Is royal caribbean upset with MIAMI?

[LMaxwell]

Port Everglades is much closer to FLL airport for that that fly in. MIA is not very close to the port. Port of Miami parking is expensive and only real safe option; 3rd party parking in Miami is a joke. Fort Lauderdale you can park in a secure lot with reliable shuttles no problem.

 

Fort Lauderdale is the yachting capital of the world, they have Riverwalk, tons of different tours along new river, a great performing arts theatre, dinner cruises, famous hotels and restaurants, you have beach front shopping and strolling. It is a different sort of feel than Miami but Fort Lauderdale is trendy and upscale with plenty of unique dining experiences and places to check out. They have all kinds of great museums. Free beaches.

 

If you discount all of the activities, Port Everglades is way easier to fly into and get on a cruise ship. Miami has a more picturesque sail away.

[Cruising89143]

Another fan of Miami. Sailing down Government Cut is such a beautiful sail away. Pt. Canaveral is by far one of the least scenic. We will be back in Miami in March. We usually stay at the Marriott Biscayne Bay which overlooks the port. This time we are booked at a hotel on Ocean Drive.

 

Terminal 18 at Pt. Everglades is awesome but give me Miami anytime. The other terminals that RCI and X use in Ft. Lauderdale suck. They're outdated and cramped. I also have no issues with Miami International. I also have no issues with driving in Miami. I deal with Atlanta traffic daily so Miami is nothing.

Edited December 13, 2013 by cruisingator2

[Ocean Boy]

The last time we sailed out of Miami was when Explorer was still there. Sail-a-way was ok but it certainly was not better than Port Everglades. I think PE beats the POM in almost every way. The distance from the FLL is pretty unbeatable. And sailing out past the condos is a lot of fun. The folks in the condos never fail to give the ships a proper send off.

[CVU]

That's funny, we're the exact opposite. If we had a cruise out of Miami, we would fly to and stay in Ft. Lauderdale, just to avoid Miami as much as possible.

 

We had our worst embarking and disembarking in Miami! We would avoid it absolutely!!!!:eek: Went there more than once, so it was not a one time event.

 

Chaos at the taxi stand to leave, coming and going passengers all at the same spot with long line ups!

The check in area was crammed and small and just not adequate to handle the passengers waiting for security.

Passengers were lined up on the curb to go up the escalator and snake along in a skinny area.

Soooo happy we are not flying [airport has been one of the worst we have been in as well!!!] or cruising from there.

Perhaps our gate was in a bad area? but it was very poor! Bathrooms had doors torn off and leaning on the wall, men had one small bathroom far from out gate to use, with men waiting in the outside public area, the carpet at the gate was torn and dirty in the waiting area.......:eek:

[reedl]

I dislike Miami and all the "plastic facade" look of everything there. In fact I always joke that behind that fake facade in Miami is even more fake facade.

 

Also I prefer to stay somewhere I can park my car for free instead of paying to park. You simply cannot park in Miami without paying too much money. OTOH in Lauderdale, you can park pretty much everywhere for free.

[seaofwonder]

I personally have loved Ft. Lauderdale. The airport is so close and their are transit system is so easy to get to the beaches from a hotel. We sailed out of Miami once and I hated it. The airport felt extremely dirty and old. The drive from the airport to the terminal is a great view of what Miami is. You go past tons of old run down houses sandwiched on top of one another, then you cross a road and it's nothing but high rise luxury apartments and wasteful spending. It's more of what you expect to see in ports on the cruise than in the US. The sailaway is nice though, just wish it didn't require you to see Miami. Maybe that tunnel project can fix that. I loved Ft. Lauderdale so much though after I sailed from their that I went back for a week just to stay their.

 

You are comparing Miami to an undeveloped, third world country? Wow. Have you actually spent any time in the city? I lived there for several years.

 

How many cities have great views speeding along a freeway?

 

Go for a beautiful drive in the Gables down Old Cutler Road, or dinner in Coconut Grove. South beach is great people watching and the mansions along MacArthur are amazing. Go to Calle Ocho and watch the men playing dominos and grab some great Cuban food and pastries.

 

 

 

 

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Edited December 14, 2013 by seaofwonder

[seaofwonder]

Miami International is fine if you're flying in and out on American. That terminal is nice. It's the rest that's a mess...

 

Agreed. But I only ever fly American, so it's not an issue.

