Average Time Taken for Disembarkation in Fort Lauderdale

[mort1305]

We are booked on a fourteen night cruise on the Coral princess from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale arriving 7th October 2014. My question is what is an average time taken to disembark in Fort Lauderdale? We arrive about 6.00am and upon checking the port schedule we are the only ship in that day.

 

My second question is how long does it take to drive from Fort Lauderdale to Miami airport as we are booked for a 1.00pm flight to L.A?

 

Any help in response to these questions would be greatly appreciated.

[vmom]

You can do walk off disembarkation around 7:15-7:30 am. I have done it twice and been to the Fort Lauderdale airport early.

 

A lot will depend on how you plan to get from the FLL port to Miami. If you use the cruise line transfers, I'd find out what the earliest flight can be. If you plan on doing walk off early and then catching a taxi, you should be okay as long as the ship docks on schedule.

 

Not sure how long the drive is, but if you are going to the Fort Lauderdale airport to rent a car and then drive to the Miami airport, you will be tight on time, since car rental takes up so much extra time and you never know how long the wait will be to pick up a car.

 

Also, midweek there can be a lot of traffic between the two areas.

Edited January 12, 2014 by vmom

[satxdiver]

We were on the Island last fall arriving in port everglades after going through the canal. We were the only ship in port that day. We do walk off and because we were just going to a local hotel we were in the last group to walk off. We left the ship at around 10:00 AM! ICE was running very slow with only a few agents. Sequestration is takng its toll so plan ahead. I imagine from what was being said, some pax were in a crunch to make their planes.

[caribill]

You should have no problem with a 1 PM flight out of MIA.

 

Drive time will be about an hour.

 

Suggest Princess xfer as it is reasonably priced.

[skynight]

To be sure, take the early walk off option. Recent reports mention delays due to lack off Customs and Immigration officers. The early walk off will put you at the front of the line. It takes about 45 mins. to get from the Pier to Miami airport assuming no traffic holdups. A cab is about $75 plus tip. Group shuttle services are also available. We did this a few years ago and we were at the Miami airport around 9am.

[Loonbeam]

From my FAQ (I think the bullet points are relevant to this discussion)

 

Can I Make my XX:XX Flight?

 

This question comes up a lot and the safe answer is:

 

 

If you have to ask? No.

 

Most disembarkation ports have a suggested earliest flight time for a reason (and most lines will not provide transfers for departures prior to that). Those times are suggested for a reason, to allow for not only the expected challenges of arrival and disembarkation but also to provide a safety cushion.

 

 

Unfortunately, the airlines know this and price flights from those port cities accordingly. So sometimes you do have to consider an earlier flight (note – later flights might be cheaper as well, always consider that option if it fits your plans. There is no such thing as too much time to get to the airport.

If you do want to take a flight before the suggested times, there are a number of things to consider:

 

• How much luggage do you have? Princess offers a self-debarkation option. These passengers are often first off the ship giving you the best shot at an early flight. Passengers choosing this option MUST be able to handle ALL of their own luggage WITHOUT assistance and possibly with limited access to elevators. This option can greatly increase flight flexibility.
  
• How many ships will be arriving the same day as yours? How big? – The number of ships in port will affect the time it takes to clear customs, availability of taxis, congestion at port gates, etc. As an example, if the Island Princess is the only ship in port, I would be much more comfortable about an early flight than say if the Royal was porting at the same time as the Allure of the Seas and perhaps the Ruby as well. The more ships, the more possibility of issues arising.
  
• What port? – Some ports are noted for customs delays, traffic issues, etc. Identify where the airline is in relation to the port and how you get there. Ft. Lauderdale is relatively close to the airport and on a fairly fast-travel route. San Francisco is in another city along one of the worst highways in the country for congestion.
  
• What day/time are you arriving? Rush hour on a Tuesday or before dawn on a Saturday?
  
• Transport? Planning on a taxi or car service? Car services provide the advantage of a guaranteed waiting vehicle, at a higher cost.
  
• Finally, what is Plan B? Are there later flights you can hope to get on (at possibly some expense) if you miss yours? Remember, flights are closer to full than ever, there may not be any seats the rest of the day.
  

