What to do when departing Fort Lauderdale at 9pm

[shanley]

I am trying to decide on flights. What is there to do in Miami and Fort Lauderdale on a Sunday in March? What can I do with my bags.

 

NCL offers an excursion to the Everglades that includes a drop of at FLL. But it says for flights after 4:30pm, which makes me think we'll be at the airport by 3:00 and have a lot of time to kill.

 

I'm thinking the cost of spending the day in Miami will end up being the same as paying extra for the afternoon flight.

 

 

my cruise ends Sunday morning and I can choose a noon connecting flight that gets me home in the evening for about $800 (for 3 of us) more than waiting for the evening direct flight that leaves around 9pm and gets in after midnight and requires a hotel stay because I'm two hours from the airport. It also requires an extra day off work and my daughter being late for school.

 

 

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[Clarea]

Good info at http://www.sunny.org.

[capriccio]

The cruise line excursions will get you to the airport way too early. Check (ask this question on your cruise line board) if they offer a luggage valet program where, for a fee, they collect your luggage the night before disembarkation and you next see it on the luggage carousel of your home airport. Without having to shlep around your luggage you are free to take the water taxi (www.watertaxi.com) and/or the sun trolley (www.suntrolley.com) to sightsee and have a late lunch/early dinner in Fort Lauderdale.

 

Another alternative on the weekends is to store your luggage at Bags to Go (www.bagstogo.net) in each terminal and take the free Sun Trolley airport link downtown and back to the airport.

 

Alternatively you could rent a car and put your luggage in the trunk and then do your sightseeing (check out www.sunny.org).

 

As a third alternative a few Fort Lauderdale hotels offer day rooms with access to hotel amenities (pool, etc.). Most often mentioned is the Rodeway Inn and Suites where you can reserve your room in advance. A much nicer hotel in a much better location (downtown Fort Lauderdale), the Riverside Hotel, has been reported on this board to offer day rooms but you can only call and reserve on the day you need it. A recent poster noted that the Hampton Inn Downtown/Las Olas offers day rooms thru www.dayuse.com:

 

There was 6 of us, we booked a day room at the Hampton Inn Las Olas/Downtown Fort Lauderdale. It was very nice and clean. One person opted for a nap and the rest of us took hotel provided transportation to the beach, had lunch at beach, walked around a bit and back to hotel which then had free shuttle to airport. It was only 70.00+tax. Would definitely do it again and was happy we missed the cruise crowds at the airport.

 

You can make reservations in advance thru dayuse dot com. They take no deposit, not even a credit card. About 2 weeks before I called hotel to confirm they had my reservation. Absolutely no problems.

[Vacationdreamer<><]

Off princess in 2014 we selected a cruise excursion for the Ft Laud area. It was a lovely day and all our items were secure on the bus.

 

 

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[BNBR]

There is tons to do. But it seems from your post that it's worth spending the extra and just getting home earlier if you aren't thrilled with the idea of exploring South Florida. I like the rent a car and put luggage in trunk idea.

[shanley]

The cruise line excursions will get you to the airport way too early. Check (ask this question on your cruise line board) if they offer a luggage valet program where, for a fee, they collect your luggage the night before disembarkation and you next see it on the luggage carousel of your home airport. Without having to shlep around your luggage you are free to take the water taxi (www.watertaxi.com) and/or the sun trolley (www.suntrolley.com) to sightsee and have a late lunch/early dinner in Fort Lauderdale.

 

Another alternative on the weekends is to store your luggage at Bags to Go (www.bagstogo.net) in each terminal and take the free Sun Trolley airport link downtown and back to the airport.

 

Alternatively you could rent a car and put your luggage in the trunk and then do your sightseeing (check out www.sunny.org).

 

As a third alternative a few Fort Lauderdale hotels offer day rooms with access to hotel amenities (pool, etc.). Most often mentioned is the Rodeway Inn and Suites where you can reserve your room in advance. A much nicer hotel in a much better location (downtown Fort Lauderdale), the Riverside Hotel, has been reported on this board to offer day rooms but you can only call and reserve on the day you need it. A recent poster noted that the Hampton Inn Downtown/Las Olas offers day rooms thru www.dayuse.com:

 

There was 6 of us, we booked a day room at the Hampton Inn Las Olas/Downtown Fort Lauderdale. It was very nice and clean. One person opted for a nap and the rest of us took hotel provided transportation to the beach, had lunch at beach, walked around a bit and back to hotel which then had free shuttle to airport. It was only 70.00+tax. Would definitely do it again and was happy we missed the cruise crowds at the airport.

 

You can make reservations in advance thru dayuse dot com. They take no deposit, not even a credit card. About 2 weeks before I called hotel to confirm they had my reservation. Absolutely no problems.

 

 

 

Thanks this is helpful and I will check out the links. The valet service doesn't work because I'm flying to Canada and I've never seen it offered on international flights.

 

I can obviously do some inexpensive things, which might be worth saving the money and taking the cheap, late, direct flight.

 

We stayed an extra day in Orlando last cruise and that was not at all in expensive.

 

 

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[shanley]

There is tons to do. But it seems from your post that it's worth spending the extra and just getting home earlier if you aren't thrilled with the idea of exploring South Florida. I like the rent a car and put luggage in trunk idea.

 

 

 

I am really waffling on this. Just spend the money and get home or save some money, enjoy the day, have a direct flight, but not get home until the next morning.

 

I will look into rental car rates. I'll see if my husband wants to drive.

 

I found a third option and that is to fly with a crappy cheap airline and get home in the afternoon.

 

 

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[OVgirl]

If you are going to take the extra day off work and stay in a hotel once you arrive at your home airport, why not get a flight early the next morning and spend the night in FL. Not rushing or worrying about stuff. Just an extra day on vacation.

[shanley]

If you are going to take the extra day off work and stay in a hotel once you arrive at your home airport, why not get a flight early the next morning and spend the night in FL. Not rushing or worrying about stuff. Just an extra day on vacation.

 

 

 

Thank you! I felt a little stupid for not thinking of this.

 

I checked but, Monday doesn't seem to have as many flights and nothing direct in the morning and nothing really early in the morning.

 

In the end, I found a reasonable priced flight, direct that leaves at 11:20am. I decided it was worth a couple hundred dollars for the convenience to just get home after the cruise. Plus it would have cost,us more to stay an extra day either in FL or Montreal.

 

 

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