 

 

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[Dave85]

Another fan of Miami. Sailing down Government Cut is such a beautiful sail away. Pt. Canaveral is by far one of the least scenic. We will be back in Miami in March. We usually stay at the Marriott Biscayne Bay which overlooks the port. This time we are booked at a hotel on Ocean Drive.

 

I love that hotel too. We stayed at the Hyatt last time because the Marriott's pricing was ridiculous for New Years Weekend and, although a great deal, it didn't stack up. Those cruise port facing rooms cannot be beat. I've woken up at 6am on many a sail away morning at that hotel to spot the ship sitting in the port before going back to sleep!

[Sh1035]

It's funny how those of us who live in Florida will do anything to avoid Miami and Orlando.

[Cruising89143]

It's funny how those of us who live in Florida will do anything to avoid Miami and Orlando.

 

I lived in Florida for over thirty-five years and like both of those cities. I tend to look past some of the flaws as I have yet to find the perfect city. I can only assume that those talking about run down homes hasn't traveled to other port cities in Florida.

Edited December 14, 2013 by cruisingator2

[seaofwonder]

It's funny how those of us who live in Florida will do anything to avoid Miami and Orlando.

 

I lived in Miami and enjoyed the port. Recently went out of FLL and much preferred the Biscayne/brickell area in Miami for pre departure hotels, the sail away was more scenic in Miami, and the airport was better in Miami.

 

 

 

 

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[macruisefan]

I dislike Miami and all the "plastic facade" look of everything there. In fact I always joke that behind that fake facade in Miami is even more fake facade.

 

I have no idea what this even means. Miami's "fake facade" is actually the greatest example of a bygone era and bygone style of art deco you'll find anywhere in the world. Behind that, you'll find the most vibrant Cuban, Hatian and various other Latin American cultures anywhere in The United States.

 

In contrast, Ft. Lauderdale, while very "nice" is noting but a series of homogeneous hotels, chain restaurants and new "plastic facades".

 

There are a lot of reasons to criticize Miami if one chooses to. But calling it artificial, in comparison to Ft. Lauderdale is truly puzzling.

[ehfl]

I dislike Miami and all the "plastic facade" look of everything there. In fact I always joke that behind that fake facade in Miami is even more fake facade.

 

Also I prefer to stay somewhere I can park my car for free instead of paying to park. You simply cannot park in Miami without paying too much money. OTOH in Lauderdale, you can park pretty much everywhere for free.

 

You might want to educate yourself about the amazing architecture found in Miami.

 

http://www.mdpl.org/about-us/about-miami-beach-design-styles/

[BillB48]

I would agree the sail-away is neat in Miami... it seems a little longer, passing MacArthur Causeway and seeing all the buildings on Miami Beach... very nice. Being one who drives from east central Florida to the ports in south Florida, the exit to Port Everglades is a welcome site. Continuing on down To Miami really gets you into the creative driving zone:eek:! Then exiting off of 95 to drive through some of the more "quaint":rolleyes: sections of Miami by all the urban outdoors-men encamped under some of the overpasses is something I really don't miss.

 

Even though the sail-away is a little shorter up at Port Everglades, it's a pretty area too and the condos give you a great send off.

[seaofwonder]

Lol bill.....creative driving is being polite. They are freaking lunatics down there! I remember my first day driving on 95 and traffic came to a stop...people literally starting turning around and driving the opposite way in the breakdown lane so they could get back to an exit. It's also the only place I've lived where someone flipped me off when THEY ran a stop sign.

 

 

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[BillB48]

It's also the only place I've lived where someone flipped me off when THEY ran a stop sign.

 

 

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That's classic:D!

[cruiserdudebobby8]

Im pretty sure a reason is they have to have a specific number of passengers in port everglades each year

[F27TW]

On my cruise last December I chose FLL sailings because it was soooo much cheaper to fly into FLL than Mia. If I remember from Los Angeles there was about a $150 pp savings.

 

Agreed, DadRoy MIA ls almost always more expensive than FLL .. due to American Airlines stranglehold on MIA since its their hub.

 

The better fares are always FLL .. I find that too.

[shaggyofwv]

I have never been to Miami, much less sailed out of it, so I'm not comparing here. But I will say that I have sailed out of Port Everglades and Port Canaveral and I've found them both more than adequate. I love the ease of getting in and out at FLL, and even with the distance from Orlando it's still a nice set up.

 

My first thought, if I was going to sail of of Miami, would be some worry about sailing from a larger city and the impact of traffic on my plans.

