighttime. Look up their schedules from FTL and MIA and see if there is a flight you might prefer, and then call them.

[Chicago Boy]

Hi we are starting our cruise end of this week and forgot to book our transport from the port in fort lauderdale back to the airport in miami. We are a family of 5 ( 4 adults and an infant). Any ideas on whats the best way of travel?

 

Another question, our flight times have been changed, and we will now fly out of miami earlier than expected, we have to be at the airport in miami at 9 :30, will it be possible to get off earlier, and can anybody tell me how long it takes from the port to the airport...

 

Thanks

 

You might want to check with your TA or Celebrity but I think you can book your transport from Fort Lauderdale to Miami while on the ship. Just go to Guest Relations and the should help you with it. :)

[cruisestitch]

But this flight may be too early for Celebrity transfer....general wisdom is not to go with the Celebrity transfer when time is so tight