Arrival at FLL at 8:30am

[MikeyH]

Hi Everyone. My wife and I are booked a super-early flight for the morning of embarkation, and we'll be getting to Ft. Lauderdale at about 8:30am. Does anyone know if we can go to the ship and drop our bags off for a few hours before we try to board? Thanks so much!

[*Miss G*]

Welcome to Cruise Critic MikeyH!  Port Everglades is not the easiest port to get in and out of let alone the cost of the transportation.  It may be more economical and easiest for you to rent a car for a few hours.  That way you have somewhere for your bags and can go where you like.  Enjoy your cruise!

[DaveOKC]

27 minutes ago, MikeyH said:

Hi Everyone. My wife and I are booked a super-early flight for the morning of embarkation, and we'll be getting to Ft. Lauderdale at about 8:30am. Does anyone know if we can go to the ship and drop our bags off for a few hours before we try to board? Thanks so much!

With an arrival time of 8:30 am, the time you get your luggage and grab a taxi/Uber to the pier it will be close to 9:30 am.  By then they should be taking luggage, if not they should by 10 AM.  Usually security opens around 10:30 (give or take) and you can then proceed to checkin.  Boarding starts at 11:30 am most times.

 

You could drop your luggage at the pier and then walk the boardwalk (plenty of things to see and do in the area).  Then board whenever you want.  Personally, we like to get onboard as early as possible, drop our carryons in our cabins (normally ready by 11:30 am), go to the MDR for lunch and then tour the ship and book whatever we need to.

[MikeyH]

Thank you both...really good advice! I really appreciate it!

[I like vacation]

Since you won't be in a rush, your bags will be the first off the plane and onto the carousel.  

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Definitely collect your Luggage -- then head out to the taxi line.  By the time you collect luggage and stand in the taxi land -- time to head to the ship.  

 

You should get there by 10 AM.  Drop off your luggage and get in line.  Sometimes the doors to the terminal open at 10 -- sometimes 10:30.  You will be given a card with a number on it for boarding purposes.

 

You will go through security and then head to the proper line for check-in.  Then you will proceed upstairs and sit until it is time to board.

 

As a rule HAL starts to board at 11:30.  The Pinnacle Suites, handicapped people will be called first followed by the Neptune Suites, 4 and 5 star Mariners.  Then they start to call the numbers.

 

HAL usually has the cabins ready at 11:30 so that you can drop off your carry-ons, etc.  After that you can do whatever you want.  Some people like to go to the Lido for lunch, others the Dive In (hamburger and hot dogs) while some of us like to go to dining room for lunch (lower level of the dining room) which is open from Noon to 1:30.

[*Miss G*]

Personally I would maybe grab a bite to eat at the airport then head to the port.  You can check dining options at THIS LINK.  If you do opt to delay boarding then make sure you are checked in no later than 90 minutes before departure.  Enjoy!

[Sue from Canada]

13 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

Personally I would maybe grab a bite to eat at the airport then head to the port.  You can check dining options at THIS LINK.  If you do opt to delay boarding then make sure you are checked in no later than 90 minutes before departure.  Enjoy!

I agree with Miss G and I've done this.  It's chaos at the port prior to 10 a.m. with the passenger who just got off the ship still mulling around waiting for rides etc.

[terrydtx]

18 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

Personally I would maybe grab a bite to eat at the airport then head to the port.  You can check dining options at THIS LINK.  If you do opt to delay boarding then make sure you are checked in no later than 90 minutes before departure.  Enjoy!

Excellent advice and exactly what we would do under the same circumstances.

[MikeyH]

You guys are so nice and helpful...thanks so much! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! 🙂

[Homosassa]

Make sure you have your boarding pass and ID easily accessible when you traveling to the port.  Many times Port Security will ask to see them before allowing the car to enter the port.

[baggal]

I did this last March.  Took the earliest flight out of Newark, 6 am, on the day of embarkation.  We had insurance, so were fully prepared for bad weather or plane malfunctions to cause us to miss the ship.  Just our luck, the weather was beautiful in New Jersey, we left early, had a very smooth flight down, and arrived in FLL EARLY!    And of course, instead of the usual half hour wait for our luggage,  it came out on the carousel right away.  Way too early to go to the port.  Once you have your luggage you can't go back through security to a better assortment of restaurants and lounges.  But there is a Starbucks and some seating area in the arriving flight portion of the terminal.  We nursed our coffee for about 45 minutes and then took a readily available taxi to the port.  Arrived there after 10 a.m. and they had already started the check-in process but we had to wait a while to actually board the ship.  We were exhausted.  This year we flew in the day before embarkation.

[Richjoxyz]

Go to the bar at the airport and have a couple martinis! Then go to the ship!  (just kidding)

[Himself]

On 3/19/2019 at 9:23 PM, baggal said:

II did this last March.  Took the earliest flight out of Newark, 6 am, on the day of embarkation.  We had insurance, so were fully prepared for bad weather or plane malfunctions to cause us to miss the ship.  Just our luck, the weather was beautiful in New Jersey, we left early, had a very smooth flight down, and arrived in FLL EARLY!    And of course, instead of the usual half hour wait for our luggage,  it came out on the carousel right away.  Way too early to go to the port.  Once you have your luggage you can't go back through security to a better assortment of restaurants and lounges.  But there is a Starbucks and some seating area in the arriving flight portion of the terminal.  We nursed our coffee for about 45 minutes and then took a readily available taxi to the port.  Arrived there after 10 a.m. and they had already started the check-in process but we had to wait a while to actually board the ship.  We were exhausted.  This year we flew in the day before embarkation.