So, should you book that early flight? Thinking on all the factors above, look at the time your ship is scheduled to arrive. Remember, the ship itself has to clear customs itself before disembarkation can begin. Think about all of the factors above and make your best guess when you could get off the ship and clear customs. Estimate travel time to the airport and time to check in and clear security. Then, add an hour at least to allow for any issues/delays. If your flight is after that, MAYBE you can make it.

Or, as I noted above, book the later flight. It’s vacation, do you really want to spend the last day stressing about air travel?

[Colo Cruiser]

I see no issue with making a 1pm flight in MIA if you do the early walk off and the group leaves the ship ontime.

Edited January 12, 2014 by Colo Cruiser

[RNGALNG]

Okay all you wonderful cruisers who know all the ropes in Ft. Lauderdale, please, could you help me as well?

 

1. Can you get the Princess transfer from ship to the airport and not from airport to ship? (We have a free shuttle from our hotel to the ship.)

 

2. Our ship will be arriving back to FL with about 5 other ships. We have a 12:30 flight from Ft.Lauderdale airport. What are the chances of getting a taxi to the airport?

 

3. If we do walk off to get a taxi, do we request easy walk off so we can get one (because of the slow down through customs?)

 

Thank you for all you expert help ahead of time.

[Colo Cruiser]

Okay all you wonderful cruisers who know all the ropes in Ft. Lauderdale, please, could you help me as well?

 

1. Can you get the Princess transfer from ship to the airport and not from airport to ship? (We have a free shuttle from our hotel to the ship.)

 

2. Our ship will be arriving back to FL with about 5 other ships. We have a 12:30 flight from Ft.Lauderdale airport. What are the chances of getting a taxi to the airport?

 

3. If we do walk off to get a taxi, do we request easy walk off so we can get one (because of the slow down through customs?)

 

Thank you for all you expert help ahead of time.

 

 

Yes you can get the transfer back to the airport.

You can book either direction.

 

You will have no issues getting a cab. Its about $10-$12.

Takes about 10-15 minutes.

If you do the first early walk off you will be at the airport by 8am.

[Husky61]

We are booked on a fourteen night cruise on the Coral princess from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale arriving 7th October 2014. My question is what is an average time taken to disembark in Fort Lauderdale? We arrive about 6.00am and upon checking the port schedule we are the only ship in that day.

 

My second question is how long does it take to drive from Fort Lauderdale to Miami airport as we are booked for a 1.00pm flight to L.A?

 

Any help in response to these questions would be greatly appreciated.

 

We have done this several times and have not had a problem getting to the Miami airport from Port Everglades with time to spare. However, since we don't like shuttles or buses, we always hire a private car who picks us up at the cruise terminal, and we arrive quickly, barring any unforeseen traffic. Cost a bit more, but it is worth it to us.:)

[taxatty]

To get to MIA, arriving on a weekday, expect rush hour traffic. If it's really heavy, it can take up to 90 frustrating minutes to get to MIA. Without heavy rush hour traffic, figure 1/2 that. Even with rush hour traffic, as stated above, if you disembark early you should have no trouble making a 1PM MIA flight.

 

As for getting to FLL from the port, it's s breeze at it's so close, and should at most take 15-20 minutes.

[mort1305]

Thank you ALL so much for your valued tips.

[Posaune]

This morning we walked off the ship at 7:50 AM. We had a 45 minute line for immigration, jumped in one of many waiting cabs and we were at our gate in the Ft. Lauderdale Airport ant 9AM.

[MtnBikerFallDown]

This morning we walked off the ship at 7:50 AM. We had a 45 minute line for immigration, jumped in one of many waiting cabs and we were at our gate in the Ft. Lauderdale Airport ant 9AM.

 

Thank you so much for posting this. Not realizing it was an "early" time, I booked at 10:45am flight out of FLL. I tried to change it when everyone started saying the port was running slow... no dice. They had nothing to change me to! I have insurance, so if I miss the flight, I'm probably still okay. It just would be a little bit of a pain. But, this post gives me a little hope that we'll make it okay!

