Fort Lauderdale - What to do on departure day

[mactire]

I have been looking at the HAL site for weeks and on the shore excursions it had a 7 hour trip to Hollywood Beach and a transfer to Miami airport on the day we are flying back to London, February 8th 2015. Ou flight is at night. I went online today to book this excursion and it is no longer there. Has anyone any idea why? We are going to be in Miami airport for a long time.

[RuthC]

I can't answer your specific question (sorry). But I will say that the Shore Excursion Office will have a selection of transfers to the airports, some directly there and others with shore excursions, for booking on the ship.

 

Don't worry about finding something to fill at least part of the time that day. There's no need to rush to get this booked; I book disembarkation transfers while on the ship often.

[Krazy Kruizers]

It may pop back up on HAL's site.

Once on the ship there will be an excursion booklet in your cabin. Check in there for excursions -- there will be some listed.

[wishful thinking]

I have been looking at the HAL site for weeks and on the shore excursions it had a 7 hour trip to Hollywood Beach and a transfer to Miami airport on the day we are flying back to London, February 8th 2015. Ou flight is at night. I went online today to book this excursion and it is no longer there. Has anyone any idea why? We are going to be in Miami airport for a long time.

 

I was looking at this excursion too, but as you say, it's no longer available. I seem to remember someone (maybe on here) saying it wasn't a popular one, so........

 

Anyway, I'll be doing the trip pre-cruise on the water taxi, so all is good.

 

You might want to look at the Land & Sea excursion. I've done this a couple of times now, and have opted for it yet again. It's a very nice way to spend some time on disembarking day. Good luck with whatever you choose.

[Kamloops50]

You can probably book the Everglades Tour when your on board . After the tour they will take you to the Miami airport.

[Hlitner]

Another option is to simply rent a car for the day. It is sometimes possible to use one of the rental agencies in downtown Miami and have them pick you up at the ship. You can then store your luggage in the car's trunk (boot for you Brits) and do as you please for the day. Then you simply drop the car at MIA when its time to go to the airport. One day rentals in Miami can sometimes cost no more then $50...so it can be a pretty good deal.

 

Hank

[summersigh]

Anyway, I'll be doing the trip pre-cruise on the water taxi, so all is good..

 

Be sure to take a windbreaker kind of jacket - the breeze can be very cool out on the water in Lauderdale in Feb.

(:)we lived in Hollywood for years and DH was born and raised on Miami Beach:))

[Globaliser]

Another option is to simply rent a car for the day. It is sometimes possible to use one of the rental agencies in downtown Miami and have them pick you up at the ship. You can then store your luggage in the car's trunk (boot for you Brits) and do as you please for the day. Then you simply drop the car at MIA when its time to go to the airport. One day rentals in Miami can sometimes cost no more then $50...so it can be a pretty good deal.

I second this. In addition, you probably don't even need to arrange anything with a Miami location. Just take a taxi from the ship at Port Everglades to Fort Lauderdale airport and go to the car rental centre there. Most companies will not charge a one-way fee within Florida so you can drop the car off at Miami airport without extra cost. Then the day is yours, fully flexible.

 

The last time we did this, we found a very interesting and trendy restaurant in the Garment District for an excellent brunch. Dead easy to get to from Fort Lauderdale, and dead easy to get to Miami airport afterwards. The only pity was that we were on the first flight to London (which was at something like 5.30 pm), so brunch was all that we had time for that day.

[slabeaume]

Just a warning if you rent a car---the traffic in and around Miami/Ft. Lauderdale is often crazy! My daughter lives there so I've done a lot of driving in the area and have seen drivers do things there that blow my mind! And you'll be driving on the right side of the street here instead of the "wrong" side.

[Ineke]

We can highly recommend the land and sea excursion. Very enjoyable!

[wishful thinking]

Be sure to take a windbreaker kind of jacket - the breeze can be very cool out on the water in Lauderdale in Feb.

(:)we lived in Hollywood for years and DH was born and raised on Miami Beach:))

 

Thanks for the heads up. I am always prepared - lol. Have done this trip several times now so know what to expect :)

 

And you lucky guys, having lived there.

[mactire]

Thanks for all your help folks. The Land and Sea trip looks just right. Less than 2 weeks to go. Hooray!

[wishful thinking]

Thanks for all your help folks. The Land and Sea trip looks just right. Less than 2 weeks to go. Hooray!

 

I'm sure you will love this excursion. I've done it several times, and I never tire of it. Just a wonderful way to spend the 'last' day before that horrendous plane journey back home!