I usually fly in the day before. Sometimes two days before/

[terrydtx]

23 minutes ago, Richjoxyz said:

Go to the bar at the airport and have a couple martinis! Then go to the ship!  (just kidding)

Or three or four martinis and crawl to the ship!!!! I have done that on the ship and crawled back to our cabin. LOL

[RMLincoln]

I really don't see a lot of options: 

#1 - Hang out at the airport but you will be in the "outside security" area with few choices for food or drinks, as noted a Starbucks may be there, depending which terminal you arrive at.  

#2 - Take a taxi or Uber to a nice hotel that has a breakfast restaurant, drop your luggage with the bellman, sit and have a quiet meal until about 10:00, then retrieve your luggage and taxi or Uber to the port at 10:15 or 10:30, after all the debarking passengers have cleared the terminal.  

 

Port Everglades is not an easy port to roam around, as I recall. My experience is that it is huge and spread out with little if anything to enjoy near the boarding terminals.  Maybe I missed something but once we were on turnaround day on a B2B and tried to buy something within walking distance of the ship terminal.... and we walked a long way and found nothing.  

I would want to limit how much hauling of luggage I would be doing, so I would probably have a book and a snack with me, find a seat at the airport and hang out until 10:00. But I have done the taxi to a hotel for a breakfast when I arrived at 5am somewhere else to kill time until it was a human hour for family to fetch me, and that worked well... but you will need to pay for 2 Taxi/Uber  fares, a breakfast tab, and a bellman tip.  Might be worth it for a comfortable place to relax for an hour.  wouldn't be to me.  

[3rdGenCunarder]

10 hours ago, RMLincoln said:

I really don't see a lot of options: 

#1 - Hang out at the airport but you will be in the "outside security" area with few choices for food or drinks, as noted a Starbucks may be there, depending which terminal you arrive at.  

#2 - Take a taxi or Uber to a nice hotel that has a breakfast restaurant, drop your luggage with the bellman, sit and have a quiet meal until about 10:00, then retrieve your luggage and taxi or Uber to the port at 10:15 or 10:30, after all the debarking passengers have cleared the terminal.  

 

Port Everglades is not an easy port to roam around, as I recall. My experience is that it is huge and spread out with little if anything to enjoy near the boarding terminals.  Maybe I missed something but once we were on turnaround day on a B2B and tried to buy something within walking distance of the ship terminal.... and we walked a long way and found nothing.  

I would want to limit how much hauling of luggage I would be doing, so I would probably have a book and a snack with me, find a seat at the airport and hang out until 10:00. But I have done the taxi to a hotel for a breakfast when I arrived at 5am somewhere else to kill time until it was a human hour for family to fetch me, and that worked well... but you will need to pay for 2 Taxi/Uber  fares, a breakfast tab, and a bellman tip.  Might be worth it for a comfortable place to relax for an hour.  wouldn't be to me.  

 

You're right that there's nowhere to eat/shop at or near the port.

 

Sitting around in an airport does not appeal to me, so I think the hotel breakfast is definitely worth it. Taxi and Uber fares are based on distance, so if you choose a hotel along the route to the port, that extra cost won't be too much. Or choose an airport hotel that has a free shuttle. Eat there and then get a taxi/Uber to the port. 

 

[CRu1853!!]

I received notification on Wednesday that check in at the terminal for our HAL cruise on April 24th has been moved back until 1400. This is due to “immigration formalities and a Coast Guard drill involving all crew”.  We will be arriving around 1000 and now must figure out what to do. We have a transfer from airport to terminal arranged with Holland but have not received any info yet about how this will work with the time change. Just FYI. All previous info I have read is appreciated.

[3rdGenCunarder]

28 minutes ago, CRu1853!! said:

I received notification on Wednesday that check in at the terminal for our HAL cruise on April 24th has been moved back until 1400. This is due to “immigration formalities and a Coast Guard drill involving all crew”.  We will be arriving around 1000 and now must figure out what to do. We have a transfer from airport to terminal arranged with Holland but have not received any info yet about how this will work with the time change. Just FYI. All previous info I have read is appreciated.

 

If you have a HAL transfer, you'll be on their schedule one way or another, hanging around at the airport or at the port. Give it a few days and try calling HAL to ask what's going to happen with your transfer timing.

 

Is there a roll call for your cruise? Perhaps someone has posted about this there.

 

[CRu1853!!]

Thanks for the response. I posted on the Roll Call also today.

[travelplus]

One idea is to do a Tours By Local Tour of Ft Lauderdale where you could keep your luggage either in the van/car of the Tour Guide or take an Uber to the Port and have the Tours By Locals Guide pick you up and drop you off from the Port.

https://www.toursbylocals.com/Fort-Lauderdale-Tours

https://www.toursbylocals.com/FortLauderdaleThenandNow

 

The Tours by Locals Fort Lauderdale Then and Now Tour is 4 hours so if you ask for them to pick up up at the airport at 9:30 and get you to the port by 1:30.

Edited April 1, 2019 by travelplus