Availability of Taxis at Port Everglades?

[Twinsfan5]

Hi all,

Cruising on the Crown in February and counting down the days! Wondering how easy it is to get a cab from Port Everglades to the airport. We will be doing the self disembark and walking off, which we've done in Miami with no problem and never had to wait for a cab...but I have heard the Port Everglades can be a little crazy, especially with a lot of ships in port.

 

Wondering if it would be worth it to book a private car to pick the four of us up or if we should just stick with trying to grab a cab. Any thoughts from you experienced cruisers? :)

 

FYI, flight leaves around Noon from FLL airport. At least for now it does as Delta keeps moving the times around!

 

Thanks all!

[hillslife]

Taxi is VERY easy...there are hundreds lined up and the airport is sooo close, at some piers you can see it....so taxi is the way to go. If there is a line, it moves very fast!

[Twinsfan5]

Excellent, thanks!

[bhopal21]

Taxi is VERY easy...there are hundreds lined up and the airport is sooo close, at some piers you can see it....so taxi is the way to go. If there is a line, it moves very fast!

 

Agreed.

 

The several times we have disembarked there (once there were 10 ships returning) we have never waited more than 2 min for a taxi.

 

They are usually lined up as far as one can see.

 

Mike:)

[Ethel5]

Taxi is VERY easy...there are hundreds lined up and the airport is sooo close, at some piers you can see it....so taxi is the way to go. If there is a line, it moves very fast!

 

Taxis are easy when things go right. We waited an hour for one getting off the Ruby.

[chrysalis]

Agreed.

 

The several times we have disembarked there (once there were 10 ships returning) we have never waited more than 2 min for a taxi.

 

They are usually lined up as far as one can see.

 

Mike:)

 

...unless you have the misfortune of having your ship dock in the pier 21, 22/24 area and other ships are there too.....then it can be a disaster, with a long walk with luggage, to the end of the taxi line. Last March, on the Emerald, we boarded and got off there. Not a pleasant experience, at all.

[bhopal21]

...unless you have the misfortune of having your ship dock in the pier 21, 22/24 area and other ships are there too.....then it can be a disaster, with a long walk with luggage, to the end of the taxi line. Last March, on the Emerald, we boarded and got off there. Not a pleasant experience, at all.

 

Thank goodness we have not had that experience.

 

Mike:)

[waltd]

I think it does help if you are one of the first off the ship. If you wait till late morning then you will find some lines.

[Pam in CA]

Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's a nightmare. I've seen people get into a fistfight over a taxi. I've seen others tip huge amounts to porters who will then aggressively get a taxi for you. Unfortunately, when taxis are scarce, manners and patience fly out the window and an "I want it before you and it's all about me" attitude prevails. :( I have literally been pushed aside by someone a lot bigger and more determined than me to get a taxi.

 

I remember one time disembarking at FLL and I'd booked Princess transfers at the last minute. Disembarkation was delayed and the people vying for the limited number of taxis were pushing, shoving, yelling and screaming at each other. I was so thankful to walk out, get on the bus and be off five minutes later, leaving the chaos behind.

[Pia1913]

We got off the Crown at Pier 2 this morning shortly after 8:00 AM. There were taxis; lots of them. They were regulated by the sheriff, so they came in and went out judiciously.

[msmoger]

Slightly off topic but if the only ships in port are the Emerald and a HAL ship are we likely to dock at Pier 2?

 

Thanks,

[Pia1913]

Slightly off topic but if the only ships in port are the Emerald and a HAL ship are we likely to dock at Pier 2?

 

Thanks,

 

Pier 2 gets the bigger ship. We board the Ruby tomorrow, but Royal is in port too. That means we will most likely be at pier 21.

 

HAL doesn't enter into it. Pier 2 is dedicated to Princess.

[Hlitner]

We never had a problem getting taxis at Port Everglades until last Saturday (Dec 14) after our Celebrity Eclipse cruise. There were 6 ships in port (pretty normal for Saturday) including many mega ships including the Oasis. We took our time getting off the ship (our flight was not until 1 pm) and walked out of the terminal a little before 10am. The taxi queue was huge....with about a 45 - 60 min wait to get a cab. We joined with a few others and managed to get a shuttle van (different then the taxis) to take us all over to the airport. These vans were also scarce..and they charge $11 per person which is a bit more then the taxis. The TSA Security line at FLL was also the worst we have ever seen (including right after 9-11) with at least a 1 hour wait to get through TSA. We only made our flight because a Southwest employee pulled us out of the long queue and got us into another short queue (for those in a hurry to catch their flight). We did chat with a TSA employee who told us that its often that bad on Saturday's...but not as bad on Sunday's.

 

Hank

[pablo222]

Pier 2 gets the bigger ship. We board the Ruby tomorrow, but Royal is in port too. That means we will most likely be at pier 21.

.

 

PE Harbormaster schedule says royal at 2, and ruby at 4.

Should be VERY crowded in that area. Plus, 4 is a dump.

 

Today, Crown was at 2, and Island was at 21.

[pablo222]

...unless you have the misfortune of having your ship dock in the pier 21, 22/24 area and other ships are there too.....then it can be a disaster, with a long walk with luggage, to the end of the taxi line. Last March, on the Emerald, we boarded and got off there. Not a pleasant experience, at all.

 

Yup. If you're at 21, and there are several other ships, there is

big competition for cabs -- up to an hour wait.

 

Although, there are hundreds of posts here that say there is no

wait for cabs. Strange.

[Pia1913]

PE Harbormaster schedule says royal at 2, and ruby at 4.

Should be VERY crowded in that area. Plus, 4 is a dump.

 

Today, Crown was at 2, and Island was at 21.

 

We are getting dropped tomorrow. No problem. :D Today we had parked off port and their shuttle was right there when we go off. Didn't even have to call.

[Keith1010]

Hi all,

Cruising on the Crown in February and counting down the days! Wondering how easy it is to get a cab from Port Everglades to the airport. We will be doing the self disembark and walking off, which we've done in Miami with no problem and never had to wait for a cab...but I have heard the Port Everglades can be a little crazy, especially with a lot of ships in port.

 

Wondering if it would be worth it to book a private car to pick the four of us up or if we should just stick with trying to grab a cab. Any thoughts from you experienced cruisers? :)

 

FYI, flight leaves around Noon from FLL airport. At least for now it does as Delta keeps moving the times around!

 

Thanks all!

 

With a noon flight you are fine. You may have no wait, but you could have some type of wait but the key to the answer was provided with your question.

 

If you said you had a much earlier flight (not a good idea anyway) then I would be concerned.

 

I would check to see how many ships are in port that day and if there are a lot just get off on the earlier side to be safe.

 

Have a great time.

 

Keith

Edited December 22, 2013 by Keith1010

[Baseball fan]

Get off early. I just did this from a Transatlantic and it took us about 1 hour to clear customs. Yes the FLL airport needs updating, but I would rather be at the terminal early. Good thing I told them my flight was earlier than it was.

 

Taxis were lined up to take people to the airport. It costs around $15.

Edited December 22, 2013 by Baseball fan

[eandj]

Hi all,

 

FYI, flight leaves around Noon from FLL airport. At least for now it does as Delta keeps moving the times around!

 

Thanks all!

 

 

You have PLENTY of time to catch a noon flight. I wouldn't bother self disembarking. Those will be the cruisers with flights out of MIA or early Ftl flights. And that group will be hectic and often can get "pushy". with stress.:p

With a flight at that time, we like to be in one of the later groups off. The crowds are gone and waits, if any, reasonable. You are only a 20 min. ride (tops) from the airport.