Flights from Palm Beach International (PBI) Airport

[Yankee123]

Hello All,

 

We are looking for flights for our upcoming cruise on Allure Of The Seas (RCCL) and our search has shown that it is so much cheaper to fly to Palm Beach International (PBI) airport than Fort Lauderdale (FLL) or Miami (MIA) airports. For all interested, we have checked pricing from Newark (EWR), John F Kennedy (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA), Philadelphia (PHL) and Trenton Mercer (TTN) airports. Please keep in mind that the search is based on the flight return time also. We are getting cheaper flights from FLL, but the return flight is at 10:00 AM, and I don't know if we will have enough time to disembark a ship and make it to the airport for a take off time at 10:00 AM.

 

My question to all is, what is the best method to get back to the PBI airport after a cruise from the Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale?

 

Should I suck it up and get a cab? Uber? or should I rent a car?

 

Is there a place close enough where I can rent a car and return at PBI airport?

 

Your answers are greatly appreciated. Thank you all.

[Keith1010]

When you say best you have to say how you define best.

 

Easiest method is taxi but a lower cost method is the rental car.

 

I normally recommend rental car.

 

Keith

[jordanaire]

We flew into West Palm Beach once before, spent the night then rented a car 1-way to Miami airport. Turned car in then rode Carnival shuttle to ship. Did reverse after cruise. Worked out great and we saved a lot of money

[fishywood]

We flew into West Palm Beach once before, spent the night then rented a car 1-way to Miami airport. Turned car in then rode Carnival shuttle to ship. Did reverse after cruise. Worked out great and we saved a lot of money

 

OP is asking for help getting to PBI after disembarking at Port Everglades. Though this does make me wonder what their plans are when landing at PBI the week before?

 

Big question is what time is the outgoing flight? I wouldn't risk one at PBI before 12:30-1:00 especially on a Sunday when the only place to pick up a rental car will likely be at FLL--many of the offices on 17 St or Federal Hwy do not open until later on Sunday mornings, and the airport sites are guaranteed to be woefully understaffed at that hour.

 

So let me go out on a limb I usually avoid and suggest a 10:00 flight from FLL is doable only because you are disembarkng Allure which is usually alongside Terminal 18 by 4:30 with disembarkation starting around 6:15.

[thinfool]

Hello All,

 

We are looking for flights for our upcoming cruise on Allure Of The Seas (RCCL) and our search has shown that it is so much cheaper to fly to Palm Beach International (PBI) airport than Fort Lauderdale (FLL) or Miami (MIA) airports. For all interested, we have checked pricing from Newark (EWR), John F Kennedy (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA), Philadelphia (PHL) and Trenton Mercer (TTN) airports. Please keep in mind that the search is based on the flight return time also. We are getting cheaper flights from FLL, but the return flight is at 10:00 AM, and I don't know if we will have enough time to disembark a ship and make it to the airport for a take off time at 10:00 AM.

 

My question to all is, what is the best method to get back to the PBI airport after a cruise from the Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale?

 

Should I suck it up and get a cab? Uber? or should I rent a car?

 

Is there a place close enough where I can rent a car and return at PBI airport?

 

Your answers are greatly appreciated. Thank you all.

 

Checking Uber the estimate for now (thursday at 6pm), Port Everglades to PBI is $51.99 and up. Surge pricing for Uber around debarkation time will likely increase that.

 

No answer to this question would be complete without telling you that there is public transportation available via the TriRail system from FLL to PBI. But if you have a tight schedule it would be difficult to navigate for first timers.

[Yankee123]

Thank you all,

 

We are four adults and two children so public transportation might be difficult with luggage also.

 

Do you know which rental car is close to port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale

 

?The flight we are looking into is scheduled to depart at 4:00 PM so we want to get to the airport by 2:00 PM latest.

 

I should check uber prices this weekend during debarkation time as mentioned.

[Capt_BJ]

PE is minutes from the airport of Lauderdale so "all" the rental cars are there

 

but I would mentioned that the last time I picked up a car at Budget desk of the airport on a Saturday morning I stood in line for well over an hour . . . .

[Yankee123]

 

So let me go out on a limb I usually avoid and suggest a 10:00 flight from FLL is doable only because you are disembarkng Allure which is usually alongside Terminal 18 by 4:30 with disembarkation starting around 6:15.

 

Hi Fishywood, would you say we would be able to make the 10:00 AM flight out of FLL?

[fishywood]

Perhaps I should have said "may be doable" rather than "is doable".

 

Being a local I have no personal experience rushing from Port Everglades to FLL to make an early flight. Though my experience with slow disembarkation in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Brooklyn will leave me never booking a flight earlier than mid-afternoon there (or more likely the next morning).

 

What I am saying strictly about Allure at Port Everglades is that based on anecdotal evidence often posted here (though a bit less frequently now than a year or so ago) is that if you can be one of the first off you might find yourselves through Customs & Immigration, into a taxi, and in the security line at FLL comfortably before 8:00. Passengers with no checked bags and virtual boarding passes on their phones have claimed to have made flights at 9:15 or even earlier, though the odds of getting away with that twice are very long.

 

Others will chime in that you have no margin for error if the ship arrives late. Well that is also true of a flight several hours later, 'cause when a ship is late it is usually very late as delays with every step of disembarkation (boarding the harbor pilot, getting the ship fast aside, starting the offloading of luggage, and finally clearance for the first passengers off) all commencing even further later than scheduled as the delays cascade.

 

If you are not able to do self carry disembarkation I would say that flights before 10:30 are too risky. But if you can, and know there is a "Plan B" flight that could get you home the same day...well, that's your call.