 

Thanks!

[bhopal21]

This morning we walked off the ship at 7:50 AM. We had a 45 minute line for immigration, jumped in one of many waiting cabs and we were at our gate in the Ft. Lauderdale Airport ant 9AM.

 

Were you in the first walk off group that carried their own luggage?

 

Mike:)

[more cruises]

Thank you so much for posting this. Not realizing it was an "early" time, I booked at 10:45am flight out of FLL. I tried to change it when everyone started saying the port was running slow... no dice. They had nothing to change me to! I have insurance, so if I miss the flight, I'm probably still okay. It just would be a little bit of a pain. But, this post gives me a little hope that we'll make it okay!

 

Thanks!

 

If they assign you a walk off time that you think might be too late just go to Customer Service and ask for the earlier time you want.

[Posaune]

We were not in the first group. We were cleared about 7:05 and early groups went off then. We had a leisurely breakfast and then headed out.

[bhopal21]

Thanks Posaune.:D

 

Mike:)

[MtnBikerFallDown]

If they assign you a walk off time that you think might be too late just go to Customer Service and ask for the earlier time you want.

 

This is our first Princess cruise, so I didn't even know you could do that. Thank you so much!

[Pam in CA]

There was a thread from January 8th with a huge warning that disembarkation and going through Immigration at the pier has been a nightmare. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1967561

 

Plus, there have been recent reports that going through Security at FLL has been horrendous with only one or two TSA lines. I experienced that in MIA the end of October when there was only one TSA line for the entire terminal regardless of whether you were in general boarding, First Class/Priority or TSA Pre. It took me an hour and a half to just get through Security. My flight was already boarded when I got to the gate.

[MtnBikerFallDown]

There was a thread from January 8th with a huge warning that disembarkation and going through Immigration at the pier has been a nightmare. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1967561

 

Plus, there have been recent reports that going through Security at FLL has been horrendous with only one or two TSA lines. I experienced that in MIA the end of October when there was only one TSA line for the entire terminal regardless of whether you were in general boarding, First Class/Priority or TSA Pre. It took me an hour and a half to just get through Security. My flight was already boarded when I got to the gate.

 

That's one of the threads I'd seen that had made me worry. I hope we'll be the lucky ones. I started flying in a day early to prevent stress after our first cruise. Now, I think I'm going to start adding a day on the return, too. It's worth it to not stress. But, this time, we'll just have to go with the flow, I guess. Ugh.

[Happy2cruise]

That's one of the threads I'd seen that had made me worry. I hope we'll be the lucky ones. I started flying in a day early to prevent stress after our first cruise. Now, I think I'm going to start adding a day on the return, too. It's worth it to not stress. But, this time, we'll just have to go with the flow, I guess. Ugh.

We always fly in the day before and take a late afternoon flight going home. This time, we booked a noon flight because on our return to port we are the only scheduled ship in port. Seems that might not matter:(. For March decided to stay over.....glad we did....way too many ships in port that day.

[RNGALNG]

Thank you so much for posting this. Not realizing it was an "early" time, I booked at 10:45am flight out of FLL. I tried to change it when everyone started saying the port was running slow... no dice. They had nothing to change me to! I have insurance, so if I miss the flight, I'm probably still okay. It just would be a little bit of a pain. But, this post gives me a little hope that we'll make it okay!

 

Thanks!

 

Here I was sweating our 12:55 PM flight! I worry more for you now! We bought our non-refundable tickets long ago as well. I have the Princess Platinum insurance. Wonder if that will cover us not making our flight?

[bhopal21]

We may very well miss our 0945 flt on February 10 but we have made that same flight 5 times previous with time to spare.

 

Just have a backup plan.

 

 

Mike:)

[RNGALNG]

We may very well miss our 0945 flt on February 10 but we have made that same flight 5 times previous with time to spare.

 

Just have a backup plan.

 

 

Mike:)

 

Like what? We live in Ohio! Rent a car? Take a taxi?

 

Seriously, hubby just retired so, we could find it in our hearts to stay an extra day if need be! Twist our arms!