Ft. Pierce to Port Everglades day of departure?

[carrascoja]

For those that drive and park at or near port, is this a reasonable drive for a Sunday departure. Have recently returned from Harmony of the Seas trip and used Park and Cruise at Dania Beach hotel and it was expensive. Really all Ft. Lauderdale hitels are expensive this time of year Central Florida hotels on the I95 corridor are much cheaper

 

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[capriccio]

It's about a 110 mile/2 hour drive and the good thing is you have a choice between I-95 (up to 6 lanes in each direction in Palm Beach County) and the Florida Turnpike (2 lanes in each direction, tolls and fewer exits which means fewer cars cutting in and out). In some places the two highways are so close you can see the other so that does allow you to switch highways if you run into a serious backup (assuming Florida Dept of Transportation signs are working and tell you of trouble ahead).

 

I would still leave by breakfast time just in case you do run into traffic. It shouldn't be bad on a Sunday unless you encounter accidents or the weather is crappy which leads to accidents. Looking at googlemaps right now there are accidents everywhere (9 on the Turnpike and 21! on I-95) because we are having strong rainstorms.

[crewsweeper]

We did this in January. Ft Pierce to POM. I-95. Although we took the Turnpike to Ft. Pierce. Left just before 8A and were scouting for a parking spot just around 10A. Find a hotel near the exit. We stayed at the Fairfield Inn off Okeechobee Road between the Turnpike and I-95 (exit 129). Restaurants in the area. We ate at Costa Azul, a hole in the wall, small strip mall place up Okeechobee Road a bit. Excellent food. Everybody else in the place appeared to be regulars.

[OCruisers]

You'll been fine spending the night in Ft. Pierce ... just a couple of hours from there to FLL. I-95 has always worked out very well for us. :)

[Flymia]

That should not be a problem. Just load up the route on Google Maps prior to leaving to make sure traffic is clear. Google will always re-direct you to the fastest route. Has saved me an hour on some drives.

[carrascoja]

Thanks everyone for the quick response

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[OCruisers]

Actually we stay at a full service (convention center) Holliday Inn on I-95 that we really like in Melbourne which is somewhat farther north and have never had a problem getting to FLL by Noon. :)

[skrufy]

Take I-95, the traffic will be light on a Sunday morning. Save the toll money for a few drinks.

[rkacruiser]

Cruising with a friend who lived in Fort Pierce, we have driven to Port Everglades several times prior to a cruise. Always have used I-95 and normally leave around 9:00 A.M. and park at Port Everglades. We have always been in the Terminal, regardless of which one, before Noon and usually between 11:15-11:30.

 

For closer to the Port, i.e. Northern Fort Lauderdale, check the hotels (a Courtyard, Marriott, and a Westin) at Cypress Creek Road for possible good pricing. Over the Christmas holidays, I was able to book the Marriott for less than the Courtyard at the exit from I-95.

[loanshark]

Have done this a couple of times. Will be doing this again in June, although we are staying slightly closer in the Palm Beach Gardens area (North Palm Beach) for our next cruise. As others have stated, it is approximately 2 hours from the area you are referencing to the ship.

[RocketMan275]

Our last cruise, we spent the night before the cruise even further away. We stopped at Ocala. About a four hour drive in and we had no issues. In fact, the alarm clock in our room was an hour early so we were up and ready to go well before six AM.

 

Our next cruise is out of tampa and we're staying at Ocala again. Only an hour and a half. Worried we'll get there too early and will be standing outside the terminal.