 

 

We have sailed out of all three of the ports in question and Miami was our least favorite of the three. Sure, the view is a little better sailing out of Miami, but Port Everglades efficiency more than makes up for that, in my opinion.

 

Port Canaveral is just fine by me also and we saw some dolphins swimming by the ship when sailing out of there a few years back.

 

I don't pick a cruise based upon the scenery around the port.

[mcatmcat]

I just use the port of ft Lauderdale when I have to but not because I like it. Just to enter to the port you have to make a huge line of car trying to access the port since they ask for ID to everyone in the car. Once inside the port the position to drop off is super inconvenience, is sort in a corner and you can't be there for more than a minute without having a cop telling you to move. Once inside the terminal things run smooth and the sail away view is ok nothing spectacular

 

On the other hand the entrance to the port of miami is super nice, you can even see royal Caribbean headquarters in the right and the ship in the left. Dropping off passenger is not a problem and you have like 3 or 4 lanes. No one is rushing you and you can really say good bye. Again once in the terminal everything run smoothly but the sail away vie is way better than from Ft Lauderdale

 

 

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[Baowen]

I have sailed out of all of the ports and I still think Miami is the best for atmosphere! I hate the fact that most of the cruises now go out of Fort Lauderdale because Miami is part of my cruise ritual. I love the Bayside Marketplace and seeing Royal Caribbean Headquarters as we sail out.

[Paulette3028]

It's just that there isn't much worthwhile around them. Ft. Lauderdale can't hold a candle to Miami and Miami Beach as far as destinations go. That's why I tend to fly into Miami and stay there the night before, even if I'm sailing out of Everglades.

 

Maybe you should do a little bit more research about Fort Lauderdale, and perhaps even be more open minded. Living close to both cities, there is plenty to enjoy in FLL on the FLL beach even, that is just as nice (if not more so) than Miami.

 

The Las Olas area of Fort Lauderdale or Ocean Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, can easily give Miami and Miami Beach a run for their money, and give you a wonderful pre-cruise experience.

[negc]

The relative merits of Miami vis a vis Ft. Lauderdale as a vacation location are pretty much irrelevant to the question as to why RCI has based more of his ships in Port Everglades. It pretty much comes down to the almighty dollar and PE offered greater incentives (financial and non-financial) to the cruise line to move their ships north, incentives that POM either couldn't or wouldn't match. Factors such as airlift, proximity to the cruise piers, etc. more than likely played a role as well.

Edited December 15, 2013 by negc

[macruisefan]

Maybe you should do a little bit more research about Fort Lauderdale, and perhaps even be more open minded. Living close to both cities, there is plenty to enjoy in FLL on the FLL beach even, that is just as nice (if not more so) than Miami.

 

The Las Olas area of Fort Lauderdale or Ocean Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, can easily give Miami and Miami Beach a run for their money, and give you a wonderful pre-cruise experience.

 

I actually lived in South Florida for a period of time, and visit both cities regularly. So I am familiar with the areas you speak of. While they are nice, I respectfully disagree.

 

I find Miami Beach to be a much more appealing place to visit. Much larger, better hotels, better restaurants. Ft. Lauderdale, be it Ocean Ave or Las Olas has a very manufactured feel to it. It caters well to those that gravitate towards it. But much like reading a lot of the replies here, I know I am not their audience.

 

Give me a day on Miami Beach, dinner at Joe's or Prime One Twelve, or BLT, or The Forge, or a variety of others. Let me enjoy some live music walking along Collins Ave. Let me grab a late night snack or drink at News Cafe. Let me start my next morning at The 11th Street Diner.

 

Sorry, but Ft. Lauderdale is nice, but just doesn't cut it for what I'm after.

 

The relative merits of Miami vis a vis Ft. Lauderdale as a vacation location are pretty much irrelevant to the question as to why RCI has based more of his ships in Port Everglades. It pretty much comes down to the almighty dollar and PE offered greater incentives (financial and non-financial) to the cruise line to move their ships north, incentives that POM either couldn't or wouldn't match. Factors such as airlift, proximity to the cruise piers, etc. more than likely played a role as well.

 

Port of Miami has evidently determined that their cargo business is more valuable than expanding their cruise business.

[RCI Cruisers 004]

We sailed out of Miami on Majesty and will never do it again ! We are used to the ease of sailing from PC or FLL. The cost to fly into Miami was budget breaking and once we got there, the cost only went up ! We weren't impressed with any part of the city or the hospitality compared to other parts of Fla !