Flying into MIA and taking a cruise transfer

[fsls40]

Their will be nine of us and we will be landing at 8am should we use RCCL transfers or get our own and our flight home is 12:30 pm

[torpeedo]

I think you are asking should you take the RCCI transfers to the ship when you arrive.. Funny story on that. We flew to Miami for a cruise aboard a HAL ship. We had an overnight stay before the cruise and had transfers to the hotel and the ship. We arrived and met the HAL person. She had us wait.... and wait... and wait... Finally we said we will take a cab to the hotel.. no no no, it will be here in a moment. Well up pulls a huge bus. We two get on board and he takes us to the hotel! No other passengers!!:rolleyes: Like the government paying $2000 for a toilet seat!

If you all land at 8am and boarding time is 11am, you might be waiting around in the airport for a good while. Might want to plan to cab to somewhere for brunch or something rather than sitting in the airport.

Your return flight is pretty tight at 12:30. You can make it individually and would assume that they would guarantee you arrival with their transfers. I would cab/limo it.

[TxKroozer]

I ditto the cab choice as well. With 8 of you in your party, your transfers will likely cost a whole lot more than arranging your own shuttle to the pier and back. It might be better to explore your options before hand and save a few dollars and take control of your own. You will be better from a time aspect of not having to wait for the "bus" to fill up and you will save money. Don't forget to dial in tips for the drivers though.

[safety300]

A few years back we flew in day of cruise for Navigator to Miami with a group of 10. Figured it would make things easier to go with RCCL transfer, were we wrong. The woman that met us at baggage claim said wait here, we did, but then watched all of these others board buses. She left and was replaced, we asked next person and she moved us out into the drizzle to wait for another hour, seemed like lots of confussion. We finally got on a large bus for transfer to Navigator, from then on it was great. That was only time I used RCCL transfer and have not since. They did not seem very organised in Miami.

[jkrislc]

Well up pulls a huge bus. We two get on board and he takes us to the hotel! No other passengers!!:rolleyes: Like the government paying $2000 for a toilet seat!

 

On our Carnival cruise in '96, this is what my wife and I experienced. A huge bus transported us, and we were the only two on the bus, which probably held 60 chairs.

 

To the OP,

 

I'd recommend arranging the transfers on your own. They'd be cheaper with a group your size. Try contacting a shuttle company or use taxis as others have suggested.

[debandbill]

FSLS...

 

The taxi rate is controlled and posted...I believe it is now $21 from the airport to the port and port to airport...that is for the cab...not Per Person. This includes the larger minivan type cabs that will hold 4 people plus cruise luggage. I would suggest that you agree on a meeting place at the port and have the group take, say 3 cabs to the port. The busses can be fine if you are the last to board, but you usually have to wait. As far as debarkation...I definitely would suggest the taxis...you can control how quickly you leave the port for your flight.

[Patfan]

In my past experience, I have found cruise line transfers a waist of time. You usually have to wait for a shuttle or bus to fill up before you leave the airport. I now go to the transportstion desk and ask for a car or van and always get a flat rate. This way you are in charge and always arrive at the pier before the others. The porters are alway there to get your bags off and quickly to the ship a $10.00 tip is alway appreciated and gets you great service. Or a buck a bag is a goos guide.

[superjerryw]

Take a few taxis as it is easier and much faster. Get you bags and get in the taxis and be on our way either to the ship or back to the airport. If you use the cruise line transfers you will be waiting for buses to fill up. In addition, since a taxi is a fixed rate regardless of the number of passenegers, it will probably cost less than the cruise line bus.

[fsls40]

Thank you can any one recommend any van services they used

[Jayme580]

Take Cabs they are at the doors waiting for you. Don't waste your time with the transfer. You get stuck with a large pack of people. I never use the transfer. I don't remember the cost but I know the fee is the same no matter what taxi company you take.

[CRUZFOOLS]

It's easy to get vans at the airport and also when you disembark the ship there are cabs everywhere. We did just that 4/05.

[DEL67]

Cab fare between the Port of Miami and the airport is now $24, but since 4 or more can share one of the larger cabs, it is still cheaper and more convenient than cruise line transfers.

[Pierre2]

I'm using Larry's Limo's based on recommendations on the boards. A stretch Limo was very little more than multiple cab fare and with all the luggage cabs were questionable. I will post after the cruise to let everyone know how it goes, but booking went well.

[Lou_70]

Take the taxi, there are tons of em waiting for you and all you have to do is go to the taxi stand and tell the person standing there you want a taxi.

 

The one small issue is that if you get off the boat middle to last, there are not too many taxi's waiting for you to get BACK to the airport. This happened to us once and all we had to do is pay for a one way to airport on the rccl bus.

 

I am sure if we waited around a bit one would of shown up, but it was chaos and we just wanted to clear out of the crowds going off cruise and coming in cruise.

 

 

Thanks and good luck

[rjg41]

Taxi to and from the pier is about $22 each way and can take up to 5 people/cab. Most cabs in Miami are the van type and can hold the 5 plus luggage. If the next one in line is not a van type you can insist on the van type. Way cheaper than transfers for more than 2 people. There will be plenty of cabs at the airport and at the pier when you come back.

[fsls40]

thanks