[Yankee123]

Perhaps I should have said "may be doable" rather than "is doable".

 

Being a local I have no personal experience rushing from Port Everglades to FLL to make an early flight. Though my experience with slow disembarkation in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Brooklyn will leave me never booking a flight earlier than mid-afternoon there (or more likely the next morning).

 

What I am saying strictly about Allure at Port Everglades is that based on anecdotal evidence often posted here (though a bit less frequently now than a year or so ago) is that if you can be one of the first off you might find yourselves through Customs & Immigration, into a taxi, and in the security line at FLL comfortably before 8:00. Passengers with no checked bags and virtual boarding passes on their phones have claimed to have made flights at 9:15 or even earlier, though the odds of getting away with that twice are very long.

 

Others will chime in that you have no margin for error if the ship arrives late. Well that is also true of a flight several hours later, 'cause when a ship is late it is usually very late as delays with every step of disembarkation (boarding the harbor pilot, getting the ship fast aside, starting the offloading of luggage, and finally clearance for the first passengers off) all commencing even further later than scheduled as the delays cascade.

 

If you are not able to do self carry disembarkation I would say that flights before 10:30 are too risky. But if you can, and know there is a "Plan B" flight that could get you home the same day...well, that's your call.

 

 

Thank you, this is definitely something to think about now, because if we can make the 10:00 AM flight then all is solved and we can afford the flight right out of FLL

[capriccio]

Thank you, this is definitely something to think about now, because if we can make the 10:00 AM flight then all is solved and we can afford the flight right out of FLL

 

As fishywood said, make sure you have a well thought out plan B!

 

While it is easy to know when the next flight is scheduled, you cannot predict in advance if there will be available seats. This is especially true in the high season and even more true on a high season weekend. You need to check if your airline will honor your tickets with or without a change fee (and if with a change fee, how much per ticket). During high season you could face the real possibility of not getting out until the next day or even later.

Edited May 13, 2016 by capriccio

[Yankee123]

As fishywood said, make sure you have a well thought out plan B!

 

While it is easy to know when the next flight is scheduled, you cannot predict in advance if there will be available seats. This is especially true in the high season and even more true on a high season weekend. You need to check if your airline will honor your tickets with or without a change fee (and if with a change fee, how much per ticket). During high season you could face the real possibility of not getting out until the next day or even later.

 

Thank you for the heads up. Maybe it would just be worth it to suck up the cost and get the later flight. Better safe than sorry.

[Cruiser Who Knows Nothing]

What if you get that cheaper FLL fare for the NEXT day, and just spend the night in Ft. Lauderdale? Sounds like a headache to me renting a car and then driving to PBI. I abhor 95, its always a mess.

[Yankee123]

What if you get that cheaper FLL fare for the NEXT day, and just spend the night in Ft. Lauderdale? Sounds like a headache to me renting a car and then driving to PBI. I abhor 95, its always a mess.

 

That was the original plan and we would get one more day in sunny Florida, but my wife decided to register our daughter in private school which starts the Monday right after our first day on the cruise, so our daughter will miss the first week of school and my wife is not keen on her missing day 6 - lol

 

And thus my dilemma to make her happy

[BlueHerons]

Thank you for the heads up. Maybe it would just be worth it to suck up the cost and get the later flight. Better safe than sorry.

 

Yes.

 

What if you get that cheaper FLL fare for the NEXT day, and just spend the night in Ft. Lauderdale? Sounds like a headache to me renting a car and then driving to PBI. I abhor 95, its always a mess.

 

This would be my suggestion as well. Your daughter is already missing five days of school one more will not hurt.

 

You'll never remember that missed school day on your death bed but chances are you'll remember this vaycay.

[loubetti]

As stated above, I-95 can be hit or miss as to traffic. I live between West Palm Beach and Ft Lauderdale, and have driven between both. I would never plan on less than 1.5 hours each way. If you luck out you can do it in an hour (perhaps at 3 AM). Speed limit is 65, and you can do 75 without concern- I do it all the time.

Edited May 14, 2016 by loubetti

[Yankee123]

Yes.

 

 

 

This would be my suggestion as well. Your daughter is already missing five days of school one more will not hurt.

 

You'll never remember that missed school day on your death bed but chances are you'll remember this vaycay.

 

Love your quote

 

We are still holding off on purchasing the tickets hoping for the price to drop somewhat, if not then I guess we have to suck it up and spend the extra money

[Yankee123]

As stated above, I-95 can be hit or miss as to traffic. I live between West Palm Beach and Ft Lauderdale, and have driven between both. I would never plan on less than 1.5 hours each way. If you luck out you can do it in an hour (perhaps at 3 AM). Speed limit is 65, and you can do 75 without concern- I do it all the time.

 

The return flight that we are interested in from PBI leave at 4:00 PM so that should give us enough time to rent a car and drive to west palm beach and get lunch

[Yankee123]

Yes.

 

 

 

This would be my suggestion as well. Your daughter is already missing five days of school one more will not hurt.

 

You'll never remember that missed school day on your death bed but chances are you'll remember this vaycay.

 

Just wanted to give an update -

 

The school changed their calendar to open a week later. Apparently a good number of parents complained that the school was opening way too early and the school decided to move the opening day up by a week.

 

This helped us as we immediately jumped on booking our return flight for the Monday after the cruise and spend an extra night in Florida. We actually saved $159 per ticket (6 people travelling) and an extra hotel night is still cheaper.

 

Thank you all for your support.