Transfers from Miami to Ft Lauderdale port by yourself

[Joline21]

Has anybody done this and if so how did they find the experience? We are going on the Westerdam (1st time on HAL).We are looking at private Shuttle Mini Vans, but as we are only staying in a Hotel the 1st night buying a round ticket won't work for us. We may have to go by private Shuttle, which is a shared one, to the Hotel and then come back to Miami Airport at the end of the cruise by taxi. Would appreciate any comments from any of you.

[sail7seas]

The few times we flew into Miami but were sailing from FLL, we took a taxi. It is not the least expensive transportation but is the most convenient.

Depending upon traffic, it takes around 45 minutes and costs about $85.

[PathfinderEss]

We did a taxi one time and it was convenient, on another time we rented a car which worked out fine. There is a rent a car area close to Pt Everglades, we dropped off the car and they took us over to cruise terminal.

[CruiserBruce]

This is discussed extensively on the Florida Departures board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495

 

with all the options, like taxi, shuttle, etc.

[iriemon]

We always rent a car, and that gives us the freedom to go where we want to for dinner and pick up anything we forgot before we head for the ship.

[cccole]

We had our hotel arrange the transfer with someone they use often. The price was competitive with taxis and shuttles, so you might check with the concierge at your hotel. Renting a car sounds like a nice idea if you have time to enjoy something fun, even if there is an extra drop off fee (because of returning to a different location) it might be worth it. Cherie

[Joline21]

Thank you everyone for your answers. Very helpful. Will check out the lead that was mentioned and also if our Hotel can come up with a better deal.

[Chris Holland]

2 weeks ago we have done this. We took the hotel shuttle bus from the airport to the hotel (most hotels offer this for free). The next morning we asked the hotel to order a minivan for us and within 5 mins it was there. It is approx. usd 75 for a one way. At Port Everglades you can take a taxi back. The ride from Miami airport to Port Everglades, Ft Lauderdale took 30 mins.

[Himself]

Why not fly right into Ft. Lauderdale.

[Tottwo]

We took a taxi from MIA to a hotel nearby the Ft Lauderdale cruise port since we went down the night before. Cost was ~$85 with tip.

 

Then we took the Holland America arranged bus from the port back to MIA at the end of our cruise. Cost, I think, was $30 per person. Very easy. We arranged it while on the ship.

[Joline21]

Getting the HAL Shuttle back to Miami Airport for $30 each would be very convenient for us. Thank you for that information Cool Cruiser.

[sandbox]

Alway hire a car $26 for the day..one way Miami and drop it at Ft Lauderdale.Much easier :)

[scamper]

I took a mini-van shuttle from Port Everglades to Miami Airport (the reverse of your trip) on my last Eurodam cruise. It was $75...a little steep in price. The trip was fine, no traffic, and the driver was very friendly, but I don't think I would do it again unless I was with several people. I made the mistake of buying my plane ticket before I checked into ground transportation since it was a lot cheaper to fly home from Miami. Turned out I saved very little.